13 Iconic Movie Characters Who Were Supposed To Die (But Didn't)

6. Hooper - Jaws

The Original Plan

Sometimes, star power is enough to save film characters. Just ask Richard Dreyfuss, who saved Matt Hooper from the reaper in Jaws, despite him being killed off in the source novel.

In that novel, Hooper met his demise in the tense underwater "shark-proof cage" sequence, endeavouring to take the first photographs of the killer shark before killing it. His arrogance gets him killed and eaten, inevitably, but then he was a far less likeable character on the page.

When Dreyfuss was cast, the film changed to suit him.

What Happened Instead?

Dreyfuss had actually turned down the job offer from Spielberg at first, saying he thought it would be "a bitch to shoot", but changed his mind wanting to work in better films. As a result, the story was rewritten to save him from the chop (since he wasn't going to be anywhere near as unlikeable as he was in the book).