Abandonned. Legendary Movies that Never Made it to the Big Screen

[gwynplaine]

Orson Welles' Heart of Darkness.


http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=1173

We got Citizen Kane instead. Not a bad trade off.

True. Sadly it seems like Welles was the king of unfinished projects.

 

[Farren]

Oliver Stone's treatment for Planet of the Apes:
http://planetoftheapes.wikia.com/wiki/Oliver_Stone

I'm intrigued by this one.

 

[E.NormusJohnson]

If evil truly exists in this world... Rothman was/is its king.

 

[Donnie Darko]

Yeah, now that was something that was interesting when I heard it.

In fact, Scott's film was so damn bland I just wanted a fun swashbuckling Hugh Jackman kind of thing. Hell, Kevin Costner's version was a hell of a lot better than that.

I agree. Especially after hearing how awesome the original concept sounded, that movie was just... nothing.

 

[killface]

david fincher's spider-man
they fought alone/fertig
rendezvous with rama
torso
black hole
seared/kitchen confidential adaptation

(i dont know what's interesting the movies fincher made or what he hasnt made)

john belushi's confederacy of dunces

quentin tarantino's vega brothers

alejandro jodorowsky's dune

darren aronofsky's batman year one

martin scorsese's silence

american gods with the rock as shadow

johnny depo's shantaram

 

[gwynplaine]

Not abandoned, but I sometimes wonder how different the 3rd Nolan Batman film would have been had the late, great Heath Ledger not tragically passed away.

 

[Donnie Darko]

Bryan Singer's X-Men 3.

 

[TheAQU4M4N]

Bryan Singer's X-Men 3.

Imagine holloway as gambit in the third one.

 

[Gort Baringa]

Lon Chaney (Sr.) would have been in Dracula instead of Bela Lugosi if he had not died of cancer. I wonder what makeup he would have created and how well he would have done in a talkie?

 

[gwynplaine]

Lon Chaney (Sr.) would have been in Dracula instead of Bela Lugosi if he had not died of cancer. I wonder what makeup he would have created and how well he would have done in a talkie?

I think Conrad Veidt, my avy, was considered for the Count too before he decided to go back to Germany.

 

[Paladin-Hoss]

I could be mistaken, but i think at some point Walter Hill was in talks with Marvel/Lionsgate do do a punisher movie.

Imagine that..

 

[EML420]

Oh I remember the Clint Eastwood Dark Knight Returns movie it would been directed by the Hughs brothers (Book of Eli, Menance to society) and they wanted Eastwood.

 

[gwynplaine]

I could be mistaken, but i think at some point Walter Hill was in talks with Marvel/Lionsgate do do a punisher movie.

Imagine that..

Walter Hill's Punisher
I would have so been there. I wonder who he would have cast as Frank Castle?

 

[Eddie Dean]

Nick Nolte maybe? Or Powers Boothe?

 

[gwynplaine]

Nick Nolte maybe? Or Powers Boothe?

I would have been good with both

 

[CrimsonMist]

Lon Chaney (Sr.) would have been in Dracula instead of Bela Lugosi if he had not died of cancer. I wonder what makeup he would have created and how well he would have done in a talkie?

The script for the Chaney Sr. film is pretty fascinating to read. It's much more faithful to the novel than the Lugosi film. Atleast the first half, anyway. Harker goes to the castle instead of Renfield. The second half is still the parlor room mystery that remains in the Lugosi film. But it also includes the chase back to Transylvania. Arthur Holmwood is in it, along with a character named Mrs. Triplett, an older woman played for comedy.

In the script, Dracula starts out as the decrepit old man. When he moves to England, he becomes younger and goes by the name of Count De Ville. But when he goes into vampire mode, he becomes a more demonic looking version of the old man.

It's pretty remarkable. And all the more disappointing that it was never made. Universal had to cut back the budget due to the Depression and decided to pretty much adapt the play, which is what we eventually got.

I think Conrad Veidt, my avy, was considered for the Count too before he decided to go back to Germany.

He was. And his performance as evil magician Erik The Great in a film called The Last Performance is all but a screen test for the role. In fact, Paul Leni was set to direct Dracula with Veidt starring in the role. But Leni died of blood poisoning. With Leni, who was Veidt's biggest collaborators, dead, Veidt wasn't comfortable with the role, especially as he had to speak. So he went back to Germany.

The cinematic history of Dracula is really depressing. Especially when you compare what we eventually got to what we COULD HAVE gotten.

Lucas and Kubrick both wanted to make LOTR. And I recall something about Boorman too. But was it before or after Excalibur?

Boorman was set to do Lord of The Rings, as one movie. It was going to happen until there were changes made at United Artists and the studio was no longer interested in making it. So Boorman, using the work he put it for Lord of The Rings, made Excalibur instead.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Sometimes I imagine the amazing performance Nicol Williamson could have given as Gandalf and I cry and I cry and I cry. Well, at least I have him as Merlin.

 

[gwynplaine]

The script for the Chaney Sr. film is pretty fascinating to read. It's much more faithful to the novel than the Lugosi film. Atleast the first half, anyway. Harker goes to the castle instead of Renfield. The second half is still the parlor room mystery that remains in the Lugosi film. But it also includes the chase back to Transylvania. Arthur Holmwood is in it, along with a character named Mrs. Triplett, an older woman played for comedy.

In the script, Dracula starts out as the decrepit old man. When he moves to England, he becomes younger and goes by the name of Count De Ville. But when he goes into vampire mode, he becomes a more demonic looking version of the old man.

It's pretty remarkable. And all the more disappointing that it was never made. Universal had to cut back the budget due to the Depression and decided to pretty much adapt the play, which is what we eventually got.



He was. And his performance as evil magician Erik The Great in a film called The Last Performance is all but a screen test for the role. In fact, Paul Leni was set to direct Dracula with Veidt starring in the role. But Leni died of blood poisoning. With Leni, who was Veidt's biggest collaborators, dead, Veidt wasn't comfortable with the role, especially as he had to speak. So he went back to Germany.

The cinematic history of Dracula is really depressing. Especially when you compare what we eventually got to what we COULD HAVE gotten.



Boorman was set to do Lord of The Rings, as one movie. It was going to happen until there were changes made at United Artists and the studio was no longer interested in making it. So Boorman, using the work he put it for Lord of The Rings, made Excalibur instead.

Very interesting.

Sometimes I imagine the amazing performance Nicol Williamson could have given as Gandalf and I cry and I cry and I cry. Well, at least I have him as Merlin.

I would have also loved to see Nicol Williamson as Dussander in his abandonned "Apt Pupil." I loved him as Little John in the great "Robin and Marian."

 

[CrimsonMist]

Walter Hill's Punisher
I would have so been there. I wonder who he would have cast as Frank Castle?

Tom Jane wanted Hill to be the director. Lionsgate said no. I believe this is what finally prompted Jane to walk off. This could have been incredible.

 

[DrDoom]

Spielberg's Night Skies

The new movie "Dark Skies" looks like a reworking of this idea

Lynch's "One Saliva Bubble" and "Ronnie Rocket"

 

[Lily Adler]

Walt Disney's animated film about Hans Christian Andersen.

 

[dude stannis]

Walter Hill's Punisher would've been the best interpretation of the character. Hill's influence is apparent in Gath Ennis' works as it is.

 

[jmc]

Aronofsky's Wolverine. I maintain it would have given TDK a run for its money.

 

[gwynplaine]

Tom Jane wanted Hill to be the director. Lionsgate said no. I believe this is what finally prompted Jane to walk off. This could have been incredible.

Didn't know that. It would have been awesome.

 

[MMMMM...Pancakes]

I remember hearing about a Clint Eastwood Jonah Hex movie that was supposed to have been made in the 80's. Any truth to this?

The Daredevil reboot plans from earlier this year sounded great.

Alfonso Cauron passing on Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire.

Guillermo Del Toro...Where do I start?

As Donnie Darko said, Singer's X3.

True Lies 2

Total Recall 2 (apparently became Minority Report)

Conan 3 (still some hope for this one)