Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme Nearly Ended With a Vampire Twist

Josh Safdie recently opened up about his initial vision for the conclusion of Marty Supreme, revealing that Timothée Chalamet’s character was almost given a fate straight out of a classic horror movie. In a conversation with Oscar- winner Sean Baker on the A24 podcast, Safdie shared that he had planned for Marty to be bitten by a vampire in a dramatic final scene set in the 1980s. This bold idea would have seen Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, who plays Milton Rockwell, transform into a literal vampire and attack Chalamet’s character.

Behind the Scenes: A Vampire Ending That Never Was

The director explained that the production team even went as far as creating a special prosthetic for Chalamet to wear during the scene. Safdie described the moment, saying,

You’re on his eyes, we built the prosthetic for Timmy and everything, and Mr. Wonderful shows up behind him and takes a bite out of his neck, and that was the last thing in the movie.

This planned ending would have paid homage to iconic vampire films from the ’80s, like The Hunger and The Lost Boys, both of which heavily influenced the movie’s style and tone.

Ultimately, the creative team decided to scrap the supernatural twist in favor of a more grounded resolution. Still, the idea of O’Leary’s character as a vampire lingered throughout production, with dental molds for fangs even being made. The final version of the film left out the literal vampire bite, but the influence of the original concept can still be felt in the movie’s dark, offbeat energy.

Kevin O’Leary’s Push for a Darker Fate

O’Leary, known for his sharp persona on Shark Tank, was all in on the vampire angle. He believed his character’s transformation would have added a bizarre yet fitting layer to the story. Even without the supernatural element, O’Leary felt the ending didn’t go far enough in punishing Marty for his actions. In his view, the consequences should have been even more severe.

While Marty loses his status and burns bridges in the world of ping pong, he ultimately finds a new sense of purpose as a father. O’Leary argued that this was too soft, insisting that Marty deserved a harsher outcome. He even suggested that the fallout from Marty’s choices should have extended to his family, proposing a much more tragic ending for Marty’s wife.

Proposed Endings That Never Made the Cut

O’Leary didn’t hold back when sharing his thoughts on how the story should have wrapped up. He said,

Rachel has to die. She has to die in childbirth […] I know that sounds nuts, but to me that would be the right punishment.

While this suggestion was ultimately deemed too extreme, it highlights just how far the creative team was willing to go in exploring the consequences of Marty’s journey.

Marty Supreme is currently playing in theaters across the United States, giving audiences a chance to see the final version of the story—one that could have ended in a much stranger, darker place.