Jaws 4’s Genius Cancelled Plans
Jaws 4's original concept made it sound like a mashup between Point Break and The Meg. Jaws is considered the first true summer blockbuster, and survived a famously troubled production to become a classic. The franchise became a goldmine for studio Universal where Jaws 2 and Jaws 3D — which both experienced their share of productions woes — also turned very healthy profits. In need of a hit following the disaster of Howard The Duck, Universal executive Sid Sheinberg abruptly greenlit Jaws: The Revenge in late 1986 for a summer 1987 release.
This left the filmmakers behind the sequel with less than a year to write, shoot and edit the movie. Jaws: The Revenge helmer Joseph Sargeant decided to give the movie's new killer Great White a supernatural motive as that was the only unique angle left to explore, but history has recorded how Universal's gamble went. Jaws: The Revenge — which has two different endings — opened to terrible reviews and while it didn't flop, it wasn't a success either. The sequel now regularly tops lists of all-time terrible movies, and while it has merits — including some unnerving attack sequences and a great music score — Jaws: The Revenge is definitely a mess.
Related: Jaws The Revenge’s Original First Victim Would Have Completely Changed The Franchise
A little recorded part of the sequel's history is that Jaws: The Revenge wasn't the first concept that was developed. Miracle Mile helmer Steve De Jarnatt was first hired by Universal studio head Frank Price to pen a screenplay for Jaws 4, with the writer deciding to take a more tongue-in-cheek approach. According to an interview with De Jarnatt at Money Into Light, his script opened in what appeared to be Elizabethian England with a drunk man and
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