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Assassin’s Creed was meant to launch a franchise for producer and star Michael Fassbender, and of all the video game properties out there, it was a sensible choice. It’s spawned a lot of games, those games have expanded upon the mythology, and it’s a valuable IP. Of course, when you have an eye on future films, you’re incredibly conscious of how you end your movie. If Michael Fassbender wants a franchise, you don’t kill off Michael Fassbender at the end of your film.

Assassin’s Creed was never going to do that, but there was an alternate ending that they had in mind.

[Spoilers ahead for Assassin’s Creed]

In the cut that hit theaters, Callum (Fassbender) and some of his fellow prisoners/assassins manage to escape from the Abstergo facility. It’s hinted that they will be a new, modern-day society of assassins who will protect the Apple from the Templars.

But originally, the filmmakers had more of a downer ending in mind. As you can see from the clip above, Callum was supposed to be the lone survivor of the escape attempt, and future movies would see him alone in the world with his unique abilities and knowledge. As director Justin Kurzel and editor Christopher Tellefsen explain, test audiences weren’t too thrilled with this conclusion, and it’s easy to understand why. If you spend a movie explaining that these assassins are special and have unique abilities that are unlocked by using the Animus, it’s a bit deflating to see almost all of them gunned down by security guards.

Additionally, if you think your movie is going to be a hit, it’s rewarding to see more than one character return from the original, so it was definitely a more sensible option to have a few other inmates escape alongside Callum.

Check out the clip below and sound off in the comments on which ending you prefer. Assassin’s Creed arrives on Digital HD on March 10th, and on 4K ULTRA HD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray & DVD on March 21st.