The Two Times Ridley Scott Got It Wrong

New York, NY and Cairo, Egypt

In viewing Director Ridley Scott’s work, from Alien to Napoleon, there are only two times that he got it wrong. The first was with Hannibal, and the second was with All the Money in the World.

The first edition of Hannibal (image from Abebooks)

The original movie poster for the film(image from Red Bubble)

Hannibal, the third book in the series, was the most surprising that author Thomas Harris wrote. In the book, Clarice Starling became a cannibal herself. She also ran away with Dr. Lecter. For whatever reason, Ridley Scott not only failed to retain Jodie Foster in the role, providing a level of continuity, but he changed the ending entirely.

fThe original poster for All the Money in the World (image from Amazon)

The original version of All The Money In The World featured Kevin Spacey as J.P. Getty. Ridley Scott decided to replace him with Christopher Plummer. Why? There were many allegations of sexual assault against Spacey; however, he was never convicted of any crime. The allegations alone were enough to destroy his career and deprive the world of his work.

In conclusion, it must be said that there is no doubting Ridley Scott’s talent. He is one of the greatest directors to ever live. In the world of global cinema, he stands contemporaneously with Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. The present writer is one of many who looks forward to his next work.