After Jaws and Jaws 2, Universal considered going in a new direction with Jaws 3, mocking the franchise with a wacky comedy spoof film. Jaws was, and still is, one of the most successful movies of all time, especially if one adjusts the numbers to account for inflation. Jaws 2, while not nearly as big, still made a tidy profit at the box office, and proved that that an audience existed for further outings involving the titular great white shark. Naturally, Universal was by no means ready to give up on that cash machine yet.
In 1983, fans were “treated” to Jaws 3 - or Jaws 3D, depending on if one watches it in three-dimensions - one of several 1980s horror sequels to try and spur a resurgence in the 3D movie craze. While reviews were terrible and the film’s reputation today is rightfully awful, Jaws 3’s box office was actually quite good, albeit not to the levels of its predecessor, establishing a clear pattern of diminishing returns both financially and creatively.
However, the Sea World-set Jaws 3 is not at all what was originally planned for the franchise’s third installment. Instead, things were going to get funny, hopefully. Obviously, that plan didn’t come to fruition.
Jaws 3 Was Originally a Wacky Comedy - Why That Changed
Not wanting to just retread the same ground again, David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck - producers on the first two Jaws films - pitched Universal on an idea called National Lampoon’s Jaws 3, People 0. Intended as a Hollywood spoof, the film would’ve been centered on a big studio trying to make another Jaws sequel, and the wacky comic hijinks that ensued. That may sound dumb, but keep in mind, spoof films were in at the time, spurred on by the success of 1980’s Airplane!. Brown and Zanuck brought in Animal House producer Matty Simmons to oversee the project, who then hired National Lampoon writers Todd Carroll and John Hughes - yes, THAT one - to pen the script for the comedy.
Things seemed to be on track for the project, with The Howling helmer Joe Dante being approached to direct. That was until Jaws director Steven Spielberg got wind of things, and was, to put it mildly, not onboard with his creation being made fun of. As Matty Simmons tells it, Spielberg eventually marched into the office of Universal’s then-boss Sid Sheinberg and made it clear that if Jaws 3, People 0 was made, he would walk out of his contract with the studio. Naturally, Universal didn’t want that, so they canned the idea, and ended up making Jaws 3D instead. Considering how bad Jaws 3 and Jaws 4: The Revenge ended up being, Spielberg may have lived to regret his intervention.
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