Some completely missed the mark
Can you imagine your favorite movie with a different ending? Well, it might be easier than you think. There are many movies that could have had alternate endings. Some didn't pass the idea and script phase, others were not approved by audiences in test screenings, while others simply ended up in different cuts of the movie. Indeed, many famous movies have alternate endings, and some are so twisted, that, if used, they would have completely changed the movies' meaning!
It's been 20 years since Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler starred in the movie '50 First Dates' together. It's still a popular choice if you're looking for a light-hearted flick that's heavy on the heart, but it was almost a very different movie. Reminiscing about the experience, Barrymore revealed that the rom-com was originally written as a drama set in Seattle! "The original ending was her saying, ‘You should go and live your life, because this is no life here.'" Barrymore recalled. "And he goes away, as he does, and he comes back and he walks into the restaurant and he just sits down and says, ‘Hi, I’m Henry.’ And the film ends." This alternate film would have been called '50 First Kisses,' director Peter Segal revealed in 2019.
Curious to find out which other classic movies could have been totally different? Click through the gallery and discover the films with alternate endings.
A script found in 2014 revealed an alternate ending to the classic movie, in which Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) says to Rhett (Clark Gable): "Rhett, Rhett, Rhett—you'll come back. You'll come back. I know you will—want to bet?"
Stanley Kubrick's alternate ending envisioned world leaders having a custard pie fight in the War Room. But the director deemed the ending "too farcical."
In an alternate ending to this zombie classic, Peter (Ken Foree) and Francine (Gaylen Ross) don't actually manage to escape. Instead, they both take their own lives.
In the alternate ending, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) isn't supposed to survive, but studio executives didn't really like the idea.
In the alternate ending, the hotel manager visits Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and Danny (Danny Lloyd) in hospital and claims there is no evidence of supernatural activity. On his way out, however, he turns around and gives Danny the same ball that rolled out from Room 237, suggesting that he is either aware of the paranormal activity, or that he is a ghost himself.
In an alternate ending, Elliott (Henry Thomas) would be seen playing 'Dungeons & Dragons' again with his friends, and then the camera would reveal that the communicator on the roof was still working, meaning that he's still in touch with E.T.
George Lucas had a dark twist in mind for the ending. After Darth Vader dies, Luke would have put Vader's helmet on and said, "Now I am Vader." The idea was abandoned because the movie "is for kids."
In an alternate ending, the villain gets away, and John McClane (Bruce Willis) is used as a scapegoat and fired from the NYPD. McClane eventually tracks down Simon (Jeremy Irons) abroad, they play Russian roulette, and the bad guy dies during the game.
In the original version, the alien plant Audrey II eats both Audrey (Ellen Greene) and Seymour (Rick Moranis) and the "Mean Green Mothers From Outer Space" take over the planet.
In the original ending, Dan (Michael Douglas) is framed for murder. Alex (Glenn Close) then leaves a message for Beth (Anne Archer) informing her that Dan is innocent (of murder, not of adultery).
Before Disney picked it up, the movie, originally called '3,000,' didn't have as happy of an ending. Vivian (Julia Roberts) and her friend Kit (Laura San Giacomo) go to Disneyland with the money she made with Edward (Richard Gere).
In an alternate ending, Sarah Connor is seen many years into the future. Her son becomes a US senator and has a daughter, and the artificial intelligence system Skynet is defeated. But this ending would have made sequels a lot harder to make.
One alternate ending included Louise (Susan Sarandon) pushing Thelma (Geena Davis) out of the car, saving her life before driving off the cliff.
This classic animation had a much darker ending. Scar wins the final battle against Simba and kills him, but is then immediately burned alive!
David Fincher's movie had a few alternate endings. One where Mills (Brad Pitt) and Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) race to save Mills' wife. In another ending, Somerset kills Doe (Kevin Spacey). In another one, Mills shoots Doe and Somerset. And there's also one where Doe kills Mills, and Somerset kills Doe.
In the alternate version, the treasure hunters run towards Rose (Kate Winslet) believing she was about to kill herself. Instead, Rose simply drops the Heart of the Ocean gem into the ocean.
There's an alternate ending where Morbius the Living Vampire is seen on the final rooftop sequence.
In an alternate ending, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) and Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) actually kiss before he escapes.
The director's cut includes a much more gruesome death scene for Donnie. The scene was not included in the original release.
An alternate ending was actually shot where Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) wakes up and realizes it was all just a dream. But the original ending was well-received in test screenings, so they went with it.
In an alternate ending of '50 First Dates', Drew Barrymore’s character tells Adam Sandler’s to leave. The movie ends with him returning, reintroducing himself with, “Hi, I’m Henry.”
This British horror movie had different endings in its UK and US releases. In the US version, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) manages to escape. But in the UK version, it's revealed that her escape was just a dream and that she was still trapped in a cave.
The movie's alternate ending is more in line with the book it's based on. Instead of sacrificing himself to save humanity, Neville (Will Smith) discovers his test subject is the vampire leader's significant other. He releases her and abandons the research after realizing the Darkseekers fear him, and he goes to Vermont. Test audiences didn't like this ending though.
The evil Esther dies in the end of the movie, but she does survive in the alternate ending. The family runs away and Esther manages to fool the police into believing she's just an innocent child.
There is an extended version of the ending, where Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) infiltrates and destroys the Russian facility where she was trained. The alternate version was released into DVD.
The alternate ending had Superman sparing Zod's life, instead of snapping his neck and killing him. Screenwriter David S. Goyer said: "We did talk about it and maybe some people would’ve been happier with that, but it felt like a cop out for the story that we were telling.”
Co-writer Jonathan Nolan revealed the movie's original ending “had the Einstein-Rosen bridge collapse when Cooper tries to send the data back.” So, basically, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) wouldn't be able to get home.
In the original ending, the police show up and Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) ends up in jail. But the audience in the test screening didn't like it.
There are a couple of alternate endings to the movie. Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) dies in all of them. The question is how.
The original storyboards had two versions. In one, he would swim out into the ocean and drown, and in the other he would ride his motorcycle and die on the road.
Sources: (Stacker) (Screen Rant) (Looper)
See also:
Movies with surprising alternate endings
Drew Barrymore reveals shocking original '50 First Dates' ending
MOVIES Film
Can you imagine your favorite movie with a different ending? Well, it might be easier than you think. There are many movies that could have had alternate endings. Some didn't pass the idea and script phase, others were not approved by audiences in test screenings, while others simply ended up in different cuts of the movie. Indeed, many famous movies have alternate endings, and some are so twisted, that, if used, they would have completely changed the movies' meaning!
It's been 20 years since Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler starred in the movie '50 First Dates' together. It's still a popular choice if you're looking for a light-hearted flick that's heavy on the heart, but it was almost a very different movie. Reminiscing about the experience, Barrymore revealed that the rom-com was originally written as a drama set in Seattle! "The original ending was her saying, ‘You should go and live your life, because this is no life here.'" Barrymore recalled. "And he goes away, as he does, and he comes back and he walks into the restaurant and he just sits down and says, ‘Hi, I’m Henry.’ And the film ends." This alternate film would have been called '50 First Kisses,' director Peter Segal revealed in 2019.
Curious to find out which other classic movies could have been totally different? Click through the gallery and discover the films with alternate endings.