Why Lost writers scrapped the alternate ending that would have changed the entire show

So the actual ending of Lost is already absolutely mindblowing, but it turns out there was an alternate ending the writers originally wanted to do, which would have genuinely changed the whole show. Sadly the writer’s dreams of their perfect, chaotic ending were dashed by executives at ABC who told them their grand ideas just weren’t in the budget.

So, what exactly was the alternate ending to Lost they wanted to try, and how exactly would it have changed the whole dynamic of the show? From explosions to the physical manifestation of damnations, it’s a wild one so buckle in.

Via Netflix

Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof were the main writers on the cult TV show Lost, with Carlton getting the idea that he wanted an exploding volcano at the end of the series. He imagined it being the location of the fight between Jack and the smoke monster who was incarnated as John Locke.

They explained: “We were always looking to cannibalise anything on Hawaii to aid in the visual storytelling of the show,“ Cuse said. ”We also thought of the island as a character on the show, so we were always looking for things that would give it more personality. The question was always, how do you basically visualise and dramatise the idea that the island itself is all that separates the world from hellfire and damnation? And the answer was the volcano.”

Via Netflix

Most Read

People have spotted a huge I’m A Celeb editing error proving a bushtucker trial was staged

Finally, Adam has actually addressed the rumours he and Amy are dating after MAFS UK

All the mega-famous actors who also auditioned for each Wicked role

He continued: “The volcano had been dormant for the duration of the series but based on moving into this endgame, the island had become unstable and the volcano was going to erupt. We were going to have lots of seismic activity, and ultimately, there was going to be this big fight between the forces of good and the forces of evil, which ended up in the series manifesting as Jack and The Man in Black, in the midst of magma. Magma spewing everywhere!”

Sadly the volcano ending was shut down by ABC due to it being too expensive to shoot, and the final battle happened on a cliff as everything started sinking into the sea. Damon added: “ABC was like, ‘Guys, we love you, and we’re letting you end the show; we can’t let you bankrupt the network in the process.'”

Lost is available on Netflix now – For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes about the alternate ending like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Worst Roommate Ever on Netflix: Where is Janie Ridd from season two episode one now?

• Your Honor was savagely cancelled after season two, but now Netflix could save it

• Ranked: The best and worst seasons of Bridgerton on Netflix, according to Rotten Tomatoes

Featured image via Netflix.