What If She Didn’t Have to Die? Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Reimagined

In Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, a teenager named Greg and his best friend, Earl, make goofy movie parodies to distract and entertain a girl named Rachel, who has cancer. But as Rachel’s condition worsens, their friendship grows deeper, and Greg learns a lot about life, love, and loss.

A fan theory suggests that Greg’s emotional distance might actually be a coping mechanism, a way to protect himself from the pain of losing someone close to him. What if he had opened up more to Rachel and truly let her into his heart before it was too late?

The key moment in the film comes when Greg finally makes a film for Rachel—a meaningful gift that shows how much he cares. It’s a turning point in his growth, showing how art can help us understand and express our emotions.

What if Rachel’s cancer went into remission? Would Greg and Rachel’s friendship have flourished, or would it have remained a bittersweet chapter in his life? An alternate ending could show Greg moving on to college, using his filmmaking talent to honor Rachel’s memory. Or perhaps a prequel could explore Greg and Earl’s quirky movie-making history before Rachel came into their lives.