8. Jaws – Hooper Was Meant To Die In The Shark Cage
When Steven Spielberg was handed the reins to Jaws, the main characters were far more unlikable and unrealistic than what was in the final film. Unhappy with the state of the movie, Spielberg had the script rewritten countless times throughout production. This resulted in a completely different film and one that completely changed the fate of the geeky Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss).
The original version of Hooper was one of a spoiled and rich playboy who liked to screw around whilst being an insufferable know-it-all. When this version of Hooper was lowered into the shark cage, he was meant to be eaten and audiences would’ve rejoiced at the character’s well-deserved death.
When Richard Dreyfuss was cast, Spielberg realised that Dreyfuss was a really cool guy and definitely not douche material. Realizing that killing off Hooper would’ve been a mistake, Spielberg had Hooper’s death scene cut and the character completely rewritten to better suit Dreyfuss’ nice guy persona.
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