You Won't Believe the Alternate Ending Jurassic World Rebirth Almost Used

Last-minute rewrites, reshoots, and test-screening panic are standard. But Jurassic World Rebirth nearly took it a step further—with an alternate ending that would've killed off one of its biggest stars and pulled the plug on its only emotional payoff.

Gareth Edwards, director of Godzilla and Rogue One, took the helm on this one, and for once, the script (written by David Koepp) was actually finished before filming started. Still, even with that head start, the movie came dangerously close to ending on a far darker note.

Here's what was nearly left on the cutting room floor:

The Two Endings You Didn't See

In an interview with /Film, Edwards confirmed that the production actually shot two different versions of the ending involving Mahershala Ali's character, Duncan Kincaid—one where he dies, and one where he miraculously survives. The final version? Let's just say it aimed for cheer over tragedy. But that wasn't always the plan.

"The version where he dies, you just don't have the other bit [where he reappears]," Edwards explained. "Because that was how it was written to start with... it felt correct. As an audience, you go, 'Oh my God, he's going to actually die, of course he is,' and then he does."

"Then when he's brought back, I think it is a surprise... I felt like, 'Oh no, what if the audience thinks we copped out?' I would remind myself of E.T.... I never felt that at all in E.T. I felt really sad [laughs] that he had gone, and then euphoric when he was back."

Apparently, the crowd reaction at the New York premiere helped ease his panic:

"It got the best reaction in that moment... thank God we shot that version where he lived."

So yes, there's an alternate cut where Mahershala Ali's character bites it for real. And no, you'll probably never see it.

The Ending Also Nearly Had a T-Rex Ex Machina

Because Jurassic movies are contractually obligated to consider "maybe the T-rex shows up and saves everyone," Edwards admitted he also wrestled with that temptation. In post-production, he panicked.

"I woke up in a cold sweat one night and was like, 'Should we... should we have the T-rex turn up?'" he recalled. He floated the idea to the team, expecting enthusiasm. Instead, he got blank stares.

"It slightly kind of reassured me... like, 'Okay, I think that we did the right thing.'"

The decision to not end with another dinosaur brawl was deliberate. Edwards mocked the franchise's long-running formula by calling it "Rex Machina" — a term coined by the film's VFX supervisor David Vickery. Because why go full deus ex dinosaur again when you've got a perfectly good mutant dino nightmare already?

"That's one of the things I loved about this film," said Vickery, "is that it didn't do what the other ones did."

For the Numbers Nerds

Here's what we know from the production end:

• The script was written by David Koepp, who also penned Jurassic Park and The Lost World.
• Two versions of Duncan Kincaid's fate were filmed.
• The alternate ending where he dies was the original version of the script.
• Gareth Edwards joined after the script was already finished, a rarity for modern blockbusters.
• Reaction to the "happy" ending at the New York premiere convinced the filmmakers to keep it.

Jurassic World Rebirth is now playing in theaters. Just don't assume anyone's fate is final.