Iconic Lines From Movie Trailers That Aren't In The Films
Love them or hate them, there's an art to making a good trailer. The best movie trailers give you a general sense of the tone of the film, maybe a taste of the plot — or maybe not — and deliver a few memorable lines or action-packed moments. Because trailers are often made before the film itself has been finished, certain moments from the trailer may not be included in the finished film itself. Sometimes there are even shots or sequences that were only filmed for the trailer and never meant for the final cut anyway, like this dramatic slow-motion sequence in the "Quantum of Solace" trailer.
Oddly enough, sometimes there are shots or lines in a movie trailer that become the defining image or quote from the film before it is even released; sometimes, that line or moment doesn't even make the finished product. It makes sense — you'll most likely see the trailer for a film many more times than you see the actual film — but it is interesting to think about how our memory of what happens in a given film might not be accurate because of this phenomenon. Below is a list of some iconic movie lines that were never actually included in the movie — only the trailer.
Jennifer lays out the premise of Jennifer's Body
If you're a fan of the 2009 horror cult flick "Jennifer's Body," you might be able to quote what is arguably the most famous exchange of the film: "You're killing people! — No, I'm killing boys." It's a great line, and it certainly encapsulates both the tone and the ethos of the film, but, as it turns out, it's not actually in the movie itself.
Though it wasn't well-received upon its initial release, Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody's feminist horror parable has grown in stature over the years. The film follows a nerdy teen girl named Needy (Amanda Seyfried) and her beautiful cheerleader best friend Jennifer (Megan Fox). Following a ritual sacrifice gone wrong, Jennifer becomes possessed by a demonic entity that causes her to develop an appetite for human flesh.
The aforementioned line from the trailer is cheeky, yes, but also true. Jennifer satisfies her newfound appetite by seducing and killing teen boys. It's a perfect example of how effectively the film satirizes overplayed horror cliches, and it's too bad it was left out of the film entirely. The omission of the lines isn't too big of a loss, however, because the finished film contains plenty of other Diablo Cody zingers. "Do you buy all your murder weapons at Home Depot? God, you're butch!" to quote just one.
Mr. Freeze makes a pun in Batman & Robin
Before the cinematic world of Batman embraced the dark visions of folks like Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder and Matt Reeves, adaptations of the Dark Knight had typically been fun, campy affairs. Joel Schumacher's 1997 film "Batman & Robin," which took its source material about as seriously as a basketball game against the Washington Generals, took the campiness to such a level that it could be argued every Batman film since has been an attempt to avoid its pitfalls.
Panned by critics and mocked by fanboys, Schumacher's over-the-top humor and camp sensibility (and a cast including George Clooney as Batman, Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze) certainly wasn't for all sensibilities.
Some of the film's silly puns and jokes clearly didn't make it into the final cut. Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze is probably the punniest character in the film, and audiences were given a preview of his humor in the film's trailer. As Mr. Freeze is preparing to destroy Batman's beloved Gotham, he tells an imagined audience — "Bundle up boys. There's a storm coming." It's one of many ice-based puns in the film, so the omission is not a huge loss, but the way Schwarzenegger pronounces the word storm — more like "stwowm" — is something to behold. For fans of the Nolan Batman films, it's also reminiscent of one of Catwoman's best lines in "Dark Night" – "There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne." Coincidence? In Gotham, a person's intentions are rarely transparent.
Nobody quips like Iron Man
The Iron Man movies are suffused with witty quips and one-liners, so it's unsurprising that some had to be cut for time. One such line is featured in the trailer for "Iron Man 2," but not the film itself.
Following the Senate hearing depicted early in the trailer, Tony is standing on an airplane about to jump off into some unknown danger (we'd later learn it's his dramatic entrance into the newly-minted Stark Expo). Instead of kissing Tony for good luck, Pepper kisses his Iron Man helmet, throwing it off the airplane. Tony races after it, but not before turning around and cheekily telling Pepper, "You complete me!"
It's an important, memorable scene that gave audiences insight into where Tony and Pepper were at that particular point in their relationship — even if it was left on the cutting room floor. Robert Downey Jr.'s charm is arguably the best part of the Iron Man franchise, and here's more evidence of that, but it also feel relatively unnecessary in the context of the overall narrative.
Superbad had more McLovin jokes
If you're at all familiar with the 2007 teen comedy "Superbad," you probably recall that the name McLovin is a common gag throughout the film. "Superbad" follows two teens, Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera), who have just graduated high school and want to party and lose their virginity before they head off to college. Their friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) has an ill-advised plan to get them alcohol for a party using a poorly-made fake ID, which only has one name on it: McLovin.
While there are plenty of McLovin gags in the film, one of the most memorable only exists in a trailer. Seth Rogen — who co-wrote the film and plays a cop — is talking to Fogell and checking out is his fake ID. Seeing that it reads "McLovin," he comments that it sounds like "a sexy hamburger." It's the sort of joke that sticks with you, and some fans of the movie have recalled that they were disappointed it wasn't featured in the final product. Regardless, that's one hamburger joke we'll always remember.
Naomi Watts screams one too many times in King Kong
It's no surprise that Peter Jackson's three-plus hour epic, a remake of 1933's "King Kong," contains plenty of screaming. But one evocative shout only made the trailer.
The film follows director Carl Denham (Jack Black) as he travels to prehistoric Skull Island to film a new movie. Along for the ride are his leading lady Ann (Naomi Watts) and a playwright (Adrian Brody). After they first arrive on the island — but before the cast and crew are terrorized by dinosaurs and indigenous people — Carl is shooting a scene on the beach with Ann. He tells her "Scream, Ann. Scream for your life!" and she lets out a bloodcurdling stage shriek. What neither of them are expecting is an answering howl that comes from deep within the jungle.
The scene is an homage to the 1933 original, and it's an effective sequence that illustrates the impending doom the characters will soon be facing. But, it was probably the right choice to cut it from the final edit, as it works better as foreshadowing than it does as part of the actual narrative. There are plenty of Naomi Watts screams in the final cut, and the film contains enough terrifying monster sequences as it is. In a film that was released as three hours and twenty minutes long, there's a good chance Jackson was forced to cut whatever he could.
Harry Potter and Voldermort spell out the central tension for us
It makes a lot of sense when movie trailers speak in broad, sweeping terms. You want to give viewers a sense of the general narrative and tone, without giving away detailed plot points. One example of this strategy was in an early trailer for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2."
In one sequence, as Harry and Voldemort are preparing to fight, they have a brief conversation. Voldemort asks Harry "Why do you live?" and Harry responds "Because I have something to live for." It's a powerful line that succinctly captures the two characters' opposing ethos, even if it wouldn't have made sense in the actual film.
In an interview with Gizmodo, director David Yates explained the decision to cut the line. Yates said he specifically told screenwriter Steve Kloves to write a line like this because he wanted Harry and Voldemort to finally have a conversation after all this time. But Yates then realized that the scene didn't actually make sense. Voldemort would have never paused to have a conversation with Harry, he would have just killed him immediately. Sometimes, the best lines aren't actually what's best for the narrative.
More Winona Ryder in Star Trek
When Winona Ryder was cast as Spock's mother in J.J. Abrams' 2009 "Star Trek" adaptation, some viewers were perplexed as to why she wasn't in the film all that much. Re-watching the film's trailers may give you an indication of why that was the case.
In one trailer for the film, we see a short sequence between Ryder and Spock's father (played by Leonard Nimoy, who originated the Spock role), as they hold newborn Spock in their arms. In the full clip, included in the DVD and Blu-ray of the film, Spock's father says "He has your eyes," and his mother responds "He has your ears."
It's a sweet scene that adds a lot to Spock's story, which makes it a shame it didn't make the final cut. Sadly, it's one of several scenes involving Winona Ryder that were cut from the film, leading to her minimal presence, even if it wasn't originally imagined that way. It's too bad, because learning more about Spock's relationship with his human mother could have added significant character depth.
Keanu Reeves correcting his superior in Point Break
Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 film "Point Break" has become a classic, even if it can be a rather silly movie; Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze put their entire bodies and souls into delivering every line of dialogue, it seems, and one classic line is a reminder of their solid work, even if it was ultimately left out of the film.
In one of the original trailers for the film, Johnny has a hilariously cheesy exchange with his boss at the FBI. Chastising him for not taking the job seriously enough, he tells Johnny that he needs to do more than "surf and pick up girls." Johnny, wearing sunglasses (indoors) and holding his surfboard, responds: "Babes. The correct term is babes, sir."
It's a cheesy line, and perhaps a little too smarmy for Johnny, who is for the most part an earnest person. It also would not have aged well. His name may be Johnny Utah, but he's a nice guy, okay?
Is Rey a nobody?
While we all know by this point that Rey's father is Palpatine (or, to be more specific, a clone of Palpatine), there was a time when her parentage was unknown. Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) is a relatively new Star Wars character introduced in 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," set thirty years after the events of the original trilogy. She was a compelling character because, at the time, Rey seemed like a nobody in a universe where so many characters had famous parentage. In fact, in the first trailer for the film, Rey responds to Maz's question about who she is by saying "I'm no one."
It's a memorable moment, especially since the dialogue is overlaid on a shot of Rey walking through a barren desert with BB8. Though we now know Rey is not, in fact, "no one," that line of dialogue was an effective way of introducing this as-of-yet unknown character to Star Wars fans. While she never actually utters those words in the film itself, their meaning is uttered in other ways, so the film isn't lacking because of its omission.
Jyn is a rebel
The trailers for 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" contain several different sequences ultimately not included in the film itself. Along with several cool visual sequences, some compelling lines were left out as well. A clever line in one trailer occurs when Jyn (Felicity Jones) is being reprimanded by a Rebel Alliance leader for her reckless behavior. Jyn's response is: "This is a rebellion, isn't it? I rebel." In the same trailer, Forest Whitaker's Saw, who is Jyn's foster father, asks in a dramatic voiceover, "what...will you...become?" The line also directly precedes another great shot of Jyn turning around in a corridor lit up by white lights, another sequence that wasn't included in the final cut.
All these moments and lines are pretty cool, so it's a shame they weren't included in the actual film. The film made news with its extensive, widely publicized reshoots prior to its release, so perhaps all of this was jettisoned to make room for new material. According to director Gareth Edwards, much of these deletions were intentional.
Batman is out for revenge
2005's "Batman Begins," the first film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, yielded an interesting example of an important piece of dialogue written exclusively for the film's trailer. One teaser ad contains an entire monologue that can't be found elsewhere. In a dramatic voice-over, Christian Bale's Batman says "They told me there was nothing out there. Nothing to fear. But the night my parents were murdered I caught a glimpse of something. I've looked for it ever since. I went around the world, searched in all the shadows, and there is something out there in the darkness — something terrifying, something that will not stop until it gets revenge: me."
It's a succinct, deservedly theatrical description of Batman's whole thing, but Nolan's Batman films have enough expository monologues, so it makes sense this dialogue was never intended for the film itself. As with all of Nolan's Batman films, "Begins" was co-written with his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan contributed to a discussion about the film on Reddit, explaining that he wrote the monologue in his trailer while they were shooting the film, and only ever intended for it to be used in the trailer. It "wouldn't have worked in the film," he said.
Joker wants to hurt you
It's a fairly common occurrence for Marvel and DC movies to use clips in their trailers that don't make the actual films, and due to the passion of these fans, such omissions are frequently noticed. One example is the trailer for 2016's "Suicide Squad," which very prominently features Jared Leto's Joker. In one memorable sequence, The Joker threatens: "I'm just gonna hurt you. Really, really bad." Fans quickly latched on to both the line itself and Leto's performance, so it's a bit of a puzzle as to why it wasn't included in the final cut.
One might wager a guess that the film's producers were trying to come up with a Joker line as iconic as Heath Ledger's "You wanna know how I got these scars?" or Jack Nicholson's "This town needs an enema!" but weren't quite able to achieve this. It does feel like a classic joker line, but for unknown reasons, it wasn't canonized in the final version of the film.
Hugh Grant's missing parents
Though many of the movies on this list are of the action/adventure variety, rom-coms aren't immune from the trailer-to-film disconnect. Take 1999's "Notting Hill," a classic rom-com starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts that features both a significant line and entire characters that were ditched in the film's final edit.
In one of the original trailers for the film, Julia Roberts' character tells Hugh Grant he can't tell anyone about their relationship. Grant promises to do so, but in the next scene, we see him breaking the news to his parents. While sitting down with them for dinner, he says "There's this girl, but you absolutely mustn't tell anybody else."
Not only was this line cut from the film, but so were any mention of Grant's parents. It's hard to say if the film would have benefitted from this extra scene, but it probably wouldn't have made a huge difference, either. The people most sad about this bit of editing, undoubtedly, were the two actors cut from the film entirely.
Sidney Prescott is a royal
If you're at all familiar with the "Scream" franchise, you know Wes Craven's horror series is all about meta commentary. The first film is filled with references to classic horror films and killers who are horror-obsessed, and the meta-commentary gets even more intense from there. By the second film there is a franchise-within-the-franchise called "Stab," which re-creates the events of the original; "Scream 4," released 11 years after the previous film, continues this meta commentary. Every character in the film — from the killers to the victims — is obsessed with horror films and well aware of the legend of Sidney Prescott, the original survivor.
One line in a trailer for the 2022 "Scream" explicitly references the convoluted world in which the film takes place. Talking with his friends about the murders at school, Rory Culkin's Charlie says "You can't kill Sidney, she's victim royalty." Olivia (Marielle Jaff) responds, "Not true. Sid's expendable." For some reason, this entire exchange was cut from the film altogether. It's not too much of a loss, however, as the film is chock-full of self-referential moments, and more scenes of the characters explaining the rules of the universe could have felt like they were beating ... or perhaps, stabbing ... a dead horse.