The DVD revolution has changed Hollywood in many ways, but one of the most interesting is the development of the 'extended version' in which the director can include all the scenes and bits of business that had to be sacrificed to keep the film's theatrical running time down.  Sam Raimi, the director of the critically acclaimed Spider-Man 2, which opens today, is already discussing what he calls Spider-Man 2.5, an extended edition which will include scenes (and portions of shots and scenes) that had to be cut from the theatrical version.  Raimi has indicated that at least five minutes of footage that was removed from the current theatrical version will be reinstated in Spider-Man 2.5. 

Don't expect to see Spider-Man 2.5 in 2004.  Of course the theatrical version of Spider-Man 2 will be out on DVD before the end of the year and it will include plenty of extras such as commentaries, 'making-of' featurettes, and information on Spidey's comic book origins.  While many fans dislike multiple iterations of a film on DVD because they see it as a studio ploy to get them to spend more money, at least in the case of Spider-Man 2.5 (and the LOTR extended versions), the filmmakers have been upfront with the public and told them in advance that more elaborate DVD versions were in the offing.  The problem comes when the consumer tries to muster enough will power to wait for the Special Edition.