Transformers: Rise of the Beasts originally had a different, much darker ending 

Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ending.

The ending of the sci-fi/action movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was initially significantly darker, claims Director Steven Caple Jr.

After screening Rise of the Beasts for test audiences, Caple gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter and explained why he changed the film’s ending.

“There were a few things I learned [during the test screenings], but one major one was that after 2020, people definitely wanted happier endings,” he said. “I wanted to do something more uplifting, but I also had a darker version of this film.”

What was the original ending for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts?

While explaining how the screening for the movie went, Director Caple also revealed the other original ending for the sci-fi. He said,

“There was a version of the film where Prime went up into space. I think you guys are gonna see this in the deleted cuts, too, but when he actually destroyed the [Transwarp] Key, he got sucked up into the portal and ended up with Unicron. And then there was also a moment where Mirage didn’t come back. So I personally thought that movie was good; we were still getting pretty good ratings around that, but something was missing.”

But Caple wanted to see something hopeful in the end, he wanted to see the heroes win.

“And when I realized there wasn’t an applause or a cheer at the victory, it just felt a little down,” Caple continued. “So we wanted to see the heroes win: Optimus Prime, Noah, Elena. And so I went back and made sure that we had these victories throughout because it just felt a little sad.”

In an earlier interview, Caple also disclosed that Rise of the Beasts was originally intended to open a more somber note. The movie’s opening scene would have seen Optimus Prime and Transit fighting, with Prime eventually disposing of Transit’s body in the Hudson River.

Director Steven Caple Jr. on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Final scene

Caple recently discussed the last sequence of Rise of the Beasts, which establishes a crossover between the G.I. Joe and Transformers series. The protagonist Noah is given the opportunity to join G.I. Joe in the mid-credits scene, but the director stressed that this was not the sequence’s only purpose.

“It was really about trying to get [Rise of the Beasts protagonist] Noah fulfilling his arc, this guy who was looked down upon by society,” he said. “At the end of the film, the military, out of all places, given the history that he had with it, was the one to take care of his brother and his situation.”

Read More: Is ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ a Reboot, Sequel, or a Prequel?