Movies go through a long pre-production process before they even get filmed, and during this time period, the storylines and scripts can change a lot.
Many well-loved movies would have been very different if the scripts stayed closer to their original version. Including movies like Die Hard and Pretty Woman , here are the 10+ movies that were really different from the original script.
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*Iron Man*
The original Iron Man film was meant to have a different villain than Obadiah Stane.
The Mandarin was the movie’s villain at first, but as fans know, this idea was scrapped and The Mandarin was instead added as a villain in Iron Man 3 .
*Daredevil*
This film starred Ben Affleck and is considered a horrible comic book movie, but this might not have been the case if they’d gone with the original idea.
The screenplay was much darker and grittier than the final version and relied less on CGI effects.
*Close Encounters of the Third Kind*
There were many different versions of the script about aliens invading Los Angeles.
The changes focused a lot on the character of Roy who was at one point a police officer and at another more like a spy that dealt with aliens.
*The Lego Movie*
While the early version of the script was different than the final version, it was still upbeat and funny.
The biggest difference is that the character of Emmet wasn’t a conformist but instead very creative and unable to keep this side of himself hidden.
*The Wizard of Oz*
Originally, the studio hired three screenwriters to work on the film.
In the earliest versions of the scripts, the story was much less fantastical and had a more depressing aesthetic that mirrored the Depression Era. The final version ended up being much more colorful.
*Live Free or Die Hard*
The script for Live Free or Die Hard originally came from an entirely different film. This cyber-thriller script titled WWW3.com had nothing to do with the Die Hard franchise and was meant to be a standalone film.
It was shelved, but the script was later repurposed and became Live Free or Die Hard .
*Fatal Attraction*
Instead of Alex being killed by Dan’s wife, Beth, the original ending had Alex killing herself and framing Dan.
Test audiences hated the ending, so it was changed. However, Glenn Close pushed for it and preferred it as it felt more true to the character.
*X-Men*
Before the first X-Men movie was brought to the screen, there were many writers who created a variety of scripts.
For a good while, the plot of the movie was going to be about Magneto trying to take over Manhattan to turn it into a refuge for mutants.
*Last Action Hero*
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the [final version] ( https://www.denofgeek.com/games/zak-penn-interview-atari-game-over-ready-player-one/ ) of Last Action Hero was a typical, trope-filled action movie, but it was supposed to be just the opposite.
The screenplay was written at first by totally different writers who wanted to do a parody of pulp-inspired action films.
*Avengers*
It’s hard to imagine the MCU’s Avengers with a different main cast, but Black Widow was originally going to be The Wasp. Of course, it would have been best if they had kept both women instead of picking one over the other!
Joss Whedon also wanted to include a second villain other than Loki, but this idea also didn’t make it to the final version.
*Ghostbusters*
In early drafts of the script, the Ghostbusters were going to end up visiting the Gates of Hell.
While this didn’t happen in the final version of the film, there are some concept art designs of the gate that give fans an idea of what it would have looked like.
*Emperor’s New Groove*
This movie was actually called Kingdom of the Sun at first and surprisingly started out as a musical.
The plot followed an emperor and a peasant who looked alike and who would switch places. There was also a romantic storyline that never made it to the final cut.
*E.T.: The Extraterrestrial*
The story of the lovable alien actually began as a totally different screenplay called Night Skies.
This story was about a group of evil aliens including one who could kill cattle with a touch of his finger. The only good alien was one named Buddy, and he became the inspiration for E.T.
*Pretty Woman*
Pretty Woman turned out to be a romantic comedy, but it was originally supposed to be a more depressing drama about sex work.
In the original script, the relationship between Vivian and Edward didn’t have a happy ending at all.
*Monsters Inc.*
The original idea pitched by Pete Docter was totally unrecognizable to the movie we know and love.
He planned to make a story about a 30-year-old accountant at a job he hates who had to deal with his childhood fears that show up in the form of monsters.
