8 Movie Characters Who Were Killed Because Of Test Audiences
6. Daniel Craig - Layer Cake
In a case of the studio having one idea for an ending and a director having another, it was left up to the test audience to decide the fate of Daniel Craig's unnamed protagonist in Matthew Vaughn's Layer Cake after the director secretly shot his preferred conclusion behind Sony's back.
The studio favoured the concept of the character driving off into the sunset once his story was told, but once both versions of the film's ending were screened to test audiences, it was clear exactly which finale the people wanted.
Backing down once they realised just how popular the sight of Craig's character being gunned down after bragging about his intelligence was with those early viewers, Sony allowed Vaughn to proceed with the finale he'd had his heart set on from the beginning.
It's safe to say that this was the right call, leaving audiences' jaws smacking the floor as the leading man had the smile wiped off his face via sudden bullet to the chest, instead of the aforementioned unimaginative conclusion that was pitched by those higher up.