Sometimes things are changed for a good reason -- and other times they just flat-out lie and make real people look like evil, cowardly, petty douchebags for the heck of it.
For the aspiring filmmakers who don't happen to have wealthy friends or connections at a studio, securing funding is by far the biggest obstacle between them and the fulfillment of their vision. Sometimes that means getting creative. Horribly, horribly creative.
According to a lot of science fiction movies, comics and TV shows, 1997 was the single most eventful year in the history mankind. Why did they all pick 1997? Who knows? They certainly didn't anticipate the Spice Girls.