Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone director hopes to release 3-hour cut of the film

The film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is adapted from the novel of the same name by the best-selling British author JK Rowling. It is the first film in the "Harry Potter" series. The film was released by Warner Bros. Pictures and was released in the United States on November 16, 2001. It premiered in mainland China on January 26, 2002. The new 4K restored 3D version was released in mainland China on August 14, 2020. The film is 2 hours and 32 minutes long.

Recently, Chris Columbus, the director of the film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", said in an interview with The Wrap that he had previewed a 3-hour version of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", which included the deleted scene of Peeves played by Rick Mayer. This scene did not even appear in the ultimate version which was 7 minutes longer than the original version.

The director said that he thought the 3-hour movie would work, and they did several previews. In a preview in Chicago, they showed the 3-hour version. But later some parents complained that it was too long, but the children felt that it was not enough. Although the 3-hour version was accepted by younger audiences, it was eventually abandoned before the release. Chris Columbus hopes that Warner Bros. can re-release the 3-hour version of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone".