3 Iconic Movies That Almost Never Existed
October 7, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readIn 1974, a 27-year-old Steven Spielberg was told his career was over. He was shooting Jaws on the open ocean, the mechanical shark kept breaking, the budget had tripled, and the studio was one bad day from shutting the whole thing down. He believed the critics were right. That film went on to become the highest-grossing movie ever made up to that point and invented the summer blockbuster. This episode of What the Fact examines three iconic films—Back to the Future, Jaws, and Apocalypse Now—each of which was a single catastrophe away from never existing. The hosts argue that in every case, the disaster that nearly killed the movie is also the exact reason it became a masterpiece.
The 40 Rejections and the Recast That Saved Back to the Future
The script for Back to the Future was turned down by every major studio in Hollywood more than 40 times. Co-writer Bob Gale said the idea came from finding his father's high school yearbook and wondering what it would be like to meet him as a teenager. But studios had two objections: time travel movies didn't make money, and the tone was too sweet for the era of raunchy teen comedies like Porky's. When the writers finally took it to Disney, an executive read the scene where the teenage protagonist's mother develops a crush on him and declared the movie was about incest. Disney passed.
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson and Carter Roy
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (01:08) **Episode Setup & Thesis** - Connor and Carter introduce the episode's premise: three iconic films that nearly never existed, each saved by a strange twist.
- 2 (01:28) **Connor's Favorite Movies & Era** - Connor shares his love for 1980s films, listing personal favorites like Back to the Future, Gremlins, and The Goonies.
- 3 (03:47) **Film #1: Back to the Future - The 40+ Rejections** - Carter reveals that Back to the Future was turned down by Hollywood more than 40 times before finally getting made.
- 4 (08:34) **Back to the Future - The Save & The Recast** - The film was saved by Zemeckis's hit "Romancing the Stone" and Steven Spielberg's producing power, but then faced a second disaster: recasting Marty McFly.
- 5 (13:09) **Back to the Future - The Disaster Made It Great** - The hosts argue that the catastrophic recast is exactly why the movie works, as Michael J. Fox's charm is the entire film's heart.
- 6 (16:40) **Film #2: Jaws - The Broken Shark** - Carter introduces Jaws, a film that nearly ended Steven Spielberg's career because the mechanical shark refused to work in saltwater.
- 7 (22:50) **Jaws - The Production Spiral** - The shoot ballooned from 55 days to 159, the budget nearly tripled, and the local islanders turned on the crew, even pelting Spielberg's cottage with fish guts.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
A movie was rejected by Hollywood more than 40 times. A mechanical shark almost ended a 27-year-old director’s career. And one of the greatest films ever made premiered before it was even finished.
Connor Tomlinson and Carter Roy dig into the unbelievable stories behind Back to the Future, Jaws, and Apocalypse Now. Each movie came dangerously close to never making it to the big screen. But somehow, the disaster that nearly killed each one became part of what made it great.
New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one.
What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson and Carter Roy is a Rewind Original, powered by PAVE Studios
Head over to our What the Fact YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatTheFactPod
If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow What the Fact to never miss an episode! What the Fact is a Rewind Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.
Follow us on Social
- Instagram: @RewindStudios
- TikTok: @RewindStudios
What the Fact is hosted by Connor Tomlinson & Carter Roy
- Instagram: @connortomlinson5 | @carterproy
Head over to our What the Fact YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatTheFactPod
If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow What the Fact to never miss an episode! What the Fact is a Rewind Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.
Follow us on Social
- Instagram: @RewindStudios
- TikTok: @RewindStudios
What the Fact is hosted by Connor Tomlinson & Carter Roy
- Instagram: @connortomlinson5 | @carterproy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from this podcast
What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson and Carter Roy →