Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
What Was Cut: Extreme Easy Living 2, a fake video game created for the Disney animation, but scrapped before it made it into the film. It's sort of a mix of The Sims and Grand Theft Auto, and we exclusively got our hands on a storyboarded deleted scene last year …
If It Had Stayed In: It would have added to the film's rich tapestry of legitimate video game loving with a bit more homegrown satire.
Spider-Man (2002)
What Was Cut: Numerous visual concepts from Jim Carson Design, including different versions of the Green Goblin and a slinky design for Black Cat.
Perhaps most interesting is the early concept art for a mechanical webshooter, which eventually got swapped out in favour of an organic, mutation-fuelled version.
If It Had Stayed In: The web-shooters would have more successfully played up the all-important science-geek side of Peter's personality, something that's very much at the forefront of this year's Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
What Was Cut: Eugene Levy, who appeared as Louis Tully's cousin Sherman, in a late scene where he helps free the Ghostbusters from incarceration.
While he's talking about his dead grandfather, who he says he saw at the foot of his bed after he'd died, the Ghostbusters speed off, leaving him at the curb with Louis, who'd promised Sherman a ride in ECTO-1A.
"I thought you were like the fifth Ghostbuster?"
If It Had Stayed In: It would have been a fun grace note in a film full of them. And also fleshed out Louis a bit more.
The Hangover Part 2 (2011)
What Was Cut: The tiny role of Tattoo Artist created numerous headaches on the first Hangover sequel. Originally Mel Gibson was set to cameo in the role before Liam Neeson took it on. When Neeson was unavailable for reshoots, though, he was replaced wholesale with Nick Cassavetes.
“We were in a complete time crunch so I called up Nick and asked if he would do the part,” director Todd Phillips explained to Variety. “He came in and crushed it, and that is the scene that you will ultimately see in the film. [I'm excited for everyone ] to see the film. It turned out great.” Er, yeah…
If It Had Stayed In: A Taken-era Neeson would arguably have been far more amusing.
E.T. (1982)
What Was Cut: Harrison Ford. He was set to appear as the school principal Elliot and his mother visit after the frogs-in-the-classroom incident.
The scene was cut, allegedly, because Spielberg felt that Ford's appearance was too distracting for Indy and Star Wars fans.
If It Had Stayed In: It would have been a cool cameo, but we'd probably agree with Spielberg's sentiments.
Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
What Was Cut: In the original ending, everybody gets eaten by a triumphant Audrey II. Which didn't sit well with test audiences, who demanded it be changed.
If It Had Stayed In: We love the original ending, which only got a proper DVD release in 2012. It's a brilliantly, perfectly weird end to a brilliantly, perfectly weird film, and one that plays into the '86 Little Shop's 1960 b-movie origins excellently.
Predators (2010)
What Was Cut: That awesome shot from the trailer in which dozens of Predator target triangles dot Adrien Brody's hero.
When the film came out, there was only one target on him, which is surely tantamount to false advertising…
If It Had Stayed In: We might have got the epic battle that the trailer promised, instead of the comparative letdown we got instead.
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith (2003)
What Was Cut: In early drafts of George Lucas' script, a young Han Solo appears.
He's being raised by Chewbacca on Kashyyk, and even meets Yoda, whom he gives a clue about the whereabouts of General Grievous. Lucas commissioned concept art for a young Solo, but then dumped him from the script.
If It Had Stayed In: It would have been undeniably awful, exacerbating the prequels' problem of an over-connected, ever-shrinking universe to intolerable proportions.
The Birds (1963)
What Was Cut: Hitchcock originally planned to end his movie with something far more iconic than what we got, a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge crowded with flocking birds.
If It Had Stayed In: It could have rivalled Planet Of The Apes in the 'most epically doom-laden final shot' stakes, but would also have lost the low-key, ambiguous dread of the ending we got.
Alien 3 (1992)
What Was Cut: H.R. Giger's 'alien kiss'. Giger was asked to redesign the xenomorph for Alien 3, and he did so by making it even more sexual and lithe than it had been before. Because, you know, obviously he did.
He also added the vicious little idea of this sexy new alien 'kissing' its victims, then ripping their insides out using its deadly tongue …
If It Had Stayed In: It would have led to even gorier, more psychosexually disturbing deaths than we're used to seeing in an Alien film. Which would have naturally made it peak-Alien.
