A Marilyn Monroe nude scene with Clark Gable from the 1961 movie "The Misfits" was thought to have been destroyed, but it turns out a producer kept the footage because he saw it as groundbreaking, a report said.

Deadline reported Sunday that the scene was discovered by Charles Casillo, an author who was doing research for his upcoming book "Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon."

Casillo spoke with Curtice Taylor, the son of movie producer Frank Taylor, who said the footage had been stored away since 1999.

The scene shows Monroe dropping a sheet that was covering her body, the report said. The scene would have been one of the first times – possibly the first – that a nude scene would be in a major production.

The scene was left on the cutting room floor.

The director of the flim reportedly felt the scene was not needed for the story, but Frank Taylor saw it as groundbreaking and saved it.

Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson and changed her name after coming to Hollywood. She used her mother's maiden name Monroe.

Monroe remains a pop culture phenomenon. She was well known for films that included "Some Like it Hot," "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "How to Marry a Millionaire." But for younger generations, Monroe remains an icon of style.

“In the end, Monroe is one of the most complex female public figures in American history, and that real complexity plays a role in her continuing ability to fascinate us,” Lois Banner, the author of “Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox,” wrote for The Los Angeles Times.

“We admire her beauty, puzzle over her mysteries and see her as a reflection of the quixotic, multifaceted, always striving and often contradictory American character.”

It is reportedly not clear what will happen with the newly found footage.