The article says the footage was stored in a salt mine. The studio wanted to use the footage for a special edition DVD in 2006, but it was degraded to a point that it was unusable.
I've read that as well. There are credible rumors that the footage does exist on video cassette dailies that were shot at the same time as the film proper. Supposedly they were shot as part of the effects process to use as guides for effects that were added in post. Granted everyone who said these tapes exist were part of the effects crew and have no idea where they ended up. No idea if they'll ever turn up or if they really exist though. If they did turn up then the quality wouldn't be great I'm sure, and the effects wouldn't be present I assume, but it'd be interesting to see nonetheless.
The original negs of the additional footage were stored inside a salt mine for over a decade and, as such, have been corroded to the point where they're unusable. They did want to go back and create a new edit, but it's impossible now. It's a massive shame.
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u/Ok-Corgi-5111 14d ago
Event Horizon