The Best ‘Jaws’ Sequel Is the One That Didn’t Get Made

The big picture

• Jaws 2
  It was originally a darker, character-focused sequel with a more sinister story.
• It is meant to be universal
  Jaws 2
  to be lighter, rejecting the darker version created by Hancock and Tristan.
• The
  jaws
  sequels faced creative challenges, leading to mixed results and a decline in quality.

The impact jaws that he had in the film industry cannot be underestimated. Not only did he introduce the director to the public Steven Spielberg, changed the way movies are made and marketed, and is often credited with starting the summer blockbuster trend. Of course, with such a smash hit, Universal Studios was eager to dive back into the waters off Amity Island, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle (or a giant, lucrative fish) twice .

But perhaps with several Jaws movies, we were biting off more than we could chew. 3-D jaws baffled public and Jaws: Revenge it is generally considered one of the worst films ever made. Jaws 2 is fan-approved, often regarded as the only good follow-up to the original, even though it's largely a simplified rehash of what came before. Having said that, an early version of the film took a much darker approach to the storyone that is far more interesting than any of the sequels that were made.

Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' had a rough production

After the monumental success it had jaws, it was only a matter of time before Universal started a sequel. The studio had initially contacted director Steven Spielberg in the hopes that he would return for another outing at Amity Island, but he declined. Weekly entertainment he recalls a quote from Spielberg: “I would have made the sequel if I hadn't had such a horrible time at sea in the first movie.” With the original creative refusing to return, the studio not only had to find a new director, they had to figure out a new story. For a while, the studio settled down John D. Hancockwho had gained acclaim for his work in the 1973 film, Play the drum slowly. According to the News from New York, Hancock was approached by the producers to direct the film. Hancock's wife, Dorothy Tristanthey worked on the script and the two created a much bleaker Amity Island.

Under the supervision of the Academy-nominated director, Jaws 2 tried that a new shark was only part of the Amity Island problem, with the impact of the first film still affecting the community. The shadowy characters, paranoia, and original cast of teenagers found their already existing problems only heightened by the terror of the watery new adversary. But after production had already gotten under way, Universal Studios had other ideas that would not only swamp Hancock's version, but lead to another troubled shark shoot, just when everyone thought it was safe to go back to cinematic water.

'Jaws 2' was originally a much darker film

Hancock and Tristan's script saw a very different season for the islandhis reputation was tarnished by the events of 1975. In a video interview with Daily Jaws, Hancock revealed that an even more deranged Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) is also trying to accept that summer. The character is experiencing nightmares that include his own death at the hands of a shark. His son Mike and his friend Andy are harassed by Reese Vaughn, son of the infamous Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton). Reese has no respect for anyone but himself, and would become something of a local menace, continuing the feud between Broady and Vaughn into the next generation.

Continuing the “new generation” tradition, another newcomer would have been a character known as “Sideburns”. The son of USS Indianapolis survivor Quint (Robert Shaw), must come to the island to collect his father's reward for his part in killing the original shark. Meanwhile, a businessman named Boyle comes to town hoping to buy Quint's old shack to open a shark-based tourist trap. Len Petersen, a character who made it to the version that was made (Joseph Mascolo), meanwhile, is a shady developer looking to take advantage of Amity's poverty. Other elements included an organized crime storyline (a reference to the original novel) and a greater sense of anxiety for most of the characters.

In this version of the script, Jaws 2 it is much more character driven piecebut, of course, it is not jaws without a shark This time, the villain teeth is pregnant and about to give birth. Like the finished film, there was a cruising culture among the youth. Mike and Andy find themselves in the shark's path, and after the shark acquires a large number of corpses, it's up to Brody, Boyle and Petersen to save the teenagers. Similar to the first film, the shark is able to choose one of the three “heroes”, when Brody and Boyle are thrown overboard, with Boyle becoming the shark's final victim. The shark itself had a much grayer fate this time, with Petersen dropping two engines and turning on the propellers, killing the shark. The day is saved again (for now). Although the script was an expanded version of the original, Universal had some problems with the script.

The studio wanted 'Jaws 2' to be a lighter film

At their best, sequels expand on the world and characters that made the original great. At worst, they completely miss what made the first movie so great to begin with. In the event that Jaws 2, Universal wanted something more similar to the original and lighter than what Hancock and Tristan's version offered, according to the Daily Jaws. This wasn't the first film concept that had been rejected. The manufacture of jaws 2 The documentary, available for viewing on the sequel's DVD, recalls that Sackler had originally pitched the sequel as a prequel and would have focused on Quint's time aboard the Indianapolis. jaws producer, David Brownhe said the film was “Too Far from the Mothership”.

Ultimately, Universal felt the same way about Hancock and Tristan's version. The Sarasota Journal says this Hancock was fired as director after only one month of filming for its differences with the study. However, some of his fingerprints can still be seen in the finished film, in particular a shot often considered one of the picture's best. The iconic and strange arrival of the shark in Amity was Hancock's work. On a dark and uncomfortable evening, the boats in the harbor sway as the shark passes beneath them, its dorsal fin rising from the depths as it approaches the unsuspecting island. The dam is truly terrifying and is a small glimpse of the world that would have been Hancock's Jaws 2.

The sequels to 'Jaws' have always been in troubled waters

This would not be the last time that Universal changed the fate of a jaws movie Producers Brown and Richard D. Zanuck had originally released the third entry in the series as a parody written by John Hughes he called Jaws 3, People 0. Universal, however, felt that such an outing was “breaking the nest,” according to Brown Jaws 2 documentary Reflecting on 3-D jaws (in which neither Brown nor Zanuck were involved), Brown said, “We should have fouled the nest.” The franchise would only survive one more film, Jaws: Revenge. A financial and critical failure, the film currently has a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In a victory of sorts, however, Hancock and Tristan's version lived on in the novelization of Hank Searls. The book was more influenced by that earlier version, including many of the more character-based elements.

A success at the box office and with the most fans, Jaws 2 it encouraged Universal to continue the franchise, even though it would eventually drown out fans and critics alike. The version conceived by Hancock and Tristan, however, was a much more complicated and dark film, focusing heavily on characters both familiar and new, and expanding the world of jaws in a different and more sinister way. Ultimately, Universal went for something more like a lighter version of the original. Although it was mainly a refresher of what came before, the legacy of Amity Island and the sharks that haunt it lives on in the minds of moviegoers whenever they enter the water.

Jaws 2 is available to rent on Prime Video in the US

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