How many times do you complete something just right in just one try?
Very frequently, the first draft is not the final draft, and some revisions are made to
better the product.
Those behind some of the biggest Hollywood productions know this all too well, as reshoots
have became a main staple of the industry.
After completing principal photography and reviewing the footage, directors will reassemble
their team to work on new material.
Whenever word of pickups becomes public, fans start to fear for the worse and think something
could be wrong with the movie.
But that isn’t always the case.
Here are 10 movie reshoots that saved popular movies.
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The Avengers
Joss Whedon’s first Avengers movie is full of memorable moments that made it a standout
in the superhero genre, but one of the funniest was a very late addition in the process.
The now-famous second post-credits scene features Earth’s Mightiest dining on shawarma in
New York following their big battle.
Whedon thought it would be a fun bit to add towards the end of editing, and with the cast
back together for the movie’s premiere, the actors quickly shot it so it could be
included in the theatrical release.
The button scene was only a minor part of The Avengers, but it’s hard to picture the
movie without this little cherry on top.
E.T.
– The Extra Terrestrial
Steven Spielberg’s beloved sci-fi classic is noteworthy for its emotional conclusion
that tugs at the heartstrings to this day, but originally the ending was far, far more
tragic.
An early test screening of the Best Picture nominee had E.T.
die while in the government facility, and he never came back to life.
Audiences were very upset by this turn of events and hated the film, which pushed Spielberg
to revise the third act so E.T.
was resurrected and went back home in the final scene.
Reshoots were arranged, and the film was all the better for it – it’s now a timeless
family classic.
Rocky
The original Rocky film was shot on a minimal budget, which means it couldn’t sport the
production values of its many sequels.
This was readily apparent to Sylvester Stallone when he viewed the original ending, which
saw Rocky crowdsurf triumphantly after his fight against Apollo Creed.
The scene wasn’t convincing since there weren’t enough extras on-set to support
Stallone.
He went back to reshoot it, using whatever friends and family Stallone could find to
populate the boxing ring.
The result was a touching moment between Rocky and Adrian, one that ended the film on a powerful
and resonate note.
World War Z
The adaptation of Max Brooks’ novel was plagued by various production woes, with producer
and star Brad Pitt calling the first wave of shooting “atrocious.”
The third act in particular was difficult to figure out, since the filmmakers were torn
between setting up future sequels and designing a more self-contained conclusion.
World War Z’s finale was the product of reshoots, featuring a number of tense sequences
in a W.H.O.
building as Pitt and others search for a cure.
In the end, the film proved to be a commercial success and grossed enough to warrant a followup
that will explore the zombie war further.
It’ll be interesting to see if the sequel goes smoother than the original.
Thor: The Dark World
The second solo Thor movie is considered one of the weaker entries in the MCU, but it still
has its fair share of entertaining moments.
Many of these come courtesy of Loki, so fans will be happy to know that the Thor 2 team
made sure to include him as much as possible.
During reshoots, several key Loki scenes were added, including the villain being sentenced
to prison by Odin and the God of Mischief’s fun shapeshifting where he impersonates Captain
America in front of Thor.
Loki is without question the best antagonist in the entire franchise, so it’d be hard
to go wrong with more of him.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
When Edgar Wright was filming this cult classic, the comic book on which it was based wasn’t
completed yet, which meant he had to toy around with his own ideas at points.
It was up to Wright to give the story an ending, and he originally felt it would be for the
best if Scott decided to stay with Knives instead of pursuing Ramona.
The conclusion was shot and screened for test audiences, who didn’t like the fact that
the protagonist spent the entire film fighting for Ramona’s affection only to turn her
away.
Wright went back and reshot an ending where Scott and Ramona became a couple, which was
used in the final cut.
Jaws
The original summer blockbuster had a troubled journey to the big screen, since filming on
water presented numerous challenges for Steven Spielberg.
The mechanical shark was a nightmare to work with, as it frequently sank and malfunctioned.
The original script for Jaws called for the shark to be featured frequently on-camera,
but Spielberg couldn’t get the necessary shots.
After viewing his initial footage, Spielberg altered the plan so that the shark would barely
be on-screen, which gave Jaws a Hitchcockian vibe that thrilled audiences.
He added more to the moments that worked well in reshoots, and the rest is history.
Back to the Future
Michael J. Fox was always the top choice for Marty McFly, but scheduling conflicts due
to his commitments to Family Ties prevented him from signing on.
Eric Stoltz was cast instead, but early on in production director Robert Zemeckis knew
the actor wasn’t the right fit.
Stoltz was giving an intense performance that clashed with the light heartedness of the
tone.
Fox was approached again, and the actor planned out a schedule that allowed him to make the
movie and still star in the TV show.
Production had to start from scratch, but it was worth it in the end when Fox completely
embodied Marty.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Michael Bay has an interesting relationship with moviegoers, since not all are a fan of
his approach to beloved properties like Transformers and TMNT.
When the Bay-produced reboot of the heroes in a half shell was in production, the project
made waves due to the casting of Caucasian actor William Fichtner as the turtles’ arch
nemesis Shredder.
That would have been a substantial departure from the source material, and viewers wanted
to see a Japanese thespian in the role.
In reshoots, the movie was changed so that Shredder was played by Tohoru Masamune, while
Fichtner became a mere underling.
TMNT was still panned by most critics, but things weren’t as bad as they could have
been.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
One of Episode 7’s standout moments is the lightsaber duel between Rey and Kylo Ren,
and some of its most memorable bits were reshoots.
In his audio commentary on the Blu-ray, J.J.
Abrams revealed that Rey’s self-reflection before she lashes out at Kylo was added in
pickups to give the scene something more emotionally powerful.
Also, a quick shot of Rey looking fierce right before stabbing her opponent was added in
reshoots at the suggestion of Selma director Ava DuVernay.
The Force Awakens was probably great before these additions, but they give the final product
another element and it’s impossible to envision the duel without them.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
This past summer, many became concerned about the potential quality of Lucasfilm’s first
Star Wars anthology film when it was revealed the project underwent extensive reshoots.
Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy was brought on board to rewrite the script and oversee
the post-production alongside director Gareth Edwards and became an integral part of the
team.
Fans were nervous about what to expect, but all the pickups seemed to have paid off.
During the Rogue One press junket, members of the media saw 28 minutes of footage and
the response was very positive.
It may not be the full movie, but that’s highly encouraging to hear.
Those are just some of the instances where reshoots improved the film.
Are there any we missed?
Which ones are your favorites?
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