Honestly, the number of scripts and ideas Hollywood goes through far outweighs the number of films that are actually, you know, made. I’m sure there’s a script out there for every idea you could think of: A superhero reboot, a Heather Graham biopic, another superhero reboot, a studio’s competing Heather Graham biopic, another…okay, I’ll stop.
Speaking of tired jokes, you know how multiverse films like to establish that whole ‘this is a new timeline’ concept by showcasing a radically different actor in some iconic role? Sylvester Stallone as the T-800, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Rocky, Linda Hamilton as Ellen Ripley? Well, those jokes aren’t always far off the mark. Developments on a production can happen quickly and unexpectedly, and some of history’s greatest ‘what if’s’ are found in the annals of Hollywood history.
Sure, some projects just sound so bad that they likely would have been train wrecks right out of the gate, but sometimes those films become iconic in their own right. It’s not like we can’t have The Batman just because we also have Batman & Robin. And some proposed projects just sound like missed opportunities. Well, without further adieu, here’s an eclectic smattering of 10 projects and franchises that were once considered for theatrical release.
1. Treasure Planet 2
I’ve already established my thoughts on Treasure Planet. Long story short, it’s one of Disney’s underrated gems. That’s why the prospect of Treasure Planet 2 – which would have found Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) enrolled in the Intergalactic Academy for naval training. A full script was written, and Jim was set to find a love interest in his rival Kate, face off against a robotic pirate named Iron Beard (portrayed by Willem Dafoe no less), and gone off on a search for the greatest pirate ship ever made, the Centurion.
A spin-off TV show was also rumored to be planned – which, if you remember that era of Disney TV, probably would not have been as highly rated, but would’ve been entertaining nonetheless. Sadly, neither show nor sequel came to be thanks to Treasure Planet’s bad box office haul.
2. E.T. 2: Nocturnal Fears
It’s probably for the best (or at least in the best interests of ‘80s kids everywhere) that E.T. 2: Nocturnal Fears wasn’t produced. Had it been made, cinematic history might have been changed in more than one way.
See, E.T. 2: Nocturnal Fears was set to bring Elliott (Henry Thomas) back to the big screen: a few years after saying bye to the lovable E.T. from the first film, Elliott accidentally makes contact with other members of E.T.’s species. But Elliott comes to learn a hard lesson – one which he would’ve known had he simply owned a cat: just because it’s cute doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous.
The other members of E.T.’s species are evil, and they spend the movie torturing Elliott. Yep, it was a straight-up horror movie. The 9 page outline, written by director Steven Spielberg and writer Melissa Mathison, can actually be found online. Spielberg just didn’t feel that the sequel was needed, and the idea was abandoned. Mostly, at least – there’s some clear similarities between the idea behind this sequel and Gremlins, which Spielberg executive produced.
3. HBO’s The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower is notorious for being difficult to adapt to film. Each volume is huge and dense with lore, but its premise – a Stephen King work that ties together his entire bibliography – is so enticingly ready for an adaptation.
I mean, come on, it’s Stephen King, that’s almost a given. But Warner Bros. & HBO had some real faith in their proposed plan for a Dark Tower franchise, which would have involved seasons of a TV show being released in between theatrical films. The idea would’ve been novel and potentially revolutionary. Eventually, though, Warner Bros. passed on the project. The box office failure of 2017’s The Dark Tower, which ended up being distributed by Sony, and which also had a proposed television series attached, will probably keep the idea from reaching fruition. Still, a Mike Flanagan-developed series is reportedly in the works at Amazon.
4. George Lucas’s Star Wars Episode VII – XII
It’s tough to get a straight story out of George Lucas. Occasionally, the famed filmmaker has mentioned wanting nine Star Wars films in total. But some, including Mark Hamill himself, have claimed that Lucas once had an even more sprawling idea for Star Wars that would’ve taken the franchise up to Episode XII.
Back when this was the idea, several elements of the Original Trilogy were planned for later stories. For instance, Leia (Carrie Fisher) was not Luke’s sister, who was still off in the Galaxy, waiting to be found. The Emperor would have also been saved for a villain role in a later trilogy.
Things changed, of course. The Disney buyout happened and Episodes VII – IX exist in the forms we know them today. We do know a little about what Lucas had planned though, and it was pretty similar. He’d had the idea for a female protagonist for a while, and wanted the third trilogy to shift the focus to the grandkids of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). He’s also alluded that some more of the more metaphysical aspects of the Force would be involved. Maybe Episode X will use some of Lucas’s unused ideas.
5. The Last Airbender 2
They say there is no movie in Ba Sing Se. Heed their warnings. Or not, really, who am I to tell you what to do?
The Last Airbender 2 would have been M. Night Shyamalan’s second film in his live-action The Last Airbender franchise. Naturally, it would have adapted Book 2 of the animated series. I’ll give you one guess why this one didn’t get made. Drab, inauthentic, and overall uninteresting, the film failed to capture audience’s attention – only attracting ridicule. Interest never died down in a live-action Avatar adaptation, though, and the first season of the Netflix series is rapidly approaching its release date in 2024.
6. Batman Unchained
Batman & Robin was reviled nearly instantly when it came out. A second outing by Joel Schumacher (who later felt the need to apologize for directing the first film) for the character was planned, but didn’t survive the production process for long.
Batman Unchained would’ve brought the Batman & Robin cast back – and a few familiar faces as well. It was proposed that, during a toxic fear gas induced hallucination, actors Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jim Carrey would all return as their respective roles of the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman, Two-Face, and the Riddler.
Nic Cage was offered the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow, and names like Madonna and Courtney Love were shopped around for Harley Quinn (who would’ve been revealed to be the Joker’s illegitimate daughter in this version). Ultimately, Batman took a hiatus from theaters before returning triumphantly in 2005 with Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins.
7. Transformers 6
The current Transformers films, including Rise of the Beasts, are not actually in the same continuity as the first five films. Actually, the continuity in those films ended after Transformers: The Last Knight underperformed.
Ultimately, Transformers 6 morphed into 2018’s Bumblebee, which opted to switch up the modern-day setting for a retro one instead. Had Transformers 6 happened, it probably would have continued off of the cliffhanger ending of Transformers: The Last Knight, where ancient Transformer Quintessa (Gemma Chan) reveals herself to be in hiding amongst humanity, waiting to free her world-devouring master, Unicron, from the depths of the Earth.
It’s okay to be a little confused, Transformers has always been a shockingly lore heavy franchise.
8. Justice League: Mortal
Had George Miller released Justice League: Mortal, the possibility exists that the MCU and DCU would have released a similar amount of movies by now. The project was scheduled for a late-2000s release, but problems with the 2007’s Writer’s Strike and some difficulties with the Australian government resulted in it getting scrapped.
The project would have featured the Brother Eye satellite as its main threat. The movie would have eventually revealed that Maxwell Lord (played by Jay Baruchel) and Talia Al Ghul (Teresa Palmer) were responsible for hacking into the satellite and turning it against the Justice League. Armie Hammer was cast as Batman (a bullet might have been dodged there), D.J. Cotrona scored the part of Superman, Megan Gale was Wonder Woman, and there were many, many more names attached to the film.
9. Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian
Beetlejuice was once nearly beset with its very own quirky ‘90s sequel. The film would have featured Lydia (Winona Ryder) and the other Deetzes at a Hawaiian resort. While there, Lydia finds love – and a returned Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton).
It’s hard to say how much of that will make it into the Beetlejuice 2 film that’s currently shooting right now. Rumor has it that the sequel’s working title is Blue Hawaiian, but whether or not that’s just a cute nod to the original script – who can say? The released set photos have thus far not revealed too much about the film – other than the fact that Lydia’s still rocking a goth look.
10. The Dark Crystal 2
The Dark Crystal is quite possibly Jim Henson’s magnum opus. The film is a full, dark fantasy made entirely with Henson’s sophisticated puppeteering knowledge. The final result feels mythical, ethereal, and alien. But it might’ve simply been too ahead of its time.
Henson always discussed making a sequel to The Dark Crystal, and his estate had discussed making The Power of the Dark Crystal back in the 2000s. The Dark Crystal writer David Odell and Annette Duffy even wrote an outline as far back as pre-production on the first film.
Unfortunately, the film remains a niche, cult hit, and it hasn’t found a wide enough audience. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a prequel television show, only lasted one season on Netflix, despite being enjoyable on its own. For now, the world of Thra is silent. Hmmm.