Just realized the ending of The Green Mile was way darker in Stephen King's original draft

Last week I dug up an old interview where King said he almost ended the book with Paul being the last person on Earth after everyone else died. No mouse, no peaceful passing, just him trapped alone for eternity. The published ending where he's tending to Mr. Jingles in old age is basically a happy ending by comparison. I spent three hours reading through fan theories about what that original ending would've meant for the story's themes. Has anyone else stumbled on a dropped ending that made you see the whole story differently?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethp2610d agoTop Commenter

Did your friend try reading the original ending or just the interview about it?

markl7510d ago

Well that's like asking if the cake was good or just the recipe book.