Moreover, the workprint reportedly contained a subplot involving a documentary crew filming Edward’s transformation. That meta-layer—a film within a workprint of a film about acting—becomes a hall of mirrors. Schimberg allegedly cut it because it “broke the illusion too early,” but in the workprint, that broken illusion is the point. As of this writing, no legitimate copy of the A Different Man workprint has been released. A24, the studio behind the film, has neither confirmed nor denied its existence. However, a 4K bootleg surfaced briefly on private torrent trackers in late 2024, allegedly sourced from a post-production drive lost at a Brooklyn coffee shop. The file’s metadata suggested it was rendered on March 12, 2023—eight months before principal photography even wrapped.
Until the workprint surfaces officially—if it ever does—it remains a ghost. But for those who’ve heard the rumors, it’s a ghost worth chasing. Want to dive deeper? Check out Aaron Schimberg’s earlier film Chained for Life (2018), which also stars Adam Pearson and explores similar themes of performance and physical difference—no workprint required. a different man workprint
In the workprint, Edward doesn’t get a catharsis. He doesn’t find peace. He just keeps acting, even when no one is watching. And in that unpolished, half-broken form, he becomes, ironically, more real than the man we saw in theaters. As of this writing, no legitimate copy of
But the workprint of A Different Man isn’t just a collector’s oddity. It is, in many ways, a more honest version of a film already obsessed with doubles, masks, and the performance of identity. For the uninitiated, A Different Man follows Edward (Sebastian Stan), an actor with neurofibromatosis who undergoes a radical medical treatment to “fix” his face. After his transformation, he becomes obsessed with a stage play based on his former life—only to watch an unaltered man (Adam Pearson) steal the role he believes he was born to play. The file’s metadata suggested it was rendered on
In the age of digital perfectionism, the word “workprint” feels almost archaeological. Once a necessary evil of analog editing, the workprint—a rough, unfinished version of a film, often with temporary sound, missing effects, and placeholder music—has become a mythical object. For fans of Aaron Schimberg’s unsettling 2024 meta-thriller A Different Man , the rumored existence of an early workprint has taken on the same legendary status as lost cuts of Blade Runner or The Magnificent Ambersons .
The theatrical cut is a polished, claustrophobic fable. But sources close to the production describe the workprint as something rawer: a version that ran nearly 25 minutes longer, with extended scenes of Edward’s pre-surgery isolation, less of the jazzy synth score, and—most critically—a different ending.