Different ending? My understanding is that it just ends earlier than the R2 release does. I wouldn't call that a "different" ending. To me, "different" implies
new scenes. "Cut" really is the best way to describe it, IMO, as scenes were cut and new new scenes were filmed.

Neil Marshall, director of the upcoming SF horror film The Descent, told SCI FI Wire that the film's ending was altered for U.S. audiences from its original U.K. release to make it a bit more upbeat. "The ending that I had when I originally wrote it has been playing in Britain nearly a year now, and they seem to like it just fine," Marshall said in an interview after a screening of the film in Los Angeles last week. "But I had the chance to shoot another ending, so I did, and I think that's fine, too."

When Lionsgate tested the film, the unrelenting dark U.K. ending seemed to irritate Americans, so it was changed. Marshall had time to do it because the release was delayed in the U.S. to avoid the similarly themed The Cave, which was coming out about the same time.

"We had the time to do it, and it gives me as a filmmaker that rare opportunity to have two endings," Marshall said with a laugh. "We never tested both endings with both British and American audiences, so I can't say if one group liked one over the other, but it seems like the American audiences will like the one we're releasing here."

The Descent opens Aug. 4 and stars Shauna Macdonald, Alex Reid and Natalie Mendoza. Which ending does the London-based director prefer? "I prefer the British version," he admitted. The Descent opens wide on Aug. 4.

MG: The Descent has been released theatrically with two different endings; the American release being slightly shorter than the British. What necessitated the alternate ending? Is it much different from the original?

NM: It is shorter and it is very different. It puts a whole new light on the film in a way. It has a real big impact on the end of the film. So it's worth tracking down just to see what you think. But you have to see it in context, you have to watch the whole film to understand it. The reason for the change came because I toyed with the alternative ending in the UK in the edit but we decided to go with the longer version, the descriptive version and our original vision. I'm glad that I did that. It was fantastic. It's an ending that I really love. But when it was released, it split audiences down the middle. Some people loved it, some people hated it. Given almost a second chance with its release in the U.S., I thought, "Well, let's just try the other ending." We had nothing to lose in a way because the original ending already exists and is already out there so we just thought, "Let's try this" and Lionsgate was keen to go with it.

MG: That's a rare opportunity to have both endings out there like that.

NM: It is. At the end of the day it's the dvd age and I'm sure the original ending will turn up on the dvd. It's not like no one's going to get to see it if they want it.

NM: It is. At the end of the day it's the dvd age and I'm sure the original ending will turn up on the dvd. It's not like no one's going to get to see it if they want it.