Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk has responded to the news that Chinese streaming platform Tencent Video has amended the film’s ending.
In the final scenes of the original, The Narrator (Edward Norton) kills off his imaginary alter ego Tyler (Brad Pitt) and watches on as numerous buildings explode.
In the version released on the Chinese streaming platform Tencent Video, however, the original’s anarchist ending is replaced with a black slate, captioned: “The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding.” It also adds that Tyler was sent to a “lunatic system” for treatment.
Palahniuk, who wrote the 1996 novel the film is based on, gave a sarcastic response to the altered ending in his newsletter on Substack.
Have You Seen This Sh*t?
This is SUPER wonderful! Everyone gets a happy ending in China!https://t.co/saVA2yro9B pic.twitter.com/20UzTi1nyI
— Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) January 25, 2022
“Tyler and the gang were all arrested. He was tried and sentenced to a mental asylum. How amazing,” Palahniuk wrote. “I’d no idea! Justice always wins. Nothing ever exploded. Fini.”
On Twitter, he added: “Have you seen this shit? This is SUPER wonderful! Everyone gets a happy ending in China!”
China’s strict rules on censorship is believed to be the reason for the change, although it’s unclear who is responsible exactly. Tencent Video declined to comment when contacted by NME.
Directed by David Fincher, the 1999 film adaptation of Fight Club stars Norton, Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto, Holt McCallany and Zach Grenier.
Norton recently paid tribute to co-star Meat Loaf, who passed away aged 74 last week (January 20).
Sharing a still from Fight Club where Norton’s character is embraced by Robert Paulson (Meat Loaf), the actor wrote: “I don’t keep pictures from films around home. But I have this one in my office in a frame because it makes me smile every time.
“It’s engraved ‘Love and Hugs, Meat’. It sums him up well. He was so funny. And gentle. And warm to everyone. A sweet soul. RIP Meat Loaf.”
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