Creating a timeless slice of pop culture isn’t a walk in the park. Countless moving parts have to click perfectly, and a single insane decision can send a beloved franchise spiraling toward oblivion. Below we dive into ten near‑catastrophic choices that almost erased some of our favorite movies, games, and shows.
Insane Decisions That Almost Changed Everything
10 Goldeneye 007 Bond To ‘Shake Hands’ With Enemies
When Rare was polishing the Nintendo 64 classic GoldenEye 007, Nintendo’s own Shigeru Miyamoto pushed for a family‑friendly twist: James Bond shouldn’t kill anyone, he should simply “shake hands” with his foes. The idea emerged because Nintendo’s brand leaned heavily on wholesome imagery, and early builds of the game were so gory they were likened to the infamous lift‑door scene in The Shining. Miyamoto’s compromise let Bond “kill” enemies in‑game, but then treat them to a hospital visit where 007 would shake their hands and wish them a speedy recovery. Needless to say, that ending would have been one of the strangest moments in video‑game history. Thankfully, Rare toned down the gore, and the handshake scene never made the final cut.
9 Toy Story Buzz Knew He Was A Toy
Toy Story reshaped animation forever, but its original script was a disaster. Early drafts featured Disney‑style musical numbers, a bitter Woody who verbally abused his fellow toys, and a Buzz Lightyear who was self‑aware and fully aware that he was a plastic action figure. The plot hinged on Buzz believing he was a real space ranger—a premise that fuels the comedy we love today. Joss Whedon was called in for an emergency rewrite, and his input helped preserve the delusion that makes Buzz such an endearing character. Without that rewrite, the film might have lost the very tension that turned it into a cultural touchstone.
8 Toy Story 2 Nearly Deleted By Accident
In 1999, Pixar faced a nightmare scenario: during the editing of Toy Story 2, someone accidentally erased the master copy. The studio discovered that their backup system hadn’t been functioning for months, meaning the entire set of animations, character rigs, and environments were gone. Recovering a usable version would have required rolling the clock back two months—a daunting prospect for any animation team. Luck intervened when a team member had a personal copy of the work at home and rushed it back to the office, saving the sequel from the abyss and preserving a beloved chapter of the franchise.
7 The Shining Originally Had A Happy Ending
Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece The Shining is renowned for its bleak, unsettling conclusion. Yet early drafts envisioned a far more upbeat wrap‑up. In the original version, the hotel manager visits Wendy in a hospital, offers her a room in his Los Angeles apartment, and plays ball with Danny as if the terror never happened. Even the Overlook Hotel itself receives a reassuring on‑screen card promising its survival. Kubrick ultimately abandoned this cheery denouement in favor of the chilling finale that cemented the film’s legacy.
6 Doctor Who Nearly Featured A Talking Cabbage
During Tom Baker’s tenure as the Doctor in the 1970s, the eccentric actor lobbied for a literal talking vegetable to sit on his shoulder as a companion. He imagined a cabbage offering witty commentary, akin to the old‑man duo from The Muppets. When the producers rejected the idea, Baker suggested even more outlandish companions—a parrot, a frog, a fox, a badger, and an extremely heavy‑set woman who would constantly wheeze. While the cabbage never made it to the screen, the anecdote underscores the show’s willingness to entertain wildly creative concepts.
5 Rocky Originally Threw The Fight
Stallone’s underdog hero Rocky Balboa almost took a very different path. In the original script, after a grueling training montage, Rocky accepts a bribe to throw his bout against Apollo Creed, planning to open a pet store with the money. The film would have ended with Rocky living an ordinary life, far removed from the iconic training scenes and later sequels that saw him spar with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. Stallone later reflected that such an ending “was not as dramatic,” and the decision to keep Rocky’s fighting spirit intact turned the movie into an enduring inspiration.
4 Back To The Future Doc Brown Encourages Incest
In the first Back to the Future script, a controversial scene had Doc Brown wink at Marty and suggest he take “a few liberties” with his mother after Marty expresses unease about her sudden crush. The line introduced an incest joke and a homophobic undertone that would have dramatically altered the film’s tone. The scene was promptly cut, preserving the delicate balance that made the time‑travel adventure both funny and family‑friendly.
3 The Thing A Happy Ending
John Carpenter’s 1982 horror staple The Thing is celebrated for its bleak, ambiguous ending, where the lone survivor freezes to death amid a desolate landscape. An alternate, more upbeat version was filmed to satisfy producers: Kurt Russell’s character would be rescued, taken to a hospital, and undergo a blood test to prove he isn’t an alien. While this version would have offered closure, it would have stripped the film of its signature helplessness and nihilistic dread, turning it into just another horror‑thriller.
2 Sesame Street A Character Really Dies
In the wake of the 1986 Challenger disaster, NASA had considered sending a celebrity to space to promote the program. They wrote to Caroll Spinney, the performer behind Big Bird, asking if he’d appear as the beloved feathered character on a shuttle mission. The logistics proved impossible, so the role went to teacher Christa McAuliffe, who tragically perished in the explosion. Had Big Bird been aboard, the loss would have left an indelible scar on a generation of children and likely altered the future of the beloved children’s series.
1 Batman Nearly Canceled
By the early 1960s, the Batman comic was on the brink of extinction. Sales lagged, the tone was campy, and the series featured absurd elements like talking dogs and alien battles. DC considered pulling the plug entirely. Editor Julius Schwartz was brought in and, within months, revamped the bat‑hero with realistic artwork, darker storytelling, and a focus on detective work. The revitalized title saved the character, paving the way for the iconic portrayals that followed. Without Schwartz’s intervention, the caped crusader might have faded into obscurity.