Question: Why did script writer Brandon Boyce change the ending of the story? In Stephen King's book, Todd Boyden commits suicide but he doesn't in the film.
RJR99SS
27th Nov 2004
Apt Pupil (1998)
Answer: The director, Bryan Singer, was quoted as saying, "I told [King] the ending reads so beautifully. I could never measure up to it; I would have killed it." It also gives a darker ending to most people, since Todd gets away with everything rather than being shot down by the police.
Answer: He didnt commit suicide in the book, he took his rifle to a fortified spot alongside a highway, and began shooting at cars. The police killed him. The film seems to tone down the story a lot, so I guess the only answer is they didn't really want to end it in such a violent way.
RJR99SS