John D Hancock: JAWS 2 45th Anniversary Interview

[@ryanjacobson2508]

I'll give John credit for talking openly and in depth about what must have been a very difficult experience.

[@neilblackshaw3486]

It's a real pity we never got to see John's dark version of JAWS 2.

[@Jared_Wignall]

Really interesting to hear from the man who was originally going to direct Jaws 2. It’s not common you hear those who got fired from a film that then comment on said film they were fired from years later. Great interview man, keep up the great work and take care!

[@TheDailyJaws]

We drink to your legs

[@hammersmikey1739]

So underrated Jaws 2! Excellent sequal imo!

[@flatfootedrunner]

Fantastic interview, thanks so much. I’ve always been fascinated by what might have been with John Hancock. This only makes me want his version even more.

[@TheDailyJaws]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@paulbirkbeck1790]

There is a reason for everything and i think it all worked out for the best.

[@Slim_45]

I’m just reading the Jaws 2 novel written by Hancocks based on his screenplay. The backstory of the shark who’s female is very sad. Two years before the first movie she was swimming around minding her own business and she was suddenly assaulted by Bruce from the original..and a forced pregnancy occurred. Now two years later..her unborn sharks are causing her a lot of pain. She swims to Amity..I assume to find Bruce and get him to shark up and accept his responsibilities. She finds no sign of him and her pregnancy is causing her to constantly look for food. This puts a whole other perspective on her behaviour 😢

[@johnmcnulty1129]

Would've been brilliant to have seen John's "darker" version. Obviously would have featured Roy Scheider more heavily, probably why he ( Scheider ) didn't like the change in direction. Still some great scenes though. The scene where the shark's eye gradually appears on that developing print, in the darkroom, Brody's steely eye, intake of breath.... RIP Dorothy

[@Mike-wf1nm]

Roy was so talented. But as a human being, he sounds like a monster. That is always unfortunate to hear.

[@shaunpenne1840]

The thing that I love about Jaws 2 is that Schieder didn't really want to be there, but still gave it his all! He was such an incredible actor!!

[@shaunpenne1840]

​@Mike-wf1nm Look up an interview with him on a show called "That's so, Graham Norton!" From Channel 4 (Uk) from the late 90's or early 2000's I think he mellowed out quite a bit, he actually looked like he was having fun!! Though, if he came across as a bit of a monster, he had just came off making Sorcerer with William Friedkin and apparently that wasn't a barrel of laughs to make!!! Schieder actually fell out with Friedkin over it!!

[@TheDottiep]

What an incredible interview. I do like the Jaws 2 we have, but I think it's a huge loss that we never got to see the Hancock version.

[@brettsmeltzer2447]

Great insight, hearing all of this straight from Director, John D. Hancock. Thanks for inviting him to be included in the Cast interview.

[@davidprice6994]

What a lovely guy and brilliant interview,

[@foolishoptimist9903]

Really enjoyed the novelization as a kid. Wish I still had it.

[@DavidCooper-cb4zp]

John... what a great guy! Fascinating interview...

[@wonderboy76]

i remember seeing a shot from the set that showed the use of smoke machines to create fog on the water. Imagine how atmospheric to see the fin in fog!

[@greggmitchell2392]

Hancock's assertion that Jaws editor Verna Fields "ghost" directed Jaws 2 via Jeannot Szwarc is a pretty major bombshell!

[@scottyunitedboy2925]

Well, Joe Alves hinted at it because originally they wanted her to co-direct but the DGA wouldn’t allow it

[@repboy1]

Glad he got to tell his side of the story , great interview

[@guydixon231]

RIP Mark Gilpin who played Sean Brody in Jaws 2. Sadly died of Cancer aged just 56.

[@franksan11]

Great interview! Learned things I never knew about jaws 2 after all these years. Great job the daily jaws!

[@SurlyInsomniac]

Fascinatingly frank interview. The two scenes of Hancock's that made it into the final cut are two of my favorite scenes of the movie. The novelization was pretty interesting, so if that's any indication as to what his vision for Jaws 2 would've been, I'm sorry it never made it to the screen.

[@stewartkee6115]

We would still be waitting for the movie. He hired and fired hia own cast and filmed and then refilmed the same scenes with different outcomes. He is coming up with excuses but his story does not match the memories of everyone else.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

​​​We get it already, you think Hancock and his ideas/filing process sucked. I do agree that Hancock was indecisive and a bit overwhelmed, but the final version of Jaws 2 is good for what it is but it definitely feels a little too safe and shallow... Hancock's version may not have been objectively better but it may have been a bit more daring.

[@stewartkee6115]

@@ryanjacobson2508 Nope, it would have been crap. He was not daring, he was indecisive.

[@epaddon]

The Hank Searls novelization has nothing to do with any of the scripts Hancock was working with. It was basically Searls going off on his own, building off one of the drafts that got discarded. In the Searls novelization, Brody is a clueless idiot who thinks a crooked vacationing NY cop is responsible for killing the divers and doesn't realize it's a shark until the final act.

[@adamwhite3347]

Amazing interview. Would have loved to see Mr Hancocks' vision of Jaws 2.

[@esteeb67]

Another great interview. As much as I like Jaws 2, his take would have been fascinating.

[@colinbeattie1914]

This is a fantastic interview and one I thought I'd never see. I've always been fascinated by John Hancock's involvement with Jaws 2 as like Spielberg he had made an impressive directorial debut with one of the best TV movies ever made Let's Scare Jessica to Death. There's been lots of rumours over the years about John's iinput and how he was treated so to hear it directly from the man himself is something Jaws fans have been wanting to hear for 45 years. Thank you Daily Jaws for these fascinating and insightful interviews, I've been hanging on every word.

[@EUCRAZY_AU]

Amazing interview and thanks to John for giving people a insight on how hard it would have been for him.

[@ashleywetherall]

Loving these interviews, unlike the original film there are so many rumours about the making of Jaws 2. Now it seems the fans are getting the truth.

[@marcstone60]

Very nice and respectful interview. A joy to listen to. Thank you.

[@johnroberts6753]

Oh how I hope John's vision could and should be made

[@cooperbourke7717]

It would've been really interesting seeing his version of the Sequel.

[@jueja310doyle7]

Looking forward to seeing this in a few hours. I love John dearly. If anybody is interested, I wrote the nearly 800-page book on John's career, HANCOCK ON HANCOCK, that was published in 2018 by Bearmanor Media. It contains a huge and deeply fascinating chapter on the making of JAWS 2, in which John goes into forensic detail about his unfortunate experience on this picture. What a movie his JAWS 2 could have been.

[@stewartkee6115]

It would have been crap. Did he go into detail about how he fired the cast halfway through his filming. Did he talk about not telling the child actor playing sean that he was fired and leaving it for security to come over to him on the beach and frogmarch the kid off the set without a word of consolation or explanation.

[@jeffreybartoli61]

@@stewartkee6115wasnt it the second director who fired the actors?

[@jueja310doyle7]

@stewartkee6115 First of all, I doubt very much you were there, but even if what you imply is true (which some of it isn't), do you think John is the only director in history to have fired an actor during production on a film? Moreover, you fail to mention that the next person in charge fired Ricky Schroeder and broke his heart, as well as several other actors John had cast. And I stand by my firm belief that John's JAWS 2 would have been far superior and more interesting than the film we did get.

[@stewartkee6115]

@@jueja310doyle7 Everything I said is true and if you can prove otherwise go ahead. I read the book Jaws 2 the making of a hollywood sequel, which has interviews from everyone involved in the movie. Their views are complete contrast to Hancocks. Why would they all be lieing after all this time. Ive also seen other interviews with cast and crew members over the years which have backed the book up. You attack the new director for firing the child actor but thats normalfor a newdirector taking over a movie. He wants the cast he selected. And he atleast had the decency to tell the actor and let him down gently. Compare that to Hancock. He hired and then fired the original actor who played sean. He didnt even tell him. The kid was sitting on the beach one day when security arrived and frogged marched him off the set. He didnt even get a chance to saygoodbye to his freinds. Thats fucking cruel andfar worse than how the new directorhandled the situation. And NO IT IS NOT NOTRML TO HIRE AND THEN FIRE HLF THE CST OF MOVIE. Hancock didnt even havea vision for the movie. He went on set with a vision, changed his mind about half the castand fired them, changed his minds about scenes and refilmed them, changed his mind about the tone of the movie. He was all over the place. You think that the movie would have been better witha darker tone? Bullshit. The tone would have been desaturated and sucked the enegy out of the movie. It would have been like nightmare on elm street part 5. Lifeless and tiring to watch. The jaws we got was more like Dream Warrior's, full of energy and life. When you look at Hancocks other movies it becomes clear whata cheap director he is.

[@paulj5336]

Great interview. Handled with real sensitivity. Good work. 👍

[@rburley204]

Interesting behind the scenes perspective from Hancock.. Unreal the amount of politics that he had to endure and unfortunate that he was axed. Despite how good the released version was, would have loved to see Hancock's vision come to life.

[@CompoundNihilist]

?Bang the Drum Slowly" is superb.

[@roquefortfiles]

I didn't know it was John who shot the scene of the dorsal fin coming up behind the moored boats. I thought this scene was fabulous. Worthy of the original. The mood and the slow build up to the sharks reveal. Jaws 2 needed more of this kind of stuff. More feeling and mood. It was far too dumbed down.

[@greg1263]

Wow, fascinating interview. Thank you. Loved hearing Hancock’s point of view about the politics that went on. I’m rooting for more info to get out about his experience on the film and to somehow get a chance to see even more of what he shot. Great piece.

[@kthx1138]

I like Jeannot Szwarc's version of Jaws 2 somewhat. The bright, colorful Technicolor teenagers story has a wonderful energy, but the adult Brody story is weak. He becomes increasingly shark-obsessed and ultimately descends into lunacy shooting his gun on a public beach. He needed Hooper to back him up against Elkins the shark expert and the Amity Town Council. Plus Szwarc showed the fake-looking shark waaaay too much. I would've mostly kept the snout underwater, only occasionally shown the teeth in a flash cut. That seems to be what Hancock had in mind.

[@donmorton7282]

As you can tell I’m going through these interviews now lol. Just another excellent job in the interview. Great job buddy.

[@ginacantabene8629]

I think I would have enjoyed watching Hancock’s version of Jaws.

[@aweaver6895]

Excellent interview. So many cool insights. Add me to the list of those who wish we had gotten the Hancock version. He had a real vision.

[@aloscalzo2112]

Thanks for this - I always wanted to know some more about the original version of Jaws 2. Very interesting

[@hoibsh21]

Let's Scare Jessica To Death is a classic, I love that picture!

[@babyshambler]

Very good interview, thank you! Mr Hancock is interesting and informative. Great questions.

[@heinzhoschek]

Thank you both for this awesome insight!

[@paulutah9176]

What a fascinating interview and thought it was very well handled and John was thoroughly engaging and gave some great answers to some carefully considered questions. I thoroughly enjoyJaws 2 but would loved to have seen the darker tone John envisioned with Dorothy as it would have definitely moved the franchise forward and gave a more grounded portrayal of the town. I have read the Hank Searls books and both give a better realisation of the films they were attached to. Thanks for sharing this great content.

[@GruesomeMagazine]

This is fantastic! Thank you

[@LeShark75]

This is what we call, From The Horses Mouth... Great interview.

[@wonderboy76]

Goes without saying that if you haven't read the excellent Jaws 2 novelisation then do. Definitely the closest we'll get to his version. I love the Jaws 2 we got, but we were robbed of a far more complex, dark and interesting story and tone. You'd often think the first Jaws didn't happen watching Jaws 2. Great interview, and he's clearly still sad about it.

[@sirjaya2534]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@jeremiah5342]

As much as I like Jaws 2 I would have loved to have seen Hancock's version.

[@dennisdemenace9948]

Amazing Interviews!

[@marc1128]

Great to hear from Hancock, treated very badly, his harbour shark fin scene alone shows brilliance, could have done a far better job on 3 and 4 aswell

[@Mike-wf1nm]

Sounds like he was treated very badly. But also shouldn't have been hired in the first place. He seems more suited to Noir-ish, actor-based films. Not Summer, action-themed blockbusters.

[@marc1128]

just watching the first 10 mins of jaws the revenge, actually has a bit of dark feel with the winter setting...shouldnt have gone to the bahamas lol

[@SurlyInsomniac]

Agreed, the first act is actually pretty decent. The rest...is basically unwatchable, despite the talented cast.

[@daveruda]

Yeah im all in for his version. It could have been something special that carried the torch forward.

[@thickerconstrictor9037]

One thing that I can't stand is when people automatically say that a shark movie is a rip-off of Jaws simply because there's a shark in it. Just because there's a shark doesn't mean it's a rip-off. Now when you have a story that's extremely similar or exactly the same venue have a rip-off. But I think there are some excellent shark films besides Jaws. Obviously none of them are better than jaws and probably never will be but I thought deep blue sea was extremely entertaining. Obviously the CGI was terrible but the animatronics were by far the best shark animatronics of all time. I mean Jaws is a phenomenal film but the mako shark practical effects blew jaws out of the water. Now obviously deep blue seas nowhere near as good as Jaws but it was extremely fun to watch. I also enjoyed the shallows. I think the shallows has the best CGI shark that we've ever seen. I really really liked the shallows as well. And I recently watched the reef. I don't know how I missed that film all these years but it was phenomenal. The suspense was fantastic the mixing of real shark footage into everything was great. Just absolutely excellent film in my opinion. 47 m down was okay as well not great but entertaining. The Meg was horrible I was extremely disappointed. If I hadn't read the novels first I may have enjoyed it for a bad but fun shark film but I knew what the movie could have been based on the stories and they completely butchered it. It was awful. But there have definitely been some other great shark films. But obviously Jaws is number one. And I really wish that we could have seen this directors version of Jaws 2 I think it would have been excellent.

[@billybatson22]

Of all the Jaws 2 interviews, I found this one is the most fascinating. Felt really bad for Mr. Hancock throughout the video.

[@mrmrgaming]

It's such a shame we never got a more "real" Jaws sequel. I like 2, but it does seem to be all happy rainbows with minimal effect carried over on the public and the place. The studio just wanted a copy past with growing trends (slasher) thrown in.

[@xenofett7008]

Thank you for this. It's such a missed opportunity not to see this vision realized. The closest we got was the JAWS 2 comic from Marvel.

[@mgdonner312]

i wish to see all the deleted scenes john had directed

[@beyond72deepsoulfulhousemixes]

'Let's Scare Jessica to Death' is a cult favorite, it's got a great atmosphere.

[@paulkitt-er9dr]

Sad to hear how terribly Hancock and his wife were treated by the studio he has a fine body of work anyone who has seen let's scare Jessica to death would testify he has a very unique vision as a director

[@silverscreenreviews8521]

Fantastic interview bud! Very interesting info from mr Hancock . I’d be very keen to know who your ModelMaker friend is, as I know a lot of people in that industry so would be amazing to find out if we have met!

[@kthx1138]

Fascinating and heartbreaking.

[@stewartkee6115]

Bullshit. Hancock is a pathological liar. What is heartbreaking is how he treated the cast. He hired actors, then fired them when he changed his mind. The child actor who played sean was not even told. Insteadhe was sitting on the beachwhen security came up to him and frogmarched him off the beach. He didnt even get to say goodbye to his freinds on the set. Hancock was fired because he had no real vision and because he was in over his head.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

​@@stewartkee6115Okie-Dokie, the movie industry is a tough business and directors have done far worse things than what Hancock did. Up to and including physically abusing actors and animals. A lot of directors are rude and abrasive, and make decisions without checking in with those affected. I don't agree with rude or abusive behavior, but it is what it is. Ultimately Universal has to shoulder the blame for letting Hancock and his script go as far as it did.

[@dalewoodring5887]

It's such a shame that he would change his opinion of Ricky S over his political opinions. This is one very big problem with our country right now.

[@THeilman]

What's most shocking about hearing all the political bs that goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood is not that so few great films are made, but that ANY great films get made at all. So great to hear from Mr. Hancock about this. He didn't deserve what happened.

[@ojar91]

prefer hancock vision any day

[@stewartkee6115]

How do you know that. It does not even exist. Because he didnt even know what versian he wanted. He kept changing his mind during filming, hiring and firing cast members, reshooting scenes with different outcomes, yelling and screaming at cast and crew because he was clearly in over his head. His version would have been all over the place. But because wordslike, haunting, darker etc are used you think that somehow his film would have been better.

[@1dbanner]

Reading the Searls novelization is about as close as we'll get to the original version, which is a main reason I've liked Jaws 2 less and less over the years. The released version feels like a big missed opportunity compared to what might have been

[@lyndoncmp5751]

The novelisation is great. I especially like the whole navy sonar ball thing.

[@jeremiah5342]

The Jaws 2 book must be based on Howard Sackler's first draft because the script Hancock rewrote with his wife is much different. It's similar in structure to the version we got with Jeannot Swartz, but the tone is different. The kids are meaner.

[@1dbanner]

The subplot with the photo developer believing the shark from the first film hadn't really been destroyed, and was covered up by the Amity township, should have remained in the film.

[@Lee-sg9gz]

Are these going to be special features on the 4k release?

[@Mike-r8o]

Nice cuts

[@markbrodie2784]

Also the book Jaws 2 by Hank Searls would have made Hancock's darker version a really exciting film...The book is very well done. Not as good as Benchleys Jaws ..that is a masterpiece...but good nonetheless and a film version would have been better for Jaws II.

[@leightonbate7516]

I think his version would have been the real reaction to such a tragedy,though I love Jaws 2 it would have been interesting to see a darker version,Everyone in Jaws 2 acts like it never happened apart from Brody. The best shot is the fin rising at night in the harbour.

[@mws755]

I think the movie might of been better under Hancock as far as more character driven but the idea of the town struggling to recover 3 year later doesn't really make sense for the motivation of the story moving forward. If everyone is still depressed and it's a ghost town , why would anyone be motivated to get back in the water ? I think it's best that everyone had moved on and forgotten what happened and things go back to normal , everyone except Brody himself. Brody didn't go back to normal , everyone moved on with their life except him and he was a voice crying in the wilderness. He was the only one with post traumatic stress. I think this was the best theme for the movie

[@sirjaya2534]

I wonder if they could actually make all of the films that never were but could have been. I do think Jaws fans would like to see all versions of the directors' crafts. Jaws 3 was a monumental embarrassment but the Hancock version of Jaws 2 could have been Jaws 3 because after 2 incidents of shark attacks in Amity Island, the town could have realistically suffered and become a ghost town.

[@jackprescott9652]

I think it couldn`t be the intention of Zanuck or Brown or Universal to make a teen slasher film at sea, because at that time, neither Halloween nor Friday the 13th have been premiered yet.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre came out in 1974 though. Was that a teen slasher? I can't remember. Only saw it once, years ago.

[@jackprescott9652]

@@lyndoncmp5751 I think the teen slasher "genre" begun with Halloween (fall of 1978), blowing up after Friday the 13th (1980). TYexas saw Massacre have young couples being murdered but i don`t think the film started nothing because it lacked of audience.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

If that is the case regarding Texas Chainsaw Massacre then we have to say the teen slasher genre began with Jaws 2, not Halloween. 😉 Jaws 2 was far bigger and more popular than Halloween. Shame you couldn't save Kong, Jack. ✌️

[@jackprescott9652]

@@lyndoncmp5751 Yes but nobody was talking about a teen slasher film when Jaws 2 was at the theaters. It was a Jaws film, you know, a Killer shark film. I did everything i could to save Kong, but he was going to screw Dwan so fu...k him.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

@@jackprescott9652 It was still Jaws 2 that initiated the teens on peril craze though. Whether it was termed slasher film or not. And Jaws 2 was a big blockbuster as well. It took three times as much at the box office as Halloween did. Jaws 2 was a much bigger deal. Shame you couldn't save Kong. Those blasting nets were a good idea. 😉

[@cc_1983]

Maybe Jeannot didn’t panic about being brought in late notice cause he had help already anyway

[@anotherway007]

Sounds like Hancock's version would've been very interesting and a more solid way to go than the Jaws 2 we have which is like a teen slasher movie with excessive screaming. Interesting to hear him mention the 'femenisat' side to the film he was asked to add, just shows how the promotion of different agendas is done thru Hollywood and it's much stronger today.

[@Mike-wf1nm]

It sounds like he was going for a very Noir-ish type of film. Not sure it would have worked, but it sounds interesting and ambitious, nonetheless. Most of the people involved in the film, unfortunately, didn't think he knew what he was going. I bet he could make something interesting happen nowadays, with Netflix or whatever.

[@Ionisus]

not so sure if his version would be much better..in tone yes..but storywise? he included the son of Quint and Vaughn....come on

[@SirKurtAffair]

The fronal shot of Marge in the sharks mouth with added bone crunching sounds. Horrific! It was the first thing he filmed.

[@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812]

That opening jump scare was a cheap shot...well played.

[@hugodrax71]

A shame Hancock's darker, more character-driven version centred on an Amity suffering economic depression post-Jaws was ditched for the straightforward, utterly forgettable slasher-movie approach.

[@Roddo731]

Had to bring up something political, didn’t you… What does that have to do with it? What is it ever had to do with it?

[@markbrodie2784]

Hancock's version would have been better. I loved Jaws and Jaws II but thought 2 could have been better if it had been darker. The kids weren't effective.

[@robpearson108]

He lost me on "right wing causes"....over and out!

[@garrybaldy327]

Mr Hancock, don't watch The Shallows... it's bad. Unless you like looking at never-ending voyeuristic shots of Blake Lively in a bikini, then seeing her character basically lose all fear of being eaten alive by a great white shark. She is stunning, but it's meant to be a shark movie

[@brettdavidson3866]

Thanks john what a disaster behind the scenes

[@kevincharbonneau5953]

I totally enjoyed Jaws 2. 1 and 2, but after that no more...I thought it was a good sequel.

[@johnkent-h7g]

I LOVED HIS IDEA OF A DEAD AMITY ISLAND AND IT BEING SO DARK LIKE BUT I DIDNT LIKE THE WAY THE SHARK DIED IN THAT SCRIPT I PREFER THE ELECTROCUTION

[@stewartkee6115]

Ive read the Jaws 2 book and its not that good. Thank God he didnt get the chance to direct the sequel to jaws. Szwark iwas the better of the two directors.

[@Ionisus]

havent read the book but i heard his version would be close to the book

[@lyndoncmp5751]

I actually like the book Jaws 2. It's a better book than Jaws and it has some interesting aspects.

[@Ionisus]

@@lyndoncmp5751 hancock version would also include the son of Quint and Vaughn...this really sounds stupid

[@lyndoncmp5751]

@@Ionisus I was talking about the book Jaws 2. It's a good book, better than the novel Jaws. There is no son of Quint in the book, and Larry Jnr only has a bit par. There is far more of dive instructor Tom Andrews in it and Andy goes diving. The shark attacks a US Navy sonar ball being dragged by a helicopter (the helicopter goes down) and the dive class tries to find the sunken sonar ball. Brody doesn't even realise there is another shark until near the end. I like the book very much. I also like the movie Jaws 2 as it is. I'm not biased towards either.

[@Ionisus]

@@lyndoncmp5751 i think its clear that you like the book

[@stewartkee6115]

John Hancock is full of it. And so isthe guy interviewing him. Hancock was fired because he was out ofhis depth and could notdirect the movie. There is no reason tp praise him, especially when he takes pot shots ofeveryone else involved in the movie.

[@stewartkee6115]

Hanock is full of shit. He was fired because he had no clear vision. He hired actors, then fired them and replaced them with other actors. He filmed scenes where the shark killed someone, changed his mind, and refilmed the scene where the person survived. He lost his temper with cast members, yelling and screeming because he could n9t take the pressure. He was a bad director who was out of his depth. Schwarz was a far better director and everybody feltit. Jaws 2 is an amazing movie because of him.

[@johnkent-h7g]

WOW REALLY WHOEVER WROTE THAT LINE OH I CARED LESS FOR JAWS 2 EVER SINCE I READ THE NOVELZATION IS BULLSHIT LIKE SAID THERE WERE SOME GOOD STUF IN HIS SCRIPT BUT IT WAS ALSO VERY BORING AT TIMES