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After a fair share of controversy, Don’t Worry Darling is finally in theaters. And now that we've watched Olivia Wilde's new movie, we can finally talk about the big twist – because, love it or loathe it, it’s certainly a talking point (read more on the Don't Worry Darling ending through that link). However, the movie wasn't always meant to end that way.
Before we go any further, here’s your spoiler warning. We’ll be getting into detailed aspects of the plot from here on out, including all of the major third-act reveals. So if you haven’t seen Wilde’s sophomore feature yet, turn away now.
If you’re still here, then you know how Don’t Worry Darling ends. After Alice (Florence Pugh) notices cracks in her reality, she starts to question everything about what's really going on in the mysterious Victory Project. Increasingly concerned about her supposed delusions, her husband Jack (Harry Styles) sends her for electro-shock therapy where her real memories start returning.
She remembers her real life with Jack in the modern world as she finds out she’s been trapped in a 1950s alternate reality simulation by her husband. Every day he hooks her up to the virtual reality software while he, and the other husbands, leave every day during work hours to tend to their wives and make money to keep them in the simulation.
When Alice works out what’s been happening to her, she confronts Jack before accidentally killing him. Then it's a race against the clock to try to escape. The final moments of the movie see her reach the exit portal and close her eyes before we hear her gasp as she wakes up in the real world.
However, the abrupt cliffhanger is reportedly very different from the original script of the film. Don’t Worry Darling was initially conceived by Carey and Shane Van Dyke (grandchildren of Dick Van Dyke) and floated around for years on Hollywood’s black list of unproduced scripts before it caught Wilde’s attention. The director then hired Booksmart's Katie Silberman to make some big changes to the story.
How did the original Don’t Worry Darling script end?
Per Insider, Alice (or Evelyn as she was called) returns to the real world via an exit portal in the simulation, which has been disguised as a house for sale. After she gets out, she finds out she’s actually in 2050. Exploring her surroundings, she locates a divorce certificate with her and Jack’s (named Clifford in the original) names on it, adding another sinister element to his deception.
She goes on a computer where she finds out about what has really been happening in "alt-life", which is a misogynistic virtual reality where women are trapped in the 1950s. Alice also finds that she's a missing person and is presumed dead. When she hears Jack returning to their apartment, she hooks herself back up to virtual reality, determined to find another way out.
Just as in the final movie, when she’s back in simulation everything seemingly goes back to normal. However, one evening she confronts Jack about the secret that he’s been keeping from her. After torturing him by pouring boiling coffee on him and threatening to stick a broom up his behind (yep), Jack admits to everything and tells her how to escape back to reality. But it’s not long before he follows her out. Back in 2050, the pair fight as Alice stabs Jack, killing him in both realities.
Alice wakes up once again, this time in a hospital in the 1950s. She’s told that she killed her husband and has been spouting delusions about a progressive future for women. But there’s one final twist: Bunny (Betsy in the original) comes to see her and tells her she’s found another exit portal. At the end of the movie, they both walk through this together.
While some major details have been changed in the final version, the gist of the movie seems to be pretty similar and sadly we don’t get any more information about life beyond the simulation. However, with a solid box office opening, it seems Wilde's movie is winning over audiences regardless.
For the other big releases still to come in 2022 and beyond, check out our guide to upcoming movie release dates.
