A script goes through thousands of rewrites before getting the final approval. Even after that, the directors keep adding and scraping off ideas for various scenes. It all depends on how their visions are translated on the screen. There are myriad reasons why a scene gets deleted in the editing process and fails to reach the theatres. But you will be surprised to know how some of those causes are bonkers. These weird factors led to the change of a title, character or plot. Find out 10 movies that had to be changed for bizarre reasons.
Spider-Man
Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” was set to have an exciting cameo of Wolverine. The filming was taking place in New York and Hugh Jackman had also shown up on the sets. But it didn’t get executed as they couldn’t find Wolverine’s costume.
Gone Girl
The production of “Gone Girl” was shut down for days after Ben Affleck had a fall out with the director. What was the cause of it? Well, Affleck refused to don the New York Yankees cap as per the script. He was a loyal Red Sox fan. In the end, the director had to concede to his demand and let him wear the Mets cap.
This Is The End
“Harry Potter” star Emma Watson was supposed to share a scene with Channing Tatum during his cameo in the comedy. But she changed her mind on the spot after seeing Tatum appear in a thong. The script was changed after Emma refused to do a scene with him in thongs.
Hot Fuzz
The original title of “Hot Fuzz” was supposed to be “Hott Fuzz”. But Simon Pegg was adamant on keeping only one ‘t’. In the end, Edgar Wright had to relent to the actor and the screenwriter’s request. We can see why ‘Pegg’ was uncomfortable with ‘Hott Fuzz’. Perhaps, that was the Wright decision.
The Shining
Fans who have read the chilling novel by Stephen King know that the harrowing incidents took place in room #217. The hotel where the film was shot actually had a room with that number. They were afraid that showing such horrifying scenes in room #217 would deter guests from staying in it in the future. So, they made the film change it to #237 that never existed for real. Jack Nicholson tormenting us in nightmares for days justifies the hotel’s decision to protect their sales.
Avengers
Chris Evans’ Captain America costume used to have a chin-strap. But Joss Whedon made the costume team get rid of it in “Avengers” since he didn’t want to cover Evans’ strong and chiselled jaw. But the chin strip came back in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” as it was helmed by Joe and Anthony Russo.
Return of the Jedi
Luke’s original lightsaber in the teaser of “Return of the Jedi” was blue. But the team had to make changes digitally at the last moment to turn it green. They wanted the colour of the saber to be in contrast with the blue sky of Tatooine.
The Lovely Bones
The handsome Ryan Gosling was the first choice to play Jack Salmon in “The Lovely Bones”. The actor decided all by himself to gain 60 pounds to add more drama to his character. When the production began, everyone was shocked by his new form. The producers made last-minute changes and immediately replaced Ryan with Mark Wahlberg.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2
Ralph Fiennes is a critically-acclaimed actor for whom improvising the perfect shot is no big deal. In Deathly Hallows- Part 2, Voldemort’s hug had taken both Draco and actor Tom Felton aback. It was not in the script but Fiennes felt like doing it anyway after giving 25 boring and normal takes. Going with the flow perfectly captured Voldemort’s unpredictability and eccentricity. The director loved the scene and decided to keep it.
Tomorrow Never Dies
The title of “Tomorrow Never Dies” is a result of a typo. In the beginning, the producers were debating over two titles, “Tomorrow Never Lies” and “Tomorrow Never Dies”. While the first one made more sense, the latter sounded more dynamic. Eventually, they went with “Tomorrow Never Lies”. But one of the assistants accidentally typed Dies instead of Lies and faxed it to MGM Studios.
Bird Box
Not showing the monster’s face was the best part in “Bird Box”. The fact that humans usually have the fear of an unknown played well with this strategy. However, that wasn’t the filmmaker’s intention in the beginning. The creative department had crafted the monster’s face and even shot a scene with it. The monster looked so funny that everyone on set burst out laughing. So the director dropped the idea and let the audience’ imagination take the front seat.
The Little Mermaid
Ariel’s red hair in “The Little Mermaid” has become her signature and most popular identity. Initially, she was supposed to have blonde hair but Disney changed it because the mermaid in “Splash” was also blonde.
