Producer Simon Kinberg has revealed that Ridley Scott initially resisted reshooting the ending of *The Martian* to include Mark Watney’s speech to trainee astronauts. The added scene was prompted by test audiences, who wanted greater emotional closure and a clearer sense of the film’s wider message after Watney’s survival journey.

The original ending showed Watney noticing a leaf before going to teach, which Scott preferred for its quieter, more poetic quality. Kinberg said the reshoot illustrates that additional photography does not necessarily signal a troubled production; instead, it can improve a film when filmmakers have the time and resources to respond to audience feedback.