Hollywood is a town founded on dreams, but not all of them see the light of day. For every high-profile blockbuster that lights up the marquees, there are hundreds of ambitious, strange, or downright mythical projects that become mired in development hell or abandoned before a frame is even shot. Over the years, many of those never-made films have become mythic in their own right, fueling rumors, documentaries, and limitless speculation.
Here are 12 of the most intriguing films that never advanced beyond the development stages—projects that still linger in the minds of filmmakers and audiences alike.
1. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune
Few abandoned films have come close to achieving the cult status of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune. In the mid-1970s, the visionary director of El Topo and The Holy Mountain embarked on bringing Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic into a 14-hour film experience. With its all-star surreal cast of Salvador Dalí, Orson Welles, and Mick Jagger, and Pink Floyd music, the film promised to be a groundbreaking synthesis of art and science fiction. But after years of development and millions of dollars invested, the rights dissolved in 1982 and ended up in the possession of David Lynch. Jodorowsky’s dream became so legendary that it spawned its award-winning documentary in 2013.
2. Darren Aronofsky’s Batman: Year One
Following the box office disaster of Batman & Robin, Warner Bros. decided to reboot the franchise with a new, darker tone. That’s where Darren Aronofsky comes in, having just directed Pi and Requiem for a Dream, and joined forces with The Dark Knight Returns creator Frank Miller to give a radical reinterpretation of Batman: Year One. Their take dumped the classic origin story—Alfred turned into a mechanic, Bruce Wayne was not rich anymore, and James Gordon was an outlaw cop in hiding. Joaquin Phoenix was said to have been in contention for the role. The studio eventually lost out, going with Christopher Nolan’s more realistic take, but Aronofsky’s take is an intriguing “what if.”
3. James Cameron’s Spider-Man
Long before Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man made it big in 2002, James Cameron was developing his own, decidedly different take on the web-slinger. His version from the early ’90s weighed heavily on body horror and adult themes and had a darker tone and R-rated elements. Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for Peter Parker, and the baddies featured a reimagined Electro and Sandman. Legal disputes over rights and creative differences eventually killed the project, but Cameron’s innovative concepts paved the way for subsequent Spider-Man films.
4. Tim Burton’s Superman Lives
Following the success of his work on Batman, Tim Burton was called upon to bring an innovative new interpretation of Superman to the screen. With Kevin Smith’s script and Nicolas Cage as the Man of Steel, Superman Lives would have drawn from The Death of Superman story and included Brainiac, Doomsday, and a black resurrection suit. Although heavy concept art and costume tests were done, the movie never reached production, sidetracked by budget increases and creative clashes. What’s left behind is a lot of crazy ideas and a legendary director-star teaming that fans continue to fantasize about today.
5. Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek
Tarantino’s passion for Star Trek sounds like a joke, but for a while, it was an actual project in the works. He developed a pitch for an R-rated, standalone Trek movie full of his trademark dialogue and graphic violence. It would have been entirely distinct from the J.J. Abrams reboot universe. Tarantino, although leaving to work on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and other ventures, has never lost the possibility of a Tarantino-influenced Star Trek as one of the most intriguing genre crossovers not to happen.
6. Guillermo del Toro’s At the Mountains of Madness
Guillermo del Toro long ago was a proponent of bringing H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, a darkly disturbing cosmic horror tale set in Antarctica. Del Toro had a script, the visual designs, and even Tom Cruise signed on to appear. Universal was spooked, however, by the $150 million price tag and del Toro’s refusal to budge on an R rating. Despite several reboots, the project is one of the most high-profile horror adaptations to have never left development.
7. Neill Blomkamp’s Alien Sequel
Following District 9, Neill Blomkamp received the go-ahead to make a new Alien movie that would be a direct sequel to Aliens, disregarding the occurrences of the subsequent films. Sigourney Weaver was on board, and concept artwork hinted at returning fan-favorite characters and a return to the franchise’s frightening roots. But the project was derailed after the underwhelming reception of Chappie and Ridley Scott’s return to the franchise. Blomkamp’s vision is an intriguing what-if for franchise fans.
8. Christopher Nolan’s The Prisoner
In 2009, prior to Inception, Christopher Nolan was developing a feature version of the British cult classic television series The Prisoner. With its surrealism and existential themes, the series would have been a natural fit for Nolan’s intellectual storytelling. He even commissioned the writers of 12 Monkeys to write a script. But with The Dark Knight Rises being a priority, the project slipped quietly into obscurity. For the time being, it is an afterthought in Nolan’s filmography that the fans would be happy to revisit.
9. George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal
Before the existence of the DCEU, George Miller was going to helm Justice League: Mortal—a gritty, ensemble superhero film with a cast that featured Armie Hammer as Batman, Common as Green Lantern, and Adam Brody as The Flash. Costumes were created, rehearsals had commenced, and the movie was only weeks away from filming before the 2007–2008 writers’ strike and studio changes halted everything. To this day, Justice League: Mortal is seen as one of the most promising DC adaptations that never came to life.
10. Channing Tatum’s Gambit
Channing Tatum’s years-long quest to bring the X-Men’s card-throwing Cajun Gambit to the big screen was no secret. He was enthusiastic about the project and was set to star in and produce a stand-alone film. But despite years of development and rewrites, the project continued to run into roadblocks. Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox effectively put the kibosh on it. While Tatum did eventually get a cameo in the role through Deadpool & Wolverine, the full stand-alone vision is still unrealized.
11. MIB 23: The 21 Jump Street/Men in Black Crossover
Hollywood’s strangest ideas sometimes get suspiciously close to becoming reality. MIB 23 would have combined 21 Jump Street with Men in Black and taken Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on an alien-busting, sci-fi adventure. Phil Lord and Chris Miller were working on the script, and James Bobin was going to direct. But even after all the hype and initial steam, Sony eventually skipped in favor of a more conventional Men in Black reboot. Nonetheless, the idea alone still generates interest—and giggles.
12. The Remakes That Thankfully Never Happened
Not all unmade films are tragedies—some are near-misses that thank fans for never happening. Some examples include a live-action Akira, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot without Joss Whedon, Robert Zemeckis’ motion-capture Yellow Submarine, and a contemporary reboot of The NeverEnding Story, all of which were brought down by rights troubles, creative conflicts, or fan outrage. In each of these instances, the original enchantment was likely best left alone.
These failed projects are more than secret history trivia—more like evidence of the unpredictability, the unpredictability, and frequently chaotic nature of filmmaking. They are a reminder that behind every film that makes it to the big screen, there are hundreds more that exist only in development notes, concept paintings, or the imagination of what might have been. In Hollywood, even the getaways have a story to tell.