We nearly got a Jaws sequel with a bonkers title and plot

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Before “Jaws: The Revenge” dealt a fatal blow to the shark film series, there was almost a comedic take on it in development by the director of “Gremlins”. This potential movie had an eccentric name and idea.

The Revenge” finished off the shark franchise for good, there was a plan for a hilarious spin-off from the director of “Gremlins”, with a title and plot that were nothing short of unusual.

[Yet another option]

On the brink of “Jaws: The Revenge” ending the shark movie genre, we almost had an amusing reinterpretation by the creator of “Gremlins”. This nearly-realized project boasted a peculiar title and concept.

Today marks the 50th birthday of the iconic movie “Jaws”, which consistently graces the top spots on best films listings, and essentially pioneered the concept of the summer blockbuster. To honor this milestone, let’s delve into the tale of a sequel that never came to fruition.

The movie “Jaws” made a massive impact when it premiered on June 20, 1975, to such an extent that by the end of the year, it had become the highest-grossing film ever.

1978 saw the release of Jaws 2, which was another box office success, leading conversations naturally toward the idea of Jaws 3. However, here’s where things take an unusual turn.

‘Jaws 3, People 0’ was nearly a movie

‘Jaws 3, No Humans Involved’, originally conceived by Matty Simmons (publisher of National Lampoon), aimed to be a humorous take on the initial movie.

As a fervent admirer, I found myself nestled in close proximity to the influential duo, Richard Zanuck and David Brooks, the masterminds behind the iconic “Jaws” production. In an exhilarating turn of events, they shared their desire to collaborate on a film with none other than me.

In the Shudder documentary Sharksploitation, Simmons recounts that he spontaneously joked around. He blurted out “Jaws 3, People Nothing.” He continued, “‘Peter Benchley steps out of his house in a swimming suit, jumps into his pool and vanishes. The next thing we see is a fin bobbing around in the pool.’ This tickled him, he said he loved it, and promised to call the next day. They were going to produce this movie.

In the process of developing the plot, Simmons enlisted screenwriters John Hughes and Tod Carroll. The narrative included Steven Spielberg as a character resembling Quint, named Pierre Cockatoo, a tribute to the beach bonfire scene from the original movie, in which executives replaced the teenagers, and an odd sequence depicting various unusual items being retrieved from a shark’s belly, including some marijuana.

Gremlins helmer Joe Dante was going to direct

Back in 1978, the movie “Piranha” was directed by Joe Dante. This comedy-thriller was influenced by the iconic film “Jaws,” with some people believing it paid tribute to it and others thinking it imitated it, a debate that still persists today.

According to Dante, as stated in the document, Universal was troubled and irritated because Roger Corman was releasing a film resembling Jaws during the same year that Jaws 2 was set to be released. It seems they even suggested taking legal action to prevent it.

It turned out later that Spielberg had clarified, “This isn’t truly a plagiarism, it’s a parody.” However, it was indeed a plagiarism. Somehow, we managed to get away with it. This circumstance led to an offer for me to work on Jaws 3, not People 0.

Dante showed interest initially, however, differences in method, style, and target demographic eventually led to the failure of the project.

According to Dante, the team behind National Lampoon aimed to create an adult-oriented comedy similar to Animal House. In contrast, Zanuck and Brown preferred a more family-friendly, PG rating for a wider release.

As a gamer, I’d say: “In the gaming world, you can’t put two heavyweights like National Lampoon and the duo of Zanuck and Brown in a game and have them constantly clashing throughout. It’s not a smart move, and I believe they eventually decided to pull the plug on it.

Although Jaws 3, People 0 never came into production, what we ended up with was Jaws 3D – a film that could be described as an actual disaster, causing audiences to chuckle derisively at it instead of joining in laughter.

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2025-06-20 13:48