Michael Caine has revealed all about the ending of The Italian Job - solving a 40-year-old mystery that has baffled fans for decades.Millions of fans have long debated the fate of Caine's character Charlie Croker, after he and his gang find themselves, and their getaway coach full of gold, teetering on a cliff edge.
The 1969 movie ended with Croker infamously saying, "Hang on a minute, lads. I've got a great idea" - before the credits rolled, leaving fans on tenderhooks as to what happened.
But Caine finally addressed the mystery when he spoke at the 2008 Visit London Awards on Thursday - where he was honoured with the London's Favourite Londoner Award.
He explained how a sequel explaining the ending had been devised - but was ditched at the last minute, leaving fans to think up their own conclusions.
He says, "In the coach I crawl up, switch on the engine, stay there for four hours until all the petrol runs out. The van bounces back up so we can all get out, but then the gold goes over.
"There are a load of Corsican Mafia at the bottom watching the whole thing with binoculars. They grab the gold, and then the sequel is us chasing it."
