The Jan De Bont Godzilla pages

The Story: In July 1997 we were sent these five pages of script anonymously and told they were the true final five pages of the picture. According to the scooper, the Godzilla script that can be purchased through script companies is real up until the ending; then a completely different climax ensues.

A year ago we would have probably dismissed this claim as an outright lie, but then something very interesting happened. During the fall of 1996 reports started trickling in about scenes being filmed in San Diego for Steven Spielberg's upcoming follow-up to Jurassic Park, The Lost World - scenes which featured people being chased down San Diego streets by something big, to be later digitally inserted into the scene. But according to the script written by David Koepp, all the action took place on the second island, and not a single dinosaur got off of it. How could a $70 million dollar production, the sequel to the biggest grossing film of all-time, completely change it's ending in secret without widespread gossip getting out? There would be too many people associated with the production in FX, crew and cast who would break the secret...right?

Of course, the secret wasn't acknowledged until a few days before the film's release. But this example proves that Hollywood is developing a counter-intelligence plan to deal with the flow if information on the Internet.

We showed the pages to some people who have some knowledge of Emmerich and Devlin's writing styles. Many felt that these pages were very much like the writing they did for Stargate and Independence Day, but that still isn't proof. For instance, why were the pages improperly formatted and not in accepted screenwriting style? (True, if a person did type them into a computer because the ending pages were kept under lock-and-key, we could see why they appear to be a 'rush job'.) And after we originally posted these pages, other people stepped up and gave us the proof needed to deny their legitimacy. Turns out this is nothing more than the altered ending of the aborted Jan De Bont Godzilla project, where someone replaced the main character names from the De Bont version with the Emmerich/Devlin character names. In the previous version, Godzilla duked it out with a space creature dubbed the 'Gryphon', and obliquely mentioned in these pages.

Godzilla - The Altered De Bont Ending

105.
(CONT.)
Godzilla ROARS.

EXT. TUNNEL MOUTH - DAY

NICK grabs Animal in triumph, shakes him.

NICK
it's dead We did it.

Tina flies into Audrey's arms, hugs her. Beyond them is Godzilla-injured, bleeding from dozens of wounds, but triumphant. He pushes through the water, back to open sea.

AUDREY
It's over--isn't it?

LUCY
I think so. I hope so.

Audrey's eyes find Nick. He can't help but grin at her. She smiles back--

Suddenly, from the sky comes a SCREAM--

EXT. SKY - DAY

It is the SCREAM of fighter jets, streaking toward them.

106.

EXT. TUNNEL MOUTH DAY

Nick lets go of Animal.

ANIMAL
That's an attack formation...

The jets FIRE. Missiles streak toward Godzilla-IMPACT. Godzilla ROARS in pain. The jets streak by, banking to come around for another pass.

NICK
(yelling at fighter)
Heyl Knock it offl

ANIMAL
AUDREY--they can't--

AUDREY
I know.

LUCY looks around--and spots: a familiar Bell Helicopter.

AUDREY
You!

The Bell Pilot turns--and is startled to see her.

BELL PILOT
Christ, I thought I was rid of you.

AUDREY
we need your helicopter.

BELL PILOT
Screw you. Bring me up on charges, I don't care. No way I'm leaving the ground.

There is the sound of a gun cocking--Behind Audrey, Tina has leveled her pistol at the,pilot.

TINA
You really ought to listen to my MOM.

EXT. GOVERNOR'S ISLAND - DAY

BENEDEK
Tell Red Wing One to target its wounds specifically--and not let up! I want saturation fire!

107.

INT. FIGHTER COCKPIT - DAY

The FIGHTER PILOT has Godzilla in his sites. Godzilla looks up, wounded and tired, showing a lot of the white of his eyes. He's prepared to die.

FIGHTER PILOT
Roger that, Ground. Commencing strafing run--What the--

THE BELL COPTER has risen up suddenly, between the fighters and Godzilla.

EXT. SKY - DAY

The fighters veer aside, jetwash buffeting the Bell copter.

EXT. GOVERNOR'S ISLAND - DAY

Benedek has seen the action through binoculars.

BENEDEK
(into mic)
Red Wing One, make another approach. Unidentified Copter, get the hell out of theret Do you copy?

AUDREY (O.S.)
(filtered)
We-re not going anywhere, Benedek.

Benedek stares at the speaker.

BENEDEK
Dr. Llewellyn?

INT. BELL - DAY

The Bell Pilot at the controls, nervously aware of Tina holding the gun. Tina, not really paying attention, lets the barrel of her gun droop. NICK lifts it back with a finger.

Jill is on the radio, Animal beside her.

AUDREY
We can't kill Godzilla.

BENEDEK (O.S.)
I say we can. Red Wing, target the creature. If the helicopter doesn't move, splash it!

108.

AUDREY
Benedek--call off the fighters. We couldn't have stopped it without Godzilla.

ANIMAL
We know it came from space--how many more are there?

INT. FIGHTER - DAY

The jet's computer targeting system locks on to the Bell copter, Godzilla beyond it.

FIGHTER PILOT
(into radio)
We have a lock on the target.

EXT. GOVERNOR'S ISLAND - DAY

Benedek is torn.

AUDREY (O.S.)

(filtered) How many more?

It's a tough call for Benedek--but he reaches for the mic.

BENEDEK
Red Wing One--break off attack.

EXT. MANHATTAN - DAY

The jets sweep past the Bell, then past Godzilla. Godzilla watches them go by, then turns for the sea--

And COLLAPSES, suddenly just deadweight. He sinks out of sight, unmoving. The water is stained pinkish by his blood.

INT. BELL - DAY

AUDREY
Is it ... is he dead?

ANIMAL
I ... don't know.

NICK
Goddammit. We were too late.

Audrey stares down at the ocean. She lowers her head. A pause.

ANIMAL
So what do we do?

109.

Audrey's response is simple: she puts an arm around Tina, draws her close. She puts out a hand to Nick ... who takes it. Together, they look out at the calm water.

TINA
He's still out there, mom. You know he is.

AUDREY
(wanting to believe)
Yes...he's still out there.

She looks at ANIMAL, who nods--he believes it, too. And then NICK spots something:

NICK
(admiration)
I knew he was a tough bastard.
(points)
Look!

IN THE OCEAN: disturbing the surface is a V-shaped wake, caused by Godzilla's passage beneath the water. The wake gets longer as he picks up speed and heads out toward open sea.

CAMERA DROPS TO BELOW THE WATER into the murky depths. Silence, Godzilla isn't there ... but then we hear the characteristic BOOMING of Godzilla's heart.

And as the screen FADES To BLACK, we.hear one last thing: GODZILLA'S DISTINCTIVE ROAR.

THE END



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