The original Jaws 3-D script: What might have been

When it comes to discussing the four Jaws films, the lines are well drawn; Jaws is a classic, Jaws The Revenge classically bad, Jaws 2 a decent sequel. Which brings us to Jaws 3 or Jaws 3D, and the one that divides fans most of all.

A majority have an unfavorable view of the film, some (like me) recognize its shortcomings, yet still find it enjoyable, from Dennis Quaid’s coked-out, sweat- stains- under the armpits performance, to the Irwin Allen-esque plot, to Philip Fitzroyce’s horrific demise. The film’s detractors point out the weak special effects, wooden characters, and poor script.

Yet, what if audiences had been treated to the filming of the original Jaws 3 script, penned by Michael Kane and Richard Matheson, instead of the inferior Carl Gottlieb-Matheson effort? Would the film have still garnered poor reviews? Would fans be as divided today? The answer will surprise you. The original Jaws 3 script would have been an infinitely better effort, perhaps the best of the three sequels.

Any film fan knows scripts go through major revisions due to budget constraints, casting, etc. Writers often come and go from a project, others make uncredited contributions. Character development is often jettisoned in favor of action, many times to the detriment of the finished product and this is the fate that would befall Jaws 3.

The original script would’ve been a film rich in character development and depth, providing us with three-dimensional people we would care about. For starters, we are given more scenes between Mike and Sean Brody, providing nice emotional depth as they talk about their experiences in Amity.

Dennis Quaid (Michael Brody) and John Putch (Sean Brody) on set of Jaws 3-D

Although Chief Brody is physically absent in the script, he is spoken about so often it feels like he is in the film. Mike and Kathryn (called Allen instead of Morgan) are engaged, planning to wed in Las Vegas, which provides more stability to their relationship than the ambiguous one in the film.

Mike is still haunted by the events of the previous films, highlighted by a scene (different than the final script) during which and Kathryn are searching for Overman and are attacked by the shark, there is a flashback to Jaws where we see him pulled out of the water just before being devoured.

When Mike realizes where momma shark has been hiding, he remarks “what’s wrong with my family? First my father, now me. Six more years of nightmares.” Even the death of Overman is better written, here he and another worker named Harris are welding the gate shut during the day rather than at night, and Overman is killed when he dives back down to retrieve a piece of equipment.

The character of Calvin Bouchard (originally named Arnold Calvin) is more prevalent, his speech is better refined, not the “drinks at the bar, they free,” dialogue eventually spoken by Louis Gossett Jr. In the film Fitzroyce is more one dimensional, in the original script he is called Phillip Hutton, detested by Kathryn and others, yet proves to be an intriguing, interesting character.

Philip Fitzroyce (Simon MacCorkindale) and Calvin Bouchard (Louis Gossett Jr) in Jaws 3-D

One of the biggest changes from the original script to the film is that Kelly dies during the shark’s attack on the tourists and water skiers. In a sequence that probably proved too expensive to shoot, she is killed in a manner that would have evoked nightmares.

Kelly and Sean ride a glass bottomed gondola boat that lifts in and out of the water. Sean spots the dorsal fin approaching and as the gondola is lifted, making us believe they will be safe, we see Kelly and Sean’s horrified expressions as the shark’s enormous jaws reach for them through the glass, destroying the gondola and killing her. Lastly, instead of that infamous image of the shark heading towards the control booth like a floating turd, we are treated to an ending with better excitement, and while the shark still dies by explosion, it is in a more believable manner.

Sadly, unless someone wants to remake Jaws 3 using the Kane-Matheson script, we will never know how it might have fared given a bigger budget and a better director. Fans can read it for themselves and lament on what might have been.

Words by Scott Sinclair

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