NYFF: Abdellatif Kechiche Open To ‘Blue Is The Warmest Color’ Sequel, Says Director’s Cut Will Be 40 Minutes Longer

After a rapturous Palme d’Or-winning reception at Cannes, and sweeping through Telluride and Toronto, Abdellatif Kechiche‘s “Blue Is The Warmest Color” rolls into the New York Film Festival, and for once, this story isn’t about the clash of personalities between the director and stars. Instead, it’s about the film itself, what the future might be bring, and the possibility of even more from the already 3-hour relationship drama.

Speaking during a press conference today following a screening in New York, Kechiche elaborated on talk of a longer cut of the film, revealing he has even more he’d like to put in. “In terms of final cut, this cut is shorter than what the final cut will be, which will probably be about 40 minutes longer than this one,” he shared. We presume that means the DVD cut, as the film is due in theaters in two weeks, but the filmmaker didn’t clarify (we’ve also reached out to his U.S. reps for comment, but haven’t heard back at press time).

What scenes and sequences have been left on the editing room floor isn’t clear, but for those who have been tracking the movie since Cannes, they know the original French title of the picture is “La vie d’Adèle – chapitre 1 & 2,” suggesting further films, and while nothing is solidified, Kechiche certainly isn’t opposed to the idea. “I like this character very much and when I thought about her and imagined her and worked on her I thought of her far into the future and on fact in terms of an advanced age and going through various stages and experiences in her life so I very much would like to keep creating and advancing this character,” he explained. “I couldn’t make a 20 hour movie so yes I would like to come back to it and continue. Of course that’s in an ideal world. I don’t know exactly what will happen.”

While much as been made of the apparently difficult shoot, a process that has largely distanced Léa Seydoux (who was not in attendance in New York), her co-star Adèle Exarchopoulos seems ready to come back if they found the right story, despite earlier comments that it was unlikely she’d reteam with Kechiche. “I love the fact that no one really knows what happens next and I love that she can still exist in people’s imagination and spirit. But If we found the next chapter of her life, for sure,” the actress said, about the possibility of future films.

But for now, you can watch the first two chapters at an arthouse near you on starting on October 25th. Read our review of “Blue Is The Warmest Color” right here. Full video has arrived and you can watch it below.– reporting by Rodrigo Perez

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