Top Ten Best Films Never Made

Hollywood has a way of hyping up films that end up never getting made. Here are the films never made that had excellent concepts.

Some of these films were simply rumors and some had a hard script worked out. The main thing these films had in common is how much potential each of them had.

Sadly, it just wasn't meant to be. While it's rather ridiculous to try and play pretend and imagine how great some of these movies would have been, it doesn't change the fact that it's fun to make beliefs.

I mean who knows, if James Cameron's Avatar could make an appearance at the box office after being shelved for 16 years, anything could happen. Without further ado here are the top ten films that were never made.

In this post:

Films Never Made

Kevin Smith's Superman Lives

Okay, so this one is a bit of a Cop Out. Kevin Smith wrote a script for director John Peters, one which Peters felt was lacking action beats.

So Peters took it upon himself to add in fights with polar bears, a cute dog for Brainiac, a giant spider, and a gay robot.

So, while this wouldn't be quite considered the best movie ever made, it still would have been awesome to see Superman punch a polar bear.

It's unfortunate that Warner Bros couldn't make this film happen. The rest of the films on this list are serious. Promise.

James Cameron's Spiderman

While Sam Raimi did a great job with the first two films, I feel that Cameron could've pulled off an excellent version himself – preferably a version that didn't involve Peter Parker using an avatar or where Spiderman has to rescue passengers on the Titanic.

But still, Cameron could make it work. Why not have Spiderman go to the future, team up with Ellen Ripley, and fight Terminators and Aliens? I would pay to see any Cameron film, especially a well-done Spiderman movie

Tim Burton's Batman 3

While Batman Returns wasn't as good as Batman, another dark and offbeat Burton Batman film would be way better than Batman and Robin any day of the week.

Knowing Burton he probably would've cast Johnny Depp as the title villain: the Riddler. While we didn't get treated to a Depp Riddler in the '90s maybe Nolan will cast him, it's doubtful but possible.

Kubrick in the Ring with Brando

After making Paths of Glory, Kubrick was gaining attention from big Hollywood names and producers. One of which was Marlon Brando.

Brando contacted Kubrick and the two decided to collaborate, and after toying around with many ideas, a film called One-Eyed Jacks became the most prominent.

During the time they were working on the script, Kubrick became aware of the book Lolita. So enthusiastic about it that he worked on obtaining the rights of the book to turn it into a film, obviously causing tension between himself and Brando.

Just before the filming of One-Eyed Jacks was due to commence, Kubrick bowed out, leaving Brando with the task of directing. It would have been interesting to have a film on the cinema history shelves starring Marlon Brando and directed by Stanley Kubrick, but it never came to be.

Napoleon Would Have Been Dynamite

The biggest film Kubrick planned to make which never came to fruition (possibly the greatest film ever made) was also his dream project: a film about Napoleon.

After spending years making 2001, Kubrick moved to London and also shipped several hundred books about Napoleon to his London office.

Kubrick worked on the script, even completing a screenplay, but after the release and dismal performance of Waterloo at the box office, Warner Brothers decided to pull out; and Kubrick was forced to shelve his dream project.

Fortunately, there is a book available that contains a copy of the script, and photographs of locations and costumes which were to be used in the film.

Kubrick always planned and spoke about returning to the project, which would have starred Jack Nicholson, but it never came to be. There has also been speculation in the past that Ridley Scott was to make the film, but I take this to be no more than a rumor.

Other Roads Never Taken

It seems that Kubrick had trouble finding a project that would satisfy him creatively and also satisfy the needs of Warner Brothers. He even employed people to read books for him and review them, just to see if they would make a good film.

One other film that never saw the light of day was Aryan Papers, a film based in the Warsaw ghetto. Kubrick had the screenplay and the locations, but after Schindler's List was released the project was abandoned yet again.

This, however, may not be the only reason why it was never released. As Kubrick found it difficult not only to research such a film but also to go ahead and film such events.

One exception to his shelved projects is A.I, one which he planned to produce but did not direct, and was only made after his death. The film was shelved as the technology at the time wasn't up to speed with what Kubrick desired for the film.

Kubrick passed the directing job over to Steven Spielberg, as Kubrick felt A.I leaned more towards Spielberg's sentiments as a filmmaker than his own. Kubrick was right about that.

After watching A.I, it certainly feels more like a Spielberg film than a Kubrick picture. Though one of Kubrick's talents was in discovering what would make a great motion picture. It is just unfortunate that profit sometimes comes before art.

Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park IV

If you grew up in the '90s you loved Dinosaurs, which means you probably also loved Jurassic Park. While the subsequent sequels were okay, a Spielberg franchise return would be just what the series needed.

Unfortunately, this film has been in development hell since the third movie was released. I'm convinced the movie would do well as long as the main characters return and Spielberg was at the helm. There are rumors though that a script is being produced. Who knows? Fingers crossed.

Stanly Kubrick's Napoleon

Kubrick was never known for straightforward filmmaking, so a historic adaption to the life of Napoleon opens up so much room for artistic license. The man had done his research too, he had read over 500 books on the topic and even scouted out filming locations coordinating to points in Napoleon's life.

The film fell through due to funding. The script for his project is available online and it looks outstanding. It's a shame he couldn't get to work on it.

Mel Brooks' Space Balls 2: The Search For More Money

What can anyone say about Spaceballs? It's one of the best parody films of all time and has some of the most quotable lines in movie history. With the tragic death of John Candy, many script delays, and all the cast members getting up there in age, it's unlikely a sequel will ever be made

Alfred Hitchcock's Kaleidoscope

A film about a serial killer shot entirely from the perspective of the murderer, this was going to be Hitchcock's darkest and most ambitious film in his oeuvre.

Pretty much any film that was never made by Hitchcock should be on this list but there's only room for ten and we can't let Hitchcock hog the list.

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Maxanne

Anne is a recent college grad who majored in Business Administration and Marketing Management. She is a hopeless romantic who makes sure our content stays up-to-date.