Movies often change shape as they come together. Big ideas get trimmed, rewritten, or dropped entirely as scripts evolve, scenes are shot, and edits tighten the story. What feels essential on the page does not always survive the final cut.
That was the case with a wild twist tied to Marty Supreme, one of Josh Safdie’s Oscar contenders.
Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme Ending
An early version featured an ending that never reached audiences. In that scrapped take, Kevin O’Leary’s character was revealed to be a vampire.
The scene had him attacking Timothée Chalamet’s Marty during the 1980s, complete with heavy old-age makeup. It was a bold swing that ultimately stayed on the cutting room floor.
That scrapped ending came up during a recent chat on the A24 Podcast. Josh Safdie was talking with fellow director Sean Baker. The conversation took a strange turn when Baker casually mentioned vampires. This prompted Safdie to share one of his earliest concepts for the movie.
How The Kevin O’Leary as a Vampire Ending Was Supposed To Play Out
Safdie explained that the scene was fully mapped out before it was dropped. The camera would stay locked on Marty’s eyes while heavy prosthetics aged Timothée Chalamet for the moment.
Then Mr. Wonderful would step into frame from behind and bite his neck, ending the film on that shocking note. That was how Safdie originally imagined closing out Marty Supreme, before the idea was scratched.
The Inspiration Behind The Supernatural Turn
It’s strange to picture the film closing on something that extreme. A sudden vampire bite is a hard left turn. Still, the idea feels like a wink toward cult classics from the era. You can see traces of The Hunger, directed by Tony Scott, or The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher. Both leaned into the eerie energy of 1980s concerts and nightlife, with vampires blending into club crowds.
The Lost Boys even gave its head vampire a day job running a video store while circling the hero’s family. Seen through that lens, Safdie’s abandoned ending feels less random and more like a dark nod to that whole era.
Classic Vampire Movies That Shaped the Scene
Safdie has clearly shown a fondness for borrowing from the 1980s, even dropping music from that era into a film set decades earlier. Seen through that lens, the idea of a vampire popping up doesn’t feel totally random.
It would have been a strange turn. But it lines up with his habit of letting tone and era blur when it serves the mood he’s chasing.
The Kevin O’Leary Ending That Was Left Behind
In the end, the most amusing part of the story might be Kevin O’Leary’s role in it all. Known to most people as a blunt investor and TV personality, the idea of Kevin O’Leary turning up as a literal creature of the night feels almost poetic. It’s the kind of casting choice that blurs pop culture, satire, and surprise in a way few filmmakers would even consider.
The film chose coherence over a jaw-dropping final beat. Still, it’s hard not to smile at the image of O’Leary lurking in the background of a concert scene, fangs ready.
