The Greatest Films Never Made

Phony Scott

I thought it was appropriate to name this thread after a book I read a few years back about films that either came to an abrupt end during production or just never got past scripting. Personally, the area has always fascinated me and I’d love to have seen, for example, what Ridley Scott’s version of ‘I am Legend’ would have turned out like or the infamous Jerry Lewis Holocaust film ‘The Day the Clown Cried’.

I finally came across two scripts lurking on the net which I’ve been dying to read for years, namely the Spielberg produced script ‘Night Skies’ which eventually became E.T. and Poltergeist and ‘The Sky Is Falling’, a script which caused a minor shít storm in the mid-nineties (think ‘Preacher’ meets ‘Natural Born Killers’ or so I’m led to believe.) I’ll let people know what I think when I’ve read them.

Clearly a lot of these projects weren’t very good ideas to begin with, but are there any other scripts or productions out there that people really wanted to see that never got off the ground?

johnny_ultimate

I've always been fascinated by Ronnie Rocket - David Lynch's unfilmed follow-up to Eraserhead. It's about a guy who has to plug himself in every few hours or something along those lines. Being Lynch, I'd imagine those lines are very blurred indeed. The script is extremely easy to come across - google it and it's the first result in fact! Must read it one day, since I'm sure I can abandon all hope of it ever being made at this point.

Sad Professor

Kubrick's Napoleon. It was supposed to be his next film after 2001. The amount of research he did for it was unreal. He was obsessed with it. Then Waterloo came out and the studio refused to finance it, so he was forced to abandon it. Taschen have a HUGE book containing all of Kubrick's research. Well worth getting if you are Kubrick fan. I just ordered it myself the other day. I've been waiting on a cheaper hardback version of it for ages (the original version was basically a big box and is currently selling for over 3k).

Funglegunk

Vincent Ward's Alien 3 script, in which Ripley wakes up in a spherical wooden monastery/spaceship. Apparently one of the great unmade movies, though I haven't read the script myself.

QuinnC88

Phony Scott wrote: »

I thought it was appropriate to name this thread after a book I read a few years back about films that either came to an abrupt end during production or just never got past scripting. Personally, the area has always fascinated me and I’d love to have seen, for example, what Ridley Scott’s version of ‘I am Legend’ would have turned out like or the infamous Jerry Lewis Holocaust film ‘The Day the Clown Cried’.

I finally came across two scripts lurking on the net which I’ve been dying to read for years, namely the Spielberg produced script ‘Night Skies’ which eventually became E.T. and Poltergeist and ‘The Sky Is Falling’, a script which caused a minor shít storm in the mid-nineties (think ‘Preacher’ meets ‘Natural Born Killers’ or so I’m led to believe.) I’ll let people know what I think when I’ve read them.

Clearly a lot of these projects weren’t very good ideas to begin with, but are there any other scripts or productions out there that people really wanted to see that never got off the ground?

Could you kindly tell me good sir where i can find the script to 'The Sky Is Falling'.

Dog Lipstick

"The man who killed Don Quixote" by Terry Gilliam seems like it could have been a good movie but unfortunately the production process was overcome with incredible bad luck...

There was a quite interesting documentary made about the process called Lost in La Mancha that is worth a look.

With Nicola Pecorini as director of photography shooting started in late October 2000. The first location shoot was at a scenic, barren area north of Madrid, Spain, near a military base. Military fighter jets flew overhead repeatedly, ruining the audio recording and mandating a later re-dubbing in post-production. A flash flood on the second day of filming washed away equipment and changed the color of the barren cliffs, making the previous filming unusable. Rochefort, an able horseman, attempted to ride and act, but was obviously wincing in pain, and required assistance dismounting and walking. He flew to his doctor in Paris, where he was diagnosed with a double herniated disc. For several days the crew attempted to shoot scenes that did not involve Rochefort, but as time passed, it became apparent he would not be able to return. Gilliam decided this was a fatal wound to his project: He had spent two years casting the role of Don Quixote, and Rochefort had then spent seven months learning the English language for the part. The production was finally cancelled in November 2000, and the only result that was ever officially released was included in the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha, a film that chronicles the attempts to make this "film that didn't want to be made".

fitz

Good Omens, scripted by Gaiman and Pratchett, with Gilliam set to direct and Johnny Depp/Robin Williams onboard as Crowley/Aziraphale. Always thought it was just a rumour, but heard Gaiman talk about it at a Q&A, and it was set to happen, until the studio started mucking around, and it fell apart. Could have been fantastic.

ztoical

Alexandro Jodorowsky's adaptation of Dune was something I really wished had been made. Just with Jodorowsky directing it would have been such a head trip but with Moebius doing the Art Direction and Giger doing concept work it would have been the amost amazing visual head trip plus Salvador Dali acting and Pink Floyd doing the music. Granted Herbert hated the script but not the first time an author has hated a film makers take on their work.

The Mad Hatter

Orson Welles was as well-known for not finishing many of the films he started. Throughout his life, he shot Don Quixote in bits and scraps, and hoped to draw it all together as he did with Othello and The Trial, but he never got it quite finished. I think there's a completed version available now, but no idea if it's any good.

There was also On The Other Side of the Wind, by Welles, a sort of pseudo-biography of Ernest Hemmingway starring John Huston.

mike65

I think La Mancha could be back on, sure I read that. The Other Side of the Wind is pretty much a finished film but Oja Kodar Welles amoure/partner won't allow its release until various matters have been sorted.

It may be a bit early to declare this a film never made but The Dam Busters by Peter Jackson was apparently ready to roll 2/3 years ago and seems to be in permenant development. Whatever happened to Tom Cruises Battle of Britain movie "The Few"? (lucky escape in that case I suspect)

Phony Scott

QuinnC88 wrote: »

Could you kindly tell me good sir where i can find the script to 'The Sky Is Falling'.

here

Phony Scott

no, seriously, this was considered. The script can be found on-line for anyone interested in looking further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=felSW_NiP58

ziedth

The script for gladiator sequel was insane. I can't link to it as I'm on the mobile site but IIRC he came back from the dead and lived forever fighting in all the major wars throughout history. If you can track it down give it a look. I'd say it would have cost hundreds of millions to make.

hidinginthebush

fitz wrote: »

Good Omens, scripted by Gaiman and Pratchett, with Gilliam set to direct and Johnny Depp/Robin Williams onboard as Crowley/Aziraphale. Always thought it was just a rumour, but heard Gaiman talk about it at a Q&A, and it was set to happen, until the studio started mucking around, and it fell apart. Could have been fantastic.

Aww that's too bad! The book is absolutely fantastic, I think it would have made an excellent film.

Pepe LeFrits

A friend of mine likes to talk about his idea for a high-concept scifi/horror/thriller/disaster/drama movie he calls 'Moon Gone' - one day the moon disappears, and everyone goes crazy.

I'd like to see it.

Sad Professor

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

A friend of mine likes to talk about his idea for a high-concept scifi/horror/thriller/disaster/drama movie he calls 'Moon Gone' - one day the moon disappears, and everyone goes crazy.

I'd like to see it.

I think everyone would just die in the ensuing natural disasters. I'm sure Roland Emmerich is working on it as we speak. Although why the moon disappeared and what to do now that it's gone might leave it in development hell for a while. I suppose it could just magically reappear at the end.

Another great film that was never made: Michael Mann's Gates of Fire about the battle of Thermopylae in 450 B.C. Mann doing an swords-and-sandal film - would have been awesome! I also wish Ridley Scott had been able to do Tripoli.

bnt

The UK tech site The Register just had a poll on the greatest SF film never made. The winner was Use Of Weapons by Iain M Banks, though I voted for the runner-up: The Mote In God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. (I need to read the Banks again, since I forget what it's about.) Mote is a classic "space opera", but also an examination of an alien civilisation that sheds new light on our own history - and possible future. Plus it would make a cracking movie, I think.

johnny_ultimate

There's also that Watchmen adaptation they've always been talking about. Terry Gilliam would have made a fascinating director, or indeed Darren Aronfsky. Way things are going these days, they'll probably just get Hack Zack Snyder to do it.

Mickeroo

Sergio Leone's Stalingrad, i remember reading the description of single take ten minute or so opening shot or something? sounded amazing.

+1 on Gilliams Good Omens movie, I'd also like to mention Darren Aronofsky's The Wolverine, was genuinely upset when that fell apart, such potential to be great there.

mike65

John Carpenter - The Prometheus Crisis (1979/80) would have been interesting but the China Syndrome stole their thunder and everyone moved on.

ReacherCreature

ziedth wrote: »

The script for gladiator sequel was insane. I can't link to it as I'm on the mobile site but IIRC he came back from the dead and lived forever fighting in all the major wars throughout history. If you can track it down give it a look. I'd say it would have cost hundreds of millions to make.

That sounds bloody brilliant - from purely a historical point of view. Bringing him back from the dead? Rubbish.

Sad Professor wrote: »

Another great film that was never made: Michael Mann's Gates of Fire about the battle of Thermopylae in 450 B.C. Mann doing an swords-and-sandal film - would have been awesome! I also wish Ridley Scott had been able to do Tripoli.

I would have traded in my DVD of Heat to see that movie made! :pac:
No doubt it'd be as close to realistic as possibly can. Not like 300, which although is terrific fun, it is by no means the definitive account.

MayoForSam

The Chain of Dog's story taken from Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series would have made an epic movie, the rights were bought a few years ago but alas nothing ever happened.

nyarlothothep

ziedth wrote: »

The script for gladiator sequel was insane. I can't link to it as I'm on the mobile site but IIRC he came back from the dead and lived forever fighting in all the major wars throughout history. If you can track it down give it a look. I'd say it would have cost hundreds of millions to make.

that actually sounds like a pretty good idea, I imagine he would be damned or something and would hate war at that stage.

Phony Scott

ztoical wrote: »

Alexandro Jodorowsky's adaptation of Dune was something I really wished had been made.

Smile. A documentary on the unmade film is in the works. Linky here and here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLYqREEf7-4

Magic Eight Ball

James Cameron's Spider-man. His treatment or 'scriptment' is widely available online and definitely worth a read.

Dare I say it.. Star Wars Episodes VII, VIII and IX

Duggy747

Face/Off which was originally planned to star Arnie & Stallone :pac:

paddy kerins

I think Mark Millar wrote a treatment for a Superman trilogy a few years ago that was meant to be a Lord of the Rings-style epic that spanned Superman's lifetime. Would've liked to have seen that

paddy kerins

paddy kerins wrote: »

I think Mark Millar wrote a treatment for a Superman trilogy a few years ago that was meant to be a Lord of the Rings-style epic that spanned Superman's lifetime. Would've liked to have seen that

I thank Zod it wasn't made, Millar really isnt a writer I hold in high regard, he's one of the least subtle writers around abs the adaptations of his work, especially Wanted which was absolutely nothing like the comic was far, far superior to Millar's effort. I think he blamed the films lack of funding on the studios unwillingness to back a franchise film which had a finite ending, which I don't believe at all. If it was as good as he claims then they could easily have made it and then done a reboot much like they are doing with Batman. It's hard to take anything Millar says seriously, he's a notorious liar who seems to enjoy fabricating stories about his work and films.

The Mad Hatter

Duggy747 wrote: »

Face/Off which was originally planned to star Arnie & Stallone :pac:

Wow, you mean that film could have been worse?

dr gonzo

ztoical wrote: »

Alexandro Jodorowsky's adaptation of Dune was something I really wished had been made. Just with Jodorowsky directing it would have been such a head trip but with Moebius doing the Art Direction and Giger doing concept work it would have been the amost amazing visual head trip plus Salvador Dali acting and Pink Floyd doing the music. Granted Herbert hated the script but not the first time an author has hated a film makers take on their work.

Wow! That would have been unreal.

Galvasean

Duggy747 wrote: »

Face/Off which was originally planned to star Arnie & Stallone :pac:

Reminds me, Demolition Man was originally going to star Arnie.

I'd love to see a proper adaptation of I Am legend. They keep trying to make it but drastically changing it from what the source material describes. For fans it always ends up being a 'what might have been' story. It's a shame since the novella is only about 100 pages long and would be quite easy to adapt faithfully without having to drop much.

Joonaspp

Trainspotting definitely.

Brotherhood of War aswell. I don't know why I love that movie so much but it's so damn fascinating.

HavingCrack

Joonaspp wrote: »

Trainspotting definitely.

Brotherhood of War aswell. I don't know why I love that movie so much but it's so damn fascinating.

Both those films were made.....