Top 10 MASSIVE Changes to the Script That Happened at the Last Minute

MsMojo

A lot can change at the last minute. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the major screenplay revisions that totally changed the movie.

Transcript

00:00Whoa, Elsa, you look different.

00:07It's a good different.

00:08Welcome to MissMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the major screenplay revisions

00:12that totally changed the movie.

00:14So, Mr. Originality, how would you make it different?

00:17I'd let the geek get the girl.

00:22Number 10, Terminator Salvation.

00:25Everybody deserves a second chance.

00:29This is mine.

00:32This fourth instalment of the Terminator franchise finishes on a hopeful note, but that wouldn't

00:36have been the case if the production had used the original ending.

00:40The film follows the Resistance, including a cyborg played by Sam Worthington, as they

00:44battle against the machines post-Judgment Day.

00:47You're John Connor.

00:48Of course you know me.

00:49You were sent here to kill me, kill the leadership.

00:55The writers had planned for John Connor to be killed, and for the cyborg to wear his

00:59skin like a costume, keeping his image alive.

01:02He then would have gone on a murder spree, killing most of the rest of the main characters.

01:06However, the script leaked online during production, and the backlash was intense.

01:11Nuclear.

01:12Enough to level this place.

01:19Warner Bros. ordered a completely new third act, which gave us the version we know today.

01:23Number 9, Blade Runner.

01:25If you know anything about this movie, you probably know that thanks in part to studio

01:29meddling, there are multiple versions floating around.

01:32Many fans would argue that the US theatrical release, which features Harrison Ford's narration,

01:36is the worst one.

01:43The voiceover was added during post-production after test audiences reacted negatively to

01:47a screening, finding the film confusing.

01:50Neither Ford nor director Ridley Scott were happy about the addition, which completely

01:54changes the tone and feel of the movie.

02:04It's hard to argue that Rutger Hauer's beautiful monologue is improved by Ford's voice jumping

02:09in to over-explain his thoughts.

02:11Fortunately, modern fans can enjoy both the director's cut and the final cut, which remove

02:16the obnoxious narration.

02:34Number 8, Pretty Woman.

02:48You can thank Disney's then-president Jeffrey Katzenberg for saving this movie.

02:52The original version of Pretty Woman wasn't a rom-com.

02:55It was a serious drama about the perils of sex work called 3000, a reference to the amount

03:00of money Edward pays Vivien.

03:02In the script, Vivien is dealing with substance use disorder, and Edward eventually abandons

03:06her.

03:14The movie would have ended with Vivien and her friend Kit catching a bus to Disneyland.

03:18Luckily, Katzenberg demanded an overhaul, and the result was a My Fair Lady-inspired

03:23fairy tale that became a box office sensation.

03:27Undeleted scenes from the original version were included in the 15th anniversary DVD

03:32release, so fans can get a glimpse of what might have been.

03:43Number 7, Batman Returns.

03:46This script went through multiple rewrites before Warner Bros. and Tim Burton settled

03:50on something that satisfied them both.

04:00One of the biggest changes between the drafts and the final production was the inclusion

04:03of Robin.

04:05He would have shown up as a mechanic who helps Batman patch up the Batmobile after it's wrecked.

04:10And you'll never guess who they cast to play the boy wonder.

04:20a black actor for the role, and ultimately went with the then-relatively unknown Marlon

04:25Wayans.

04:26Although the part was eliminated before he actually filmed any scenes, Wayans' contract

04:30ensured he still got paid a cool $100,000 for doing basically nothing.

04:42Number 6, Pretty in Pink.

04:44This tale of love crossing class boundaries almost had a very different ending.

04:56The version that was released had the rich and popular Blaine realizing that his friends

05:00are jerks and reconciling with Andy.

05:02But in the original ending, Blaine never sees the error of his ways, and instead Andy ends

05:07up with her best friend Ducky.

05:14Unfortunately, test audiences hated it.

05:21Molly Ringwald also wasn't a fan, and the studio worried that the rich kids ultimately

05:26shunning the blue-collar kids sent the wrong message.

05:28They ordered reshoots, which were completed in a single day, months after production had

05:33officially wrapped.

05:34The original footage was lost, but Ducky fans can take comfort knowing that in another

05:38universe, he got the girl.

05:45Number 5, Scream 2.

05:58What do you do when your script leaks online and your twist ending gets ruined?

06:02You rewrite it and guard the new pages with your life, obviously.

06:22Scream 2 initially featured four killers, including Sydney's roommate and her new boyfriend.

06:27To prevent another leak, even the actors weren't told about the killer's true identity until

06:32the day of shooting.

06:33Writer Kevin Williamson later claimed that the leaked version was a fake, but that would

06:37be news to Wes Craven.

06:49Scream 2 wasn't the only movie in the franchise to go through last-minute changes.

06:52In the first Scream, Officer Dewey was supposed to die, but Craven and crew loved David Arquette's

06:57performance so much, they couldn't bear to kill him off.

07:05Number 4, When Harry Met Sally.

07:07The story behind this beloved rom-com classic is almost as romantic as the movie itself.

07:17At the time, Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron were working on the screenplay.

07:22Reiner had been divorced for many years and had a rather pessimistic view of relationships.

07:27As a result, the original version had Harry and Sally going their separate ways in the

07:31end.

07:32Fortunately, Reiner met and fell in love with his future wife, Michelle Singer, while making

07:39the film.

07:40It not only changed his outlook on romance, it inspired him to change the movie too.

07:44The result was Billy Crystal's heartfelt, iconic declaration of love.

07:48We can't imagine it any other way.

08:00Number 3, Toy Story.

08:02If Disney had gone forward with the first version of this movie, we doubt it would have

08:05turned into the hit franchise it became.

08:08Woody was imagined as a sinister wooden dummy who's much more villainous than the Woody

08:12we know and love.

08:24The first iteration of Buzz was a G.I.

08:27Joe-style action figure.

08:28He was reconceived as a not-too-bright astronaut, initially named Lunar Larry, and later Tempus

08:34from Morph.

08:35It was Joss Whedon's idea to make him think he's a real astronaut rather than a toy, which

08:40became central to the plot of the film.

08:54The writers also planned to make Barbie a major player, but Mattel wouldn't license

08:58the rights.

08:59Of course, that changed after Toy Story became a huge success.

09:09Number 2, Frozen.

09:11Disney superfans probably know that this movie is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's

09:16fairy tale, The Snow Queen.

09:17They might not know that, like Andersen's title character, Elsa was first conceived

09:22as a villain and would have been voiced by Megan Mullally.

09:31The script included a scene where Elsa kidnaps Anna and attacks Arendelle.

09:36When director Jennifer Lee was finally brought on, the production basically had to start

09:40over, with just a year and a half to create a completely new film.

09:54Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez were pivotal to redefining Elsa's character.

10:00Their song, Let It Go, portrayed her as sympathetic but complicated, rather than purely evil.

10:05It helped to turn Frozen into a multi-billion dollar franchise.

10:20You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.

10:24If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.

10:30Number 1, The Imprisoner Groove.

10:32This movie holds a special place in fans' hearts, but surprisingly, the original draft

10:37was completely different from the final version.

10:45Conceived as a more serious film, called Kingdom of the Sun, it followed a spoiled emperor

10:51who switches places with a villager who looks just like him, voiced by Owen Wilson.

10:55Yzma was a witch who plots to destroy the sun, and the beloved character of Kronk didn't

11:00exist at all.

11:10After years of development, directors Roger Allers and Mark Dindal didn't agree on how

11:14to complete the film.

11:16Dindal suggested a total overhaul, turning the movie into a buddy comedy.

11:20The new cast and crew raced to complete the film in time for a December 2000 release date,

11:25and the rest is history.

11:30Which original versions of these movies would you like to see?

11:33Let us know in the comments.

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