When multiple heads are devoted to one task, it is destined to go through countless changes. You will rarely find a team of brilliant minds on the same page. Since everyone is a master of their field, they keep adding and subtracting various details to the film. Some scripts are rewritten numerous times before the productions begin. The following films and TV shows also had alternate versions that nearly made it to the screen. Find out the 10 silly decisions that movies and series almost went through.
The Shining
No matter how many years pass, “The Shining” will always be one of the scariest and chilliest horror films. Jack Nicholson’s powerful performance made it difficult for some of us to sleep for days. The film had an open ending where the audience was left to wonder if Jack was always a ghost, became one after freezing to death, or if he was psychologically damaged. It also had an epilogue where the hotel manager asked a shaken Wendy and Danny to live with him for some time. It was also played in the theatres for a week until Stanley Kubrick took it down.
Batman
The classic Batman franchise that started it all belongs to Tim Burton. It followed Batman’s biggest foe, Joker who was played by Jack Nicholson. Burton also wanted to introduce Robin in this version by making his parents Joker’s victims. But then he decided to focus on Bruce Wayne’s character arc rather than splitting the spotlight among various characters.
Captain America: Civil War
The third instalment of the Cap franchise was supposed to be more about Captain America and less about the Avengers. But it ended up focusing on Spider-Man’s moment, Ant-Man’s promotion, Tony Stark’s past, Sokovian Accords and Steve Rogers and Tony Stark’s breakup. And this is exactly what the fans loved about the Civil War. The alternate script involved zombies as the main antagonists.
Titanic
This ultimate romance drove us through great depths while exploring the passionate and condition-less love between Jack and Rose. Its silent conclusion carried myriads of emotions and words that echoed in our minds. We see Rose in her old-age, recalling her moments with Jack and dropping the expensive necklace in the water. This profound scene symbolized that love and happiness are more valuable than material possessions. But James Cameron wanted Rose to share some cheesy dialogues before dropping the necklace, followed by the crew screaming, “That Sucks!” in the end.
Stranger Things
Netflix has become the hub of dark and mysterious SciFi’s over the years. “Stranger Things” is one of its most precious babies that left everyone mind-boggled. Watching it is a whole new experience where fans finish each season over a night and discuss its premise for the coming weeks. One of the reasons behind its success is putting the kids under the spotlight. It’s rare to watch children in heroic roles where they save the town from a dangerous experiment. Initially, it was very hard for Duffer Brothers to convince everyone to make the kids protagonists. “Stranger Things” would have lost its essence had the writers given in to the pressure.
Rocky
“Rocky” is not just an iconic cinema, but a big part of what Hollywood stands on. So, it’s shocking how the alternate ending of such a film would have departed from moral grounds. Rocky would have lost to Apollo Creed on purpose in exchange for money and opened a pet shop for Adrian with that.
Toy Story 3
The third installment of these kids’ movie chose a meaningful plot that centered on ‘change’. We saw how the toys accepted the change and let Andy leave for his college. But an alternate script had a different adventure for Woody and his gang. In this version, they embarked on a new pursuit to rescue Buzz after his Taiwanese firm called back all the models for repair.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
We have a plethora of horror movies in Hollywood. But the number of children-based films that became classics happens to be quite a few. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is counted as one of them. But Steven Spielberg had different plans for this scifi in the beginning. He wanted to make it a horror film about evil aliens who used their glowing finger as a weapon. But something changed his mind and he went with good aliens.
Get Out
Jordan Peele’s horror masterpiece used a menacing narration to throw light on racial injustice. But his original idea was even scarier and painful than the final product we saw. In the alternate ending, Chris would have been caught and incarcerated unfairly, just like we see happening around us.
Groundhog Day
One of the most beautifully crafted stories ever made is “Groundhog Day”. A man waking up on the same day over and over again with no explanation is what left us speechless. The movie was neatly made and didn’t deviate from unnecessary science and magic. One of the executives did want to add an explanation for what happened with hexing aliens or chemical-based accidents, but the director stuck to his vision.
