History Main / EarlyDraftTieIn

* ''Literature/PocketMonstersTheAnimation'' is a {{novelization}} of ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' that consists of almost nothing but this. It was written by Creator/TakeshiShudo, a worked on the Original Series (up until halfway through the fourth season), and contains multiple ideas that either aren't consistent with the anime or would later be {{retcon}}ned by it and/or the games. This ranges from what would have been major plot reveals, such as the series [[EarthAllAlong taking place in the future]] and Pokémon as aliens co-existing with humans and animals, to random trivia like Misty's sisters wearing wigs to mask their real hair colors.

** [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMThlOWIxY2ItYmY3Yy00NjY4LTkyNGEtNjlhYTlkMWI0ODQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjk1Njg5NTA@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg A very commonly used promotional pic]] for the show's first season uses character designs that are slightly different from the final ones. More precisely, both the gloves and boots have shorter cuffs, with the boots also having shorter heels and smaller, less curved points.

* The UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita game for ''Anime/YukiYunaIsAHero'', ''Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Memories of the Forest'', features an unused character design for Karin, which has reddish hair instead of brown.

* The video game adaptation of ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTheMovie'' for UsefulNotes/GameBoy features boss fights against the Queen Tengu (a giant version of the Tengu/Tenga Warriors seen in the movie and in Season 3 of the show) and a giant rat, two monsters that were in early drafts of the movie but not in the final release (albeit the rat costumes were recycled for the "Return of the Green Ranger" 3-parter).

* Due to numerous delays leading past the end of the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast's life, ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'''s Dreamcast port was cancelled mere weeks before its intended launch date in June, 2001. By that time, Prima Games had already written, printed, and shipped their strategy guide for the port.

** ''Gold'' and ''Silver'' were originally going to include a character disguised as Professor Oak. Although this character didn't appear in the games themselves, Impostor Oak still managed to make repeated appearances in the trading card game. Appropriately, the anime features an Impostor Oak - James of Team Rocket, who spent an entire episode of Johto attempting to impersonate Oak.

* When Creator/{{Mattel}} acquired the license to make toys based off ''Film/TheFlintstones1994'' they were only given a few months to design and produce them. They weren't given a screenplay of the film to work off of, as it was still being written. This resulted in toys that had nothing to do with the movie such as "Big Bite Fred". This also explains why the toys themselves look like a hybrid between the live actors and the 1960 cartoon, as Mattel didn't know what the characters would look like beyond the actors' likenesses.

** Tails has brown fur with a cream-colored muzzle and chest in ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', and early issues of ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' due to his design in these series being based on very early sprite artwork (predating any known game prototype). Bizarrely, the early artwork in question used temporary colors and was [[https://new.tcrf.net/Development:Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_(Genesis)#Notes_from_Yasushi_Yamaguchi only used by the game's developers for 2 or 3 days]], but mysteriously managed to get used as a color reference despite that. Sega never sent updated color references to the companies involved, so this continued to be Tails' color scheme in media released long after the games had established him as being orange.

** Tails has brown fur with a cream-colored muzzle and chest in ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', and early issues of ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' due to his design in these series being based on very early sprite artwork (predating any known game prototype). Bizarrely, the early artwork in question used temporary colors and was [[https://new.tcrf.net/Development:Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_(Genesis)#Notes_from_Yasushi_Yamaguchi only used by the developers for 2 or 3 days]], but mysteriously managed to get used as a color reference despite that. Sega never sent updated color references to the companies involved, so this continued to be Tails' color scheme in media released long after the games had established him as being orange.

** Tails has brown fur with a cream-colored muzzle and chest in ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', and early issues of ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' due to his design in these series being based on very early sprite artwork (predating any known prototype). Sega never sent updated color references to the companies involved, so this continued to be Tails' color scheme in media released long after the games had established him as being orange.

** Molly [=McIntire=] had brown eyes in the tie-in books that came with the dolls, yet the doll herself shipped with grey eyes for some reason -- likely to differentiate her from Samantha. A later character, Ruthie Smithens, had the same thing happen years later, but this wasn't an example of an early draft as her doll was released years after the books she debuted in.
** Some of short-lived modern AG character Tenney Grant's merchandise was mislabelled as "Girl of the Year" when she was not part of that line. Overwhelming evidence, from the early rumour mill to stills from a scrapped movie, suggests that she was ''supposed'' to be, but was quickly replaced by Gabriela (who had a reused character design and a thrown-together collection as opposed to Tenney's unique design and large, elaborate collection) after AG was publicly called out for the lack of diversity in the Girl of the Year line.

** Several pieces of merchandise, such as the Overboard Adventure game, depict Khalil with blue eyes rather than brown eyes, hinting that this was his original eye color.

* In ''Manga/AiShiteNight'', the main character Yakko was changed [[AdaptationDyeJob from blonde to brunette]] in the anime adaptation, but the animation for the opening still showed her with blond hair. This created a bit of confusion in European countries, where [[AlternativeForeignThemeSong the local theme songs]] were set to a mix of scenes from the original opening and the proper show, showing both designs of the character in subsequent scenes and [[PopCultureUrbanLegends creating theories about the two designs]], such as {{Missing Episode}}s where Yakko dies her hair or the blonde girl being actually a sexual education teacher whose segments were cut from the dubs.

* When Creator/DCComics launched the Comicbook/{{New 52}}, artist Creator/JimLee redesigned Comicbook/WonderWoman with a new costume that included a pair of pants, similar to her look in the [[Series/WonderWoman2011Pilot NBC pilot]]. However, due to fan backlash, the pants were jettisoned before the debut of her [[Comicbook/WonderWoman2011 relaunched comic book series]] and Lee's own ''Comicbook/JusticeLeague2011'' reboot. Despite this, the pants still appeared in some early New 52 merchandise, such as Kotobukiya's Justice League statue series.

*** The movie was originally supposed to serve as a relaunch of a sorts for the DCEU, with the new slate of films ultimately culminating in a ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' movie that would have dealt heavily with the {{Multiverse}}. To that end, Creator/JimLee illustrated a massive piece depicting characters from DC's various live-action productions, including ''The Flash'', ''Film/TheBatman2022'', ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'', ''Film/AquamanAndTheLostKingdom'', ''Series/Titans2018'', ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'', ''Series/SupermanAndLois'' and the ''Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}'' shows. The ''Crisis'' film and several of the movies that were meant to lead into it were ultimately cancelled after the 2022 merger between Warner Brothers and Discovery, but Lee's illustration was still released as a variant cover for the ''Comicbook/DarkCrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' comic book mini-series.

** The first issue of ''[[Comicbook/StarWarsMarvel2015 Star Wars]]'' contained an ad for a Gray Hulk Toys/FunkoPop from ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', based on a planned scene where the Hulk's green skin would have turned gray after he was enchanted by the Characters/ScarletWitch. However, the special effects artists ultimately kept the Hulk green in the film due to worries about confusing the audience, and the toy itself was later redecoed prior to release.

*** Ying Li and her sister Ying Nan were originally going to have the family name Jiang instead. Not only are they still called Jiang Nan and Jiang Li on official merchandise, but the latter was even made a CanonImmigrant in the 2021 ''[[Comicbook/ShangChi2021 Shang-Chi]]'' comic book series with her original name rather than the one she’s actually called by in the movie.

** The Marvel Legends figure of Comicbook/USAgent from ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' has a star symbol on the helmet, apparently a holdover from earlier concept art.
** The packaging for the Marvel Legends [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] Comicbook/SheHulk figure uses the original logo for the show from before it was retitled ''Series/SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw''.

** The toy line for the ''Maximum Venom'' season features "Comicbook/{{Venom}}ized" versions of heroes like Comicbook/MilesMorales, Comicbook/SpiderGwen and Comicbook/CaptainAmerica. By and large, the actual designs in the cartoon look very little like the toys (Miles in particular looks completely different), which were based on early concept art by Patrick Brown that wound up having to be greatly simplified to fit the show's animation style. Of particular note is the merchandise of the Venomized [[Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]], which clearly depicts Bruce Banner as the one bonded to the symbiote even though it's actually his successor, Amadeus Cho, who gets Venomized in the cartoon.

* ''VideoGame/TheDig'' took 6 years to complete, taking in some story rewrites in the process. Unusually for a game, a tie-in novel was released during this time. It was based on an earlier version of the script featuring a fourth character who was cut from the final version (and can be seen in early versions of the artwork).

* Bolg was originally supposed to appear in ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'' with a [[https://atolkienistperspective.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/bolg.jpg radically different design]]. He was cut and re-designed for ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'', but this version of Bolg still appeared in merchandise, including action figures and [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lotr/images/8/81/M2780255a_99801462028_Bolg03_873x627.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140221192347 a model]] for Games Workshop's ''Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game''. (The Games Workshop model is still available, but was re-named [[EliteMook "Gundabad Orc Captain"]])

** A few of the ''Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts'' figures are once again based on concept art rather than on final designs. For example, Battletrap is missing an additional grill piece over the chest, while Scourge is lankier, with a longer neck and skinnier legs compared to the movie design. Several figures depicting Optimus Prime with a more heavily armored look and a new HEMTT vehicle mode were also released, apparently based on a concept design that didn't make it into the movie.

** Many of the early artworks and illustrations released in Japan when ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Pokemon Red and Green]]'' were released showed many details from preliminary concepts for the game, such as Poké Balls splitting in half when the Pokémon inside is released and Pikachu's and Charizard's prototypical designs (with Charizard having a larger lower jaw and Pikachu being abnormally large and having a white belly). Even the unused female character was shown off, once in an origami book's comic and another promotional art of her, Red, and Blue with a Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander respectively (her design was recycled for Blue in ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'', later again in the remake games for the female protagonist Leaf with a redesign, and reused again in ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' as the bonus boss Green).

* ''VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse2'' came out at a time when the Goku Black arc was still in its infancy, but still put the character in the game for promotional purposes. According to behind-the-scenes accounts, the localization team wasn't given the original audio to work with, only being handed the script and various directions on how to handle lines. Schemmel had heard that Creator/MasakoNozawa used a voice reminiscent of Super Saiyan 4, and so copied that performance--only Nozawa's Super Saiyan 4 was more even-tempered, pushed into out-and-out SoftSpokenSadist territory for Black, whereas Schemmel's Super Saiyan 4 was a GutturalGrowler. Because of this, Creator/SeanSchemmel uses a very different voice for Goku Black than he'd use in the actual series dub.

* In the ''Film/HarryPotter'' film franchise, Peeves the Poltergiest was originally going to appear, played by Creator/RikMayall, but was cut from the final product. However, in [[VideoGame/HarryPotter the video games that were meant to tie-in to the movies]], he appears as a recurring antagonist.

*** Most of the ''Civil War'' Franchise/SpiderMan toys depicted the costume with a different spider symbol on the chest and sculpted web lines (similar to the suit used in the earlier Creator/SamRaimi [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy movies]]) that aren't present on the actual outfit in the movie. This is because the toys were all based on the suit Creator/TomHolland wore during filming, which wound up being digitally altered during post-production.

** Most of the Red Guardian toys from ''Film/{{Black Widow|2021}}'' (including the Marvel Legends action figure and the Funko Pop) included a shield emblazoned with a Soviet-style star, likely to play up the Captain America parallels. While the shield was featured in Josh Nizzi’s concept art, Red Guardian doesn’t actually use it in the movie (though it does later appear in the ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf'' animated series).

** The storybook in the Collector's Edition book of the story keeps Khalil's "Was this part of the cruise package?" line that was cut from the final film.

* The ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' novelization by George Gipe is based on the movie's earlier drafts, and its descriptions of Marty indicate that it was written with Creator/EricStoltz's version of the character in mind rather than Creator/MichaelJFox's. The changes are ''so'' drastic that the novel -- thanks to exposure courtesy of Creator/RyanNorth's ''Literature/BToTheFTheNovelizationOfTheFeatureFilm'' -- got [[Literature/BackToTheFuture its own trope page]].

** Tails has brown fur in ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', and early issues of ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' due to his design being based on very early sprite artwork (predating any known prototype) where he was also colored brown. [=DiC=]'s references were never updated, so Tails continued to be brown in media released long after the games had established him as being orange.