Is JAWS prequel about Quint what movie fans really want?
Since the release of Jaws The Revenge in 1987, debate of what ’JAW5’ should be has been a hot topic - esecially since the trend in prequels, reboots and requels. Everyone seems to have an opinion. Some say leave the series as it is, while others feel the time is right for a fresh chapter in the fishy franchise.
One idea that, at first glance appears to be a no-brainer, is a JAWS prequel that focuses on Quint and his ordeal on the USS Indianapolis - a story made famous by Robert Shaw’s iconic speech. Not in Peter benchley’s source novel, the tale of the sinking of USS Indianapolis and subsequent fatal shark encounters, was added to the movie adaptation of JAWS as director Steven Spielberg felt Quint needed a reason to hate sharks.
Introduced to Spielberg by uncredited screen writer Howard Sackler, the speech was written, re-written and then re-re-written by Shaw himself with the resulting performance being described as a '“showstopper” by fellow cast member Richard Dreyfuss and is Spielberg’s favourite moment in the movie.
When approached to make ‘JAWS 2’, Spielberg reportedly felt at the time that sequels were a “cheap carny trick” however he might be tempted back by re-telliing the story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, told through the eyes of Quint’s experience.
“making a sequel to anything is just a cheap carny trick.”
Expanding the JAWS story with a Quint prequel is an interesting idea but is it now redundant? More than one movie has been made telling the story of USS Indianapolis… and the biggest question is who would you cast as Quint?
Robert’s son Ian is now older than his father was when he played Quint so casting him in a prequel would be problematic - although a father/son deepfake could be a work around. Ian Shaw has proved his ability to play his father on stage in hit play ‘The Shark Is Broken’, so certainly his casting is not outside the realms of possibility.
Personally, I think a prequel about Quint on the USS Indianapoolis isn’t necessary as Robert Shaw’s writing and performance of the speech is as good as screen acting gets and doesn’t need anything more adding to or potentially taking away from it. Seeing how Quint initially coped with his apparent PTSD and survivor’s guilt and his building a life and business on Amity Island is a gap in his story that could be interesting to see.
A Quint prequel would be a major gamble as anything made would be compared to JAWS and Robert Shaw. Disney roled similar dice with 2018’s ‘SOLO: A Star Wars Story’. Much was made about the need for a Han Solo prequel and the movie ultimately came and went without incident nor box office.
The major difference between STAR WARS and JAWS though is that JAWS is pretty much a stand alone movie with inferior sequels. STAR WARS has over 1 0 movies, TV series, books and more so the scrutiny and need to get a JAWS prequel about such a quintessential charcter right would be immense.
We asked our Twitter and Facebook followers “Do you think a JAWS prequel about Quint and his ordeal on the USS Indianapolis would undermine Robert Shaw’s performance?” Needless to say, this ignited a furious debate, some of the responses are posted below.
For
Against
Whichever side of the debate you fall on or even if you’re undecided, re-watch Robert Shaw’s masterclass in acting and forever know that Quint and his USS Indianapolis story has already been told.
Words by Ross Williams
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