Fans of Kenneth Lonergan’s emotional marathon Margaret will have something to look forward to. The oft-delayed film won its share of raves when it finally received a limited theatrical release last year, with critics singling out Anna Paquin’s performance as a high-schooler whose innocence is shattered when she believes herself responsible for a fatal bus accident. Several called it the best film of the year. Now comes news that it will receive a limited-time Blu-ray combo pack release on July 10 via Amazon; in that combo pack, you’ll get a bonus DVD featuring a 3-hour extended cut sporting over 30 minutes of added footage. It promises to be at least 20% more devastating than you remember (if you got to see it at all).

Hit the jump for more, including a full press release and the box art. Margaret also stars Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Allison Janney, Jean Reno, Kieran Culkin, and Matthew Broderick.

margaret-anna-paquin

If you haven’t heard the horror stories, the film, which was shot in 2005, suffered through substantial legal turmoil stemming from an extended post-production period in which the director couldn’t make the agreed-upon 150-minute run time. At some point, Martin Scorsese, a big fan of Lonergan’s original cut, actually came in to help with the editing. And in the end, when the lawsuits and the nip/tucks were done, a cut just seconds under 150 minutes was achieved. Basically, it’s been a battle. And it’s fantastic that Lonergan is now getting the chance to share his original vision.

Here’s the full press release:

Los Angeles, CA (May 15, 2012) – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today announced that MARGARET, the long awaited follow up to two-time Academy Award® nominee Kenneth Lonergan’s critically acclaimed debut feature You Can Count on Me, will release on Blu-ray combo pack July 10.  Available exclusively at Amazon for a limited time, the two-disc Blu-ray set includes the theatrical version as well as a bonus DVD featuring the never-before-seen extended cut.

Hailed as “one of the decade's cinematic wonders” (Richard Brody, The New Yorker) and named “one of the best films of the year” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times), MARGARET is “ambitious, affecting, unwieldy and haunting” (Ann Hornaday, Washington Post) and features complex performances from a powerhouse cast including Anna Paquin, as the film’s eponymous heroine (TV’s “True Blood”), Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are Alright), Matt Damon (We Bought a Zoo, Invictus), and Matthew Broderick (Wonderful World).

From Academy Award® nominated writer/director Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count On Me) comes a stirring drama Rolling Stone calls “a film of rare beauty and shocking gravity.” Anna Paquin, Matt Damon and Mark Ruffalo lead a celebrated cast in the story of a Manhattan teenager whose life is profoundly altered after witnessing a terrible accident. Experience an emotional teen’s extraordinary journey to set things right as her innocent ideals come crashing against the harsh realities of the adult world. It’s an “extraordinarily ambitious film,” raves Time Magazine.

margaret blu ray cover