The Greatest Movies Never Made
Famed poet Mick Jagger once sang , 'You Can’t Always Get What You Want,' and in the case of the following movies that never were, that is certainly true.
Here we take a look at some movies that, for better or worse, never made it from the depths of development hell.
Movies that either had a lucky escape or an opportunity missed, depending on your point of view.
Forrest Gump 2: Gump And Co
Based on the novel of the same name, Forrest Gump 2: Gump And Co would see our hero trying to recover his ailing shrimp company, leading him to again somehow be involved in every important world event of the decade:
- He creates new coke
- Crashes the Exxon Valdez oil tanker
- Helps destroy the Berlin Wall,
- He works in a bible theme park where he re-enacts the David and Goliath story with a guy who mutters about Jodie Foster, this of course turns out to be John Hinckley. Who famously tried to assassinate President Ronald Regan claiming that Jodie Foster told him to do it. That idea makes slightly more sense than the end of Contact at least.
- He fights in Operation Desert Storm with his friend, an orang-utan named Sue (who survived a NASA mission who he met while an astronaut). Seriously how was this not made?
- In a moment of meta he meets Tom Hanks. Which sounds like it would be every bit as terrible as that god awful moment in Oceans 12 where Julia Roberts decides her character should pretend to be Julia Roberts.
- He is in the car with OJ while he is chased by police during which Forrest tosses the infamous bloody glove out the window.
- He meets Princess Diana and tells her that he didn’t like the tunnels in Paris.
- Throughout the book, Jenny appears to Forrest as a guardian angel, and advises him to "listen to Lieutenant Dan." Lt. Dan frequently mentions a fondness for oysters, and oystering re-vitalizes the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
- The film would end with Gump commenting on the Oklahoma City Bombing.
The final script was written and the film went into pre-production on September 10, 2001.
The movie was then taken out of development after 9/11 with Screenwriter Eric Roth saying, “We don’t think this is relevant anymore."
"The world had changed. Now time has obviously passed, but maybe some things should just be one thing and left as they are.”
Roger Rabbit 2: The Toon Platoon
The proposed sequel named The Toon Platoon, began with Roger Rabbit's early years, living on a farm in the Midwestern United States with a human called Richie Davenport.
Roger travels west to seek his mother, in the process meeting Jessica Krupnick (his future wife), a struggling Hollywood actress.
While Roger and Ritchie are enlisting in the Army, Jessica is kidnapped and forced to make pro-Nazi Germany broadcasts.
Roger and Ritchie must save her by going into Nazi-occupied Europe accompanied by several other toons in their Army platoon.
After they are successful in the mission. Roger and Ritchie are given a Hollywood Boulevard parade, and Roger is finally reunited with his mother, and father who turns out to be none other than Bugs Bunny.
The film was to be made by original producer Steven Spielberg, who wound up leaving the project when decided he could not satirize Nazis after directing Schindler's List
Test footage for Who Discovered Roger Rabbit was shot sometime in 1998 at the Disney animation unit in Lake Buena Vista, Florida; the results were an unwieldy mix of CGI, traditional animation and live-action that did not please Disney.
A second test had the Toons completely converted to CGI; but this was dropped as the film's projected budget escalated well past $100 million.
A second proposed story would see Mickey Mouse and Roger Rabbit team up in a fully animated musical called The Stooge.
The film was to incorporate several locations from the Disneyland park. It also would introduce the Toon Train, which was set to be a ride built to cash in on the movie.
However the project was quietly shelved in 2014.
Superman Lives
The most infamous what might have been in superhero movie in history.
After drafts by Jonathan Lemkin and Gregory Poirier titled Superman Reborn were not considered fit for purpose the project found itself in Kevin Smith’s hands.
Even with being forced to accommodate ridiculous demands from producer Jon Peters – no flying, no red-and-blue costume, and a for Superman (don’t call him Superman) to, “fight a giant spider” in the third act.
The story itself has been well documented by Smith and indeed in an actual documentary, in the excellent “The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?
What is less well known was who Smith had envisioned as his dream cast.
Ben Affleck would have donned the cape as the Man of Steel, Linda Fiorentino would be Lois Lane, Frasier’s John Mahoney as Perry White which would have been glorious.
Slightly less glorious would be the predictable choice of Jason Mewes as Jimmy Olsen with Micheal Keaton returning as Batman in a cameo during Superman’s funeral.
Jason Lee was to provide the voice of Brainiac which sounds every bit as crazy as Tim Burton’s choice of Tim Allen.
Return of the Jedi - Directed by David Cronenberg or David Lynch
Despite Empire Strikes Back being acknowledged as one of the best sequels of all time.
Director Ivan Kershner was not asked back due to incurring Lucas’s wrath for going both over time and over budget on the film and being as described by producer Gary Kurtz as, “being difficult for George to control.”
Lucas would instead hire the relatively unknown (and at the time non-union) Welsh director Richard Marquand.
Before turning to a safe pair of hands George Lucas was looking at two very different names to direct the last film in the Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi (or Revenge of the Jedi as it was then called), he approached two young up and coming directors: David Cronenberg and David Lynch.
But Lynch declined Lucas’ offer in order to direct Dune, commenting that this Star Wars was, "Lucas’s thing”
Cronenberg turned down the offer citing, “You’re really restricted by the format that’s been established,” he said.
“So for a really inventive or innovative director, that’s being put in a straitjacket.”
Justice league: Mortal
DC have finally limped into their shared universe.
However, in 2007 between directing Happy Feet movies and before he delivered one of the best action films in years with Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller was set to helm a Justice League movie.
The cast would include Armie Hammer as Batman, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman, Common as Green Lantern, Adam Brody as The Flash and Immortan Joe himself Hugh Keays-Byrne as J'onn J'onzz / The Martian Manhunter.
Shortly before shooting was to begin in Australia, Warner Brothers announced the film was on indefinite hold, allowing an options lapse for the cast.
The studio felt the script needed perfecting, which was impossible because of the writer's strike.
All may not be lost however as a documentary similar to The Death of "Superman Lives: What Happened?
Has been announced and will hopefully see the release of previously unseen footage and costumes.
Words: Andy McCarroll @andymc1983
