What Was That Movie Called?
It's almost impossible to imagine, but some of your favorite movies of all time had very different title options that could've ended up on the movie's poster. Do you think they chose wisely?
Beetlejuice (1988)
While Tim Burton jokingly suggested calling the film Scared Sheetless (which, to his dismay, the studio actually considered), Warner Bros' initial choice was to call it House Ghosts. Of the two, we prefer the former, but nothing beats Beetlejuice.
Warner Bros., Beetlejuice (1988)
Scream (1996)
The Wayans brothers didn't just pull the name of their horror parody film, Scary Movie, out of a hat. That was actually the working title for Scream, before it was eventually changed.
Snakes On A Plane (2006)
According to Samuel L Jackson himself, he agreed to star in the movie because of that title. So, when it was changed to Pacific Air Flight 121 during production, Jackson made them change it right back.
Warner Bros., Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Titanic (1997)
When James Cameron started filming icebergs off the coast of Nova Scotia, he hadn't yet announced his Titanic project. So, in order to keep anyone from getting wind of his plans, he filmed said icebergs using the film title, Planet Ice.
Alien (1979)
When writer Dan O'Bannon initially wrote the script, he didn't know what the crew was going to come across. When he finally settled on an alien, he then initially called the film Star Beast. That was until he realized how often he had used the word "alien" in the script, thus deciding to change the title. Phewww.
Twentieth Century, Alien (1979)
Pretty Woman (1990)
You may know that the original script for Pretty Woman was a much darker drama than the rom-com that eventually emerged. Knowing this, it might make more sense that the original title was $3000 (the amount Julia Roberts charged Richard Gere).
Touchstone, Pretty Woman (1990)
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
This one had a great working title: Ten Things I Hate about Clueless Road Trips When I Can't Hardly Wait to be Kissed.
Columbia, Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
Annie Hall (1977)
Woody Allen's Oscar-winning comedy went through quite a few rewrites and story changes before becoming what we all know and love today. However, Allen still didn't have a title and initially thought of calling it Anhedonia—which refers to the inability to experience pleasure. However, that one was deemed too obscure. Then, his co-writer Marshall Brickman came up with a few suggestions...
United Artists, Annie Hall (1977)
Annie Hall (1977)
Brickman suggested: It Had to Be Jew, Rollercoaster Named Desire, and Me and My Goy. By the time the movie got to test screenings, they still hadn't settled on a title and Alvy and Me and Anxiety were both still possibilities.
United Artists, Annie Hall (1977)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction was initially called Black Mask—named after the iconic pulp magazine from the 1920s.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Would E.T. and Me have worked as the title? Sure. Would it have been as good a title? Nope.
Universal, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Casablanca (1942)
Did you know that Casablanca is based on an unproduced play called, Everybody Comes to Rick's?
Warner Bros., Casablanca (1942)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
One of the titles they considered was Tomorrow Never Lies (a reference to the Tomorrow newspaper in the movie). However, when the title was sent to the studio, a typo/miscommunication led to them hearing the title as Tomorrow Never Dies—which they loved.
United Artists, Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Blade Runner (1982)
Based on the Philip K Dick book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, that lengthy title was obviously considered for a brief moment. Before they got to Blade Runner, though, they also went through Android and Mechanismo.
Warner Bros., Blade Runner (1982)
Hitch (2005)
Worried that the working title would be too sappy for to attract a male audience, the studio dropped, The Last First Kiss in favor of Hitch.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
We get it, they do all eat lunch together. But The Breakfast Club is so much better than the alliterated silliness, The Lunch Bunch.
Universal, The Breakfast Club (1985)
Big (1988)
When I Grow Up says it all, but Big says it better.
Cloverfield (2008)
The original title and final title for the 2008 film was Cloverfield. However, in between, they did have a few other titles floating around. After the release of the teaser trailer, the filmmakers started calling the movie Slusho and Cheese—but that was just as a way to try and keep people from knowing what they were working on.
Cloverfield (2008)
They did consider calling the movie Greyshot. But by then, it was so well-known as Cloverfield, that director Matt Reeves felt it had to stay that way.
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
The John Travolta disco classic took its inspiration from a 1976 New York magazine article called, Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night and, yes, that was also considered for the title of the film.
Paramount, Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
They also considered calling it Saturday Night, but the BeeGees made it known that they didn't like that title. So, the filmmakers took inspiration from the band's song "Night Fever" and Saturday Night Fever was born.
Paramount, Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The fact that there'd been a 1939 Bob Hope film also called Some Like It Hot might've been the reason this classic 1959 comedy originally went under the working title of Not Tonight, Josephine!
United Artists, Some Like It Hot (1959)
American Pie (1999)
When writer Adam Herz submitted the script to the studio, he hadn't come up with a name yet. But instead of just calling it Untitled, he submitted it under the title, Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy That Can Be Made For Under $10 Million That Most Readers Will Probably Hate But I Think You Will Love. During filming, the movie was known as Great Falls.
Universal, American Pie (1999)
Bring It On (2000)
Would Bring It On have become the cult classic it is today had they stuck with the original title, Cheer Fever?
The Dark Knight (2008)
They were never going to call The Dark Knight, Rory’s First Kiss. That title was just used to avoid the fanboys. Speaking of fanboys...
Warner Bros., The Dark Knight (2008)
The Return Of The Jedi (1983)
Lucas used the title Blue Harvest to keep his Star Wars sequel on the down-low as well.
Twentieth Century, Return of the Jedi (1983)
The Avengers (2012)
Marvel often uses codenames/working titles for their films to keep fans at bay. For 2012's The Avengers, writer/director Joss Whedon chose Group Hug.
Dogma (1999)
The Kevin Smith movie was filmed under the name Bearclaw back in 1998.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
When the studio announced the film to the press in 1965, they called it Journey Beyond the Stars. It wasn't until they were 11 months into production that director Stanley Kubrick and screenwriter Arthur C Clarke settled on the title, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
MGM, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Kubrick and Clark also considered the titles, Universe, Tunnel to the Stars, and Planetfall.
MGM, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Seven (1995)
The original working title, The Seven Deadly Sins, seems a little too on-the-nose for us. How about you?
The Village (2004)
M Night Shyamalan's The Village would've been called The Woods, had there not already been a film in production with that name.
Touchstone, The Village (2004)
Back To The Future (1985)
Executive Sidney Sheinberg felt that having "future" in a film's title was a strike against it and instead recommended calling it Spaceman from Pluto. Thankfully, Steven Spielberg was an executive producer on the film and didn't let that happen.
