10 Movie Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True
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VOICE OVER: Tom Aglio
Do Hollywood conspiracy theorists wear celluloid hats instead of tin foil? For this list, we'll be looking at conspiracy theories about movies, Hollywood, and its major players that were later confirmed to be accurate. Our countdown includes theories concerning "Avengers: Infinity War", "Justice League", "celebrity love affairs and more!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining 10 Film Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out to Be True. For this list, we’ll be looking at conspiracy theories about movies, Hollywood, and its major players that were later confirmed to be accurate. Were you a believer in the initial theories? Let us know in the comments below!
On May 9, 2011, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, separated. Immediately, people began speculating. There was a rumor that Schwarzenegger had fathered an illegitimate child with his long-time housekeeper, Mildred Baena. Turns out, this rumor was accurate. Just one week after the announcement, the Los Angeles Times revealed that Schwarzenegger’s secret son was born in the mid ‘90s. Shriver suspected this and confronted Baena, who confirmed the story. She then approached Schwarzenegger, leading to their separation.
In the mid 2000s, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie starred in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” an action comedy about married assassins ordered to kill each other. At the time, Pitt was in a very public relationship with Jennifer Aniston, whom he married in 2000. But they separated in January 2005, and a few months later, Pitt accompanied Jolie to Kenya. This led to speculation that they were now a couple, which was confirmed when Jolie announced she was pregnant with Pitt’s child, who was born in May 2006. It also led to allegations that Pitt had had an affair with Jolie while still married to Aniston. Jolie denied this, while admitting that she did fall in love with Pitt while filming “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”.
There have been rumors and accusations of sexual abuse in Hollywood for decades. Often, they involved powerful men with the power to break or make careers. While some, such as Roman Polanski, were exposed, the misconduct of others basically remained an open secret. In the 2010s, dozens of victims came forward with accusations against several prominent public figures, in particular Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein. The accusations against Weinstein launched the #MeToo movement, which revealed horrible abuses inside Hollywood and beyond. It confirmed the worst suspicions that many people had about how the entertainment industry often functioned.
#10: Stormbreaker
Merchandise has delivered many a movie spoiler. And that was the case with “Avengers: Infinity War”. It was rumored that Thor would eventually wield Stormbreaker, a Dwarven axe capable of summoning the Bifrost Bridge. A Funko Pop of Thor was leaked shortly before the movie’s theatrical release. And wouldn’t you know it, he was wielding Stormbreaker. Another Lego playset spoiled the Nidavellir subplot, complete with the auxiliary pod of the Benatar, and Groot holding the handle of Stormbreaker. Needless to say, some viewers were not surprised when Thor finally got his hand on the legendary weapon…#9: Destroyed Props
With its thought-provoking story, pioneering visual effects, and incredible art direction, “2001: A Space Odyssey” is director Stanley Kubrick’s magnum opus. Most of the props and miniatures have never been seen again. That’s because Kubrick had them destroyed. It sounds like a conspiracy theory about an auteur director doing something eccentric, but in this case, the story is real. Yep, Kubrick had everything destroyed after filming was complete so that other filmmakers and studios couldn’t steal his creations. However, a few items survived, including the Aries 1B Trans-Lunar Space Shuttle, which sold in 2015 for $344,000.#8: An Illegitimate Child
On May 9, 2011, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, separated. Immediately, people began speculating. There was a rumor that Schwarzenegger had fathered an illegitimate child with his long-time housekeeper, Mildred Baena. Turns out, this rumor was accurate. Just one week after the announcement, the Los Angeles Times revealed that Schwarzenegger’s secret son was born in the mid ‘90s. Shriver suspected this and confronted Baena, who confirmed the story. She then approached Schwarzenegger, leading to their separation.
#7: Spider-Men
Fans were over the moon when the MCU started introducing the idea of the multiverse. The excitement reached a fever pitch when in December 2020, Collider reported that Andrew Garfield and potentially Tobey Maguire would appear in the upcoming “No Way Home.” However, Spider-Man Tom Holland was adamant that they were not in the film, and Garfield repeatedly denied his involvement. Of course, few believed them. And sure enough, they had substantial cameos in the movie, adding buckets of nostalgia to the adventure.#6: Brangelina
In the mid 2000s, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie starred in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” an action comedy about married assassins ordered to kill each other. At the time, Pitt was in a very public relationship with Jennifer Aniston, whom he married in 2000. But they separated in January 2005, and a few months later, Pitt accompanied Jolie to Kenya. This led to speculation that they were now a couple, which was confirmed when Jolie announced she was pregnant with Pitt’s child, who was born in May 2006. It also led to allegations that Pitt had had an affair with Jolie while still married to Aniston. Jolie denied this, while admitting that she did fall in love with Pitt while filming “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”.
#5: Buried in the Desert
This is technically about a video game adaptation of a movie, but it’s still movie related, so we’re counting it! In December of 1982, Atari released “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” based on Spielberg’s iconic movie. The game was notoriously terrible and sold poorly, resulting in the video game crash of 1983. An urban legend circulated that unsold cartridges of the game were buried in a New Mexico landfill. The claim originated in a 1983 article in the Alamogordo Daily News, which claimed that Atari had buried a large assortment of items. This story was finally confirmed in 2014, when buried cartridges were excavated from the landfill. One of them is now on display at the Smithsonian.#4: A Government Mind Control Program
1962’s “The Manchurian Candidate” sees Laurence Harvey playing Raymond Shaw, a U.S. Army Sergeant who’s brainwashed into becoming a Communist assassin. Government programs to control people’s minds for nefarious purposes? It’s a fun story, but can’t possibly be real, right? But the tall tale was closer to reality than some would like to admit. The novel on which the movie is based was published in 1959. Six years earlier, the CIA began Project MKUltra, which involved deeply unethical experiments on unsuspecting targets, including military veterans. The project’s aim was to establish interrogation and torture techniques using strategies that ranged from psychoactive drugs to electroconvulsive therapy. It remained a secret until 1975, when investigative committees uncovered the truth.#3: The Snyder Cut
2017’s “Justice League” had a notoriously difficult production. Director Zach Snyder had to step away from the director’s chair due to the tragic death of his daughter, after which Joss Whedon reshot much of the movie. The budget ballooned to $300 million. Cinematographer Fabian Wagner estimated that only 10% of the material shot with Snyder made it into the film. Unimpressed fans called for the release of a “Snyder Cut”. As it turned out, Snyder did have a cut, which he kept on a hard-drive, and never expected to release. Well, as fan demand grew, he was given the budget to expand it into a four hour epic, released on HBO Max. For the most part, the version was deemed superior to Whedon’s theatrical cut.#2: The Philadelphia Experiment
The 1984 sci-fi film “The Philadelphia Experiment” is based on an urban legend. Supposedly, in October 1943, merchant marine Carl M. Allen saw the USS Eldridge turn invisible and disappear from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. It allegedly teleported to Virginia and back, with harrowing effects on the crew. Most of this story has been debunked, but researcher Jacques Vallée claims that it may hide some truth. He argues that the Eldridge was confused with the Engstrom, which was docked nearby. The Engstrom reportedly underwent a procedure to decrease its magnetic field, making it ‘invisible’ to torpedoes. It may have also traveled to Virginia and back in a single day via the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. Imaginative retellings then warped the facts into the improbable Philadelphia Experiment.#1: Abuse in Hollywood
There have been rumors and accusations of sexual abuse in Hollywood for decades. Often, they involved powerful men with the power to break or make careers. While some, such as Roman Polanski, were exposed, the misconduct of others basically remained an open secret. In the 2010s, dozens of victims came forward with accusations against several prominent public figures, in particular Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein. The accusations against Weinstein launched the #MeToo movement, which revealed horrible abuses inside Hollywood and beyond. It confirmed the worst suspicions that many people had about how the entertainment industry often functioned.
