In the past, when it came to genuine terror in a creature feature, fewer films fit the bill. But 1975's Jaws has remained the pinnacle of what a film of this caliber could achieve in terms of crafting an engaging story and pulse-pounding thrills. Now, the film is known as the lone kind in a sea of sequels that failed to live up to the standard it set. That said, there was nearly an opportunity for Steven Spielberg to return to the director's chair to deliver a prequel so terrifying that it could have topped what he had created before.
Youtuber Dragoncurve explored a story where, during the production of Jaws 2, the film's first director left the set after a host of issues behind the scenes. During this time, Universal's producers gave a call to Spielberg to return to his franchise. Due to the state of Jaws 2, Spielberg felt an obligation to right any of the wrongs that were present during production, but he was already hard at work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. With scheduling issues creating some conflict, the odds of Spielberg coming back were slim to none. However, that didn't stop the director from coming up with a prequel meant to dive into Quint's past as a Navy sailor.
What Would the Jaws Prequel Have Been About?
Quint's history wasn't deeply explored in the original Jaws, but the one story that stood out was his chilling retelling of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945. As recounted in his speech to Matt Hooper and Chief Martin Brody aboard his fishing vessel, the Orca, Quint was part of a top-secret mission to deliver the Hiroshima bomb during World War II. Due to the mission's sensitivity, no distress signal was sent when the Japanese shot the Indianapolis with torpedoes. Although they delivered the bomb, the survivors were effectively left to fend for themselves as the ship went down. Those that survived were forced at sea on life rafts, where the elements began to chip away at the sailors' resolve. There were also multiple types of sharks attracted to the bodies, and they began to attack and even feed on some survivors.
Had Steven Spielberg taken on the role of director for his prequel, he could have given viewers an early glimpse at how he framed the horrors of war in Saving Private Ryan. First, it would have shown how a place like a battleship could be viewed as a sanctuary, considering how dangerous the Pacific Ocean was at that time. Then, when the time came for the sinking and survival aspect of the film, the true horror could arise as hungry sharks began to hunt the unlucky survivors. While the tension from the original Jaws would remain, the lack of a fortified ship mixed with the separation of the survivors would add sympathy for the sailors and terror unlike anything felt before.
Why Was the Jaws Prequel Cancelled?
The prequel would focus mainly on Quint's experiences at sea, as his time in Jaws revealed much, mostly by his actions. For example, he made a living hunting sharks, possibly as revenge for the Hell they put him and his men through. He also never wore a life vest after seeing what had happened to the men that did, some having been bitten in half by the hungry sharks. Ultimately, his disdain grew into something instinctual, and he would eventually die fighting against the thing that changed his life forever. But to understand how such hatred could be more than just skin-deep would've required a story that only Spielberg could've delivered.
Sadly, Spielberg was unable to commit to his dream prequel because of a scheduling conflict, and Jaws 2 continued its production and was eventually released. Overall, the event aided in his aversion to sequels he didn't have a huge degree of control over, and the idea was never revisited again. That said, since the film would be a prequel, there's always a possibility that a new Jaws story could be told with Spielberg behind the camera now that technology could create the immersive and terrifying account told through Quint's eyes.