Posted in: A24, Movies | Tagged: a24, Glen Powell, how to make a killing

How to Make a Killing Nearly Had a Darker Final Act

John Patton Ford reveals how " How to Make a Killing almost had a much darker ending and explains why the original Becket twist was changed.

A24's new Glen Powell movie, How to Make a Killing, has a little bit of everything in the mix, including inheritance drama, murder plotting, black comedy, and a final stretch that feels like it has been heading toward a breaking point for a while. In fact, by the time the story reaches its last turn, the film has already pushed Becket Redfellow through greed, panic, and self-preservation, so the ending arrives with the sense that his luck was always going to run out somehow. Sure, the version that made it to theaters is already dark enough for some viewers, but director John Patton Ford has now revealed that an earlier ending went even further.

In a recent interview, Ford described a "way more severe" version where Ruth gives birth while Becket is in jail, then Becket is released and appears ready to go to her before choosing Julia instead. Ford said he changed that version because it felt "especially punishing for audiences" after they had spent the movie tracking Becket and, to some extent, understanding him. He also explained that Powell's casting was a major reason that balance mattered, describing him as "a golden retriever of a human being" whose likability keeps the audience engaged even as Becket becomes a serial killer. Ford also added to Screen Rant that the harsher ending "freaked out" the studio.

How to Make a Killing Plot and Official Cast

How to Make a Killing follows Becket, a working-class man who was cut off from his obscenely wealthy family at birth and grows up believing he was denied a life that should have been his. As an adult, he decides to reclaim that inheritance by removing the relatives ahead of him in the line of succession, turning the film into a satirical thriller about class resentment, entitlement, and how far ambition can warp into danger and/or violence. Powell leads the cast as Becket, with Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, and Ed Harris in the larger ensemble. Ford also serves as writer and director, with A24 as the U.S. distributor.

Now that we know the ending nearly went a darker direction, are you satisfied with the way things wrapped up? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and be sure to check out How to Make a Killing, which is in theaters now.

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