When it comes to David Fincher’s ‘Se7en‘, it’s nearly impossible to separate the film from its iconic, spine-chilling ending. This 1995 thriller, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, didn’t just terrify audiences – it redefined the genre.
From the gruesome crime scenes to the morally complex detectives, the film had people hooked from start to finish. But let’s be real, what truly makes ‘Se7en‘ unforgettable is its shocking final twist. The box, the reveal, and the devastating choice that Mills (Pitt) makes in a moment of rage.
How Does ‘Se7en’ Actually End?
What many people don’t realize about ‘Se7en‘ is that the ending we all know wasn’t the only option on the table. In fact, there were almost seven other versions of how this psychological nightmare could’ve ended.
Before we get into the alternate versions, let’s recap the ending we did get. After John Doe, played by Kevin Spacey, calmly turns himself in for his crimes, he offers to lead detectives David Mills and William Somerset to the final two victims. Doe takes them to a desolate field under a set of powerlines, where a delivery van arrives with a package.
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Somerset, played by Freeman, retrieves the box and discovers its horrifying contents: the head of Mills’ pregnant wife, Tracy, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Mills, unaware of her pregnancy until this moment, is pushed to the brink when Doe confesses that envy was his sin. In an act of wrath, Mills shoots Doe dead, sealing his fate and completing the seven deadly sins.
Somerset, who had planned to retire, changes his mind and stays on the force. The movie ends with his reflective voiceover. “Ernest Hemingway once wrote: ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.” This gut-wrenching conclusion has become one of the most talked-about movie endings ever. But it wasn’t the only version considered.
1. Somerset Kills John Doe
One of the proposed endings that nearly made the cut would have seen Morgan Freeman’s Somerset deliver the final blow to John Doe. After Tracy confides in Somerset about her pregnancy and seeks his advice, he feels a deep connection to her.
When Somerset is the one who opens the box and finds her head, it’s easy to imagine why he would want to take revenge. According to The Telegraph, storyboards were drawn up showing Somerset shooting Doe instead of Mills. He then utters a dark line: “I’m retiring,” after firing the shot.
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Freeman himself supported this version of the ending, saying it gave Mills a chance at a future. In Freeman’s view, Somerset’s act of killing Doe would have saved Mills from destroying himself.
However, Brad Pitt strongly opposed this ending, insisting that Mills would never be able to live with the murder of his wife. In the end, Pitt’s version prevailed, but it’s intriguing to think about what might have happened had Somerset pulled the trigger.
2. Mills Shoots Somerset
Another version of the script took things in a far more brutal direction. In this alternate ending, Somerset tries to stop Mills from killing John Doe by pulling a knife on him. Tensions escalate, and in a shocking turn, Mills shoots Somerset to prevent him from interfering.
He then proceeds to kill Doe, following through with his arc of wrath. The movie would have ended with Somerset recovering in the hospital, receiving a letter from Mills that reads: “You were right.”
This darker, more violent ending was written into one of Andrew Kevin Walker’s drafts, but it was ultimately scrapped. It’s an interesting twist, but definitely would have left audiences with a much bleaker view of both characters.
3. The Studio’s Happy Ending Of ‘Se7en’
Of course, because it’s Hollywood, there had to be a push for a “happy” ending. Studio executives were initially uncomfortable with the idea of Tracy’s head being in the box and wanted something a bit more palatable for audiences.
According to The Telegraph, the studio proposed an ending where Tracy survives. In this version, John Doe kidnaps her, and Mills and Somerset race against time to rescue her. In true Hollywood fashion, they save her, and ‘Se7en‘ ends with a happy Mills family reunion.
Brad Pitt, however, was adamant that the dark ending remains. In an interview with EW, he said, “With Se7en, I said, ‘I will do it on one condition — the head stays in the box.’ Put in the contract that the head stays in the box.”
He also insisted that Mills had to shoot Doe at the end, arguing that this passionate act was the only way the story made sense. Thankfully, Pitt got his way, because could you imagine ‘Se7en‘ with a happy ending? Yikes.
4. A Dog’s Head In The Box?
In what might be the weirdest suggestion from the studio, there was a version where the box didn’t contain Tracy’s head at all. Instead, it held the head of Mills’ dog. Yes, seriously. As Pitt explained in the EW interview, “They go, ‘You know, he would be much more heroic if he didn’t shoot John Doe — and it’s too unsettling with the head in the box. We think maybe if it was the dog’s head in the box…‘”
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Needless to say, this ending didn’t go anywhere, but the idea that it was even considered is, frankly, kind of hilarious. Can you imagine how anticlimactic that would’ve been?
5. The Church Ending
Before Fincher was attached to direct, Jeremiah S. Chechik (yep, the guy behind ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation‘) was set to helm ‘Se7en‘. In Chechik’s version, the ending takes place in a burning church.
According to Walker’s original script, Doe would have tied Mills up and carved a cross into his chest, all while Somerset looked on. Somerset would shoot Doe, but not in time to save Mills, who dies from his injuries. The film would have ended with Tracy heartbroken, leaving the city for good.
Walker wasn’t thrilled about these changes, but when Fincher came on board, the original version of the script – complete with the infamous box scene – was accidentally sent to him. Thankfully, Fincher loved the darker, original version and decided to direct based on that draft.
6. The Softer Ending For ‘Se7en’
Even David Fincher shot a toned-down version of the ending. In this version, Mills still kills John Doe, but the overall mood is much less intense. After positive test screenings, though, Fincher decided to crank up the emotional intensity and add more disturbing elements to the finale. This “softer” version was scrapped in favor of the more gut-wrenching ending we all know and love (or fear).
7. David Fincher’s Cut-To-Black Ending
Fincher himself wanted to go even further with the darkness. In one alternate version, the film would have cut to black immediately after Mills shoots Doe, leaving the audience with no closure.
The idea was to end on a jarring, abrupt note, leaving viewers to sit with the horror of what just transpired. However, the studio rejected this concept, and Fincher ultimately added the Hemingway quote to give the film a moment of reflection.
‘Se7en‘ is available on Netflix in the U.S.
