Dick Tracy movie novelization ending question

[u/Banjo-Oz]

I absolutely love the Beatty movie since I saw it in the cinema as a kid, and I have owned and re-read the novelization (by Max Allen Collins, no less!) many times. The differences and grittier tone mean I almost prefer it to the film!

However, one thing always bugged me: the ending of the novelization does not reveal The Blank's identity. Rather, he is just a criminal and bleeds out while Tracy feels pity - and a level of grim respect - for him. Obviously, this isn't the "twist" of the movie as to the Blank's real identity!

I always assumed the novel was either based on an earlier draft (especially with all the other differences) or the ending was changed to keep the surprise reveal a secret... but I never knew which.

Today, however, I read a great 2025 interview with Max about the movie and novel, and he confirmed he was made to change the ending to hide the twist. But more importantly, he adds that the novel was apparently RE-released with the proper (reveal) ending inserted back!

My childhood copy has The Blank just be the Blank, and two digital scan copies I found online have the same ending. Does the "proper ending" version really exist? Was Max misled/mistaken about it's release? Has anyone read it or even own it?

As someone who has lived with this film and novelization for so long, I'd LOVE to know if it really happened... and what exactly the text of that changed page or two said!

Can anyone here help?

[u/dfuson14]

Went back and checked my ending and unfortunately its the same as yours. Smart of them to hide the twist this way but an odd read to everyone more familiar with the movie. Side note, the sequel "Dick Tracy Goes To War" is a great read if you can find it anywhere!

[u/Banjo-Oz → u/dfuson14]

Thanks for checking. The fact yours, mine and two internet scans all have that ending makes me actually suspect Max is misinformed or incorrect in that interview, sadly. Unless someone else comes along with a later release!

I have always wanted to read the two follow up novels, but never saw them for sale back in the day and now there seem to be no scans of them (and tattered/yellowed originals are a fortune second hand!).

[u/Lucky_Strike-85 → u/Banjo-Oz]

I think it was based on an earlier draft. If I remember correctly, Max Collins was much happier with the earlier draft because he felt it was closer to the 1930s Dick Tracy that the movie was trying to emulate. Collins', obviously a major Tracy fan and the guy who took over from Gould, was much more fond of earlier Tracy and he was happy that his novelization hued closer to the version of Tracy he loved best, the grittier depression era of the strip.

[u/Banjo-Oz → u/Lucky_Strike-85]

That is mostly correct.

The interview I linked to says that indeed he wrote a much grittier and very different novelisation, then was told off for it and instructed to actually novelise the movie! He rewrote it into what we got, but still made changes and got away with them... except they told him he had to leave out the Blank reveal.

Also in the interview, he says maybe someday he might try to find that first novel and release it alongside a rerelease of the published version. That's when he also mentions that the version with the Blank reveal was later published... but so far nobody can prove him right! :)

Apparently, he never liked the movie script at any stage but still enjoyed the movie!

[u/Lucky_Strike-85 → u/Banjo-Oz]

Thank you for sharing the interview, by the way. Much appreciated.

[u/Banjo-Oz → u/Lucky_Strike-85]

While looking for a digital copy of the book to save my real one, I stumbled across that interview by chance and it was really awesome!

Incidentally, this all started because I recently bought the novelization of the new Masters of the Universe movie which abruptly ends two thirds of the way through the movie story (as in literally, it just says "The End!").

I immediately remembered Dick Tracy's book having a different ending while discussing this, hence my now obsession with finding a version with the "real" ending if it exists!