12 Shocking Movie Deaths You Won't Believe Almost Happened

11. Hooper Was Meant To Die Instead Of Quint - Jaws

When an up-and-coming Steven Spielberg was handed the reins to Jaws, his immediate reaction was that all the main characters were incredibly unlikable and unrealistic. Unhappy with the material, Spielberg had the script rewritten countless times throughout the film's production. This approach resulted in a completely different (and better) film than the one Spielberg inherited and, particularly in reference to the fate of the geeky Matt Hooper. The original version of Hooper was a rich and spoiled playboy who liked to screw around (literally) whilst being an insufferable know-it-all. And when this version was lowered into the shark cage at the film's climax, he was meant to be eaten, with audiences rejoicing at the character's well-deserved death. However, once Richard Dreyfuss was cast the character immediately became much more tolerable than what was written on the page, because Dreyfuss was just a really cool guy. Upon realising that Dreyfuss' natural persona was the way to go, Spielberg had Hooper completely rewritten at the last minute and the character's death was cut out altogether to ensure that nice guys don't finish last.