John Krasinski Cut Flashbacks From A Quiet Place

Screen Rant

By Chris Agar

Published Apr 10, 2018

John Krasinski's rewrites on A Quiet Place involved trimming some narrative fat, such as flashback scenes where characters spoke.

This post contains SPOILERS for A Quiet Place

John Krasinski's rewrites on the A Quiet Place script involved trimming some narrative fat, such as flashbacks. The horror film opened this past weekend and scored a massive opening weekend, due in large part to phenomenal word-of-mouth. Premiering to raves at SXSW last month, A Quiet Place is currently one of the most acclaimed works of 2018, earning praise for its inventive premise and Krasinski's mastery behind the camera. It's already a huge hit for Paramount, far surpassing the $17 million production budget in a short period of time.

When Krasinski joined the project, he didn't just sign on to direct. Part of his involvement included retooling the script, as he integrated some of his own ideas into the story. From the sound of things, the one-time Office star was laser-focused and had a very clear vision for what he wanted, finding the most efficient way to bring this terrifying tale to life on the big screen.

Speaking with THR, Quiet Place producer Andrew Form revealed some of Krasinski's key changes. In earlier drafts of the screenplay, there were flashbacks, but the director knew they had to be removed. He also shifted the death of the family's youngest child from a flashback to the present day:

“Initially, there were flashbacks where the characters talked. Also, the sibling’s death was handled in a flashback. John was adamant that we get rid of it, making it present day and kept the urgency of the storytelling."

One of the most refreshing things about A Quiet Place is that it doesn't get bogged down in needless exposition and just drops viewers in the thick of the story. Presumably, these flashbacks would depict the world prior to the creatures' arrival, showing the beginning of the invasion and the monsters' origin. While it may have been interesting to see that, it's not necessary for this particular story. A Quiet Place is a deliberately small-scale, character-driven movie about parents trying to raise children in a horrifying world they don't fully understand. It doesn't matter how the creatures came to Earth or what their purpose is; they're here and the characters have to find a way to deal with the situation. It's nice to see Krasinski was willing to trust audiences to buy in without over-explaining little details.

In fact, Krasinski was so skilled at the helm, Form revealed there are no deleted scenes. "We shortened some scenes, but the script that we shot is what you'll see," he told the outlet. This, of course, is an unusual development in the industry, but is a clear illustration of just how adept Krasinski was behind-the-camera. Anecdotes like these will only raise the clout he earned from A Quiet Place's commercial performance, and it hopefully won't be long until he finds another project to direct. Hollywood can always use promising new filmmaking talents, and Krasinski seems to have a bright future as a helmsman.