When a movie is made, it is reduced from all the myths of what it could have been to what it is. With this conflict, we delve into some dismissed movies as proffered by an online association and leave you guessing what could have been or might not, if they were produced.
1- Ronnie Rocket
David Lynch’s plot involves a detective who, thanks to his ability to stand on one leg, is searching for a secret second dimension while being pursued by “Donut Men,” who use electricity as a weapon. At the same time, it narrates the Ronnie Rocket story. A teenage dwarf rockstar needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet to give him control over electricity, which he can use to create music or inflict damage.
Potential financiers went up in smoke as quickly as they came (bankruptcy), denting the realization of this movie. Lynch cites the lack of specific amenities as a factor for the film’s remote possibility and defines the project as hibernating.
2- Heart of Darkness
This was supposed to be Orson Welles’ adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s psychological novel of the same title. His completion anxiety is usually the prime suspect for this movie’s truncated journey to the screen. Yet, his impractical ideas that saw potential technical inventions overshoot expense made it easy for studio heads to pass on it. The onset of WWII that shrank the European market is also touted as a factor.
With Frank Coppola’s rigorous adaptation of the novel in Apocalypse Now, Welles’ version is highly improbable.
3- Superman Lives
Looking to numb the pain from the abysmal failure of the Mars Attacks, Tim Burton was very enthusiastic about bringing this ‘resurrection’ of Superman to life. The enthusiasm was mutual for Warner Bros., who hired Burton to repeat his Batman success, and Kevin Smith, who screen-wrote the movie to inspire a deep, soulful, and highly respectful take on the hero.
Further edits of the script (done by Wesley Strick and Dan Gilroy) introduced absurd ideas and an overtly violent tone, which put Burton off dismantling the pioneering crew and shelving the project initially meant to be released in time for Superman’s 60th anniversary.
4- Blood Meridian
The proposed adaptation of Cormac McCarthy has Ridley Scott’s name romancing it the longest than anyone else. But it has always been a tricky proposition due to the reputation of Mccarthy’s previous, adapted works – they have been hard to sell. Plus, Scott’s horror twist only improves on the non-commerciality of the original grim storyline with its rather excessive violence.
Most recently, it was reported the New Regency is adapting the novel as a feature film with the author set to be the executive director. His passing now leaves us wondering.
5- Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte was the subject of a sizable biopic Stanley Kubrick intended. He tried to see every related movie that had ever been produced. Read books about the French emperor, conducted research, and created a rough script later published and made available online as part of a thorough compilation of his pre-production and research work.
Yet, the exorbitant cost of filming on location, the Western release of the epic film adaptation War and Peace, and the failure of the Napoleon-themed film Waterloo conspired to ditch Kubrick’s effort. Barring any eventuality, the long wait for another Napoleon biopic will soon be over. Thanks to Ridley Scott.
6- Dune
A pre-production expense that was 21% of the proposed budget, a project with a total budget that is 57% of its original budget, a script that would result in a 14-hour film, and one that took creative liberties the original author had reservations about. And a project that was still 5$ million short of its total budget after a two-year development. The odds were stacked against Alejandro Jodorowsky in his bid to adapt Frank Herbert’s novel Dune.
Herbert’s fans can delight in David Lynch’s later rendition. In contrast, Jodorowsky’s fans can be consoled with Jodorowsky’s Dune, a chronicle of his unsuccessful attempt to adapt the science fiction novel.
7- Gladiator 2
This soon-to-be-released movie saw a competition between two scripts – Ridley Scott’s realistic and relatable story centering around Lucius, the lost son of Maximus, and Nick Cave’s ambitious and fantastical narration of Maximus’ resurrection.
We will not see the latter because the script is absolutely bonkers. With a complex story whose theology covered the roster of Roman Gods and Christianity and whose period spanned just about every conflict from ancient times up to The Pentagon, the script couldn’t reach the screen.
8- Leningrad: The 900 Days
This proposed movie by Sergio Leone was meant to see the light of day with the momentum it had gathered. The story centers on a working American photojournalist (Leone intended Robert De Niro to play him) who gets stuck in Leningrad as the German Luftwaffe besieges the city. The budget was set, the Financiers were cooperating, the crew was being picked, and the filming date had been set. Sadly, two days before officially signing on as Director, Leone passed.
9- Crusade
Carolco Productions had made huge successes with previous movies. They reached their production capabilities when the script for The Crusade was ready and the shooting date set with a bloated budget of $100 million. Paul Verhoeven could not lie about the budget either, being the honest director that he is.
With Carolco eventually filing for bankruptcy, this epic that was to focus on the murderous attack of the Christians on the Arabs and the Jews could no longer be birthed.
10- Kaleidoscope
It would have hit screens years before it was socially acceptable, with its allegedly detailed depiction of a serial killer’s story involving violence and coitus, making many people uncomfortable and flipping the conventional horror of the time on its head. Alfred Hitchcock wanted to emphasize the stunning turn, but following the advice of his colleagues, he dropped it.
11- Gershwin
Indecision and disagreement have deprived Martin Scorsese’s fans of another of his classics. Development of the script first stalled due to a scuffle between Scorsese and Paul Schrader in a different movie. Warner Bros. was skeptical about the return on investment for the Gershwin movie.
When it was scheduled to roll, they opted for another movie whose script had not been put to paper yet. And so hope dashes for this classic that potentially had its sights on awards. For a biopic that narrates the life of the music composer George Gershwin, this is not music to our ears.
12- Howard Hughes
This was another unmade biopic that saw competition between two scripts that themed the life of the aviator and business tycoon Howard Hughes. While Christopher Nolan mooted Jim Carrey for the titular role, Martin Scorsese lined up Leonardo DiCaprio for the same position in his version titled, The Aviator.
Scorsese’s rendition was ahead in the pecking order of the production cycle, and Nolan wasn’t interested in a competing understanding of the same subject.
Source: (Reddit).
Amaka Chukwuma is a freelance content writer with a BA in linguistics. As a result of her insatiable curiosity, she writes in various B2C and B2B niches. Her favorite subject matter, however, is in the financial, health, and technological niches. She has contributed to publications like Buttonwood Tree and FinanceBuzz in the past and currently writes for Wealth of Geeks.
