In 2014, Billy Bob Thornton told Entertainment Weekly that the rumors of his original cut being somewhere in between 3 to 4h long were incorrect, but that his cut was 2:42h. He also mentioned that he still is in possession of his original version.
Jesse Plemons, who was cast as the younger version of John Grady Cole, didn't know all his scenes had been removed from the final cut until he actually saw the film with friends and family.
Some attempts have been made to release a director's cut DVD, but arrangements cannot be reached with the composer of the film's music, Daniel Lanois. As part of the re-cut, Harvey Weinstein scrapped the original score and hired Marty Stuart. Lanois felt insulted, and has steadfastly refused to license his score (which, unusually, he owns) to any release of the film.
Cormac McCarthy visited the set during the making of the film. The author apparently spent little time fraternizing with the main cast and crew. He instead spent much of his visit discussing firearms with the prop master.
Amongst those able to view Billy Bob Thornton's original cut, which ran for 3 hours and 40 minutes, opinions were divided. Ben Affleck remarked that it was "brilliant, a masterpiece". Former Miramax marketing head Dennis Rice had this to say: "It was the most self-indulgent director's cut I'd ever seen. It was like torture to watch that movie."