Quality script ideas are the foundation of any good movie. (And creating them is one of the FIRST big steps to becoming a screenwriter that doesn’t suck.) But learning how malleable – and constantly evolving – screenplay ideas can be is a valuable lesson every screenwriter should learn.
So, here are 7 blockbuster movies whose final product differed greatly from their initial script ideas.
7 Script Ideas That Changed Dramatically on the Way to the Screen (Text Transcript)
#1: BACK TO THE FUTURE
In the original draft, Marty and the Professor manage a video bootleg operation together.
That’s right, in the ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, Marty’s world is heavy on the cynicism–with corruption, boarded storefronts, and the inevitable threat of nuclear Holocaust.
Oh, and the MAGIC INGREDIENT that powers the time machine in the original spec is none other than good ol’ American Coca Cola.
Seriously.
Lifetime Gross: $210,609,762
#2: TOY STORY
Pixar’s initial plans for Toy Story involved an evil, bullying Woody who abuses Slinky the Dog.
Aiming to be more EDGY and DARK, the original plan for Toy Story was to make Woody a terrorizing doll. (Yikes!)
How edgy? Woody was to be a character who’ll stop at NOTHING to stay Andy’s favorite -even if it involves murdering Buzz by tossing him out a window.
Lifetime Gross: $191,796,233
#3: ROCKY
In the original script for Rocky, the Italian Stallion
throws the big fight.
throws the big fight.
In Stallone’s original draft, the fight that Rocky spends the entire
movie preparing for, ends not in a satisfying loss because he tried his hardest and held his own…
…but in unemotional demise when he throws the fight on purpose and decides to get rich by opening a pet store instead.
Lifetime Gross:$117,235,147
#4: INTERSTELLAR
In Interstellar’s original script, Coop and the gang encounter evil Chinese robots instead of Matt Damon.
Back when Spielberg held the reins on the Interstellar script, the crew comes across a Chinese base camp still roamed by Chinese Robots who beat them there by 50 years.
Unhappy with their visitors, the Chinese robots will stop at nothing to keep the Americans from stealing their research and reporting back to the states.
Lifetime Gross: $188,020,017
#5: TWILIGHT
Forget tween romance…in the original script they were going for a Blade-like gore trilogy!
Initially aiming to attract a male audience, Paramount wanted to forgo the lovey-dovey romance and instead focus on fight scenes.
In this draft, Bella actually does something useful, and Edward has a Korean FBI-agent nemesis who knows karate.
And there is definitely NO “vampires play baseball.”
Lifetime Gross: $192,769,854
#6: GHOSTBUSTERS
In an early draft of Ghostbusters, the ghost hunters called themselves Ghost Smashers and they could time travel!
In Dan Aykroyd’s early script ideas, the Ghost Smashers travel through space and time to fight ghosts.
The Marshmallow Man is only one of many monsters and doesn’t appear until half-way through the film.
To combat the supernatural, the Ghostbusters wore SWAT-like uniforms and used wands instead of proton packs.
Lifetime Gross: $242,212,467
#7: SHREK
Originally, Chris Farley was chosen to be the voice of Shrek and the plot of the Dreamworks’ classic was totally different.
Before Chris Farley’s untimely death, Dreamworks started work on Shrek with every intention of casting Farley as its lead voice-actor in a bawdy, edgy animated comedy.
In the original script, Shrek is a teenager who doesn’t want to join the family business and instead dreams of becoming a knight.
Lifetime Gross: $267,655,011
Lifetime Gross: $267,655,011
What’s Your Screenwriter Take?
Which script ideas changed dramatically for you when you finished writing? Would love to hear more about it in the comments below.
