Josh Safdie Reveals the Scrapped Supernatural Vampire Ending of 'Marty Supreme'

Summary

• Josh Safdie reveals an original Marty Supreme ending featuring a supernatural vampire twist
• The scrapped finale involved Kevin O’Leary’s character biting Marty’s neck at a concert
• A24 executives rejected the payoff, opting for a grounded, traditional conclusion

Director Josh Safdie recently sat down with Sean Baker on the A24 Podcast to reveal a bizarre, scrapped ending for his latest feature, Marty Supreme, which originally took a sharp supernatural turn.

In the initial draft, the story followed Timothée Chalamet’s titular ping-pong prodigy into the late ‘80s, tracking his immense commercial success as a footwear mogul. The film was set to conclude at a Tears for Fears concert, where a wealthy, aging Marty reflects on his life’s choices while sitting with his granddaughter. The scene then shifted into horror territory when Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) suddenly appeared behind Marty – unaged – and bit his neck. This payoff to Rockwell’s earlier claim of being a vampire was so far along in development that Safdie had already commissioned digital teeth for the sequence.

A24 executives reportedly questioned the tonal shift, leading to its removal in favor of a more grounded conclusion. According to Variety, O’Leary later expressed his own disappointment over the cut, saying that the vampiric payoff would have been the right punishment for Marty’s selfishness. While the final film remains a sports dramedy, this discarded finale offers a fascinating glimpse into Safdie’s surrealist tendencies.