If every rumored movie actually went into production and was released in theaters or on streaming, then there would be limitless content available for viewers to consume. But, as the recent cancelation of Batgirl deftly demonstrated, even major studio investments and tentpole projects sometimes get shelved.
Although most movie concepts never make it past the theoretical stage, certain films have gotten pretty far into development or generated quite a lot of grassroots buzz to no avail. What canceled movies to many fans wish they had the opportunity to see?
At The Mountains Of Madness
Guillermo Del Toro is an Oscar-winning filmmaker known for his brilliant and elevated genre work. Though he has thrilled fans with so many of his projects, many feel his abandoned attempt to bring At the Mountains of Madness to the big screen could have been his masterpiece.
The project was based on the H.P. Lovecraft novel about an expedition to Antarctica that encounters terrifying discoveries. The project stalled due to the studio’s trepidations about the budget and R-rating. Del Toro later stated that similarities with Prometheus also killed the adaptation.
Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek
While he has already made a number of classics, Quentin Tarantino’s various unrealized projects are almost just as exciting. But the one that got the most attention was his proposed idea for a new Star Trek movie.
Being a long-time fan of the franchise, Tarantino proposed an idea for returning to the adventures of the Enterprise. It was said that the movie would feature the cast led by Chris Pine’s Kirk and that it would be an R-rating. Ultimately, it seemed to be too good to be true, as Tarantino seemed to walk away from the Trek project before long.
Alien: Awakening
Though Ridley Scott returned to the Alien franchise with a new approach, many fans were more excited about the proposed idea for Neil Blomkamp’s Alien: Awakening. The movie would be a direct sequel to Aliens with Sigourney Weaver returning as Ripley.
Another exciting addition was the return of Michael Biehn as Hicks who was presumably killed off in between Aliens and Alien 3. Despite James Cameron reportedly pushing the project ahead, it was abandoned in favor of a new fifth movie which has yet to materialize.
The Sinister Six
One of the main complaints of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was that it was too focused on setting up the future of the franchise, including the villain team-up movie The Sinister Six. But while the idea of a movie with Spider-Man’s villains instead of Spider-Man himself seemed like a strange idea, the involvement of Drew Goddard as writer-director was exciting for many fans.
Goddard has said that he took influences from Reservoir Dogs in creating the story which sounds promising. However, the failure of the Spider-Man sequel led to the hero being rebooted in the MCU.
21 Jump Street/Men In Black
The big screen reboot of 21 Jump Street surprised many fans by being a hilarious and entertaining ride starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum and director by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. But after the success of the sequel, the franchise nearly went in a very unexpected direction.
The Amazing Spider-Man 3
With the mediocre performance of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it’s not entirely surprising Sony Pictures Entertainment decided to forego a triquel. However, with the incredible (daresay show-stealing) performance from Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker in the blockbuster hit Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans have renewed interest in another film for the lauded actor.
Peter Parker could face plenty of villains within the established Marvel comic history. Still, fans long for a movie with Spider-Man versus his arch-nemesis Venom since that plot was initially supposed to follow Spider-Man 2.
Hulk 2
Before Mark Ruffalo took the role, Edward Norton had a Hulk movie. Although it is not as popular as the other Marvel movies, there was always hope that Ruffalo would star in his own independent Hulk 2.
The closest fans got to that dream was Bruce Banner’s prominent role in Thor: Ragnarok. With most of the original main cast of Avengers written out of an MCU sequel, Ruffalo could be up for his long-awaited feature Professor Hulk film. However, there are no affirmative plans for this yet.
Iron Man 4
Robert Downey Jr. is the epitome of MCU superheroes. However, despite the actor being inseparable from the character of Tony Stark, the two Iron Man sequels did not match the original in terms of fans’ expectations, although they both dominated at the box office and the third movie made over a billion dollars. Thus, it’s not surprising that another solo RDJ-lead Marvel movie has not yet made it to the big screens.
Perhaps with a more compelling script, Iron Man 4 could have at least hoped to match the original movie rather than having Stark end his run in the collective Avengers films. That said, fans are still very receptive to an Iron Man 4, and YouTube has plenty of fan-made trailers.
Elf 2
The original Elf movie helped launch Will Ferrell into the A-list movie actors. It is still one of the most popular Christmas comedy films in the modern era, and it remains a cult classic. Though the film had a conclusive ending, fans expected another Buddy-led adventure in Elf 2.
Unfortunately, the film never made it past the theoretical phase because Ferrell decided to move on from the one-hit-wonder. Fans shouldn’t be too disappointed, however. The comedian has pursued plenty of projects that have climbed to success, like Step Brothers and Anchorman.
Narnia 4: The Silver Chair
Walt Disney’s film adaption of C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe amassed $745 million; its huge success led to two more sequels. Unfortunately, neither held a candle to the original’s profit, but they were commendable films with most of the main cast featuring (or at least a cameo).
Faithful fans long for Narnia 4: The Silver Chair, which would follow Eustace Scrubb’s adventure with his schoolmate Jill Pole. Together, they would search for the lost Prince Rilian. Although Netflix has acquired the rights to the adaptation series, it seems unlikely there will be another film for the famed franchise.
Avatar The Last Airbender 2
It would be a stretch to imagine anyone who loved the cartoon version of Avatar the Last Airbender wanting a sequel movie by M. Night Shyamalan. However, had the live-action film not tried to cram the entirety of book one into a 2-hour feature film, at least it wouldn’t be the laughingstock of adaptations.
There are actually a trio of ATLA-related animated movies that were recently announced as in development, but they will clearly have nothing to do with the flop live-action adaptation.
Rise Of The Guardians 2
Based on a children’s book series, Rise of the Guardians is a holiday adventure that seemed to have a sequel to follow, especially with its fun cast of legendary figures. Unfortunately, this underappreciated DreamWorks film remains permanently on the shelf despite the director expressing interest in a sequel.
If it were to be pulled into production, fans would like to see the team of guardians face their origin stories since the first film centered around Jack Frost. It wouldn’t be challenging to find script material with the novels completed; all that’s needed is the cast and a repeat of gorgeous animation.
