The cult classic mystery-comedy Clue is once again at the center of a whodunit, as the filmmakers behind Who Done It: The Clue Documentary have publicly urged Paramount to locate and release the movie’s long-rumored fourth ending in honor of the late Tim Curry.
Who Done It: The Clue Documentary, released in 2022, dives into the making of the 1985 film and its unusual multi-ending structure. Because the fourth ending has never surfaced in any official home release, the documentary closes with an animated reconstruction of the sequence based on the film’s storybook and script materials. In a new open letter, the documentarians explain that when Paramount announced a 4K restoration of Clue, they hoped the vaulted footage would finally appear as a bonus feature, only to discover the legendary extra ending was still missing.
Clue originally hit theaters in 1985 with a marketing gimmick that saw different cinemas receive prints containing one of three alternate endings, each revealing a different killer or killers among the dinner guests. On home video, the movie became even more of a cult object when all three endings were presented sequentially, culminating in the fan-favorite “here’s what really happened” conclusion that makes nearly everyone complicit. Beyond these, a darker, fourth resolution was written and, according to multiple accounts, filmed, in which butler Wadsworth is exposed as the mastermind, admits to poisoning the champagne so none of the guests survive, and is ultimately apprehended after a failed escape involving police dogs.
Director Jonathan Lynn has acknowledged that a fourth ending existed but has said he cut it because he felt the material simply was not very good or funny compared to the versions that made it into release. Tim Curry himself reportedly suggested the “butler did it” reveal may have been considered too obvious, which could have contributed to the studio’s lack of enthusiasm for including it at the time. Over the years, conflicting interviews and reports have left fans uncertain whether a fully edited print of the ending survives, but recent discoveries such as a vintage television spot containing a brief shot from the sequence have bolstered hopes that reels or fragments still sit somewhere in Paramount’s vaults.
Curry’s performance as Wadsworth—especially his breathless, intricately choreographed final explanation sequence—has long been central to Clue’s enduring cult status. In footage from the documentary, co-star Michael McKean marvels at how Curry delivered the climactic speech take after take without losing energy or rhythm, underscoring why any unseen material featuring the actor is now treated as precious by admirers. Following news of Curry’s death, the call to uncover the fourth ending has taken on the tone of a memorial campaign, with the documentarians and commentators arguing that releasing the footage would be a fitting tribute to one of genre cinema’s most beloved character actors.
In their letter, the Who Done It team urges Paramount to conduct a thorough search of its archives, from workprint assemblies to trailer negatives, to determine whether the fourth ending can be restored or at least preserved in some watchable form. They also encourage fans to respectfully signal their interest, noting that the studio has already revisited Clue for new formats and that demand for additional Tim Curry material is likely stronger than ever. Whether the butler-did-it cut ultimately emerges, the renewed focus on Clue’s missing ending reinforces how this modest 1985 board-game adaptation has transformed into a long-lived cult phenomenon whose mysteries still captivate audiences decades later.
