Much has already been written about the somewhat troubled production of “Edge of Tomorrow,” including how director Doug Liman began shooting the Tom Cruise sci-fi flick without a finished script. The production cycled through a few alternate endings before landing on the version many of us saw in theaters.
Read our list of the best movies of 2014 (so far) including “Edge of Tomorrow.”
One of the film’s writers, Christopher McQuarrie, revealed to Film School Rejects that one of the finales he proposed was much bleaker than the finale included in the film.
SPOILERS AHEAD
According to McQuarrie, his take on the ending branches away from the theatrical version while Cage and Rita, accompanied by J-Squad, prepare for their assault on the Omega inside the Louvre. Cage, no longer in possession of the day-resetting power, informs J-Squad that they cannot kill an Alpha. If they do, the day will start over, with the Mimics knowing of the oncoming attack.
“When they get to Paris there’s the classic horror movie scene where one of them gets separated from the group, and he gets attacked by an Alpha and kills it. As he kills it, you see the Omega reset the day and you see the point-of-view of the villain,” McQuarrie said. “We cut to the plane and hear the same speech all over again. This time when he gets to the line, ‘You can bet they’ll have a plan to kill us all,’ the ship gets hit. As the audience, you realize the enemy knows they’re coming.”
Ultimately, the filmmakers decided that the twist was one too many, and we got a very happy ending instead.
Which “Edge of Tomorrow” ending do you like more? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Kevin P. Sullivan
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