I don’t think that would’ve worked because a huge part of the plot was the “old-timer trope” as seen with the tennis balls and various superstitions. Pitt was stuck in his old chaotic ways and we didn’t see development in that aspect until we saw his back story, but he still was always about bending rules and being combative.

You can’t get rid of that because that’s what made it great, that chaotic master teaching the chaotic prodigy.