18 Movies That Changed The Ending Of The Books They’re Based On

It's the argument that never seems to die: What's better, the book or the movie?

While I would argue that it's nearly impossible to compare a film to a novel, not all big screen book adaptations are equal. In addition to switching up the medium, plenty of adaptations go so far as to change the ending of the work in which they are based.

There are a few reasons why a film might swap out a novel's ending when giving it the film treatment. Is it kind of a downer? Is it lacking a certain pizzazz that works fine on the page but less so on the screen? With the creative freedom to twist a story any which way, you best believe that filmmakers will take it if it means a more memorable movie.

You might be surprised to learn which movies altered their original conclusion for the big screen — and how these stories were actually supposed to end. Here's a list of some of the biggest changes made when a book became a film.

Spoilers, obviously, to follow.