These film projects never saw the light of day

Are the most beautiful films the ones we will never see? Impossible to know, by definition, but when we look at ambitious projects launched and then abandoned by great directors, we can ask ourselves this exact question. Have a look at some films with great potential that were never finished or broadcast.

Thunderbolt in the universe of American superheroes! While the film 'Batgirl,' supposed showing the female counterpart of Batman, was already in postproduction, Warner Bros. Discovery canceled the release to everyone's surprise. The directors have expressed their amazement at a move that appears to be collateral damage from the Warner Bros. studios merger and Discovery: The new entity would have deemed the project too expensive for streaming but not spectacular enough for the big screen.

This pharaonic historical project was to be directed by Stanley Kubrick with a spectacular cast. The filmmaker's slow preparations and the studios' fear that historical blockbusters would go out of fashion, eventually won out over the American-made 'Napoleon.'

Kubrick has also long wanted to adapt the story of Pinocchio. According to his old friend Emilio d'Alessandro, quoted by 'The Guardian,' the director who died in 1999 “ wanted to make it in his own way because so many Pinocchios have been made. He wanted to do something really big. He said to me: 'It would very nice if I could make children laugh and feel happy by making this Pinocchio.'" We will have to settle for (many) other adaptations though.

Inspired by surrealism and fascinated by science fiction, Alejandro Jodorowsky had set up a titanic project to adapt 'Dune' with a colossal budget for the time. It had a planned duration of twelve hours, Pink Floyd for the soundtrack, and actors like Alain Delon and Orson Welles, without forgetting Salvador Dali in the role of the emperor. But the scale of the project scared off investors and Alejandro Jodorowsky had to throw in the towel after four years.

A dream for many film lovers that never saw the light of day: the planned adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel by David Cronenberg. Some critics consider that the American made "his Frankenstein" with 'The Fly.'

This film about a bodybuilder serial killer was to mark a turning point in the career of the famous director. But the raw and daring nature of the project dissuaded the producers, who deemed it too risky commercially.

Quentin Tarantino has long toyed with the idea of a 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) prequel that would bring together the two Vega brothers: Vincent Vega from 'Pulp Fiction' (John Travolta) and Vic Vega of 'Reservoir Dogs' (Michael Madsen). A promising project, but it never went beyond the production stage.

Tarantino also did not get the opportunity to direct the sequel to 'Inglorious Basterds,' his famous World War II film released in 2009. Brad Pitt was once again to headline the film as the vigilante.

After 'Total Recall,' Paul Verhoeven wanted to reunite with Arnold Schwarzenegger on a crusade movie. Eventually, the blockbuster project was dropped in one fell swoop when the studio claimed it didn't have the funds Verhoeven needed for production. A shame for lovers of medieval history movies.

Monty Python's Terry Gilliam wanted to shoot his adaptation of Cervantes' masterpiece with Jean Rochefort and Johnny Depp in 2000. But problems ensued: a herniated disc prevented Rochefort from riding, and the shooting locations proved catastrophic between the noise of the nearby military base and a storm that damaged the equipment... Gilliam quickly abandoned the project before directing 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' in 2018.

The adaptation of the comic 'Death of Superman' was indeed close to being completed with Nicolas Cage in the title role. However, it was decided to completely revamp the script, and that job was never finalized. Tim Burton finally abandoned the project to go and shoot 'Sleepy Hollow.'

Another superhero movie project that never saw the light of day: James Cameron's Spider-Man. It would eventually be Sam Raimi who filmed the story of the spider-man in a landmark trilogy.

Sergio Leone's adaptation of Harrison Salisbury's book on the history of the Siege of Leningrad was initially delayed by the Soviet authorities' refusal to shoot the film on location. Yet, it was Leone's death in April 1989 that put an end to the project indefinitely, even though production could finally be launched by then.

The American filmmaker dreamed of an adaptation of the sci-fi bestseller in his own way. But Warner felt that Arnold Schwarzenegger was no longer as profitable to play the last human being on earth. Meanwhile, the novel has been picked up by three other filmmakers.

An absolutely staggering project that was ultimately never filmed. This dystopia was to feature a city of New York being rebuilt after a cataclysm. And the cast was tempting: Nicolas Cage, Robert de Niro, Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe… But the September 11 attacks happened and made it impossible to stage a similar scenario…

Before being successfully adapted by Claude Chabrol in 1994, with François Cluzet and Emmanuelle Béart in the role of a couple of hoteliers, 'L'Enfer' ('Hell') was an unfinished project by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Filming began in 1964 with Romy Schneider and Serge Reggiani, but they were soon worn down by Clouzot's demands and replaced by Jean-Louis Trintignant. In addition to the difficulties and cost of filming, the director's heart attack forced production to stop, and the film remained unfinished.

Even cartoons are not spared from project abandonments. 'Musicana' was to be the sequel to 'Fantasia' and was supposed to highlight music from all over the world, such as jazz and tango. However, doubts about its commercial viability prevented the project from coming to fruition.