What Happened to Jaws 2? The Troubled Making of Universal’s Biggest Sequel

Tyler

There’s no task greater than creating a sequel to the biggest blockbuster of all time. Yet Universal wanted to do just that. Jaws 2 would eventually become a massive hit, but getting the sequel to theaters was anything but smooth. Steven Spielberg briefly considered directing it. The first director was fired after just 18 days of filming. Production moved from Martha’s Vineyard to Florida, Roy Scheider nearly fought with the replacement director, and real hammerhead sharks unexpectedly showed up during filming.

So, how did this movie go from being a potential prequel about the USS Indianapolis to what practically amounts to a slasher on the water? Why did the film’s first director get fired after nearly a month of filming? Why did they move the production to Florida?

Let’s find out how this movie became Universal’s most expensive movie ever, and so much more, as we look at what happened to Jaws 2.

How Jaws 2 Came Together

It can’t be overstated just how big of a deal Jaws was when it came out back in 1975. It completely changed the landscape of cinema by creating the summer blockbuster. And it was very early in its box office run that Universal demanded a sequel. While it seemed like a massive task, producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown knew that the film would get made with or without them, so they figured they may as well do it themselves.

Spielberg had a much different mindset, calling a potential sequel just a cheap carnival trick. Hilariously, he didn’t actually return the producers’ calls when they initially reached out about directing, which made sense. Spielberg had already made the definitive shark movie. How would he possibly top himself?

It didn’t help that his memories of the production were plagued with miserable conditions, so he didn’t want to put himself through that again.

But what would the story even be? The shark was blown up in quite magnificent fashion after eating Quint and taking out the Orca. Well, there were multiple ideas for where Jaws 2 could go. Peter Benchley, the original writer of the novel, had some ideas on where to take the story, but there wasn’t much interest. Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke even reached out with an idea about a mysterious object deep in the Indian Ocean, but the producers had difficulty even grasping the concept. So, they were rightfully worried that audiences wouldn’t be able to understand it either.

The USS Indianapolis Story

Howard Sackler, who had assisted in writing Quint’s USS Indianapolis speech in the first film, as well as an uncredited pass on the full script, wanted to make a movie out of that story. But there was concern that the iconography would be too different given the World War II setting and wouldn’t resemble Jaws.

At one point, there was a story about the sons of Quint and Brody hunting a new shark.

Eventually, Sackler was hired to write a draft that resembled the story we’d see in the finished film.

But what’s most shocking is that Spielberg actually considered making the movie himself. He even went so far as to write a draft of the script in July of 1976 based on Quint’s Indianapolis speech, which would have been so awesome. Unfortunately, he’d already signed a deal to make Close Encounters of the Third Kind, meaning he wouldn’t be able to work on Jaws 2 for another year. The producers had a timeline they had to make and simply couldn’t wait for his schedule to clear. So, they looked elsewhere.

Roy Scheider Didn’t Want to Make Jaws 2

Eventually, Universal landed on John D. Hancock, who had only made three films at that time. He was a bit of an odd choice since he hadn’t directed anything of this scale before and had mostly worked in dramas, but I suppose something similar could have been said of Spielberg with the first film.

Roy Scheider had just left the production of The Deer Hunter due to creative differences when Universal approached him about Jaws 2. See, Scheider had signed a three-picture deal and was violating the contract by leaving The Deer Hunter. They said that all would be forgiven if he’d star in Jaws 2, but he was still reluctant. He simply didn’t see the point. So, in one of the craziest attempts to get out of a commitment, Scheider went nuts in his Beverly Hills hotel room and tried pleading insanity.

He really did not want to do the film. But Universal made him an offer that he couldn’t refuse. They quadrupled his salary and gave him points on the back end. Not only that, but given how overscheduled the first film went, they went as far as to offer $60,000 for each week that they went past the 12 weeks allotted. This was finally enough, and Scheider agreed to do the picture, which almost ended in fisticuffs between him and the director. But we’ll get into that in a bit.

While the producers wanted Richard Dreyfuss’ Matt Hooper to return as well, the actor didn’t want to do the film if Spielberg wasn’t involved.

Lorraine Gary would return in the role of Ellen Brody, which wasn’t a surprise given that she was married to Universal president Sid Sheinberg.

The Tragedy Behind Murray Hamilton’s Return

Sadly, the production of Jaws 2 was anything but easy for Murray Hamilton in his role as Mayor Vaughn. Producer David Brown had gotten word that Murray was heading to New York in the middle of production. Despite not being done with filming, Brown confronted Murray as he was leaving and was gobsmacked by what he found out. Murray was distraught, having found out that his wife was having a biopsy for cancer, and he refused not to be by her side during it. “To hell with my career,” were his words. Thankfully, Brown understood, but asked Murray if he’d stay on for just two days and they’d shoot all of his stuff in that time.

Murray agreed to do it, and after many phone calls to rearrange the schedule, was able to pull it off. Murray went to New York to be with his wife.

Who Were the Teenagers in Jaws 2?

The sailing teenagers were mostly made up of unknowns whose biggest role ended up being this film. Keith Gordon is probably the most recognizable of them, having appeared in Christine and Dressed to Kill in the years since.

Many of the extras in the film were recruited from the local high school, including the band itself. Though some of the locals actually revolted a bit against the film, wearing “Universal Go Home” shirts.

And while Jeffrey Kramer is great as Brody’s second-in-command, Hendricks, he wasn’t actually brought back until rewrites that would occur well into production.

Building the Sharks for Jaws 2

When it came to the killer shark that would serve as the film’s main antagonist, it was first thought that the production would be able to use the sharks from the original film. But everything had rusted and rotted to the point that very few pieces were even salvageable. They were essentially just able to use the frame.

Even still, when the three new mechanical sharks were constructed, they were able to use the same body mold. Though there would be some tweaks made to the shark’s head.

Having not been a fan of the original mouth hinge, sculptor Chris Mueller made a brand-new mechanism, which used jowls to hide the hinge of the mouth. Sometimes it works, and other times it really doesn’t.

The original shark puppet was named Bruce, named after Spielberg’s lawyer, and the three new ones were called Bruce 2, Fidel, and Harold. Bruce 2 was the platform shark that would do the complicated movements with the mouth. Then there was a fin and full-scale shark that could be pulled by a boat.

Why Jaws 2 Moved From Martha’s Vineyard to Florida

While they still used Martha’s Vineyard as some of Amity Island, they opted to shoot in Florida for the scenes taking place on the water. They chose Navarre Beach in the panhandle because the waters were just deep enough for their mechanical shark to operate in. The production was a massive boost to the local economy, with Universal spending over $400,000 on boats and equipment and around a million dollars for the cast and crew’s lodging.

The climax of the movie takes place at an island, but they couldn’t use a real one due to their need to get the shark up close to the shore, which would be impossible with a real island. So instead, they opted for a floating barge, which they then constructed massive rocks made out of fiberglass on. It’s an extremely impressive structure.

Why Was the First Jaws 2 Director Fired?

Filming began in June of 1977 but shut down after only 18 days. Studio executives did not like the dailies they were seeing, thinking the film’s tone was far too dark. They wanted something lighter and more adventurous and felt that Hancock was in over his head. So they fired him.

Hancock contends that it was the fact that he refused to let Lorraine Gary, who you’ll remember was married to someone quite important, go out on the boat with Brody in the final act, which would ultimately be his undoing. But even Zanuck had agreed that it would have been a terrible idea to include her during those sequences.

So, whoever’s side you believe, Jaws 2 was left without a director. The production shut down, and original writer Carl Gottlieb was brought aboard to lighten up the script, stripping down some of the violence and ratcheting up the humor. Due to the shifting screenplay, many actors were let go as their parts had been excised in the new draft.

At the suggestion of production designer Joe Alves, Jeannot Szwarc was brought aboard as the new director.

The Water-Skiing Scene

The first sequence that Szwarc filmed was the water-skiing incident, which also allowed Gottlieb enough time to do his new pass on the script. And there are few sequences as memorable as the water-skiing scene, followed up by the fiery attack from the shark itself. They even developed a new camera system for the sequence, wanting the camera to follow the water skier and the boat under the water. Then the fin prop was attached to a boat, which then pulled it off camera, giving us this great moment.

Roy Scheider vs. Jeannot Szwarc

Scheider and his new director did not get along at first, and there was a lot of tension on set. They were constantly butting heads, with Scheider complaining that Szwarc was focused more on the extras and technical problems than any of the lead actors. It got so bad that David Brown and Vera Fields, who had been an editor on the first Jaws and was subsequently promoted to vice president of the company, tried to play mediators and had a sit-down between the two. But it became so heated that a fight broke out, and the director and actor had to be physically separated.

Scheider then requested an apology from the director for not being collaborative, who responded in the most non-apologetic way possible. “Time and pressure are part of my reality and priorities, something I must deal with. You have been consulted and your suggestions made part of my scenes many times. Whenever they did not contradict the overall concept of the picture. If you have to be offended, I deplore it, for no offense was meant. At this point in the game, your feelings or my feelings are immaterial and irrelevant. The picture is all that matters. Sincerely, Jeannot.”

Come on, man. Take some responsibility. Even still, they pushed their rift to the side and completed the rest of the film without coming to blows again.

Real Sharks and a Floating Island

During one scary moment, real hammerhead sharks showed up and started circling the sailing actors. The actors even tried informing the crew, but since the characters are meant to be acting scared and worried, the crew failed to realize that their calls for help were real. Thankfully, there was no incident with the real sharks.

Another crazy moment happened when the island that they’d constructed broke away during an intense storm and started floating away. Thankfully, they were able to retrieve it.

It was a production fraught with difficulties.

What Is Jaws 2 About?

Okay, but what is the story of Jaws 2 about exactly? Set four years after the events of Jaws, we see the aftermath of the Orca as it’s on the ocean floor. Two scuba divers are checking it out when they get attacked in the most ludicrous way that you could imagine. Going from this to this can be quite jarring, but it gets across the point that the director wanted to make right away. They were not going to hide the shark.

Amity Island gets expanded upon a little bit more, and we see the Brodys attending a scholarship fund. It’s an easy way to reintroduce some of the characters from the first film while sprinkling in some of the teens that would take center stage later on. I like that they establish that going out on the water is just an everyday part of living on the island.

Eventually, after the shark almost chomps down on a parasailor, it sets its sights on a water skier. It’s a great way of showing how much more in-your-face the shark would be, and it’s an awesome moment. Even better, they decided that the shark needed to look a little different, so they burn its face when it attacks the boat. God, I love a battle-damaged look.

Sadly, no one saw what happened, so they simply think that it was a boating accident. But when a whale washes up on the beach with a large bite mark, Brody thinks it must be another shark. There’s even a fun little moment where Brody tries to get Hooper’s help, but he can’t be reached because he’s on a research expedition in Antarctica. Total Hooper move.

Brody tries to inform Mayor Vaughn, but he’s treated like a lunatic, which is so disrespectful given what he did for the town in the first film. Though he definitely doesn’t help out his case when, in a fit of paranoia, he starts shooting at a school of bluefish thinking it’s the shark. This is enough to get Brody removed from his position as police chief, despite the fact that Brody discovers pictures proving that a shark attacked the divers.

And this is when the film turns into a slasher movie, switching mostly to the kids’ perspective as this shark starts hunting them down.

Jaws 2 Turns Into a Shark Slasher

Though, I’ve always been very confused by the scene where the group of divers are swimming out in the ocean and the shark essentially just comes by to jump-scare this one dude. Look, I know it’s so that he serves as the catalyst for getting Brody out on the water, but why the hell does a shark not eat any of these divers? He’s proven to be quite the fat bastard in terms of appetite, so why not chomp on one of them?

Back with the teens, one of the sailboats gets separated from the group and attacked by the shark, which is arguably the scariest moment in the film. The shark going under the boat or dragging the poor boy under in just an explosion of blood. All terrifying. And it’s made even better by the performance of Ann Dusenberry, whose shocked look sells the magnitude of the shark even further.

The shark keeps attacking the sailboats, with most of them capsizing and drifting. Some of the teens die, though shockingly less than you’d think. Then a helicopter even comes to help them, but is quickly taken out by the shark.

They find themselves nearing a floating island, which could serve as their salvation. But the shark is relentless and keeps coming after them.

Thankfully, Brody shows up at the perfect time and saves the day. He lures the shark and tricks it into biting on the underwater cable, electrocuting it to death. Appropriately, this was the final scene filmed.

Deleted Scenes From Jaws 2

There were a few scenes removed from the final cut, mostly due to pacing, but there’s one I really wish we’d gotten. First, there’s a very unnecessary subplot where Brody is being antagonistic towards his wife’s boss, Len, who clearly has a thing for her. It’s almost like they were trying to pay homage to the cheating storyline that was in the first book. As much as I dislike it, it does mean that we lose out on a scene where Len convinces the city council to get Brody fired, and Mayor Vaughn is the only person opposed. It’s a nice moment that shows that the mayor hasn’t forgotten what Brody has done. So, it sucks to lose. It makes his character look so much more callous in the final cut.

But the biggest loss was the helicopter attack getting severely trimmed down. We were originally supposed to see the pilot struggling under the water as the shark tries to reach him. It’s very effective and so much scarier than the theatrically released scene.

John Williams’ Jaws 2 Score

John Williams returned to compose the sequel, bringing back the classic tune that became synonymous with sharks. It takes on a bit of a different flavor, as in the first film, the score practically worked as a signal of the shark’s presence. It was an essential tool, but when the shark is being shown so much more, that certainly changes the score’s relationship with it. There are still brief moments where it can really make the most of the tension, like the shark coming up below the parasailor, who escapes only at the last second.

Williams reused certain elements while creating something adventurous to try to energize the film, and it works pretty well.

How Much Money Did Jaws 2 Make?

Jaws 2 released in the United States on June 16, 1978, and brought in $9.8 million in its opening, making it the highest-grossing opening weekend ever at the time. What’s even more impressive is that the film actually opened up on the exact same day as Grease, which brought in a similar $9 million. So, I guess you could call Jaws 2 and Grease the original Barbenheimer.

Either way, given its $30 million budget, it was a massive hit. While the film wouldn’t bring in quite as much as its predecessor, it was still a major box-office success. Critics and audiences were a bit sour on the film, with it earning a 56% critics score and 40% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The consensus was that Jaws 2 never approaches the lingering thrills of its classic predecessor, but it’s reasonably entertaining for a sequel that had no reason to exist.

Jaws 2 Merchandise and Books

Universal went hard with merchandise, releasing all sorts of Jaws-branded products. They also made two pretty interesting books. The first was Ray Loynd’s behind-the-scenes look at the film, titled The Jaws Log. Taking after Carl Gottlieb’s popular book chronicling the making of the first film, it’s not quite as informative, but still manages to paint an interesting picture of the production.

The second was a novelization written by Hank Searls that was actually based on an earlier script. Because of this, the story is greatly different.

The Alternate Jaws 2 Novel

The shark was actually pregnant, which drives her into a feeding frenzy, giving a bit of perspective on the shark’s behavior.

While Brody’s main job in the film is to claim there’s a shark with no one believing him, only for him to eventually save the day, the book takes things in a very different direction. In the book, Brody is completely ignorant to it being a shark and makes himself look like a bit of an idiot. In fact, he thinks some cop named Jeff is a murderer and the actual culprit behind these murders. Wowza.

Then there’s the mob element, which was taken from Benchley’s original novel. See, the town had built a casino after the incident with the first shark, and it’s run by the mob. They even kill Jeff. It’s fucking crazy.

And remember those divers at the beginning of the film? Well, their film role is taken to get developed, and the worker discovers the photos of the giant shark. He wants to sell his place and leave town and is worried that the shark will plummet property values. So Brody never gets the photo evidence, and it’s instead destroyed.

The book eventually ends up in the same place as the film, with the showdown between the shark and Brody.

Anyone that likes the movie should definitely check out the book just to see this alternate timeline version of Jaws 2.

Why Jaws 2 Still Works

While this sequel certainly doesn’t live up to the quality of the first film, it’s still an entertaining shark thriller with some very memorable sequences. The production was clearly anything but easy, but it certainly gave us some great stories.

And that, my friends, is what happened to Jaws 2.

Jaws 2 At a Glance

Release Date: June 16, 1978
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Original Director: John D. Hancock
Screenplay: Carl Gottlieb, Howard Sackler
Starring: Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton
Music: John Williams
Budget: $30 million
Studio: Universal Pictures
Setting: Amity Island
Major Filming Locations: Martha’s Vineyard, Florida

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