History DevelopmentHell / LiveActionFilm

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[[folder: Anime and Manga Adaptations]]
* The live-action ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' movie was originally announced in 2003 by Creator/ADVFilms but nothing has come of it since then, apparently due to the insane costs of pulling the series off correctly in live-action compared to actual interest in such an endeavor. The collapse of ADV and the general decay of the American anime market didn't help it, either. Who's actually still involved remains up in the air, but the last time they said anything about it, the producer of ''Appleseed Ex Machina'', Creator/JohnWoo, was a producer and they were looking for more. That was in 2008.
** Apparently, the producers got so far as that they needed Creator/StudioGainax to hand over the rights so they could finally get moving... and that's when things fell apart. When ADV went to buy the rights they had optioned, Gainax backed out, citing certain unfulfilled conditions. The producers lost their window with the studio (at least for the moment), and ADV is now suing Gainax over the rights. This happened in 2011, and no word has been heard since. Hideki Anno's Studio Khara later gained all rights to the franchise, and it is currently devoted to ''Rebuild of Evangelion''. The release of ''Film/PacificRim'', which many considered to be sort of a SpiritualAdaptation of the series, probably didn't help either.
* In June 2006, producers Neil Mortiz and Roy Lee announced that they had the green light to go ahead with making an American remake of ''Film/BattleRoyale'', which would, indeed, retain the "high schoolers killing each other" theme, and that Creator/NewLineCinema had given a tentative release date of 2008. Aside from the then-recent Virginia Tech Massacre making New Line [[TooSoon nervous about the themes]], it later turned out they still haven't acquired the rights to make the film in the first place and apparently don't wish to try. A television adaptation was planned for Creator/TheCW but was later scrapped. Plus, the popularity of ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' franchise (which had some similar themes to ''Battle Royale'' but went about them differently) probably rendered it unnecessary anyway.
%%* The American live-action adaptation of ''Anime/WickedCity''.
* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''. A while back, there was a trailer, but nothing more has been even whispered about it. Technically, it was a concept trailer, used to pitch the idea to studios to get them interested in the project. The girl playing Seras in the trailer was a hired model. However, the company developing the film pulled the trailer from their site and Website/YouTube, indicating things may not have gone in favor of the project.
* The live-action ''Anime/{{Voltron}}'' film, due to rights issues between the American rights holders (they own the names) and the Japanese rights holders (they own the likenesses). This seems to have been settled and there were rumors that Paramount and Relativity would team up on an adaptation back in Spring 2011, but it was eventually abandoned in favor of ''WesternAnimation/VoltronForce''. Said series ended up getting canceled after one season, leaving the franchise in limbo for years.
** [[http://deadline.com/2016/11/voltron-david-hayter-live-action-film-universal-dreamworks-animation-1201848630/ Things seemed to be looking up as of 2016]]. With Creator/{{Universal}} buying Creator/DreamWorksAnimation (the current owners of the ''Voltron'' franchise) and production of ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'', Universal appeared to be dead set on starting a ''Voltron'' multimedia franchise, going full-steam ahead with the movie and Creator/DavidHayter rumored to be attached as scriptwriter. However, as of January 2020, there is no mention of any ''Voltron'' productions from either Universal or Dreamworks in their upcoming schedules (when prior a film had been listed by Dreamworks as "TBA").
* The ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' live-action film has been this for a long time, with Creator/WarnerBros acquiring the rights back in ''2002'', and more and more prospective producers passing on the project (Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio was once attached). Every other hot young actor in Hollywood has been considered for roles in the movie (notably, Creator/JosephGordonLevitt, Creator/ChrisEvans, Creator/GarrettHedlund, and Creator/KristenStewart). Jaume Collett-Serra (''Film/HouseOfWax2005'') was once attached to direct before the project was halted over budget concerns. Creator/GeorgeMiller has confirmed that he turned down an offer to direct. Currently, Creator/WarnerBros has Marco Ramirez (Netflix's ''Daredevil'') attached to write with Creator/ChristopherNolan possibly involved in some way, and Justin Lin (''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' creator), David Sandberg (''Film/LightsOut''), Creator/JordanPeele (''Film/GetOut2017''), and Creator/TaikaWaititi (''Film/ThorRagnarok'') all in talks to direct, with the latter expressing the most interest. The film suffered yet another setback in July 2019 when negotiations with Waititi broke down over casting disputes (Waititi wanted lesser-known actors playing the characters, while Warner Bros. pushed for [[StuntCasting big-name actors]]), resulting in Waititi signing on for ''Thor: Love and Thunder'' and the film losing its planned 2021 release date. In an [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2019-10-19/taika-waititi-comments-briefly-on-status-of-live-action-akira-film/.152411 October 2019 interview]], Waititi said the film was still going to be made, but it would need to wait until production on ''Love and Thunder'' wrapped up.
* A ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' live-action film was announced in 2008 by Harmony Gold and Warner Bros. A certain Creator/TobeyMaguire was said to be producing it. Also heavily hyped was the announcement that Creator/LawrenceKasdan (yes, the same one who wrote ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', and ''Film/TheBodyguard'') had written a script. Things were looking up until the fans were informed that Mr. Kasdan's script was handed over to Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (writers of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' and ''Herbie Fully Loaded'') for a rewrite. The script was then handed to another writer named Tom Rob Smith for yet another rewrite. Given the questionable sanity involved in not just going with a script by a lauded screenwriter (let alone entrusting it to a two mediocre writers and then one nobody to "rewrite"), ''Robotech'' fans were no longer optimistic that the film would be worth seeing if it was ever made. The rights were sold to Sony in 2015, completely abandoning the original project. Sony hopes to develop a franchise out of the property, but whether it actually happens remains to be seen. James Wan (''Film/{{SAW|I}}'', ''Film/FastAndFurious'') was attached to direct for a while, but as his plate was full through 2018 with ''{{Film/Aquaman|2018}}'' and ''Film/TheConjuring2'', the hell continued. As of September 2017, Andy Muschietti (''[[Film/It2017 It]]'') is now attached to direct with Jason Fuchs (''Film/WonderWoman2017'') attached to write. It was thought that a [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-09-14/harmony-gold-macross-mospeada-southern-cross-licenses-still-expire-in-2021/.121372 2017 ruling]] indicating Harmony Gold would lose the rights to everything ''Robotech'' related except the name (as the three original shows would revert to their original owners in Tatsunoko) would be the end of the film, only for Harmony Gold to renegotiate a license renewal for an unknown period of time. A major highlight of the renewal announcement was that a ''Robotech'' movie would come out, eventually, but given the tumultuous history of the film’s development, most doubt this.
* ''Star Blazers'' was originally licensed by Disney. Somehow the script was leaked over the internet and the feedback was universally negative. Their treatment would have included almost none of the characters from the series and would have turned the Star Force into a RagtagBandOfMisfits. The Yamato/Argo would have been renamed Arizona (allegedly after the WWII American ship sunk at Pearl Harbor) and constructed under Mount Rushmore. Given the location, this was not, unlike the anime, a spaceship built from the wreck of a sunken WWII ship. Thus, naming the ship after a sunken WWII ship was for no discernable reason in this case. Disney allowed the film license to expire. Christopher [=McQuarrie=] announced in 2011 that he was currently working on a script for Skydance Productions. It remains to be seen whether an American ''Star Blazers'' film even remains viable given the 2010 Japanese production of a live-action theatrical ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' (the source material for ''Star Blazers)''. In a December 2012 interview, [=McQuarrie=] said that a script has been completed but no one can agree on what direction the film should go.
* The rights for a live-action Hollywood ''Franchise/LupinIII'' film were purchased back in 2003, and ads for the manga mentioned: "soon to be a major motion picture!" Nothing ever came of it.
* In the late '90s, Disney was in talks to make a live-action movie based on ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' featuring Creator/GeenaDavis as Queen Beryl (and, depending on the source, Creator/AliciaSilverstone or Creator/KirstenDunst rumored for the title role). At the time, Disney owned [=DiC=], the then-US licencors of the ''Sailor Moon'' franchise. Save Our Sailors later reported that the project had been canceled to due to Kodansha, the Japanese publishers of the original manga, refusing to sell the rights. Not helping was the failure of two superhero films at then-rival Creator/WarnerBros, ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' and ''Film/{{Steel}}'', at the box office, the underperformance of the series itself in syndication, and the fact that both Davis and Silverstone (if the latter is credited as the one Disney was seeking for the title role) had recently starred in damaging box office bombs, including one of the two aforementioned superhero film {{Genre Killer}}s. [[http://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/magoo-goes-stunt-crazy-1117863071/ This article]] from ''Variety'' from 1997 mentions that director Stanley Tong (who made the ''Mr. Magoo'' live-action film) was attached to the project.
* A Hollywood live-action/CGI film based on the manga series ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}'' was announced in 1999 by Jim Henson Studios and Don Murphy's production company to be distributed by Creator/NewLineCinema. They confirmed it again in 2005, but nothing has been heard since. As with ''Star Blazers'', the Japanese live-action franchise may have mooted the need for this film.
* The ''Film/DragonballEvolution'' sequel. It was being whispered about during promotion for the film, and it appears to end on a SequelHook, but the poor critical and commercial reception have apparently shelved it. Fox still holds the film rights to the franchise, despite not moving forward with the sequel. Their contract gives them a distribution stake in any future ''Dragon Ball'' films, live action or animated, and Creator/FUNimation had to go through them to license ''Battle of Gods'' and ''Resurrection 'F'''.
* A live-action adaptation of ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' was announced at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 for a 2012 release. The rights were purchased by Cubix International in Singapore, and the project was set up to be a co-production with various companies in the UK, China, Canada, and Australia, with the film itself being shot in Sydney under a $30 million budget, and options for three sequels. The writers and designers from the original anime were also in contact with the production team about maintaining consistency, and the film was confirmed to have a multi-ethnicity cast. There was even a Malaysian filmmaking reality show where part of the grand prize package was being hired to work on this movie. The first promo images were released in 2009, and then... nothing.
* A Hollywood live-action film based on ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' was optioned in the late 90s, but nothing ever came of it.
* Sony Pictures registered many domains relating to a Hollywood ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' film back in 2014, but nothing ever came of it. There's now word that Warner Bros. is in talks for the film rights.
* Probably following the huge success superhero movies still enjoy, in 2015 there were talks for [[http://variety.com/2015/film/asia/imagine-ent-japans-anew-tiger-bunny-adaptation-1201614519/ a live-action film]] based on ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'', with none other than Creator/RonHoward as one of the producers. IMDB lists it as "in development" for 2019, and writer Ellen Shanman was attached to it as a screenwriter, but nothing else is known about it.
* A movie based on ''Literature/SentouYouseiYukikaze'' was optioned to star Creator/TomCruise. The last news on it was Dan Mazeau, the screenwriter for ''[[Film/ClashOfTheTitans2010 Wrath of the Titans]]'' joining the project in 2013... and nothing after that.
* A live-action film based on ''Manga/SpaceAdventureCobra'' was once in development at Lionsgate as a passion project for Alexandre Aja. It was greenlit in 2011 by French production companies Onyx and Studio 37, and a teaser poster was unveiled. Aja confirmed in 2015 that a script had been completed by him and producer Gregory Levasseur. However, in 2018, Aja confirmed that the project died following casting difficulties, budget concerns (it was once supposed to carry a $130 million price tag), and similarities to ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' and ''Film/StarWarsTheForceAwakens''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Book Adaptations - DC]]
* ''ComicBook/TheSandman''. Considering that the person interested in filming it was [[ExecutiveMeddling Jon]] [[GiantSpider Peters]], though, it may be fortunate that this film never got off the ground. One of the proposed scripts is available online. The script Creator/RogerAvary and the guys behind ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' worked on was a pretty sweet blending of the first two collections and the "Endless gather again for the first time" scene from ''Season of Mists''. But then the script was sent in for rewrites under Jon Peters, and Creator/NeilGaiman called the script not only the worst ''Sandman'' script he'd seen, but one of the worst scripts he'd ever seen.
** The film adaptation of ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' spin-off ''Death: The High Cost Of Living'' has also been in development hell for several years. In December 2013, the film adaptation was going into production with Warner Bros. Gaiman, David S. Goyer and Creator/JosephGordonLevitt (who was strongly rumored to direct and star as well) as producers and Jack Thorne was announced as the scriptwriter in February 2014. However, in March 2016, Levitt left the project, citing CreativeDifferences with Creator/NewLineCinema and Thorne went with him. Eric Heisserer was hired to fill in the screenwriter position, but he too left the project in November for similar reasons. [[http://www.indiewire.com/2016/11/sandman-neil-gaiman-adaptation-loses-writer-again-eric-heisserer-1201743813/ He stated]] that ''The Sandman'' would be a better fit as a TV series rather than a movie. The project was later retooled as a series for Creator/{{Netflix}}, with the service greenlighting it in July 2019.
* A live-action adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' was among the projects considered before ''Film/BatmanBegins'' was green-lit. Rumors keep surfacing that the film is still trying to enter development. How many of these rumors are started by hopeful fans is another matter entirely.
* A live-action film of ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'' has been been in the early proposal/planning stages for over a decade now; spearheaded by long-time fan Creator/PatrickStewart, who is the fan-favorite to play Spider Jerusalem. At one point, an animated version was proposed, with Stewart voicing Jerusalem. Ellis and Robertson have indicated that they would like Creator/TimRoth to play the title role; but as of this time, no production has started on an adaptation.
* The Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse had several of its post-''Film/JusticeLeague2017'' projects have difficulty getting off the ground. Many of these projects were intended to be springboarded from ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' and ''Justice League'', only to be shelved after producers got cold feet due to the mixed-to-negative reception of both films.
** The solo Batman movie was originally intended to be released in 2020 and be directed and written by star Creator/BenAffleck. However, Affleck relinquished the director's chair to Creator/MattReeves, who then proceeded to discard the original script that Affleck co-wrote with Chris Terrio and Creator/GeoffJohns. As of this writing, the cast and crew haven't offered any concrete details with Affleck [[FlipFlopOfGod offering conflicting statements]] about whether he will come back as Batman. In January 2019, Warner Bros. announced that ''The Batman'' would be released on June 25, 2021, simultaneously confirming that Affleck would not return as Batman and that the role would be recast. After four months of silence, WB announced in May 2019 that Creator/RobertPattinson would replace Affleck as the title role, with filming set to begin in early 2020.
** A sequel to ''Film/ManOfSteel'' was also one of the DCEU projects shelved after ''Justice League''[='=]s poor critical and commercial reception. For a while, it was rumored that Creator/MatthewVaughn or Creator/ChristopherMcquarrie would direct the film, and Creator/AmyAdams stated during a promotional tour for ''Film/{{Arrival}}'' that a screenplay had been written. Further shrouding the prospects of a ''Man of Steel'' sequel were reports that Creator/HenryCavill had abandoned the Superman role following a breakdown in contractual negotiations, his inability to cameo in ''Film/Shazam2019'', and his obligation to Netflix's ''Series/TheWitcher2019'' series. The studio's lack of interest in either retaining Cavill and prioritizing a ''Man of Steel'' sequel seems to suggest that it's unlikely that there will be another Superman movie for the foreseeable future. Not only that, but Vaughn announced in May 2019 that he had left the project, bringing the sequel's production back to square one. Later, in July 2019, [=McQuarrie=] confirmed on Twitter that he and Cavill had pitched a ''Man of Steel'' sequel (presumably prior to the contractual breakdown with the studio), but that it had been rejected, making prospects for the movie even more dire than they already were. Adding to the increasing unlikelihood of ''Man of Steel 2'' happening anytime soon was the news that WB was interested in pursuing a ''Supergirl'' movie without Henry Cavill's involvement, as well as the late 2019 announcement of a new Superman TV series starring Creator/TylerHoechlin.
** In 2014, a ''Comicbook/{{Cyborg}}'' SpinOff was announced as part of the DCEU's first slate of films, with a tentative 2020 release date. Absolutely no progress has been reported since then, while other movies announced several years later have either entered production or at least had scripts and directors attached. In 2018, actor Creator/RayFisher even said at a convention that he hadn't heard anything about ''Cyborg'' happening anytime soon. In the meantime, Warner Bros. decided to introduce a new version of Cyborg in ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'', which itself isn't set in the DCEU. Further complicating matters is that Fisher's contract expired on May 31st, meaning that the Cyborg movie might be dead.
** The ''Franchise/TheFlash'' movie went through a tumultuous turnover of directors and writers regarding the direction of the film. Seth Grahame-Smith was originally hired as the director before being replaced by Rick Famuyiwa, who later dropped out over creative differences, leading to Warner Bros. settling on John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. However, production was repeatedly delayed due to star Creator/EzraMiller's commitment to the ''Film/FantasticBeasts'' series. Furthermore, Miller's dissatisfaction with the LighterAndSofter approach by Daley and Goldstein lead to him rewriting the script with aid of Creator/GrantMorrison to make it DarkerAndEdgier. Daley and Goldstein would later drop out with Creator/AndresMuschietti of ''Film/IT2017'' fame signing on to direct in July 2019 while the studio rejected Miller's rewrite and instead hired Christina Hodson to draft a new script. However, given Muschietti's commitment to both completing ''Film/ITChapterTwo'' and possibly directing an ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' adaptation, along with his desire to take a hiatus after completing ''It Chapter Two'', means that the ''Flash'' movie could be further delayed by several months if not years. It currently has a July 2022 release date but only time will tell if it comes to fruition.
** A ''Justice League'' sequel was also originally announced for 2019, but was later shelved. Originally intended to be directed by Zack Snyder, the sequel was to be DarkerAndEdgier than its predecessor and follow up on [[SequelHook Sequel Hooks]] present in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''. A combination of studio execs getting cold feet following the negative reaction to ''Batman v Superman'', them scrapping Snyder's plans for the original ''Justice League'' movie (with Creator/JossWhedon heavily rewriting and altering the film), Snyder leaving the franchise following a family tragedy and possibly frustrations with WB, and ''Justice League'' ultimately flopping at the box office, led to the studio abandoning plans for a sequel, at least for now.
** A ''Comicbook/GreenLantern Corps'' movie was announced as part of the first slate of DCEU movies back in 2016, with a planned 2020 release date. In contrast to the [[Film/GreenLantern 2011 film]], the reboot was said to be a ''Film/LethalWeapon''-style [[BuddyCopShow Buddy Cop Movie]] that would see veteran GL Hal Jordan mentoring John Stewart, the Corps' newest recruit. David Goyer and Justin Rhodes were announced as the movie's writers, with the GL Corps itself teased in ''Justice League'' (which showed a past Green Lantern fighting against Steppenwolf's army during a {{Flashback}} sequence). Following the failure of ''Justice League'' and the subsequent overhaul of the DCEU, Goyer and Rhodes presumably exited the project, as it was later reported that Creator/GeoffJohns had been hired to rewrite the script. There's been no update on the project since then, and the subsequent announcement of a big-budget ''Green Lantern'' TV series for the Creator/HBOMax streaming service has cast doubts as to whether WB still intends to do a movie.
** A ''Comicbook/JusticeLeagueDark'' movie had been in various stages of production since 2013, with Creator/GuillermoDelToro attached to write and direct. In 2015, it was announced that Creator/DougLiman was attached to direct the film, with del Toro producing. Liman eventually left the project to focus on ''Chaos Walking'', and, despite the title officially being announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2017, no further movement has been announced since then. The above-mentioned failure of the ''Justice League'' movie likely contributed to the studio being cagey about the chances of a SpinOff.
** A ''Comicbook/{{Nightwing}}'' SpinOff was reported to be in development in 2017, with ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie'''s Chris [=McKay=] attached to direct. Despite [=McKay=] publicly talking about his plans for the movie in interviews, the project stalled out after a while, with no real updates having been releasd in quite some time. It is believed that the uncertain future of the Batman franchise following the backlash to the initial DCEU films (with it seemingly increasingly possible that Creator/MattReeves' upcoming ''The Batman'' will be a ContinuityReboot rather than a prequel), as well as Ben Affleck's departure from the DCEU, has placed the project on ice indefinitely.
** Another possible victim of the Batman franchise's shakeup is the solo ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}'' film that was also announced in 2017. Creator/JossWhedon was initially attached to write and direct the movie, but left the project the following year. ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'' writer Christina Hodson was said to be penning the script after Whedon's departure, but since then there's been no word on when the movie will begin production or if it's even still happening.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Book Adaptations - Marvel]]
* ''Film/ThePunisher2004'' sequel went through this for a while and was ultimately canceled, with a [[Film/PunisherWarZone reboot]] produced instead. Once the reboot bombed Creator/LionsGate gave up and let the rights revert back to Marvel, who opted to introduce Punisher in ''Series/Daredevil2015'' instead of doing another Punisher movie yet. Owing to the amazing reception the Punisher received, a [[Series/ThePunisher2017 standalone Punisher series]] was greenlit for Netflix.
* The proposed ''ComicBook/LukeCage'' film, canceled after Sony decided to return the rights to Marvel to focus more on their [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries rebooted]] ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' series. Like with Daredevil, ''Series/{{Luke Cage|2016}}'' became a Netflix series.
* The fourth ''ComicBook/{{Blade}}'' [[Film/BladeTrilogy movie]] lapsed into this after the much-maligned ''Film/BladeTrinity'' failed to meet New Line Cinema's financial expectations and star Creator/WesleySnipes sued the studio and the film's director over being cut off the filmmaking processes and casting decisions. In 2008, [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison]] for tax evasion, [[ScrewedByTheLawyers directly resulting in Marvel revoking the film license from New Line/Warner Bros.]] [[FranchiseKiller and killing their franchise]] due to NLC/WB being deemed unable to produce a fourth film on time without Snipes. Ultimately, Marvel announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 that Blade would be rebooted for the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse with Creator/MahershalaAli taking on the role.
* One recurring ''[[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]]'' film rumor was a prequel for ComicBook/{{Magneto}}. Many postponing later, it became officially dead with the production of ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', which covers much of the same ground (the ''Magneto'' writer even got [[BasedOnAGreatBigLie a story credit for ''First Class'' despite his script never even being touched by that film's crew]]).
** Among many other X-Men related projects following ''First Class'', one that suffered the most in development hell was a solo Comicbook/{{Gambit}} film. Announced in 2014 with Creator/ChanningTatum attached and supposedly set for release in 2016, it went through multiple directors (including Rupert Wyatt, Creator/DougLiman and Creator/GoreVerbinski) and release dates, with the film moving from 2016 to 2017, 2018, and, finally, February 2019. In May 2019, not long after Disney took over Fox, the film, along with several other Marvel films planned by Fox, was removed from the release schedule, ensuring its death.
** Another project that never got a chance was a [[ComicBook/DoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] movie. During a convention panel, Creator/NoahHawley announce he was working on a movie based on Doctor Doom that would be more political thriller than superhero movie. The Disney/Fox merger put the project on the back burner, and Hawley later confirmed the project was dead.
** Additionally, a Comicbook/KittyPryde movie was said to be in the works back in early 2018, with Creator/BrianMichaelBendis writing the script and ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'''s Tim Miller attached to direct. Like ''Gambit'' and ''Doctor Doom'', the project was seemingly killed by the Disney-Fox merger.
* Similar to the cancelled/delayed ''[[Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice Batman v Superman]]'' and ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'' SpinOff projects mentioned above, ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' was originally meant to be the start of a shared Spider-Man Cinematic Universe from Sony. A number of projects were supposed to be spun out of the movie, but when it underperformed at the box office and received negative reviews from critics, many of these plans were cancelled or at least put on hold. So far, the lone exception has been ''Film/{{Venom|2018}}'', which was eventually released in 2018 as a standalone film divorced from the continuity of the ''Amazing Spider-Man'' series.
** Most obviously, a third ''[[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries Amazing Spider-Man]]'' movie was supposed to happen. The decision to do a complete ContinuityReboot set in the MCU, with Creator/TomHolland replacing Creator/AndrewGarfield as Spidey ultimately killed any chance of this happening.
** ''Amazing Spider-Man 2'' also very heavily set up a [[VillainEpisode Sinister Six movie]], which was going to be directed by Drew Goddard. Despite the project ultimately stalling out, producer Amy Pascal said in 2018 that Sony was still interested in making it.
** There was an idea for a female-centered team movie that would've had Creator/EmmaStone returning to play an alternate universe version of Gwen Stacy as Comicbook/SpiderWoman (ironically predating the creation of Comicbook/SpiderGwen). Comicbook/SilverSable was also planned to appear as one of the main characters.
** Other ideas pitched included a Comicbook/SpiderMan2099 movie and a Kraven the Hunter {{Interquel}} set between the first two ''Amazing Spider-Man'' movies.
* ComicBook/SubMariner. Failed plans to make a film go as far back as 1997, though for the longest time the film rights to the character were owned by Creator/UniversalPictures (with images of the character even being used in Ride/UniversalStudios) and out of Marvel's reach. As of late 2014, the rights have apparently reverted back to Marvel Studios, with hopes that the character could be introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sometime in the future, though some contracts with other companies still need to be done with first, according to some Marvel representatives.
* ''ComicBook/{{Micronauts}}'': In 1998, Annex Entertainment, Gribouille and Kaleidoscope Media Group considered the ''Micronauts'' toys for an animated series. The original plan for an animated series would have been in association with Marvel. That series would have been based on the Creator/MarvelComics. That project never got past a few conceptual illustrations. In 2012, Creator/JJAbrams announced that he was developing the Micronauts as a movie franchise for Creator/{{Paramount}}. However, Marvel is not involved with this movie, so fans are being warned that this will be a total reimagining as they are unable to use any of the characters, concepts, names, and situations created by Creator/BillMantlo.
* Marvel had a script and had done some preliminary casting for a movie based on the ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' back in 2010, with Music/KekePalmer approached for a role (presumably Xavin). It was ultimately shelved in favor of putting the studios' energies into ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. In 2013, the writer of the script was told that for the time being the film wasn't moving forward and reassigned to help Shane Black with ''Film/IronMan3'' instead. Ultimately, the comics were adapted into a [[Series/Runaways2017 Hulu-exclusive TV series]].
* There were plans for Creator/JamesGunn to direct a ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' movie, but the project has been officially shelved due to the surprise success of ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''.
* And then, of course, there's [[TroubledProduction the long and winding road]] to an ''[[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Incredible Hulk]]'' sequel, which has been discussed for years. While some actors are under contract or willing to return for the sequel, Norton himself is not, and since ''The Avengers'' recast Creator/MarkRuffalo in the role, the chances of Norton returning are virtually nonexistent. Leterrier has gone back and forth on the decision but has stated that he's open to directing the sequel. But now Kevin Feige said in 2014 there are no plans for the movie to appear in Phase 3, and Kevin Feige has said, for now, Marvel would like to restrict the Hulk and other characters like ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} to the Avengers franchise. [[FromBadtoWorse It only got worse in 2015]] when it was revealed that Marvel has to work out distribution rights issues with Creator/{{Universal}} before they can even consider doing another solo Hulk film. The film now seems very unlikely since Marvel used a proposed story arc for a Hulk sequel (which saw [[spoiler: the Hulk gradually becoming more intelligent until finally transforming into the Merged/"Professor" Hulk from Creator/PeterDavid's run in the 90s comics]]) as a subplot that ran through ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame''.
* Same goes for the possibility of a ComicBook/BlackWidow solo film. Lionsgate commissioned a script from Creator/DavidHayter back in 2004 before dropping the project, and Kevin Feige has stated that Marvel was in discussions with Creator/ScarlettJohansson for a Black Widow movie as far back as 2010. In July 2018, Jac Schaeffer (''WesternAnimation/OlafsFrozenAdventure'') was been tapped to write a Black Widow solo film with Cate Shortland as director. Filming eventually started in early 2019, targeting a May 1, 2020 release date.
* A ComicBook/NickFury movie written by Andrew Marlowe was announced way back in 2006 as part of the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]]'s first slate of movies. As of 2014, no further developments have been made.
* A new ''Comicbook/RedSonja'' film was announced, with a teaser poster announcing a 2009 release date. Since the 2011 ''Film/{{Conan the Barbarian|2011}}'' tanked at the box office, the film has been on hold. The film supposedly had a new screenwriter as of 2015, then no more news came out of it. Creator/BryanSinger was then announced to direct it in 2018, only to drop out of the project in 2019 as the sexual assault allegations against him intensified.
** Speaking of ''Conan'', an indie film production of the original Robert E. Howard short story ''Literature/IronShadowsInTheMoon'' (which had fallen into PublicDomain) was shot and scheduled for release in 2014, with Finnish hockey player Pasi Schalin as Conan. However, the film entered Development Hell when it turned out that producer George Tan (a mail-order distributor of Creator/BruceLee films) made false statements about settling the ''Conan'' film rights, and Tan subsequently vanished from the production. The film has never been released.
** A third Schwarzenegger ''Conan'' film has been in the works on and off since the second film was released in 1984.
*** Author Karl Edward Wagner was hired to write the [[http://www.karledwardwagner.org/LastInterview.html script]], and ended up writing three distinct versions with increasingly smaller budgets before the film was scrapped completely due to the financial woes De Laurentiis was facing in the wake of ''Film/{{Dune}}''.
*** De Laurentiis tried again in the early 90s, with a script titled ''Conan the Conqueror'', by Charles Edward Pogue. This was rewritten into ''Film/KullTheConqueror'' when Schwarzenegger proved unavailable.
*** In 2001, the original film's director John Milius was hired to write and direct a sequel, with the Wachowskis producing and Schwarzenegger set to return. The script, titled ''King Conan, Crown of Iron'', was completed, but a number of factors culminating in Schwarzenegger's election as Governor of California kept the film from happening.
*** In 2012, it was announced that Universal had optioned the rights to the character and brought on ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' producer Chris Morgan to develop a sequel title ''The Legend of Conan''. Drafts of the script were completed and some location scouting was said to take place, but Universal passed on greenlighting the production, letting the rights lapse in 2016.
* The third ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' film was placed on indefinite hold after Disney executive Alan Horn fired director James Gunn in July 2018 for some nearly decade-old offensive jokes made on Twitter (that he's sincerely apologized for). Although Disney and Marvel kept Gunn's script out of goodwill, the film lost its original 2020 release date when it became clear no director wanted to take over in light of the controversy, and several cast members, most notably [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} Dave Batista]], threatened to leave in protest of Gunn's dismissal. Worse, it turned out that the jokes were dug up by alt-right trolls trying to smear Gunn for his political views, thus discouraging anyone from associating themselves with the film. Three months after his firing, Gunn was hired by Warner Bros. to write and direct a new ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' film, making him even less likely to come back to MCU. Gunn's dismissal also led to the scrapping of many of the cosmic storylines that would take place after ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', since he was supposed to oversee them. Although Gunn was rehired in March 2019, the film still doesn't have a release date and production won't start until late 2020 at the earliest, given his obligations to ''The Suicide Squad''.
* An ''[[Comicbook/TheInhumans Inhumans]]'' movie was in the works as far back as 2011, with the film eventually announced as part of Marvel's Phase 3 slate for a November 2018 release date. Ike Perlmutter envisioned the Inhumans as a replacement for the X-Men, whose film rights still belonged to Fox at the time, and began aggressively pushing for the franchise to become the next big thing. As such, to help familiarize audiences with the brand ahead of the movie, Inhuman characters were introduced into the MCU during ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'''s second season, and also began popping up in other mediums like the ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' cartoon and various video games. However, in 2016, the film was unexpectedly pulled from Marvel's slate for reasons that have never been publicly revealed. Even after [[Series/{{Inhumans}} an ill-fated TV series]] based on the franchise was announced, studio head Kevin Feige claimed that the movie was not cancelled and could still show up in Phase 4. Despite this, no further word was ever given on its status, and the eventual Phase 4 slate revealed in 2019 did not include ''The Inhumans''. Also not helping things is the fact that ''The Inhumans'' was the pet project of Ike Perlmutter, whom Feige is known to dislike, leading many to assume that the movie was placed in Development Hell as an act of spite. The confirmation of an ''[[Comicbook/TheEternals Eternals]]'' movie (which covers similar territory) for Phase 4 and the return of the X-Men to Marvel, as well as the eventual announcement of a live-action ''[[Comicbook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]]'' Creator/DisneyPlus series set in the MCU (which will be overseen by Feige instead of Perlmutter), has seemingly made the project's revival even less likely.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Book Adaptations - Other]]
* The ''ComicBook/SinCity'' sequels. After the box office success of the first movie in 2005, Creator/RobertRodriguez announced plans to film the next two installments back-to-back the following year. Creator/FrankMiller was working on a screenplay based on "A Dame To Kill For", with production expected to begin in the summer of 2006. Instead, Rodriguez made ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' with Creator/QuentinTarantino (who collaborated with him on the first ''Sin City''). Nothing more was said about the project until 2010 when Rodriguez announced that production would begin once he had completed work on ''Film/SpyKidsAllTheTimeInTheWorld''. Rodriguez [[http://specials.msn.com/A-List/Movies/Sin-City-2-announced.aspx?cp-documentid=29614653 announced]] at the 2011 [=ComicCon=] that ''Sin City 2'' was officially back on the table, and that he was working on "refining the script". Not only was the script refined, but it was also filmed - ''Sin City: A Dame To Kill For'' was released in 2014....to mixed reviews and tanked ''massively'' at the box office, meaning that the ''Sin City'' franchise may be put in Development Hell yet again.
* The ''Film/{{Spawn}}'' movie sequel. Creator/MichaelJaiWhite even expressed interest in reprising his role. As of 2012, plans for a sequel seem to have all but faded. A ContinuityReboot starring Creator/JamieFoxx as Spawn was announced in 2018, but little else is known of when or if the film will begin production.
* An ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' movie has been discussed for at least fifteen years, whether live-action, animated or CGI animation. In 2008 Warner Bros turned down making a film adaptation due to fear of competing with ''Film/TheHobbit''.
* A third ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'' movie was, unfortunately, a victim of this (along with Creator/GuillermoDelToro [[AttentionDeficitCreatorDisorder juggling so many projects that few of them came out]]), with a reboot now on the way.
* The new adaptation of ''Film/TheCrow''. Nobody could agree on a script. Stephen Norrington eventually left the project. Then a lawsuit between Harvey Weinstein and Creator/RelativityMedia threatened the project again. Relativity won the suit and F. Javier Gutiérrez was named as director in January 2012. And after numerous actors leaving the project [[note]] Including Creator/BradleyCooper, Creator/TomHiddleston, Creator/LukeEvans and Jack Huston [[/note]] [[http://www.screendaily.com/news/the-crow-remake-suspended/5091129.article the film was halted for good around August 2015]] when the production company, Relativity Media, filed for bankruptcy and was forced to let 75 staff members go and halt any pre-production of ''The Crow'' at Pinewood Cardiff.
** As of Fall 2016, the film is once again set to enter production in January 2017, with Creator/JasonMomoa starring. However, both star and director left at the end of May 2018, sending the project back into Development Hell.
* A ''Comicbook/{{Witchblade}}'' film was in development not too long ago. It seems to have been scrapped in favor of a movie about ''Comicbook/TheDarkness'', with Witchblade making a guest appearance. Although ''The Darkness'' seems to be in DevelopmentHell too, with no news about it for several years. In 2017, a reboot of the ''Series/{{Witchblade}}'' television series was announced.
* The ''ComicBook/HackSlash'' movie has been in development since the summer of 2006, and so far has ''nothing'' to show for it. Somewhat humorously, the Devil's Due ongoing featured "Slated to be a major motion picture by Rogue Studios!" prominently on the cover of its earliest issues; maybe don't advertise it until it's a done deal next time. The last news to come out for it was in February 2013.
* A ''ComicBook/{{Darkchylde}}'' movie has apparently been in the works since August 2007, but IMDB lists its year of release as (???). Posters, trailers, and stills from the set were released, and Creator/JohnCarpenter was slated to direct, but there has been no news since 2010.
* And, completing the oddly specific "movie adaptation of a horror-themed comic with a teenage female lead going nowhere" trifecta, there's been no news about the ''Dead@17'' movie since a director was attached in 2010.
* An adaptation of Creator/RobLiefeld's ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' series has been in the works for years, with Creator/BrettRatner (''Film/XMenTheLastStand'') attached as the director, and talk of Creator/RobertPattinson starring as Shaft. As of 2014, Ratner confirmed that the film had been stalled thanks to copyright issues over the original source material. In 2018, it was announced that Creator/{{Netflix}} secured the exclusive rights to Liefeld's Extreme universe and intends to build a [[SharedUniverse cinematic universe]] out of it.
* Creator/MarkMillar has a lot of announced adaptations, to the point of rivaling Creator/StanLee for having the most adaptations in comic book history. Some of them are taking a bit too long to get here, though:
** ''Film/{{Wanted}}'' was supposed to get a sequel, yet everyone involved in it got so busy (the director with ''Film/AbrahamLincolnVampireHunter'', the star with ''Film/XMenFirstClass'') that the producer has since said the movie "will not happen any time soon, if at all." Creator/JamesMcAvoy then admitted that while he is still interested, the time in development hell and the studio's struggles to find a suitable script are all red flags.
** The planned third and final installment of ''Film/KickAss'' has been up in the air considering the negative reception and poor box office returns of the sequel, and the fact that Hit-Girl's actress, Creator/ChloeMoretz, said she was done with the character ain't helping much. However, despite all of that, Creator/MatthewVaughn is in talks of doing a Hit-Girl prequel and then the third ''Kick-Ass'' movie.
** His religious comic ''ComicBook/AmericanJesus'' has been in talks of getting adapted to film ever since ''ComicBook/KickAss'' was getting press. The last we heard from it was [[http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=52507 in 2012]], where Millar announced that in a few months he'll be able to say who his partners are.
*** It has been [[http://www.superherohype.com/news/372451-american-jesus-supercrooks announced that this along with Supercrooks]] will finally be made, but knowing his other movies and their updates, only time will tell.
** ''ComicBook/WarHeroes'', a comic that itself has been going through development hell, was announced in 2008 to be produced by Sony. [[ChirpingCrickets Then it all went silent from there]].
** An adaptation of the supervillain-centered comic ''ComicBook/{{Nemesis}}'' was to be directed by the late Creator/TonyScott and written by Joe Carnahan, but Scott left in 2012 to focus on ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', leaving Carnahan to fly solo on this one. There was a load of back-and-forth on whether it would get made at all, considering the rare status of a successful R-rated superhero film, much less a supervillain film, but considering the successes of ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'' and ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'', and the growing [[CashCowFranchise interest of other Millar properties]], the likelihood of this story being adapted isn't too bleak looking, despite the studio change from 20th Century Fox to Warner Bros.
** An adaptation of ''ComicBook/{{Superior}}'', a comic about Simon Pooni, a 12-year old [[ObfuscatingDisability paraplegic who gains super powers]] by a demonic monkey, has been in Creator/MatthewVaughn's hand's since 2010 and has been teased in ''Film/KickAss2'', but still no movement.
** ''ComicBook/{{Supercrooks}}'', a comic that has been described by Millar as "A gang of super-villains decide to go and pull the biggest heist of their career in Spain because let’s face it, there’s no Captain Spain" has also had trouble getting out of here. What makes this more infuriating is that it has a director, [[Film/LosCronocrimenes Nacho Vigalondo]], that is extremely passionate about it and has even released [[http://www.slashfilm.com/watch-teaser-mark-millars-comic-supercrooks-directed-nacho-vigalando/ a trailer for the comic]], but no studio seems to want to give it a fair chance. Though there may still be hope considering producer Ken Kao (''The Nice Guys'', ''Rampart'') has [[http://www.superherohype.com/news/372451-american-jesus-supercrooks announced that he would produce it]] along with ''American Jesus''. Then in 2019, it was announced by Creator/{{Netflix}} that ''Supercrooks'' would be adapted into, of all things, an {{anime}} series by Creator/StudioBones.
* [[http://www.aintitcool.com/node/13385 This article]] (some NSFW pics) talks about the possibility of a ''Ranxerox'' film directed by Chris Cunningham. ''Ranxerox'' was an Italian comic book about a human-looking robot who is in a relationship with an underaged girl in a CrapsackWorld full of drugs and violence. [[AudienceAlienatingPremise You can guess why nothing was said anymore about the project.]]
* An adaptation of ''ComicBook/AfterlifeWithArchie'' has been discussed. ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'' was SavedFromDevelopmentHell; however, the film project hasn't been discussed since.
* In early 2007, Creator/NewLineCinema bought the film rights for ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan''. The screenwriter got to work and the cameras were supposed to start rolling by Fall 2008. The script passed through many hands (even the comic's creator Creator/BrianKVaughan) but no one could crack compressing the story enough to fit into a movie's runtime while still staying true to the original series. Ultimately the director D.J. Caruso and his team pitched a trilogy to New Line (the first movie would have ended at issue #14) but were told it needed to be one movie. Caruso couldn't make it work and quit the project. By 2013, a new script that the studio felt was workable was written and then they hired a new director, aiming to shoot in 2014. However, the rights reverted back to Vaughan and co-creator Pia Guerra by the time it could start shooting. In 2015, Vaughan and Guerra optioned the rights for a show to debut on Creator/{{FX|Networks}} which was set to debut sometime in 2019 or 2020, over a decade after the rights were first sold. Then, in April 2019, it was reported that showrunners Aida Mashaka Croal and Michael Green had exited the project during pre-production due to CreativeDifferences, leaving the show in limbo as well. While the heads at FX are optimistic for a 2020 premiere, time will only tell if they can move forward, especially when the actor playing the titular "last man" himself left after the pilot was filmed.
* The film adaptation to ''ComicBook/MouseGuard'' was picked up by Fox in 2016 and was ready to start shooting by May 2019 before it got caught up in the studio's merger with Creator/{{Disney}}. The new owners shut production down two weeks before filming was to begin as part of the studio's restructuring. Disney allowed the producers to shop the project elsewhere, but no one was interested, and director Wes Ball confirmed the project dead in June 2019.
* In 2015, Fox announced plans for a female-centric reboot of ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', twelve years after [[Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen the 2003 film adaptation]] was met with disappointing critical and box office reception. Nothing has been heard of the project since then, and the studio's aforementioned merger with Disney in 2019 has made further development even more questionable.
* A film adaptation of ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' was announced to be in the works in 2016 with Adam [=McKay=] (''Film/{{Vice}}'' and ''Film/TheBigShort'') set to direct. As of 2019, no other news of progress has come out. Some wonder if ''Film/{{Brightburn}}'', a SpiritualAdaptation of sorts as both stories serve as a deconstruction of Superman, might've put it on hold.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Strip Adaptations]]
* ''[[ComicStrip/BloomCounty Opus: The Last Christmas]]'', which is dead according to Berkeley Breathed.
* A ''ComicStrip/GetFuzzy'' movie has been long rumored.
* A film adaptation of ''{{ComicStrip/Dilbert}}'' has been attempted by creator Scott Adams for years. His most recent efforts date back to at least 2014, where he has kept updates on his writing efforts on his personal blog. Sadly, such efforts may never get past the screenplay level.
* A ''ComicStrip/TheFamilyCircus'' movie was announced by Fox in 2010, but nothing about it has surfaced since its announcement, likely due to the lackluster performance of another comic strip adaptation from them that year, ''Film/{{Marmaduke}}''.
* A second ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon'' film was announced in 2010 at Fox, nearly 30 years after [[Film/FlashGordon1980 the 1980 film]] was released. The film went through several directors and script rewrites, but nothing came out of it for nearly a decade. In June 2019, Disney took over production of the film after acquiring Fox, retooling it into an animated film with Creator/TaikaWaititi (who, ironically, cited ''Flash Gordon'' as an inspiration for ''Film/ThorRagnarok'') in talks to write and direct.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature Adaptations]]
* In 2008, Handmade Films announced plans for ''Literature/{{Eloise}} in Paris'' -- a live-action adaptation of the Eloise book of the same name has been in development since late 2007-2008 and was to star Australian child actress Jordana Beatty for the title role alongside Creator/UmaThurman. A few years later and yet little, if any, development was announced. Now, Beatty's clearly too old to play the title character.
* ''Invisible Monsters'', based off of a book penned by Creator/ChuckPalahniuk (of ''Literature/FightClub'' fame), has been in development for forever and a half.
* Adaptations for Creator/TerryPratchett's works have hit this roadblock.
** Sir Terry himself had joked that the road to film for ''Literature/GoodOmens'' had become so long and complicated that even he stopped paying attention. He relied on fans at conventions and signings to keep him posted on the latest news/rumors. One such rumor was that Creator/RobinWilliams would play the Aziraphael and Creator/TerryGilliam was at one point attached to direct, with a script was completed in 2002, but the project never got off the ground. Ultimately, the book was adapted into [[Series/GoodOmens2019 a live action series]] by Amazon Prime.
** Creator/{{Dreamworks}} was going to make a ''[[Literature/NomesTrilogy Bromeliad]]'' movie. Where'd that go?
** And somewhere around 2011, news came that Creator/SamRaimi was directing ''Literature/TheWeeFreeMen'' from a script by Pamela Pettler (who wrote Creator/TimBurton's ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride''). Since the initial announcement, nothing. Pratchett apparently [[ExecutiveVeto vetoed]] a script that "had all the hallmarks of something that had been good, and then [[ExecutiveMeddling the studio had got involved]]", and then told everyone "it probably won't happen." (As of 2013, the latest news on that one is that the rights reverted at around the same time Sir Terry set up his own production company, and Creator/RhiannaPratchett is now writing a script. In 2016, the Creator/JimHenson Company were announced as the producers.)
* Pratchett was fond of citing an early aborted interaction with a major American producer - [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial who he publicly denied was Disney]] - who assured him that they were abolutely in love with ''Literature/{{Mort}}'' and really wanted to do the movie of the novel - but considered Americans would have a problem relating to [[TheGrimReaper Death]] as the star of a feelgood movie, so we're gonna have to write the character out. Pratchett said this was when he started to get ''cynical'' about proposed big-screen versions of his novels.
* ''Literature/TheThreeBodyProblem'' was actually filmed, but after two years, nobody knows when it will be released, if at all.
%%* ''Literature/RendezvousWithRama''
* The ongoing tale of the film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces''. First of all, the book was only published years after its author's suicide when his mother found a handwritten manuscript. Attempts were made to make a movie starring Creator/JohnBelushi in 1982, [[AuthorExistenceFailure but then Belushi died]]. Then there was going to be one with Creator/JohnCandy in 1994, [[AuthorExistenceFailure but then Candy also died]]. And then one with Creator/ChrisFarley in 1997, but [[RuleOfThree then... well...]] [[AuthorExistenceFailure yeah]]. Yet another attempt with Creator/WillFerrell seemed to be going well and had even accrued other big names like Creator/LilyTomlin and Mos Def. Then Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the film's setting.
** At one point, Creator/JohnWaters was being considered to direct an adaptation. Waters himself wrote that it was the one and only time he seriously considered making a film not based on one of his own scripts. Oh, what might have been...
** Speaking about Waters, he had planned to direct a family-oriented Christmas comedy called ''Fruitcake'' about a gay teenager finding acceptance during the holidays for a 2007 release. The film never got made due to financial troubles at production company Capitol Films (unlike Waters' newer projects, this did not have studio backing) and seems to have been locked up due to that company's bankruptcy. Waters hasn't directed since then (but has done many acting roles and live appearances).
* What the hell is up with Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/TheGirlWhoLovedTomGordon'' movie?
* Apparently, there were plans for a ''Literature/WarriorCats'' movie, but they were dropped when it was considered a gamble in light of the economic recession, due to [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids the appropriateness of the content of what is ostensibly a children's series]]. The film's status was downgraded from "definitely going to happen", to "not even under consideration". As of late 2016, however, the rights to a movie were obtained and a producer (David Heyman) named, so it's more likely, but not 100% certain.
* The ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' has been in development hell since probably the '80s. At one time there was a TV series that was in production, but it was basically InNameOnly so it never went forward (most people see this as a good thing). A movie was supposed to be released in 2009, but the date got pushed back to 2011.
** Warner Brothers optioned ''all 22 volumes'' of the series for a film adaptation in summer of 2014.
* The ''Literature/ElfstonesOfShannara'' and ''Literature/MagicKingdomForSaleSold'' movies. Yes, there are plans. One version of the proposed script for the latter would have given Ben a son and daughter, but Terry Brooks nixed that because their characters weren't developed enough. Shannara eventually went to television.
* Diane Duane wrote a screenplay for the first book of the ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series and reported that it was in very early development stages on the Young Wizards website back in 2007. As of 2010, there has been no progress whatsoever towards a finished movie.
* There's been talk going around about filming the first installment of Literature/TheWheelOfTime, ''The Eye Of The World'' since the turn of the century, but absolutely nothing has come of it. Probably because nobody likes the implications of filming the first in a series of 14.
** An Amazon Prime series has been announced for a 2021 premiere, although it's not been made clear if the plan is to adapt the entire book series.
* A few years ago, Creator/TomHanks expressed interest in making and starring in film adaptations of Creator/ArthurCClarke's ''[[Literature/TheSpaceOdysseySeries 2061]]'' and ''3001'', although nothing has been heard of this since.
* It's possible the fourth ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' film will enter this, [[http://www.aslanscountry.com/2011/10/gresham-confirms-waldens-contract-expired/ as the contract of production company Walden Media with the C.S. Lewis estate has expired]].
** Creator/CSLewis' estate has given the rights to The Mark Gordon Company [[http://www.deadline.com/2013/10/chronicles-of-narnia-silver-chair-movie-mark-gordon/ and are now developing an adaptation of]] ''Literature/TheSilverChair''.
* An adaptation of ''Literature/TheBellJar'' by Creator/SylviaPlath has been in the works since at least 2010, if not earlier. It's been pushed back repeatedly and IMDB has very little information that hasn't changed much in all this time. The only screen adaptation of the novel that's been released was back in the 1970s and the few people who've actually seen it will usually tell you that it's terrible, so maybe it's a good thing this will probably never be released.
* An adaptation of the ''Literature/MaximumRide'' books was announced by Creator/SummitEntertainment in 2010 with Catherine Hardwicke (director of the first ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' movie) set to direct. Cut to 2012 and it looks like that the project has been quietly canceled due to Creator/{{Lionsgate}} buying Summit, ''Literature/AlexCross'' (from the same author) flopping at the box office and Lionsgate/Summit choosing to adapt the ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' series instead. The screenwriter for the movie also died in March 2013. Eventually, it was released as a digital film in 2016.
* In 2011, Sony and Creator/{{MGM}} had plans to remake the sequels to ''Film/TheGirlWithTheDragonTattoo'' and were going to shoot them back-to-back. But despite hiring Steven Zaillian to write the screenplays, the disappointing box office (Sony had expected the first film to be their successor to ''Film/TheDaVinciCode'' and spent millions marketing it) combined with Creator/DavidFincher's refusal to direct and the decline of the book series' popularity have shelved these sequels for the time being.
* A live-action adaptation of Lloyd Alexander's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfPrydain'' series was once hinted at by Disney around a decade ago, but with nothing to back it up.
* An adaptation of the young adult horror novel ''Killer Pizza'' was announced by Creator/{{MGM}} in 2011 with Adam Green set to write and direct. Very little has been heard about the project since.
* The adaptation of Sister Souljah's urban fiction novel ''The Coldest Winter Ever''. The adaptation was rumored as far back as 01 or 02. But nothing ever came of it. Then in 2005, Creator/JadaPinkettSmith tried to get it off the ground as a producer but it fell through.
* ''Atuk'', based on a book by Canadian author Mordecai Richler, was never filmed and is linked to a curse in which the actors who signed onto to star in it all met with untimely ends.
* ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye'' is probably the most legendary literary example.
* Every few years, there's a rumored adaptation of Creator/GeorgeMacdonaldFraser's ''{{Literature/Flashman}}'' books. In 1970, actor/producer Stanley Baker optioned rights to the first book, for a project that never materialized. In 2007 Celtic Films announced a made-for-TV adaptation of ''Flashman at the Charge'' with Creator/ColinFirth. This was apparently [[AuthorExistenceFailure derailed by Fraser's death]]. Most recently, in 2011 rumors surfaced of a film featuring Creator/MichaelFassbender - rumors Fraser's estate denied. Besides the difficulties of adapting the novels, from the period setting to their politically incorrect tone, that the one extant Flashman film, 1975's ''Royal Flash'', flopped at the box office likely weighs heavily in studios' minds.
** Then in March 2015, [[http://variety.com/2015/film/news/flashman-movie-george-macdonald-fraser-ridley-scott-peter-chernin-1201446608/ it looks like it's happening again]].
* ''{{Franchise/Foundation}}'':
** Creator/NewLineCinema had spent $1.5 million dollars to develop a film {{Trilogy}} for ''Foundation'' in 1998. Their failure to complete the project lead to Creator/PeterJackson's production of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy. In 2008, the company [[http://www.filmbuffonline.com/FBOLNewsreel/wordpress/2008/07/29/foundation-heading-to-big-screen/ announced]] that Creator/BobShaye and Creator/MichealLynne would be co-producers.
** Creator/ColumbiaPictures purchased the privilege to produce a movie from an auction in 2009, and contracted Creator/RolandEmmerich as director and co-producer. The other producer chosen at the time was Creator/MichealWimer. Two years later, Creator/DantaHarper was hired on to the project.
* From Classic Hollywood, there was Creator/JohnFord's production of Sir Creator/ArthurConanDoyle's ''Literature/TheWhiteCompany''. Ford was a lifelong fan of Conan Doyle's novel and spent decades trying to adapt it for the screen. He came closest in 1960 when he contracted with Samuel Bronston for a production which was to film in Spain with Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/LaurenceOlivier, and Creator/AlecGuinness. But pre-production became mired in budget wrangles, with Conan Doyle's estate demanding an exorbitant fee for the film rights. After several years in limbo, the project fell through, but Ford never gave up on ''White Company''. As late as 1973 he announced it as a future project, but Ford's deteriorating health prevented it from getting past the idea stage.
* An adaptation of ''Literature/WheresWally'' (a.k.a. ''Where's Waldo?'' in the US) has been in the works for quite some time, but it's never gotten any traction. Creator/{{Paramount}} and Creator/{{Universal}} all had interest in a ''Where's Wally?'' film, but eventually declined. Creator/{{MGM}} eventually got the film rights to do a live-action movie in 2011, but its 2015 release came and went with.....nothing. Creator/DreamWorksAnimation bought the company who owned the ''Where's Wally?'' property in 2012, but let MGM keep the film rights for the time being, and things seemed to be headed back on track with Creator/SethRogen and Evan Goldberg signing on as producers.....then [=DreamWorks=] was purchased by Universal, sending the film back to Hell once again as the rights disputes are sorted out.
* For about a decade now, various Hollywood studios have been wanting to produce a faithful adaptation of ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' that would take advantage of modern special effects, and possibly start a new franchise or cinematic universe of ''Literature/LandOfOz''-related films. This ''shouldn't'' be too hard, since the original novel is in the public domain, yet no project has officially entered production as of 2020, likely due to the fact that the [[Film/TheWizardOfOz 1939 musical film]] is still one of the most beloved films of all time, if not ''the'' most beloved, ensuring any new adaptation of the source would have [[AudienceColoringAdaptation some pretty big shoes to fill]] in the eyes of the audience, and studios may not be willing to take that risk. Instead, various films have been made that tie into that film, the most notable being ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful''.
* In 2010, some very early conceptual work was leaked for a live-action/CGI ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' movie, with ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}'' director Shane Acker at the helm. After three years, it dropped off the radar and what little information about it that's since come teeters between this or cancellation.
* Back in 2011, an adaptation of ''Literature/ThirteenReasonsWhy'' was announced with Music/SelenaGomez in the lead role. Three years elapsed and nothing happened. Eventually, Creator/{{Netflix}} picked up the adaptation rights and developed it into [[Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy a full series]].
* In 2010, Creator/StevenSpielberg signed on to direct a film adaptation of ''Literature/{{Robopocalypse}}'', with Drew Goddard writing the screenplay. Speilberg's studio, Creator/DreamWorks, was set to finish the film for a 2013 release by Creator/TouchstonePictures (owned by Creator/{{Disney}}) domestically, then it was bumped to 2014 after financial issues at [=DreamWorks=] plagued the project and led to Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox jumping on board. Then, [=DreamWorks=] announced the film had been shelved indefinitely thanks to script disagreements and continuing financial strives. Now, with [=DreamWorks=]' deal with Disney expiring and moving to Creator/{{Universal}} in 2016, and major restructuring at [=DreamWorks=], the project may finally be coming off the ground. Ironically enough, Disney is now back on board thanks to buying Fox.
* Creator/MichaelCimino spent much of the '70s and '80s trying to make ''Literature/TheFountainhead'' into a film, with Creator/ClintEastwood playing Howard Roark. Then ''Film/HeavensGate'' happened.
* The last film in ''The Divergent Series'', ''Ascendant'', officially entered this due to ''Allegiant'' flopping at the box office. Plans shifted to making the final entry a television production of some sort rather than a theatrical release, but Creator/ShaileneWoodley's stated disinterest in doing another installment made even that questionable. It ended up being cancelled in 2018.
* In 2002, [=DreamWorks=] bought the rights to Donald Hamilton's ''Matt Helm'' novels. In 2008 Paramount acquired the rights and in 2009 it was announced that Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci would write a screenplay with Creator/StevenSpielberg as a possible director. It seems that the project has since died.
* According to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Vice its Wikipedia article]], the film adaptation of journalist Jake Adelstein's memoir book ''Tokyo Vice'' was supposed to be filmed in Tokyo around 2015, with Creator/DanielRadcliffe taking the role of Adelstein. In 2019 the film was scrapped in favor of a HBO Max 10-episode series directed by Michael Mann, and filming started in Tokyo in March 2020, however [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-manns-series-tokyo-vice-halts-production-japan-1285019 production was put on hiatus]], perhaps permanently, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Lauren Beukes' UrbanFantasy novel ''Literature/ZooCity'' seemed to be quite a hot property for a time, before any news about the movie adaptation disappeared.
* The unfinished 1938 production of ''I, Claudius'' was waylaid by an accident involving its lead actress and by the difficulty that Creator/CharlesLaughton had in getting into Claudius's role. Only a few scenes from the film were ever publicly released in the 1960s. (The DVD release of the TV version of ''Series/IClaudius'' includes a documentary which features this footage.)
* In 2006, producer Boris Acosta began an ambitious task of adapting Creator/DanteAlighieri's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' into various mediums, including a live-action film trilogy, which was first announced back in August 2008. An all-star team was assembled, with Dante scholar Dino Di Durante writing the scripts, Armand Mastroianni as director, Chuck Shuman as the cinematographer and Aldo De Tata as composer. Andy Garcia, Adrien Brody and James Caviezel were all considered to portray Dante, with Creator/AlPacino in the running for Virgil. The trilogy was set to be released between 2009 and 2012. However, during pre-production of the first film, ''Inferno'', Acosta realized that its proposed $55 million budget was too expensive and decided to produce lower-budgeted films to help fund the live-action films, as well as an animated film trilogy. He has since produced and/or directed documentaries about ''The Divine Comedy'' as well as a short film based on ''Inferno''. The live-action films are still in development.
* An adaptation of ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'' was dicussed at Creator/WaldenMedia for several years, but quickly stalled due to director Creator/ShawnLevy[='=]s other projects in the pipeline. After the film rights reverted back to the Berenstain estate in 2014, rumors began circulating in 2017 that Fox had picked up the rights. Unfortunately, they got picked up the moment Disney acquired the studio, leaving ''that'' iteration of the film in limbo as well.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Theatre Adaptations]]
* This trope tends to hit Andrew Lloyd Webber a lot. ''Film/{{Evita}}'' was first discussed in the 1970s, right after the release of the concept album. [[TheFilmOfThePlay The film of the musical adaptation]] of ''Film/SunsetBoulevard'' has languished since it was new, with brief flickers of life every few years.
* There has been a lot of talk about the very popular musical version of ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' being made into a movie. It appears to be just that: talk. Oh sure, it's said to be officially confirmed and the studio says the project isn't dead (which came out back in March 2014), but they still have yet to get anyone on board (director, writers, cast, etc). The fact the musical made its debut on stage in ''2003'' and there has yet to be a movie of it is especially odd considering that the musical itself was actually produced by Universal, which logically should streamline the movie-making process.
** At least two animators at ''Creator/{{Disney}}'' want to see an AnimatedAdaptation. There was an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKSlQinKTD8 unofficial storyboard]] of "Defying Gravity" created by an animator has been floating around for a while. There was also another animator who hoped Disney (or at least some animation studio) would pick up the film. A possible third person who does character designing for Disney also made his own concept arts for what he thought ''Wicked'' might look like coming out of Disney as a part of their art portfolio. Sadly, considering the musical ''is'' property of Universal Studios, the chances of Disney getting hold of such a project is dubious. The blockbuster reception of ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' has also likely killed the chances of Disney animating ''Wicked''; the stories are incredibly similar, even down to the original Elphaba actress Creator/IdinaMenzel being the voice of Queen Elsa. It's a joke in both fandoms that ''Frozen'' is the [[SpiritualAdaptation closest thing]] to a ''Wicked'' adaptation we'll see.
** Other things that have been said about making a film are that "they're waiting for the musical ticket sales to taper off", and also that, based on the success of the ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' film, a ''Wicked'' movie "will be made sooner than later".
** It's been taking so long that Creator/IdinaMenzel herself has expressed that by the time a film starts being made, she and Creator/KristinChenoweth (the original Glinda) will probably be too old to believably reprise their roles. And her concern isn't unfounded. Both are still gorgeous of course, but even if filming started right this minute, they'd be [[DawsonCasting playing characters that are supposed to be roughly]] ''[[DawsonCasting half]]'' [[DawsonCasting their current age]] (though there is a {{timeskip}} in the musical after Shiz).
** The most recent news about the film adaptation gave a tentative date of December 2019, but nothing was heard of it other than its date, which came and went with no film adaptation.
* There has been talk of a film version of ''Theatre/{{Aida|JohnRice}}'' for years, but things have clearly stalled.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: TV adaptations]]
* The doomed ''Series/RedDwarf'' movie has a complicated history, mostly revolving around budget problems. It came very close to entering production in 2001, to the point where shooting schedules had been worked out and costume tests were being done, but a last-minute yanking of the budget brought the project to a standstill. Several restarts would be attempted over the course of 7 or 8 years, but ultimately nothing would come of it; when the television series (which had ended due to Doug Naylor's desire to focus on making the film) restarted various parts of the film's script was cannibalized for episodes (most notably "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonXTheBeginning The Beginning]]", which borrows much of the film's set-up, but a notorious set piece made its way into "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonXLemons Lemons]]").
* There were plans for a ''Series/BabylonFive'' theatrical movie. There was a project to produce one in 2004, but it was aborted in 2005. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen It would have been called "The Memory of Shadows" and involved Galen and an EarthForce intelligence officer tracking down an intergalactic conspiracy that used Shadow technology.]]
%%* ''Ripley's Believe it or Not!''
* TheMovie of ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' languished in this and Creator/{{Netflix}} [[UnCanceled reviving the series]] probably ended the chances anyway.
* The rumors about a ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' movie have been circling around since the series ended in 2001. It has been discussed many times by series creator Rob Tapert, who kept saying it was stuck because of legal issues at Universal. Looks like it will never get made, though.
* This is the current and probably permanent location of the proposed film of the television series ''Series/BlakesSeven'' since Paul Darrow (the actor who played Avon) resigned from the project due to CreativeDifferences.
* The ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' film ''Extinction'' has been put on hold indefinitely. This is due to the cancellation of ''Series/StargateUniverse'' and MGM's waning interest in the franchise.
** Same goes for the third ''Series/StargateSG1'' movie, ''Stargate: Revolution'', which would have featured the SGC going public.
* The ''Series/{{Skins}}'' movie. It was supposed to be released in summer 2011, but as of the last report they were having difficulty even just figuring out which characters were going to be in it. While it was originally supposed to focus just on tying up Generation 2's loose ends, they also were trying to shoehorn in a few characters from Generation 1, and then with the additional third generation, things became even more complicated. Especially with some fan speculation that the show's sixth series in 2012 may be its last, and the film may be intended as a wrap-up to the ''whole franchise''. As it turned out, said fan speculation was true, and the film ended up shelved to instead make way for three extra-long episodes focusing on Cassie, Cook and Effy years later, concluding the whole show.
* The second ''Series/TheXFiles'' movie ''[[Film/TheXFilesIWantToBelieve I Want to Believe]]'' fell victim to this concept. The show ended in 2002, but the script for the movie ended up in Development Hell for six years. What was ''supposed'' to be a continuation of the MythArc ended up being a drawn-out MonsterOfTheWeek episode featuring a psychic. The fans were not pleased. It didn't do well. Now fans are hoping a third movie will wrap up loose threads of the plot. Creator/ChrisCarter stated that he would make a third ''X-Files'' movie featuring the 2012 invasion promised by the series finale and was to be released in the summer of 2012 if the second ''X-Files'' movie did well. 2012 has come and gone, and no mention has ever been made about a third film. A six-episode season of the TV series was released in early 2016 instead.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has been propositioned for a film several times since the last time he was on the big screen (starring Creator/PeterCushing in the 1960s). The 1996 TV movie doesn't count as it was never intended for cinema release and was really a FailedPilotEpisode for a proposed TV revival. Most attempts were during the period when there was no TV series, and were stalled due to the uncertainty over the franchise, especially considering any theatrical movie would have been a total reimagining. One proposal had the Doctor and Master as half-brothers with Borusa as their grandfather. Another would have reimagined the Daleks as bipedal Terminator-style machines. And yet another proposal wanted to cast Creator/JohnnyDepp as the Doctor. In 2011, Franchise/HarryPotter director David Yates proposed making a ''Doctor Who'' film despite the lack of official cast or crew on board or any interest from the BBC in giving permission. There is also a strong faction of Who fans who are opposed to the idea of a film not taking place in the TV continuity, or worried that a film would overshadow the show. Interestingly, the Doctor's status in the current series as being "Last of the Time Lords" is borrowed from the working sub-title for the late 80s movie proposal.
* A movie based on the short-lived Comedy Central show ''That's My Bush!'' entitled ''Secret of the Glass Tiger'' was proposed sometime after its cancellation, although nothing more was heard afterward.
* After the success of his ''Film/AustinPowers'' films in the late 90s, Creator/MikeMyers was in talks do a film based on his old ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' character, Dieter, the German talk show host of ''Sprockets''. However, after being given a year and a half to work on the script, Myers felt it wasn't strong enough and abandoned it. Universal outright forced him to make a different movie so he wouldn't breach his contract, resulting in ''Film/TheCatInTheHat.''
* Of all things, a feature film adaptation of ''Series/LaverneAndShirley'' [[http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/blogs/popcornbiz/Jamie-Foxx-Writing-Laverne-And-Shirley-Movie--Wait-What-89007762.html was announced in 2010]], with, of all people, Creator/JamieFoxx writing the screenplay. According to series creator Garry Marshall, the movie was to have been something of a DarkerAndEdgier take on the series, updating the setting to the present day and featuring Milwaukee's finest (played by Creator/JenniferGarner and Creator/JessicaBiel, respectfully) having grown up in the streets, with such gems as Laverne's trademark "L", iconically embroidered in the upper right corner of her shirts and sweaters in the series, instead tattooed on her arm. Small wonder that exactly nothing else has been heard about the project since then.
* A ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' movie has been discussed since 1999-2000.
* ''Film/TheFugitive'' was released in 1993, but TPTB had been trying to get it off the ground since 1989.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Game Adaptations]]
* [[http://www.stories-llc.com/wp-content/uploads/Circle-of-Confusion-STORIES-Press-Release-12012016-.pdf This document]] details how there were projects to turn several Creator/{{Sega}} properties including ''VideoGame/AlteredBeast'', ''VideoGame/GoldenAxe'' and ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' into "feature films and television series for worldwide releases". None of them ever got off the ground.
* In 2011, a film adaptation of the game ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' was announced with former New Line head Robert Shaye (who has a first-look deal with Creator/WarnerBros) set to produce. Nothing has been heard about it since.
* ''VideoGame/AmericanMcGeesAlice''. There were even rumors of Creator/TimBurton directing, probably just because the game appears heavily inspired by his works. A Burton-directed ''Alice'' movie has been eventually released for real, but it has nothing to do with the videogame. As of 2017, the film ''is'' in preproduction with Chinese actors in mind, but nothing is set stone.
* ''VideoGame/ArmyOfTwo'' was set to have a movie adaptation, announced in 2008 and to be released in 2011. Since it's 2013 as of this writing without so much as a word of update on its status, it's safe to say the film is either in Development Hell or cancelled outright.
* The ''VideoGame/BioShock'' movie project has taken this road because of budgetary concerns, still unresolved as of summer 2010, also due to Creator/GoreVerbinski not wanting to compromise the atmosphere for a lighter rating. This also led to the higher-ups deciding to film the movie overseas, forcing Verbinski to step down as director due to his attachment to other projects at home. While he may remain as a producer, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (''Film/TwentyEightWeeksLater'') will replace him as director. In an early 2011 interview, Verbinski implied that the project was dead, in part due to difficulty finding anyone willing to finance it as an R-rated picture (and Verbinski's lack of interest in watering down the material for a PG-13). Fresnadillo has since left the project. Rumors of the film picking back up resurfaced in 2014 when it was revealed Sony had been attached to the project, evidenced by [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/04/25/bioshock-movie-domains-registered-by-sony their acquisition of several domain names related to the movie]].
* Music/JenniferLopez was in talks with Walden Media to produce the film adaptation of ''Franchise/CarmenSandiego'' back in 2011. Though an animated series was announced to be in production for Netflix in 2017, no updates of the film project have been made. Even prior to that rumors have been floating around since the 90s.
* The ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' movie seemed to have been this one for some years, and still is, thanks to the [[UsefulNotes/TVStrikes writers' strike]].
** ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' might actually be one of the rare cases in which DevelopmentHell is a good thing. Originally, the script was referred to as a sort of "Dracula Begins" and did away completely with the Vampire Killer. Instead, Simon had a {{BFS}} and everything that makes Castlevania what it is in favor of basically a retelling of Dracula. The current director signed onto the project ''because'' of the Vampire Killer and how the hero can be just as "dangerous and sexy" as the villain. The movie poster revealed in 2009 shows Simon holding a katana as well as the Vampire Killer looking upon Dracula's castle in a similar picture to what is usually used as box art for the games.
** This may be underway now, with James Wan attached as director. But it looks like it won't be anytime soon as he has other projects in the forefront.
** Creator/PaulWSAnderson is still attached to it somehow, as he was asked about the movie during the promotion of ''Film/ResidentEvilRetribution''. He claimed that there are issues over how to properly adapt it, and apparently some rights issues.
** Ultimately, Creator/{{Netflix}} released a ''Castlevania'' [[WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017 animated series]] written by Creator/WarrenEllis, so ''something'' shook loose.
* A ''VideoGame/ClockTower'' movie has supposedly been in the works since 2007, even having multiple release dates set and the main characters cast. However, with the synopsis constantly being changed and nearly everyone involved dropping out of the project ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_R._Ellis#Death one director even being found dead in his hotel room]]), it's unlikely the movie will ever be finished or released.
* There was an attempt for a ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi'' film in the early 2000s by Creator/RichardDonner. The only thing outside of the initial announcement was that it was supposed to be [[MerchandiseDriven tied in with T-shirts and toys]] and that the production company was changed due to the original company having an "absence of plot elements".
* At one point, there was talk of a ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' movie.
* The long-rumored ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' film seems to have faded away. The last mention of it was in 2011 when attached director D.J. Caruso announced it would be a prequel, and that he was looking over a script treatment. Since then, Visceral Games have indicated that they don't want to rush into a "cash grab adaptation", which is the likely reason for the holdup. Since then Creator/JohnCarpenter (yes, ''that'' John Carpenter) expressed great interest in directing the film.
* Around in the late 2000s, Electronic Arts announced that a film adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheSims'' is in development at 20th Century Fox with producer John Davis and an animated series based on their title ''VideoGame/MySims'' is stated to be in the works at Creator/FilmRoman. However, several years later, neither project ever materialized for unknown reasons.
* Rumors of a ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' movie being in production/already ''existing'' have been floating around since the release of the third game. Fan movies exist, but that seems to be where the trail ends.
* A film adaptation of ''VideoGame/{{Driver}}'' was in development throughout the 2000's. Initially announced by Impact Pictures to release alongside ''Driver 3'', the film was constantly pushed back and switched hands to Rogue Pictures among a revolving door of screenwriters, eventually landing with ''Film/PulpFiction'' writer Creator/RogerAvary. Avary intended to take liberties with the game's story, describing his script as "''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' set in Baghdad." with a plot about the son of the game's protagonist pursuing his father's killer in Iraq. The film ultimately died when executives would only give the film a $40 million dollar budget.
* There were rumors that there would be a ''VideoGame/FatalFrame'' movie, but it seems we're in for a long wait.
* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys1'' was announced to be getting a film adaptation at New Line Cinema in 2015. Two years later, New Line canceled the film and placed it into turnaround due to ExecutiveMeddling causing the budget to rapidly increase after the staff was forced to restart from scratch. Blumhouse then bought the rights shortly thereafter, and Creator/ChrisColumbus is attached to direct, write and co-produce.
** Meanwhile, while nothing has been stated publicly, its quite likely WB took one of the scrapped scripts and retooled it as a horror film starring...The Banana Splits. Really.
* The ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' film has hit many roadblocks. New Line slashed the film's budget and apparently trimmed back the epic plot elements, requiring a new script to be written. Also, Len Wiseman decided not to direct the film. As of 2011, no one had any idea if the film would come out at all.
** New Line's rights eventually expired in 2016 and were promptly picked up by Creator/{{Universal}}. Production seems to be back on track, with Scott Steuber (who was hired back in May 2013) and Dylan Clark (''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'') attached as producers.
* Sony registered several domain names pertaining to a ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' movie in 2009. Nothing else was revealed after that.
* The ''{{Franchise/Halo}}'' movie adaptation was talked about a great deal in the late 2000s, but nothing ever came to fruition. Mostly due to creative control and budgetary constraints/disputes. The resulting collapse of the initial project turned into ''{{Film/District 9}}''. Eventually, Showtime acquired the rights for a [[https://www.geekwire.com/2019/production-officially-begins-showtimes-halo-adapting-influential-microsoft-franchise-tv/amp/?__twitter_impression=true television series with a targeted release date in early 2021]].
** [[http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/04/halo-movie-generation-xbox/ This Wired article]] provides an in-depth view of the drama, and points out that the film's failure to materialize is likely due to Microsoft's inexperience in dealing with Hollywood politics, plus the problems that would be involved with it - minimizing the amount of CGI issues would be prohibitively expensive, and Hollywood has never done well with more-or-less silent protagonists.
* A film based on ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'' had the rights purchased for it before the game itself was released. The last word about it was in 2011, when ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'' writer David Milch was said to be writing the script for the film adaptation.
* ''VideoGame/{{Hunter}}: The Reckoning''. Rumor has it the project entered development hell because Creator/UweBoll bought the film rights to the video game and when White Wolf found out just who was going to be adapting one of their properties for cinema, they [[ExecutiveVeto rapidly put the kibosh on the project]].
* A film adaptation of ''VideoGame/KaneAndLynch'' has been in varying states of development over the years. Early information had Creator/BruceWillis and [[RaceLift Jamie]] [[Creator/JamieFoxx Foxx]] picked to play Kane and Lynch, respectively. A leaked 2007 draft of the script [[http://kotaku.com/5497820/first-impressions-of-the-kane--lynch-movie-script analyzed by Kotaku]] was not received well by fans due to a number of changes from the game to the point of being InNameOnly, such as Lynch being a [[TheDitz ditzy]] TVGenius instead of an AxCrazy psychopath. Since then, the only news of the film was in late 2013, stating that Creator/GerardButler and Creator/VinDiesel were in talks to play the lead roles and [[Film/{{Hitman}} Skip]] [[Film/HitmanAgent47 Woods]] was writing the script.
* In 2014, it was announced that there would be a film adaptation of the 2013 hit ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'', with the original game's creative director Neil Druckmann penning the screenplay. As of 2016, Druckmann mentioned that no work has been done for over a year and a half. The project was officially cancelled in early 2017.
* The film adaptation of ''Franchise/MassEffect'' has been stuck in limbo for a long time. After being announced as a project by Creator/LegendaryPictures in 2008, nothing moved forward for two years until it was announced that Mark Protosevich (''{{Film/Thor}}'') would be writing the screenplay. In 2011, Protosevich talked about the film, their plans for the script... and then nothing for another year. Protosevich left the project in early 2012, and Morgan Davis Foehl was brought on to revise the screenplay nine months later. Since then, little information has been heard besides vague references to the film being "fresh and new". Rumors abound that there are conflicts over how the game's narrative should be adapted to a film.
* A movie based off ''Franchise/MegaMan'' was announced in September 2015, after Fox had registered several domain names for it a year prior. Two years later, it was revealed that Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (''Film/{{Catfish}}'') would write and direct the movie. In August 2019, following the sale of Fox to Creator/{{Disney}}, the film was apparently cancelled, alongside many other Fox films in development.
* In 2006, Creator/HideoKojima announced a film adaptation of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' was in development by Sony Pictures. However, aside from the usual reasons for this trope (budget concerns, who to give the rights to), the fact that Kojima (understandably) was very picky about who should direct the movie caused more than a few hurdles. For a while it seemed like the movie was being scrapped, until Avi Arad (former CEO of Marvel Studios and producer of the movies in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse's early days) came on board in 2013, reviving the project. A director (Jordan Vogt-Roberts of ''Film/KongSkullIsland'' fame) has been brought on board and has been [[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/kojima-meets-with-metal-gear-movie-director-but-th/1100-6457912/ meeting with Kojima himself]] on writing the script, and Creator/OscarIsaac expressed interest in playing the lead role. However, the movie is still being written and rewritten, and no other news (production team, actors, etc) has come out. Time will only tell if the movie ever will get off the ground.
* The rights to make a ''{{VideoGame/Metroid}}'' movie were sold to two unnamed producers in 2003, who then sold them to John Woo in 2005, with a 2006 release date. Since then, not a word on so much as possible casting has been released, and no one's sure if John Woo even still has the rights or not. Nintendo has stated that they killed the project and the rights likely reverted to them. While Jordan Vogt-Roberts has expressed a desire to direct the film, and both Creator/RondaRousey and Creator/BrieLarson are interested in the lead role, whether ''Metroid'' will be SavedFromDevelopmentHell or not remains to be seen.
* A ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' film was in production for some time and got canceled. Much of the script was reworked for ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''.
* Production on ''Film/MortalKombat: Devastation'', the planned third movie for the ''Mortal Kombat'' film series, was seriously fraught. First, the disappointing performance of ''Mortal Kombat Annihilation'' made the studio hesistant to make another movie. And then, when they decided to go through with it, the production got derailed when Hurricane Katrina hit, as the studio had been set up in New Orleans. In early 2016, it was announced that Creator/JamesWan would produce a new ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' film for Warner Bros. Whether or not it'll actually materialize remains to be seen.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'' movie adaptation fell into this due to the death of Creator/HeathLedger, who was supposed to have played Roberto Frois from ''VideoGame/OnimushaDawnOfDreams''.
* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' was announced in 2001 (later changed to a TV series, but still no word).
* Back in 2013, director Creator/JJAbrams and Valve talked about the idea of developing a film adaptation based on ''{{VideoGame/Portal}}'' and/or ''VideoGame/HalfLife'', despite its confirmation by Abrams himself in this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVTSO17pvhU footage]] and by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf9YgeMVe-I Clevver News]]. Both projects are very early in development and no studio has been attached to them yet.
* An adaptation of ''VideoGame/RainbowSix'' (based off the third installment, ''Lockdown'') with John Woo as director was announced way back in 2004. Nothing has been heard since.
* A live-action/ stop motion hybrid film adaption of Ubisoft's ''VideoGame/RavingRabbids'' was announced back in 2013 along with adaptions of other Ubisoft properties. Although said to be distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment and scripted by the writers of ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'', nothing has been officially announced since then.
* Creator/BradPitt was rumored to be interested in developing and starring in a film adaptation of ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' back in 2010, but since then there's been radio silence.
* Like the ''Crazy Taxi'' example above, ''VideoGame/RentAHero'' was one of several Sega properties that were announced to get a film adaptation; specifically, it came out of nowhere [[https://www.polygon.com/2016/7/11/12155374/sega-s-obscure-rent-a-hero-being-adapted-into-movie in Summer 2016]]. Steve Pink, the director of ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'', was supposed to direct it as the story of one guy who joins a hi-tech startup described as "Uber for heroes", so not very related to the original game that was very much a product of early 90s Japan.
* Music/FiftyCent wanted to make a ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' movie around 2009. Nothing has happened since.
* Sony Pictures' film adaptation of the 2005 UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 adventure game ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'' has announced back in 2009. with Kevin Misher, producer of ''Film/TheScorpionKing'' and ''Film/TheInterpreter'', was at first negotiating to produce. On May 23, 2012, it was reported that ''Film/{{Chronicle}}'' director Creator/JoshTrank would be directing the film adaptation. On September 4, 2014, the film might finally move forward to become a reality as Variety reports that ''Film/{{Mama}}'' Creator/AndresMuschietti (who happens to be a fellow fan of the game) will be directing the film along with ''Hanna'' writer Seth Lochhead penning the script after Trank has dropped out in the wake ''Film/FantasticFour2015''. As of 2015, no cast or release date has been announced.
* A ''VideoGame/SpyHunter'' movie was advertised in the manual of the 2001 remake. The game ''Spy Hunter: Nowhere To Run'' was supposed to tie-in to this movie, but the film itself appears to be locked into this, if not cancelled outright.
* ''VideoGame/TheSuffering'' was slated for a 2012 release, but nothing has ever appeared hinting that the project even began. Given that the only available info on the project is from 2005-7, it doesn't seem likely.
* Due to several directors dropping in and out in the course of making the film, the movie adaptation of ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' is currently an example of this and has been percolating in various forms for over a decade. Starting in Spring 2019, the project seemed to be finally headed to being a reality with casting underway before fizzling out once again by the end of the year. The studio cast Creator/TomHolland as a young Nathan Drake, and Mark Wahlberg as his mentor, Sully, and female lead, Elena, was being screen tested. In May 2019, when Sony announced a new venture called [=PlayStation=] Production to turn their video game IP into movies, the CEO of Sony said that the film is in "advanced development". A few weeks later the project was given a Christmas 2020 release date. However, the film suffered yet another setback when director Dan Trachtenberg left. He was replaced with Travis Knight who then had to leave due to scheduling issues. With Holland set to film a third ''ComicBook/SpiderMan '' in Summer 2020, it’s unlikely to meet its release and will likely be pushed back to sometime in 2021.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Miscellaneous Sequels, Remakes and Reboots]]
* ''Film/TheIncredibleShrinkingMan'' remake has been in preproduction for ''years'' with Creator/EddieMurphy among the many people considered as possible candidates for the role of Scott Carey.
* ''Film/NationalTreasure 3'' is becoming this, as IMDB lists a release date of ???? which is usually given to films in Development Hell. Whether it will happen remains to be seen. As of a statement made in 2014, they're still working on the script.
* ''Franchise/UniversalHorror'':
** A remake of ''Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon'' has been in on-and-off development since at least the early 1980s when Creator/JohnLandis tried to launch a production helmed by the director of the original movie, Jack Arnold. In 1995, Creator/PeterJackson was given a choice between helming a new ''Creature'' movie or doing ''Film/KingKong2005''. [[http://www.the-reelgillman.com/news/remake.html This fan site]] shows a stream of news and rumors about a remake going back over ten years. Stephen Sommers, Creator/GuillermoDelToro, Brett Rattner, and a crossover with ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}, of all things, have all been mentioned at one time or another (plus [[Film/{{Pleasantville}} Gary Ross]], who wrote a script as his father co-wrote the original). The latest would-be director is Breck Eisner (director of ''Film/TheCrazies2010'' and son of Michael Eisner), but who knows when or if a remake will actually materialize? [[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Creature-From-Black-Lagoon-Remake-Gets-Writer-33543.html Again, news of it appeared in 2016]], and Creator/ScarlettJohansson was in talks to play the female lead, but nothing has been whispered since. Some of Creator/GuillermoDelToro's rejected ideas for a ''Creature'' remake were incorporated into his Best Picture-winning film ''Film/TheShapeOfWater''.
** Universal announced a new Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe known as the Film/DarkUniverse in July 2014, with ''Film/{{The Mummy|2017}}'' as the first installment. Other films will include ''The Wolf Man'', ''Frankenstein'', ''Bride of Frankenstein'', ''The Invisible Man'', and yes, ''Creature from the Black Lagoon''. A ''Van Helsing'' reboot set in the same universe has also been mentioned. However, the poor critical reception and [[BoxOfficeBomb box office flopping]] of ''The Mummy'' has put the future of the Dark Universe in question, with some even wondering if the whole thing will be a StillbornFranchise. The ''Bride of Frankenstein'' remake had a set release date of February 14, 2019, with Bill Condon (''Film/GodsAndMonsters'' and ''Film/BeautyAndTheBeast2017'') attached as director and Creator/JavierBardem attached to star (with the studio in talks with Creator/AngelinaJolie as the Bride), but it was delayed indefinitely right before filming was supposed to begin. The Dark Universe was officially announced as cancelled in January 2019, with a series of separate and independent filmmaker-driven films taking its place.
* ''Film/GetSmart 2'' was announced in 2008 after the release of the first ''Get Smart'' film set for a release in the summer of 2010. Creator/SteveCarell, Creator/AnneHathaway, and Creator/AlanArkin all claimed they would return, but Carell stated several times later that he wasn't pleased with a script, and rewrites were in place.
* ''Film/TheDamBusters'', a remake of the 1955 classic. Creator/MelGibson bought the rights in the late 1990s but never made much progress past rumors of filming in west England. Creator/PeterJackson obtained the rights a few years ago and rumor has it that filming had begun in 2009. Then Jackson decided to scrap the film and restart in 3-D.
* The American adaptation of ''Film/{{Infection}}''.
* ''Film/TheBadSeed'' remake, not counting the 1985 MadeForTVMovie [[spoiler:(in which, unlike the first film - but like the novel and play - [[TheBadGuysWin the evil little girl's mother kills herself while the girl survives]]).]]
* ''[[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Halloween 9]]'' seemed to have stalled. Once producer Moustapha Akkad died, the 9th film appeared to have died with him. Ironically, the remake of the first film got fast-tracked once he died. That means the fate of John Tate (Creator/JoshHartnett) and Molly Cartwell (Creator/MichelleWilliams), who were PutOnABus at the end of ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater'' ("Drive down to the Beckers") will probably never be resolved.
** There was even a contest sponsored by Dimension Films at one point that would award one lucky fan with a bit of screen time in this movie. Needless to say, a winner was apparently announced. Said winner was shown on the 30th-anniversary documentary, including showing the announcement of her winning. She was an extra in [[Film/{{Halloween 2007}} the remake]].
*** Speaking of the remake, it was supposed to have a third installment at one point. ''Halloween 3D'' was announced with a 2012 release date before being shelved and canceled.
** In February 2015, it was announced that Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan will be writing the new film along with Malek Akkad and Matt Stein producing. It even went into pre-production as ''Halloween Returns'', with its storyline supposedly connected to the original series, apparently as yet ''another'' direct sequel to ''Film/HalloweenII1981''. [[http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/the-next-halloween-film-has-been-delayed-for-refiguring-148 It was delayed]] resulting from Melton and Dunstan's disagreements with the Weinsteins. [[http://www.halloweendailynews.com/2015/12/halloween-franchise-leaving-weinsteins.html Now the Halloween franchise has been dropped by Dimension and the Weinsteins]], along with Melton and Dunstan's involvement. The rights then reverted back to Miramax, who teamed up with Blumhouse, Universal, Creator/JohnCarpenter himself, Creator/JamieLeeCurtis, Creator/DannyMcBride, and David Gordon Green for the next film, ''finally'' resulting in ''Film/Halloween2018''. However, that film is a direct sequel to the original 1978 film, completely abandoning the projects mentioned above.
* The remake of ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet2010'' was supposed to start a new franchise, with stars Creator/JackieEarleHaley and Creator/RooneyMara signed on for sequels, but the critical and commercial disappointment of the film [[StillbornFranchise stalled future installments, and sent Freddy back to the graveyard once again]]. Whispers of a new ''Nightmare'' film still pop up, but no such film is known to be in development.
* A remake of ''Film/LittleShopOfHorrors'' was announced in 2009, with a director attached to the project and purportedly having a darker tone than previous versions. No further information has surfaced in the following years since.
* ''[[Film/{{Scream}} Scream 5]]''. The fourth film was supposed to be the start of a new trilogy (with Creator/KevinWilliamson writing outlines for the next two films), but after it failed to make money at the domestic box office (though it [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff did well overseas]]), the Weinsteins decided not to make it a top priority. However, they kept dropping hints that it was still going to happen, possibly as the conclusion to the whole franchise (since the fourth film ended on something of a cliffhanger). Williamson has said that he's not writing the fifth film, likely because of the ExecutiveMeddling that occurred during the fourth. MTV went on to air a [[Series/{{Scream}} television adaptation]] with a completely different storyline and set of characters, and then the Weinsteins said there will be no fifth film. Then the TV series itself was completely rebooted with the third season, ending its original story on a cliffhanger. Then Creator/WesCraven (director of all four films) died. That, in addition to the troubles of Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany, means that the possibility of any fifth film, especially involving the original characters, is extremely moot at this point. Creator/NeveCampbell has suggested that she might return to play Sidney Prescott once again if the script is good enough.
* Hey Creator/PaulReubens, when are you going to make those new Pee-wee Herman movies? At last report, two sequels were being written back-to-back but Herman's stage show has stalled production of said movies.
** He stated in 2013 that a new TV show, and a new film, could happen in 2014. Late ''that'' year, Reubens announced the new film would be produced by Creator/JuddApatow, and in February 2015, he stated it would be exclusive to Netflix, under the title ''Pee-wee's Big Holiday''.
* The sequel to ''Film/DogSoldiers'', which was possibly derailed because of GenderFlip.
** Announced for release on December 20, 2014, with further films coming, in March 2014. It hasn't happened.
* ''Film/{{Phantasm}}'' series, yet another horror franchise with a sequel stuck in DevelopmentHell. The fifth (and supposedly final) film was announced as having been completed in March 2014, but no release date was given at the time.
* A remake of ''Film/AClockworkOrange'' was originally announced in development, but due to the death of Creator/HeathLedger (who had expressed great interest in playing Alex before the project was announced), it is unlikely that production will continue.
* The remake of ''Film/{{Hellraiser}}''. Mostly due to the fact that [[ExecutiveMeddling the Weinsteins]] keep rejecting the ideas of every writer and director that has ever been attached to the project.
** One of the projects was turned into [[Film/HellraiserRevelations a sequel]] so that the company can [[AshcanCopy keep their hold]] on [[Franchise/{{Hellraiser}} the franchise]], returning the remake into development hell.
* A sequel for ''Film/EasternPromises'' was supposed to happen, with Viggo Mortensen and Vincent Cassel reprising their roles, but in the spring of 2012, director Creator/DavidCronenberg announced that the project had fallen apart.
* ''The Brazilian Job'', the sequel to the 2003 remake of ''Film/TheItalianJob2003'' has been in the works since 2004 but was never finished due to the inability for the studio to agree on a finalized script. There have been rumors that a script was being considered in 2009, but nothing final. The project is currently still listed as being in development, but there's not even a projected year of release, so don't expect it anytime soon.
** There are also rumors that one of the scripts for this film ended up becoming ''Film/FastFive'', which is plausible, given that the plot for ''The Brazilian Job'' sounds almost identical to that film.
** As of 2010, WordOfGod confirmed that the project is officially dead.
* A third ''Film/{{Fletch}}'' movie has been in the works since 1997, with Creator/KevinSmith once attached to direct and Creator/BenAffleck and even Creator/ZachBraff for the title role. [[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20342679,00.html This]] ''Entertainment Weekly'' article has all the sordid details.
* On a similar note, the [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs bizarre]] Chevy Chase/Benji movie Film/OhHeavenlyDog was going to get a [[https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a666135/a-remake-of-chevy-chases-1980-comedy-oh-heavenly-dog-is-in-the-works/ reboot]] with the director of Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks directing. Nothing has been heard since.
* ''Tongue of Fury'', the sequel to ''Film/KungPowEnterTheFist'', was announced since the end of the first film in 2002. However, no word of it has ever surfaced. WordOfGod states that Creator/SteveOedekerk is still sifting through a huge library of Hong Kong martial arts films to find the right scenes to lift. There were also rumors of a possible 2010 release.
* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension'' has two of these: The sequel film ''Buckaroo Banzai vs. the World Crime League'', which stalled out despite enthusiastic responses from the original cast, and an animated spinoff TV series on Fox, ''Buckaroo Banzai: Ancient Secrets and New Mysteries''. At this point, they can both be considered dead. The DVD release of the original movie was this for about a decade, due to a complicated rights issue that was not resolved until the death of the license holder. Amazon later gained the right to possibly make a whole TV series out of it, and even got Creator/KevinSmith on as the director, but that didn't quite work out either.
* Even after the under-performance of ''Film/ReignOfFire'', actors from the film still indicated that there still might be a sequel in the works. That was back in 2002.
* The third ''Franchise/AlienVsPredator'' film. It helps both franchises went [[Film/{{Predators}} their own]] [[Film/{{Prometheus}} ways]] again.
* A fifth ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' movie is much rumored by Spielberg, Lucas, Ford and [=LaBeouf=]. Considering that the fourth film was in DevelopmentHell for nineteen years and that [=LucasFilm=] is occupied with ''Franchise/StarWars'', it's hard to say if anything will come of the fifth film.
** With the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy is out of here (with Disney hot to produce some new films, and the merchandising that goes with them), and they have been talking about more films after those three, at a steady clip (every 2-3 years) into the indefinite future, which makes it harder to fit an ''Indiana Jones'' sequel in.
** A fifth film can be made without Paramount's involvement ([[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-takes-control-indiana-jones-663704 Disney has purchased Paramount's distribution rights to future sequels]]), and it has been confirmed for 2021, with Spielberg, Ford, and ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull Crystal Skull]]'' writer David Koepp returning. But it has been confirmed to be the last, at least with Creator/HarrisonFord.
* The sixth ''Franchise/DieHard'' film. Initially titled ''Die Hardest'' and intended to be the GrandFinale to the series, the critical drubbing and underperforming box office of ''Film/AGoodDayToDieHard'' was a likely cause of the film being placed on the backburner. It resurfaced a few years later with the title ''[=McClane=]'', with a new plot that would cut between the present day and [=McClane=]'s first year as a police officer. Production ceased with Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, and there is currently no word if Disney will allow the film's production to continue.
* The remake of ''Film/TheEntity''.
* The remake of ''Film/TheWiz'', which was rumored to star Music/{{Aaliyah}} and R&B singer Ginuwine. This was back in 1999-2000. But the idea seemed to stall even before Aaliyah's untimely death.
** In 2015, NBC aired a live version of the musical, which appears to be unrelated, but makes the idea of another theatrical film less likely.
* Multiple studios have tried to remake Creator/JohnWoo's ''Film/TheKiller''. The first attempt was by Tri-Star in 1992, with a screenplay by Creator/WalterHill with Richard Gere and Creator/DenzelWashington in the lead roles. It fell through due to the producers getting skittish over the script's HoYay undertones. A second attempt was announced in 2007 with John H. Lee directing and Woo producing, but also fell through due to Lee's committments to other projects. In 2018, Universal announced it was moving forward with the film, with Woo returning to direct and Creator/LupitaNyongo in a leading role.
* The remake of ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'' has been stuck here for a while. Back in 2008, Universal was gearing it up with Creator/RobertRodriguez as the director. Creator/RoseMcGowan was to take the role of Barbarella, but Universal freaked out over the high budget and they didn't think [=McGowan=] was right for the role. Rodriguez was not willing to make any changes, so he shopped the remake to other studios. Further problems came when his backers wanted Barbarella to be aimed for the German audience. Rodriguez didn't like that plan, so he finally gave up in May of 2009. Later, it was announced that Robert Luketic was to take over the director's chair, but production didn't really get off the ground. Now that the film's proposed producer, Creator/DinoDeLaurentiis, has died, the remake now seems really unlikely despite rumors that Creator/AnneHathaway is attached to the remake.
* ''Film/TheGreatKhan'', Sergei Bodrov's follow-up to the 2007 ''Film/{{Mongol}}''.
* A sequel to ''Film/NewJackCity'' has been in development since 1991, when it was announced to begin filming for a Christmas 1992 release. Since then, the project has been off-and-on in development. Most recently, there were plans to make it straight-to-DVD but not much is known yet.
* The remake of ''Film/RevengeOfTheNerds''. ''Film/{{Fanboys}}'' director Kyle Newman was given the greenlight to direct a remake back in 2007. Unfortunately, the studio kept cutting the budget, and the only college in Georgia that would let them film was an all-girls school, as the other colleges had previously had bad experiences with film crews. The studios also kept on making demands for things as trivial as the main characters' wardrobe, then after the all-girls school found out that the film was more "risque" then the crew had let on, they were kicked out and had no money left to finish the movie, so the studio pulled the plug on the remake and nothing has been heard ever since.
* Around 2003, Creator/RobertZemeckis was planning to remake the Creator/WilliamCastle film ''Macabre'' for Dark Castle Entertainment (a company he co-founded with Joel Silver) at some point in between the productions of ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf|2007}}''. After Zemeckis got heavily into motion capture, he abandoned the project and eventually left Dark Castle to start Imagemovers Digital. Nothing has been heard about the project since.
* The ''Film/{{Clue}}'' remake, first announced in 2006. At first, it was announced as a straight remake of the 1985 comedy, then it wasn't, then Gore Verbinski joined the project, then it was a straight remake again, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment then it wasn't again]]. Hasbro soon parted ways on the project with Universal and went to 20th Century Fox with a new producing team, with Fox announcing the new film would be something of an international mystery that would span the globe, but to make a long story short[[note]]Too late![[/note]], the film seems to be stranded here for the foreseeable future. In January 2018, Ryan Reynolds was cast as the main star, with Reynolds collaborators Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick penning the script. In September 2019, Creator/JasonBateman was revealed as a possible candidate for directing the film.
* ''Film/{{Jumanji}} 2'', which would have involved the Jumanji board, after being spotted in the ocean, uncovered by two girls from France, building on [[SequelHook a scene at the end of the film]]. It was scrapped when Chris Van Allsburg wrote ''Film/{{Zathura}}'' as a sequel to the book that inspired the movie, with the intent of making TheMovie based on the book (which ironically is more of a SpiritualSuccessor). A ''Jumanji'' sequel eventually was made, ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'', but going a whole different way (the board game updates itself into a video game).
* A third film based on ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' is announced so many times that it's a clear case of this. It finally left this with a [[Film/BlairWitch 2016 film]], which was not billed as such (with a different title, even) during the early stages of its marketing.
* The ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'' remake with Ryan Reynolds. The director who was attached eventually left the project due to CreativeDifferences.
* ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'' was only the last in a long line of proposed T.E. Lawrence biopics, stretching back to the 1920s. Many never got past the idea stage, but a few came close to production:
** Alexander Korda personally contacted Lawrence about a film based on his ''Revolt in the Desert''. After Lawrence's death in 1935, Korda spent several years developing the project: Walter Judd, Leslie Howard, Creator/LaurenceOlivier and Creator/RobertDonat were all possibles for Lawrence. By 1939 the movie was finally ready to shoot, until the outbreak of World War II scrubbed it. Supposedly, UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill personally intervened, telling Korda that he didn't want to alienate Turkey in the lead-in to war.
** In the early '50s, Columbia Pictures approached numerous directors to adapt ''Seven Pillars of Wisdom'': Creator/JohnFord, Creator/MichaelPowell and none other than Creator/DavidLean among them. None seemed especially interested, though the project kicked around for several years, with such unlikely names as Creator/AlanLadd and Creator/BurgessMeredith rumored to play Lawrence.
** Meanwhile, the British Rank Organization developed their own Lawrence movie. The project got underway in the late '50s, with a screenplay by Terence Rattigan and Dirk Bogarde attached to play Lawrence. The movie was set to film in Iraq, before a military coup in 1958 derailed production. Rattigan reconfigured his script into a stage play, ''Ross'', which was successful enough that producer Herbert Wilcox again tried bringing it to the screen. By this time, however, Sam Spiegel and David Lean were producing ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia''. After an exchange of legal threats and lawsuits, Wilcox dropped the project. ''Ross'' was [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell finally adapted in 1970]]... as a low-budget BBC television movie, starring a young Creator/IanMcKellen.
** In early 2013 Creator/RolandEmmerich announced a Lawrence-focused miniseries, supposedly based on Michael Korda's ''Hero''. There's been no news since that initial announcement.
* In the late 2000s, Disney had been planning sequels to surprise hits ''Film/WildHogs'' and ''Film/TheProposal'' but canceled both after the box office failure of ''Old Dogs''. While the former had gone through some development (even having a plot be revealed), the latter seems to have never gotten past talks nor was it known what it would have been about.
* Development of the third ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes'' film seems to have stalled due to producer Joel Silver jumping ship to Creator/{{Universal}} and the second film not being as successful as Creator/WarnerBros had hoped for (Silver and the studio also had a spat over the second film's marketing campaign, which was one of the things that led to Silver's departure).
* ''Double V Vega'', a Creator/QuentinTarantino film that would starred Creator/MichaelMadsen and Creator/JohnTravolta as brothers Vic and Vincent Vega (from ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' and ''Film/PulpFiction'' respectively), was proposed after the latter film was released, but went unmade due to Tarantino's involvement in other projects (such as ''Film/KillBill'' and ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''), which ultimately left the project unfilmable due to how old the actors have gotten since they originally played the characters.
* In 2010, Creator/SamRaimi and Creator/GuillermoDelToro announced rival production labels (Raimi at Lionsgate, del Toro at Disney) that would produce horror films for younger audiences. Raimi's label even announced its first project (a remake of the 2007 Swedish sci-fi film ''Film/TheSubstitute'') but neither label got past talks due to Raimi's busy schedule and Disney cutting its production slate.
* Apparently someone [[http://www.tokyohive.com/article/2011/06/columbia-pictures-to-remake-downtowns-matsumoto-hitoshis-dai-nipponjin/ wanted to remake]] the odd sci-fi/comedy/satire ''Film/BigManJapan'', a very unusual choice since it's firmly rooted in Japanese culture (and also contains some kind of jab at the USA in the end). As expected, nothing more than the announcement has ever surfaced.
* Around 2005 a modern-day remake of Sam Peckinpah's ''Film/TheWildBunch'' was announced, to be directed by Creator/DavidAyer. Years passed without further developments. Then in early 2013 news outlets reported a similar project featuring Creator/WillSmith in production.
* As of October of 2013, it's the [[http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/176981-fede-alvarez-rodo-sayagues-have-walked-away-from-evil-dead-2 sequel]] to the ''Film/EvilDead2013'' remake. Fede Alvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues have walked away from the project alleging that it was dead. Which is weird because a few months prior, they claimed work was already started on the sequel, only to completely do a 180. [[FlipFlopOfGod Are they lying or what?]]
** A sequel to ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' and a third crossover film that would bring the original film series to the same world as the remake series has also apparently been scrapped. The ''Army'' sequel alone may have been scrapped completely in favor of the Starz TV series ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'' instead that premiered in 2015. And now that the TV series has ended in 2018 and Bruce Campbell announced that the character of Ash has been retired, the probability to see him together with Mia from the remake is next to zero.
* Sometime in the late 2000s, a remake of ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' was announced but it never happened due to protests from the movie's cult followers, who detested the idea that Creator/{{MTV}}[=/=]Creator/DisneyChannel teen idols would be cast in the lead roles. A live broadcast remake, ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShowLetsDoTheTimeWarpAgain'', was released in 2016 on Fox, which mostly got [[SoOkayItsAverage a middling reception]].
* A sequel to ''Film/DudeWheresMyCar'' was rumored sometime after the release of the first film, but nothing more was heard afterward.
* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'':
** A third ''Film/ScoobyDoo'' film was planned and green-lit during production of the second film, and Creator/MatthewLillard and Creator/LindaCardellini signed on to reprise their roles. After the second film performed less than expected (wasn't a flop though, it still made money, just not as much as the studio hoped), Creator/WarnerBros canceled the project. Five years later, two made-for-TV prequels were made with a different cast. There are now talks of a reboot of the series, in addition to a theatrical animated film.
** Speaking of the prequels, there was supposed to be a third one of those as well, with the entire cast signed on. However, the project has gone nowhere. It might have to do with the negative reception ''The Curse of the Lake Monster'' received.
* In 2000, director Mike Nichols announced he was remaking the British comedy ''Film/KindHeartsAndCoronets'', starring Creator/RobinWilliams (replacing Creator/AlecGuinness as the D'Ascoyne family) and Creator/WillSmith (in the Dennis Price role as the murderous heir). The project bounced around for several years, but a suitable script was never completed, while the director and stars worked on other projects instead. With both Nichols and Williams now deceased, any chance that the film would ever go into production seems to have vanished.
* The long-mooted ''Theatre/MyFairLady'' remake. When first announced in 2008, Columbia Pictures attached Creator/DannyBoyle to direct and Creator/EmmaThompson write the screenplay, with Creator/DanielDayLewis as Henry Higgins and Creator/KeiraKnightley as Eliza Doolittle. By 2009, Boyle had dropped out of the project, followed by Day-Lewis and Knightley. Then John Madden was announced as director, with Creator/ColinFirth and Creator/CareyMulligan starring. Then Madden left the project after [[ExecutiveMeddling Columbia demanded Madden cast]] Creator/HughGrant as Higgins instead of Firth. Then, after Firth won Best Actor for ''Film/TheKingsSpeech'' in 2011 he was reattached to star... by which time Mulligan was tied up shooting ''Film/{{Shame}}'' and ''Film/TheGreatGatsby2013''. Finally, in 2012 CBS Films threatened to sue Columbia over rights to Lerner and Loewe's musical. As of fall 2014, the movie still hasn't been made, and it doesn't seem likely anytime soon.
* There was a ''Film/ChoppingMall'' remake announced years ago. But so far nothing has come of it. IMDB says it's still "In Development".
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has had [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Undeveloped_Star_Trek_projects several unproduced projects]], many of which never got past the proposal stage, although there were some movie projects that had significant preproduction work done before being shelved:
** ''Star Trek: Planet of the Titans'' was one of several ideas to revive the live-action franchise in TheSeventies, but the only one to gain enough traction to move beyond the earliest drafts. Eventually, the project stalled and was ultimately shelved in favor of a new TV series, ''Star Trek: Phase II'', though after extensive pre-production work had been done on the series, it too was shelved in favor of ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture''. Two study models of a delta-winged ''Enterprise'' created for ''Planet of the Titans'' (based on designs by Ken Adam and Ralph [=McQuarrie=]) were ultimately used as background ships in ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock'' and ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.
** The proposed Starfleet Academy prequel movie (alternately known as ''Star Trek: The First Adventure'' and ''Star Trek: The Academy Years'') that Harve Bennett had hoped to make as the sixth film was shelved in favor of ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry''. However, the prevailing feeling around Paramount was that the 25th-anniversary movie should feature the original cast, and there were concerns that recasting the classic characters would've been too great of a risk. The original cast was also not happy about being replaced. Some helped spread the false rumor that the film was to be a spoof in the footsteps of ''Film/PoliceAcademy'' In addition, an Academy film would've required all-new sets, costumes, and models, all of which would've been time-consuming to create, while a movie set in the film series' "present" era allowed the reuse of existing assets, making it a lot easier for the film to make the desired December 1991 release date. Bennett would try to sell the project again over the next several years, but Paramount ended up using only the most bare-bones part of the premise - Kirk, Spock, and [=McCoy=] meeting at the Academy - in Creator/JJAbrams' ''Film/StarTrek2009''.
** The 4th ''Star Trek'' movie has been put on ice after the box office underperformance of ''Film/StarTrekBeyond''. Although Abrams and Paramount were confident in another installment, the financial failure of ''Beyond'' and many of Paramount's tentpole films led the studio to focus more on developing smaller budget movies. In 2018, Paramount greenlit both a main sequel directed by S. J. Clarkson and a spin-off directed by Quentin Tarantino. However, to accommodate the smaller budget of the sequel, the cast had their salaries reduced significantly, leading to Creator/ChrisPine and Creator/ChrisHemsworth dropping since they were originally promised lucrative pay raises that were agreed upon prior to ''Beyond'''s release. Abrams also vacated his role as producer and creative consultant after signing on to direct ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', which lost its original director and undergone massive re-writes following the death of Creator/CarrieFisher. The death of cast member Creator/AntonYelchin (Chekov) also dampened much enthusiasm for future sequels. Until a new director was announced in 2019, the project seemed dead, though it still lacks a release date.
* The ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' remake. Warner Bros. purchased the rights to do the film in 2010, and earlier Vertigo Entertainment had expressed interest in doing a reboot film without series creator Creator/JossWhedon to much controversy. It was also announced that the film would likely be a remake of the 1992 film and have nothing to do with the [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer much better-received TV series]] with Heather Morris and Candice Accola both in talks for the title character, and Creator/KristySwanson expressing interest in a cameo. Whit Anderson had written a script that was rejected in 2011. That's the last we've heard of the project since.
* The fourth ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons'' movie -- Creator/{{Hasbro}} sued Creator/WarnerBros and Creator/NewLineCinema to get the film rights to the series back, upset that Warner did not let the rights lapse after the original film was so loose and out of touch with its source material that it flopped both critically and commercially. The fourth film was thought to have been canceled after the lawsuit was filed, but the three parties eventually settled. The fourth movie is now back in production, with Hasbro serving as a co-producer through Allspark Films and expecting to receive the rights back once Warner is finished with their fourth movie.
* ''The Godfather, Part IV''. Paramount has long wanted to make another sequel to ''Film/TheGodfather'', despite the [[Film/TheGodfatherPartIII third film]]'s mixed reception and Creator/FrancisFordCoppola's opposition. In the late '90s, Mario Puzo worked on a script patterned on the second film's parallel storylines: a modern-day segment focusing on Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia) inheriting the Corleone family, and a flashback to the '30s showing Vito consolidating power in the Prohibition era with help from a young Sonny (with Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio mooted for the role). Puzo's death in 1999 scuttled the project, though his script was later adapted into Ed Falco's novel ''The Family Corleone''. Paramount won rights to the ''Godfather'' franchise from Puzo's estate in a 2012 lawsuit, but there's no indication that a fourth installment's actually going forward.
* A third ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'' film was stuck in this state for over 25 years. Announcements of ''Ghostbusters III'' (which inevitably fell through every time) were so common that they became a joke within the fandom and among film journalists. By the time Creator/HaroldRamis died in 2014, taking with him any chance of the film being made with the original cast, the only continuation of the series since 1989 had come in the form of [[WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters animated]], [[VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame video game]], and [[ComicBook/{{Ghostbusters}} comic book]] adaptations. By that point, they had to [[Film/{{Ghostbusters 2016}} reboot the franchise]] in order to get a third ''Ghostbusters'' film made at all. And two years after that, [[https://www.cnet.com/news/dan-aykroyd-new-ghostbusters-film-being-written-for-original-stars/ Dan Aykroyd started up the rumor mill again]]... but he was then joined by Creator/JasonReitman[[note]]son of the first two films' director Ivan Reitman[[/note]], who [[https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/16/entertainment/jason-reitman-ghostbusters/index.html confirmed a new Ghostbusters installment]] that would serve as a sequel to the first two films and ignore the 2016 reboot. Sony announced a release date of July 10, 2020, shortly after.
* As IMDB's trivia page for the film and a few other sites report, Columbia purchased the rights for a remake of Swedish comedy film ''Film/{{Kopps}}'', about a small town's police force, shortly after the film came out. Creator/AdamSandler's Happy Madison Production was supposedly involved. But the film came out in 2003 and nothing more was heard about the remake since then.
* A fourth ''Film/AustinPowers'' film was announced in 2005 but so far, nothing has come of it yet. Two [[Film/TheCatInTheHat cinematic]] [[Film/TheLoveGuru failures]] [[StarDerailingRole starring Mike Myers]] haven't helped, and the April 2018 passing of cast member Verne Troyer (Mini-Me) makes this even less likely, yet as of late 2018, Myers still insists it's coming. Someday.
* The third ''Film/BillAndTed'' film; Alex Winter and Creator/KeanuReeves have talked about since the early 2010s, a script has been written, and Dean Parisot of ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' has been attached as the director. However, rights and funding issues have kept it in Development Hell for a good long while. Fortunately, as of May 8th, 2018, it was officially announced to be in pre-production, with the title ''Bill and Ted Face The Music'' with an official plot synopsis.
* The re-reboot of ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' appears to be dead. The film already had a turbulent time trying to get off the ground, which is detailed at length [[http://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3410743/troubled-history-next-friday-13th/ in this article]], but the biggest blow came in February 2017 when Paramount not only stripped its [[MeaningfulReleaseDate October 13th]] release date, but [[http://variety.com/2017/film/news/friday-the-13th-reboot-canceled-paramount-1201979691/ halted production]] ''indefinitely'' as well. Legal and rights issues surrounding the franchise are not helping matters. The film died for good when the franchise rights reverted back to New Line Cinema in 2018.
* A remake of ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'' was confirmed by Sony Pictures in 2014 with Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard writing the script, with the film being "high priority" and being set for a 2017 release. Nothing else was said until 2016 when Flanagan mentioned in a podcast interview that the film will be more of a reboot, not borrowing the story from the 1997 film or it's [[Literature/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer 1974 source novel]] by Creator/LoisDuncan, and that it would carry a $15-$20 million budget. Nothing has been whispered since.
* Shortly after ''Film/TwentyEightWeeksLater'' was released, Danny Boyle indicated plans for a third installment, ''Twenty Eight Months Later'', was in the works. Unfortunately, copyright issues mean it's unlikely to happen anytime soon.
* A sequel to the 2014 ''Film/{{RoboCop|2014}}'' [[ContinuityReboot reboot]] was planned, only to be shelved for several years due to the reboot flopping massively in the United States. [[http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/robocop/249003/robocop-reboot-sequel-plans-not-dead Den of Geek reported in 2015]] that Sony was still intent on making the sequel, but several years later it was reported that the sequel was dead, as the rights to the ''[=RoboCop=]'' franchise reverted back to MGM. A second reboot, said to take place after the [[Film/RoboCop1987 first film]] and thus [[CanonDiscontinuity rendering the original sequels non-canon]], was announced simultaneously with ''Film/District9''[='=]s Creator/NeillBlomkamp attached to direct.
* A live-action reboot of ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' was announced in May 2015, with the planned film said not to share any ties to [[Film/InspectorGadget the 1999 film or its sequel]]. This is the only thing that's been heard about the project thus far.
* The second sequel to ''Film/{{Prometheus}}'' (after ''Film/AlienCovenant'') is on ice after ''Covenant'' failed to impress at the box office. That hasn't stopped Creator/RidleyScott from talking about it, but with Disney taking over 20th Century Fox, even Scott isn't sure if the sequel will ever get off the ground.
* ''Film/TheHost'' came out in 2006 and was the highest-grossing Korean film ever at the time, so naturally, there were soon talks of a sequel and a remake. [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/3d-release-eyed-host-sequel-32232 The sequel]] (or maybe a prequel) was supposed to be released in Summer 2012 as a 3D movie and apparently was about authorities denying the existence of the monster. The American remake was announced in 2008 with Gore Verbinski as producer and had a planned release date of 2011. Nothing more has been heard about either of them. On top of that, even the video game [[https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/14226/the-host-2-becomes-a-video-game/ based on the film]] became {{vaporware}} as well.
* In 2012, a sequel to ''Film/{{Twins}}'' titled ''Triplets'' was revealed to be in development, and the plot would revolve around Julius and Vincent finding out about their long lost brother, whom Creator/EddieMurphy would play. No further news has been made about the film since.
* A ''Film/BioDome'' sequel has been discussed since 2007, in spite of the film being a critical and commercial failure. In 2017, Stephen Baldwin stated that him and Creator/PaulyShore are still interested in the project, with the latter having the funding for production, but they need MGM's approval first.
* The ''Film/AlienNation'' remake. Announced in 2015 by Fox, Jeff Nichols was announced as director the following year, with no news since then. Original screenwriter Rockne S. O’Bannon is set to regain the rights to the ''Alien Nation'' property in 2022 thanks to termination clauses in copyright law, meaning that if Fox owner Disney doesn't care enough about the IP to get the remake off the ground, Fox's franchise is dead by 2022 as O'Bannon will be able to shop the remake elsewhere.
* According to [[https://www.cbr.com/ed-brubaker-writes-maniac-cop-remake/ this 2014 article]], a remake of the slasher film ''Film/ManiacCop'' was going to be produced by Creator/NicolasWindingRefn and written by Ed Brubaker. Later on, Creator/LarryCohen, writer of the original movie, stated that the remake was not getting made; however, still in 2018 [[https://ew.com/movies/2018/11/19/maniac-cop-remake-different-tone/ it was reported]] that the ''Maniac Cop'' remake was still being made but with "a completely different tone". Nothing more has been said about it since then.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation Adaptations]]
* A live-action film based on ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'' has been in development hell for a very long time. Creator/{{Paramount}} purchased the rights to do one in 1985 but sold them to Creator/UniversalStudios a few years later. The result was the ''animated'' film, ''WesternAnimation/JetsonsTheMovie''. A live-action film was later discussed in 1995, but nothing happened. In 2001, Rob Minkoff was attached to direct a live-action ''Jetsons'' film, but in 2003, it was announced that its script was being reworked and Adam Shankman in talks to direct. In 2004, the script went through another rewrite with Sam Harper, and Shankman still attached to direct. It once again fizzled but was resurrected again in 2006 with Adam F. Goldberg now attached to write the screenplay and Creator/RobertRodriguez entering negotiations with Universal to direct a CGI film for a 2009 release, but the project stalled. In 2012, Music/KanyeWest, of all people, was rumored to be involved in a ''Jetsons'' film project in some way, though this was later confirmed to just be a preliminary idea. The film rights are now in Creator/WarnerBros' hands. In 2015, they announced that they planned on producing another animated ''Jetsons'' film with Matt Lieberman of WebVideo/SourceFed writing the script. Unfortunately, no live-action film is known to be in development at the moment.
* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' is another Hanna-Barbera property whose live action adaptation has been stuck in development hell for decades. It was first announced in the early 90s when Turner began seriously pushing a revival of the franchise. Creator/RichardDonner expressed interest in directing, with production beginning in 1995 and filming scheduled for 1996, but it never happened. The project was revived in 2006 with Creator/ZacEfron attached to star as Jonny Quest and Wrestling/DwayneJohnson attached to star as Race Bannon, but once again, the project fizzled. In 2016, Creator/RobertRodriguez became the next name to be attached to direct a live-action ''Jonny Quest'' film, and Chris [=McKay=] (director of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie'') was attached in 2018, but time will tell if it ever actually does get off the ground.
* A ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' movie was confirmed to be in development from Creator/WarnerBros as a star vehicle for Wrestling/DwayneJohnson. That was back in 2002, and nothing has been heard since.
* Nickelodeon had been planning films for ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' and ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' since early 2015, with ''Film/DoraAndTheLostCityOfGold'' finally being SavedFromDevelopmentHell in 2019. There's still no info yet about ''Korra'', though.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other]]
* ''The Story of Bonnie and Clyde'' has been delayed for several years. After Music/HilaryDuff, who was cast as Bonnie, became pregnant, the producers quickly replaced both leads, fearing that the film would be delayed further if they waited for Duff to be available. That was back in 2011, and the film has yet to enter production. Given the December 2013 release of the A&E miniseries, ''Bonnie and Clyde'', starring Holliday Grainger and Emile Hirsch (which may or may not have ever been connected to the Hilary Duff remake), a feature film remake seems unlikely anytime soon.
** Films about the OutlawCouple tend to attract this. An independent project on the pair attempted to get off the ground during TheNineties, and even got as far as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32wS7WMOpXo having footage shot for it]], but was unable to secure enough funding to complete the film. There were whispers of another attempt at a film around TheNewTens, but nothing has come of it so far.
* Creator/GuillermoDelToro examples:
** It wasn't until making ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' that he finally got a studio to okay his script for ''Literature/AtTheMountainsOfMadness'' -- a script that apparently had no romantic subplot, a BittersweetEnding, and [[UltimateEvil very vague monsters]], none of which are things producers want. It was also going to have Ron Perlman, apparently; he joked that [[AuthorAppeal del Toro will let him pick the sort of jar he gets to float in]]. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_mountains_of_madness#Film But Universal Studios gave up on it in 2011, and del Toro gave up on it altogether in 2012]].
** He was also planning an adaptation of ''Domu: A Child's Dream'', by Creator/KatsuhiroOtomo (better known for ''Manga/{{Akira}}''), which has apparently been called off due to rights issues.
* ''Tulia'' is about an attorney who works on behalf of a group of local black men who are wrongly convicted of their involvement in a drug ring. Likely the politically-charged nature of the story, based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulia#1999_drug_arrests an actual event]], has derailed this project.
* Similarly, ''Pinkville,'' which is about the My Lai Massacre.
* A few years ago there were competing development projects about [[UsefulNotes/PunicWars Hannibal Barca]]. One with Creator/DenzelWashington, another with Creator/VinDiesel. Either one could have been interesting. But so far, nothing.
* ''The Sky Is Falling'' has a reputation as one of the greatest screenplays never filmed. Drew [=McWeeney=] wrote about this script from TheNineties [[https://uproxx.com/hitfix/big-question-what-unfinished-film-do-you-wish-had-happened/ in an August 2013 Hitfix.com article about films that never made it]]: Two priests GoMadFromTheRevelation of God's '''non'''existence and become AxCrazy, and now the challenge for the authorities is to both stop their rampage ''and'' keep the physical proof of this revelation from becoming known to the rest of the world, lest further mayhem ensues. It's little to no wonder New Line Cinema didn't go through with it.
* Brian Flemming's ''Danielle'' (or ''The Beast''), about a Christian high-school student named Danielle who investigates her father (a biblical scholar)'s mysterious disappearance and discovers he'd stumbled upon a well-kept secret: Jesus never existed. Now she has to deal with the same band of fundamentalist Christians who will stop at nothing to ''keep'' this a secret.
* The re-release of ''Film/LetItBe''. Contrary to popular belief, neither Music/PaulMcCartney nor Music/RingoStarr have tried to block its re-release, nor are they opposed to the idea of it ''being'' re-released -- in fact, [[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/paul-mccartney-looks-back-the-rolling-stone-interview-w433437 McCartney WANTS it to be]], and has openly wondered why it hasn't been. The reluctance seems to instead lie with Apple Corps, as [=McCartney=] has stated he's brought it up several times to the board, only for them to nix the idea each time for one reason or another.
* Since at least the early 1990s, Roger Daltrey of Music/TheWho has been attempting to put a biopic of his late CrazyAwesome drummer bandmate Keith Moon on the big screen. Creator/RobertDowneyJr was once considered for the lead role before, in Daltrey's words, he read the script and did everything in it. Creator/MikeMyers was teased all throughout the 2000s to be playing the man himself, but after its intended release day in 2007 passed, nothing has come of it. Currently, [=IMDB=] lists the film as "Untitled Keith Moon Project", with Mike Myers still attached to the title role.
* ''Literature/TheDionaeaHouse'', a story told virally over the internet from 2004 to 2006, abruptly stops on several cliffhangers at different points in time, apparently because Warner Bros. purchased rights for a film adaptation. According to [[http://listing-index.ebay.com/movies/The_Dionaea_House.html eBay's film listing]], it was supposed to come out in 2007. [=IMDB=] once had a listing for a 2010 release (under the name ''The Residents'' for some reason), but even that has fallen down the Memory Hole.
** According to the creator it's dead for now. Whether or not [[IncrediblyLamePun the door is still open]] for it to be made remains to be seen.
* Something called ''Curly Oxide and Vic Thrill'', starring Creator/SachaBaronCohen and written by Creator/TinaFey, was supposed to come out around 2007 or 2008. It's still listed as an upcoming project on both Cohen and Fey's Website/{{IMDb}} pages.
* The ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'' movie. Creator/JerryBruckheimer picked up the right in 2004, and has been renewing the option every year, but doesn't seem to have done anything with it yet. Though, considering how other ''Rifts'' spin-offs (like the CCG and the N-Gage video game) went, this may not be a bad thing.
* A {{biopic}} of [[UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood silent film]] comedian [[Creator/FattyArbuckle Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle]] has been in this state for about three decades. Like the aforementioned ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces'', it had Creator/JohnBelushi, Creator/JohnCandy, and Creator/ChrisFarley lined up to star in it shortly before their respective deaths. No word has come out of it since.
* The Music/SnoopDogg movie ''Black Ice'' has been on and off in development for the latter part of the decade. Snoop said in an interview that scheduling and communication issues have caused the delays, but insists that it'll see the light of day.
* A {{biopic}} about Baron Gustaf Mannerheim, Marshal of Finland during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, was announced in 2000, with Finnish director Creator/RennyHarlin attached. The filming has been postponed many times due to budgetary issues. Harlin finally pulled out in May 2011, but it is unclear whether the project will go on without him.
* ''The Minds of Billy Milligan'', the story of an (actual) man with multiple personalities, was adapted into a screenplay called ''The Crowded Room'' by Todd Graff in something like the late 1970s. Dozens of actors, producers, and directors including Creator/JamesCameron (who wrote a second screenplay) and Steven Soderbergh have signed onto the project and quit.
* The film adaptation of Music/GreenDay's rock opera ''Music/AmericanIdiot'' has been in development since 2005. Several scripts have been written, and Tom Hanks has expressed interest in producing the film, but nothing definitive has yet been announced. When asked if the movie was a truth, lie, or mystery, drummer Tre Cool responded that it was "a true mystery".
* [[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5813834 This]] ESPN the Magazine article gives an inside account of the process of getting stuck in Development Hell. David Fleming's tried for years to get his novel ''Breaker Boys'', about an early NFL team whose championship was revoked after bitter lobbying by richer rival team owners, onto the big screen. Fleming sees this as a larger failure than most -- because the movie isn't getting made, the NFL won't be forced to admit its mistake and restore the stolen championship.
** Ultimately, the project was sunk by the failure of ''Film/{{Leatherheads}}'', which studios believed signified there was no money to be made in a movie about football in the 1920s. As the article mentions, ''Leatherheads'' was itself stuck in development hell until Creator/GeorgeClooney stepped into the picture. Fleming's ESPN colleague Rick Reilly wrote the original screenplay in 1991... and it hit theaters in 2008. It's a point of contention between Fleming and Reilly as to who got the worse deal.
* Music/MichaelJackson-related examples:
** GK Films [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/michael-jacksons-thriller-to-be-hideously-transfor,46849/ announced a movie]] based on Music/MichaelJackson's ''{{Thriller}}'' video, with Kenny Ortega, set to direct and [[Film/TheHangover Jeremy Garelick]] set to write a script that would have had ''a lot'' of AdaptationExpansion, in 2010.
** Jackson's estate [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/michael-jackson-estate-prepping-film-about-very-sp,65251 was shopping around]] a {{Biopic}} in late 2011, but nothing's been heard of it since. Given that his rise to superstardom was already covered (if sugarcoated) by the Jacksons-sanctioned (and since [[AdoredByTheNetwork ran into the ground by VH-1]]) 1992 MadeForTVMovie ''Jacksons: An American Dream'', and that his estate apparently doesn't want to bring up the scandals and misfortunes that dominated his later years, there haven't been any takers.
* 20th Century Fox optioned William Monahan's script ''Tripoli'' in 2001, depicting the Barbary Pirate Wars. After Monahan's 2006 Oscar win for ''Film/TheDeparted'' its production was announced and would be directed by Creator/RidleyScott and featuring Creator/RussellCrowe, Creator/KeanuReeves, and Ben Kingsley. Despite periodic claims of future release dates, it still hasn't been made.
* In 2007, a film version of ''The Mayor of Castro Street'', a biography of Harvey Milk, was announced. This was derailed by the successful release of ''Film/{{Milk}}'' the following year.
* In 2006 it was announced that Creator/MartinScorsese would direct an adaptation of Edmund Morris's biography ''The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt'', written by Nicholas Meyer and starring Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio as Roosevelt. Ever since it's been on hiatus, with little evidence that the project ever developed beyond the idea stage. Scorsese put ''Rise'' on hold for other projects, before ultimately dropping out as director. Scorsese has said that he's interested in producing the film if someone else would direct, but as of yet, no one's taken him up on the offer.
* After proving to be a dynamic duo in the film classics ''Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid'' and ''Film/TheSting'', Hollywood big-shots Creator/RobertRedford and Creator/PaulNewman tried for years to do another film that would feature them together. Hope for that third movie died along with Newman in 2008.
* Creator/{{Universal}} announced a live-action Franchise/{{LEGO}} ''Toys/HeroFactory'' movie project back in 2012, and despite the [[WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie other major LEGO-inspired film]] becoming a huge success, it hasn't been discussed any further. With the toy line being canceled in response to the 2015 return of its [[Toys/{{Bionicle}} much more famous predecessor]], it is doubtful that it will ever be made.
* A live-action film based on the ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' franchise was announced around 2010 and was allegedly going to come out in 2012. With no information about the movie has been released (as well as the franchise-spawning a series of successful DTV movies and TV specials), it was most likely cancelled.
** A new animated musical film called ''Boo York, Boo York'' is coming out in 2015. The unreleased film was supposed to be a musical so ''Boo York, Boo York'' might be an attempt to salvage it—or is a jab at it.
** The live-action film seemed to be back on track, as Universal [[http://variety.com/2015/film/news/monster-high-director-ari-sandel-1201623306/ recurited]] Ari Sandel (''Film/TheDuff'') to direct and set it for an October 2016 release. However, with Creator/DreamWorks jumping ship from Disney to Universal that year, its release date was snubbed in favor of [=DreamWorks=]' ''The Girl on the Train''. No new release date has been announced since then.
* A {{Biopic}} about Creator/MaryShelley titled ''Mary Shelly's Monster'' staring Creator/SophieTurner fell to this. Between no new casting information coming up about the film since its August 2014 announcement and the production falling to ScheduleSlip (it was supposed to begin in Fall of 2014 but was delayed to January 2015, but still failed to start), it never came to fruition. The 2017 movie simply title ''Mary Shelley'' starring Creator/ElleFanning probably didn't help this movie's chances either.
* ''The Chronicles of Rick Roll'', a fantasy comedy starring various internet celebrities such as Music/TayZonday, Numa Numa Guy, David After Dentist and WebVideo/ChadVader among many others ([[{{Irony}} though ironically]], [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot not]] Music/RickAstley of JustForFun/{{Rickroll}} fame), was announced back in 2013 and was expected to be released in 2014. Very little of the film's plot and development has ever come up and it ended up getting delayed repeatedly. (Plus, with the speed at which Internet memes move, the whole movie would've likely never held up in the long term and become an UnintentionalPeriodPiece at best.)
* A Music/BlueManGroup movie entitled ''Mind Blast'', in which the original performers enter a creatively congested person to help them express themselves, was announced in 2011, and that was the last time anyone heard about it.
* The ''TabletopGame/CandyLand'' movie. It was initially announced by both Creator/{{Hasbro}} and Creator/{{Universal}} in 2009, but they soon dropped it in favor of ''Film/{{Battleship}}''. The rights were later picked up by Creator/{{Sony}}, who then attached Creator/AdamSandler as star. However, a lawsuit over ownership of the characters for the game kept it from getting greenlit, and then came Sandler's point-blank demands that Sony carve out '''$200 million''' for the project[[note]]After which then-Sony executive Amy Pascal said not-so-subtle things about Sandler that [[http://gawker.com/leaked-asshole-adam-sandler-demanded-200-million-ca-1673559291 got leaked out]] in the Sony hack[[/note]], which Sony bluntly refused. Eventually, Hasbro got tired of waiting for Sony to sort itself out [[http://www.tracking-board.com/tb-exclusive-warner-bros-ready-to-play-adam-sandlers-candyland-game-over-at-sony/ and decided to reboot the project from scratch]], this time at Creator/WarnerBros (With Sandler staying on) Time will only tell when the project will be green-lit ''this'' time.
* There were several movies about Creator/HarryHoudini that were planned but never made:
** In 1932, Creator/RKOPictures considered making a biopic, with Paul Muni in the lead. For legal reasons though, Houdini's name could not be used, so Harry Houdini became Harry Pinetti. Titled ''Now You See It'', the first screenplay was written by Fulton Oursler, who knew Houdini personally. Oursler's screenplay followed Houdini's life very loosely and invented many fictional episodes. Then Kubec Glasmon was brought in to write a new screenplay. The project was then shelved, but in 1936 the Pinetti name resurfaced in treatment for a movie called ''Man of Magic'', which had nothing to do with Houdini. That movie was also never made.
** In the mid-30s Houdini's widow, Bess Houdini, approached Creator/ColumbiaPictures about a Houdini biopic. However, the studio's president, Harry Cohn, rejected it, claiming, that Houdini's life was not dramatic enough. Then Mrs. Houdini approached Paramount, which in 1936 announced ''Houdini the Great'', with a screenplay by Frank O’Connor and Dore Schary as producer. Schary later commissioned another screenplay by Pierre Collings. Paramount however eventually dropped the project and in 1944 Schary offered it to David O. Selznick. Selznick wanted Creator/AlfredHitchcock to direct it and Creator/CaryGrant or Joseph Cotten to star in it, but the Master of Suspense rejected it. Then William Dieterle was attached to the project as director and Garry Moore as Houdini, but the project soon died out.
** Producer Ray Stark tried to make his own Houdini biopic for many years. In 1969, he announced a stage musical about the King of Handcuffs under the title ''Hocus Pocus''. By 1974 this turned into a movie called ''The Magic Man: The Story of Houdini'', with James Bridges as director and Creator/JamesCaan as Houdini. However, the movie went through several screenwriters, as Stark was unsatisfied with them. At one point Stark wanted to turn the movie into a time travel fantasy. Then in the early-90s Stark managed to sign on Creator/RobertZemeckis as director, with Universal and Columbia co-producing the movie. However there was still no script, so in 1992 Zemeckis dropped out. By 1997 Stark managed to get a screenplay written by Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson and Creator/PaulVerhoeven signed on as a director, but he soon left the project. Up until his death in 2004, Ray Stark claimed, that he was in talks with Creator/AngLee to direct and Creator/TomCruise to star in his Houdini biopic, but the project went to the grave with him.
** In 1988 a movie called ''Harry's Back!'' was announced, which would have starred Creator/TonyCurtis as a man turning up in present-day New York and claiming to be Houdini. The movie was never made. Similarly announced, but never made was ''The Dead of Night'', which would have paired Houdini with Aleister Crowley. The project never went beyond an ad in a 1990 issue of ''Variety''.
* A Music/MilliVanilli biopic has been in this state for years.
* In 1960, UsefulNotes/RobertFKennedy published a nonfiction book called ''The Enemy Within'' about his role in the Senate's investigation of organized crime and labor corruption. After [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy his brother]] became President and RFK became Attorney General, he hoped to adapt it into a film, approaching producer Jerry Wald. Wald commissioned Budd Schulberg, screenwriter of the similarly-themed ''Film/OnTheWaterfront'' to write a screenplay, which he did in 1962 in close collaboration with Kennedy; ''Waterfront'' director Creator/EliaKazan was attached to direct, and there were even talks with Creator/PaulNewman to play Kennedy himself. Just as production seemed ready to start, Wald died of a heart attack, Kazan fell out with Schulberg over changes to the script, and the project fell into limbo. While several studios considered producing it afterward, threats from the Teamsters and other unions which Kennedy's book depicted in less-than-flattering terms, made producers reluctant to film it, while Kennedy's own interest in the project eventually waned. As late as 1969, the year after Kennedy's assassination, there were still rumors of a production by Columbia Pictures, but nothing ever came of them.
* Creator/{{Hasbro}} has attempted [[http://mentalfloss.com/article/69454/hollywoods-repeated-inexplicable-attempts-stretch-armstrong-movie multiple times]] since TheNineties to give Stretch Armstrong his own movie. Proposals varied wildly, from a WhenYouComingHomeDad comedy to a DarkerAndEdgier action tentpole. Actors considered include Creator/DannyDeVito, Creator/JackieChan, and Creator/TaylorLautner. Lautner even received [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HtNzFnS5EE an animatic]] demonstrating how his stretching powers could apply to a set piece. Hasbro ultimately had more luck adapting Stretch Armstrong for the small screen; Creator/{{Netflix}} gave him [[WesternAnimation/StretchArmstrongAndTheFlexFighters his own cartoon]] in 2017, starring Creator/ScottMenville.
* ''Gray State'' was to be a dystopian action film about a Second American Revolution against a OneWorldOrder, largely rooted in the conservative/libertarian fears and conspiracy theories of its creator, David Crowley. Unfortunately, given Crowley's [[PaterFamilicide double murder-suicide of his family]], the film will likely never see the light of day. The only thing to come from it has been a Creator/WernerHerzog-produced documentary titled ''A Gray State'', which focused on Crowley and what drove him over the edge.
* As hinted above, just about every Creator/TerryGilliam film experiences Development Hell one way or another. Says Creator/EricIdle on Terry Gilliam productions, "Go and see them by all means -- but to be in them, fucking madness!"
** Following the success of ''Film/TheFisherKing'', Gilliam and Richard [=LaGravenese=] worked on a script called ''The Defective Detective'', which centered on a cop getting trapped in a child's fantasy world. Creator/NicolasCage was considered to play the lead, but Paramount didn't give the project the go-ahead. While Gilliam still has plans to make the film and hinted at it for years, it's currently on the back burner.
** Gilliam has toyed with making ''Theseus and The Minotaur'' ever since TheSeventies, though it is still stuck in script phase.
** Gilliam also wanted to direct an adaptation of ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'' with Creator/MelGibson, but Gibson dropping out and budget disputes prevented this from happening.
* There have been several attempts to adapt ''Franchise/{{Barbie}}'' as a live-action movie. The earliest effort was in 1986 when Creator/TheCannonGroup (yes, really) planned to produce such a film, but was scrapped following ''Film/MastersOfTheUniverse''[='=]s poor reception. Nearly 30 years later, Sony announced plans to adapt ''Barbie'' on the silver screen, with Creator/AmySchumer in talks to play the title role, but left and was replaced by Creator/AnneHathaway. Creator/DiabloCody was set to write before leaving due to scheduling conflicts with ''Film/{{Tully}}''. After she dropped out, Sony put the film for a 2020 release, only for the film to be canceled when Mattel decided to set up its own movie unit and Sony's option for the franchise expired. Warner Bros. is now in talks to produce the movie, though it's unclear if anything from the Sony project will be retained.
* A film based off [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_the_lion Christian the lion]] was announced in 2008 by Sony Pictures, with Neal Moritz producing. After trudging along for about five years, it got a writer and director before the Sony hack shook up Sony management, with newly-installed motion picture group chairman Tom Rothman deciding not to move forward with it. It was shelved indefinitely when Moritz jumped ship to Paramount a couple of years later due to continued conflict with Rothman, and with both the writer and director having moved on, no progress has been made.
* Fox acquired the film rights to both ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' and ''Play-Doh'' from Creator/{{Hasbro}} in 2014. Since then, no other word has come out from either project, and both projects appear to be shelved in the aftermath of Fox's acquisiton by Disney.
** The former film appears to be dead, as Creator/{{Netflix}} announced an anime ''Magic: The Gathering'' series in June 2019 that will be helmed by Creator/TheRussoBrothers. The latter film is still in limbo.
* In 2015, Peter 'Stoney' Emshwiller crowdfunded [[http://www.laterthatsamelife.com/ Later That Same Life]], a documentary where he unearthed footage of his 18-year-old-self interviewing him when he was - at the time - 56. However, despite [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9n9dt2fKeE&lc=Ugx2A-R7l-loJZvbGZZ4AaABAg a comment on the trailer in 2018 assuring the film was still in development despite unexpected personal and health issues]], nothing about the project has been announced since. The fact that there hasn't been a blog post for years and [=RocketHub=], the site used for crowdfunding, no longer even exists doesn't bode well for the project being delivered any time soon, if at all.
* ''Leaving Neverland'' director Dan Reed has announced plans for a follow-up documentary focusing on the accusations against Music/MichaelJackson by Jordan Chandler and Gavin Arvizo, however due to the film's controversy the sequel seems to have been shelved.
* No less than two Creator/JimHenson biopics were placed in development in the 2008-2011 period but never got off the ground. ''Henson'', written by Robert D. Slane, appears to have been a standard bio. ''The Muppet Man'', written by Australian actor/writer Christopher Weekes, was a more unorthodox story that was going to parallel Henson's life with Muppet scenes, and even have Muppet characters interact with Henson. In both cases, the Jim Henson Company refused to give permission to use the characters, which was really odd for ''The Muppet Man'', since they had actually bought the screenplay after it topped the annual Black List for the best unproduced screenplays. Creator/JimCarrey, Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio and Creator/HughJackman were all said to be in the running to play Henson. The Henson organization wasn't too thrilled with the way ''The Muppet Man'' delved into the collapse of his marriage, and couldn't work out a compromise with Weekes. The screenplay still circulated, with bloggers and Muppet fans registering mixed reactions over it, noting that Henson never sentimentalized his characters or regarded them as real, and that the script was a bit sloppy, with misspellings, factual errors and Americans using Australian slang terms.
[[/folder]]
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** And somewhere around 2011, news came that Creator/SamRaimi was directing ''Discworld/TheWeeFreeMen'' from a script by Pamela Pettler (who wrote Creator/TimBurton's ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride''). Since the initial announcement, nothing. Pratchett apparently [[ExecutiveVeto vetoed]] a script that "had all the hallmarks of something that had been good, and then [[ExecutiveMeddling the studio had got involved]]", and then told everyone "it probably won't happen." (As of 2013, the latest news on that one is that the rights reverted at around the same time Sir Terry set up his own production company, and Creator/RhiannaPratchett is now writing a script. In 2016, the Creator/JimHenson Company were announced as the producers.)
* Pratchett was fond of citing an early aborted interaction with a major American producer - [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial who he publicly denied was Disney]] - who assured him that they were abolutely in love with ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'' and really wanted to do the movie of the novel - but considered Americans would have a problem relating to [[TheGrimReaper Death]] as the star of a feelgood movie, so we're gonna have to write the character out. Pratchett said this was when he started to get ''cynical'' about proposed big-screen versions of his novels.

* According to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Vice its Wikipedia article]], the film adaptation of journalist Jake Adelstein's memoir book ''Tokyo Vice'' was supposed to be filmed in Tokyo around 2015, with Creator/DanielRadcliffe taking the role of Adelstein. IMDB still lists it as "In Development", but with no info about it whatsoever.

* The ''Franchise/{{Onimusha}}'' movie adaptation fell into this due to the death of Creator/HeathLedger, who was supposed to have played Roberto Frois from ''VideoGame/OnimushaDawnOfDreams''.

** Another possible victim of the Batman franchise's shakeup is the solo ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}'' film that was also announced in 2017. Creator/JossWhedon was initially attached to write and direct the movie, but left the project the following year. ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'' writer Christina Hodson was said to be penning the script after Whedon's departure, but there's been no word on when the movie will begin production or if it's even still happening since then.

** Another possible victim of the Batman franchise's shakeup is the solo ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}'' film that was also announced in 2017. Creator/JossWhedon was initially attached to write and direct the movie, but left the project the following year. ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'' writer Christina Hodson was said to be writing the script after Whedon's departure, but there's been no word on when the movie will begin production or if it's even still happening since then.

** A ''Comicbook/{{Nightwing}}'' SpinOff was reported to be in development in 2017, with ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie'''s Chris [=McKay=] attached to direct. Despite [=McKay=] publicly talking about his plans for the movie in interviews, the project stalled out after a while, with no real updates having been releasd in quite some time. It is believed that the uncertain future of the Batman franchise following the backlash to the initial DCEU films (with it seemingly increasingly possible that Creator/MattReeves' upcoming ''The Batman'' will be a ContinuityReboot rather than a prequel), as well as Ben Affleck's departure from the franchise, has placed the project on ice indefinitely.

** Another possible victim of the Batman franchise's shakeup is the solo ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}'' that was also announced in 2017. Creator/JossWhedon was initially attached to write and direct the movie, but left the project the following year. ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'' writer Christina Hodson was said to be writing the movie's script after Whedon's departure, but there's been no word on when the movie will begin production or if it's even still happening since then.

** A ''Comicbook/{{Nightwing}}'' SpinOff was reported to be in development in 2017, with ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie'''s Chris [=McKay=] attached to direct. Despite [=McKay=] publicly talking about his plans for the movie in interviews, the project stalled out after a while, with no real updates having been releasd in quite some time. It is believed that the uncertain future of the Batman franchise following the backlash to the initial DCEU films (with it seemingly increasingly possible that Matt Reeves' upcoming ''The Batman'' will be a ContinuityReboot rather than a prequel), as well as Ben Affleck's departure from the franchise, has placed the project on ice indefinitely.

** A ''Comicbook/{{Nightwing}}'' was reported to be in development in 2017, with ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie'''s Chris [=McKay=] attached to direct. Despite [=McKay=] publicly talking about his plans for the movie in interviews, the project stalled out after a while, with no real updates having been releasd in quite some time. It is believed that the uncertain future of the Batman franchise following the backlash to the initial DCEU films (with it seemingly increasingly possible that Matt Reeves' upcoming ''The Batman'' will be a ContinuityReboot rather than a prequel), as well as Ben Affleck's departure from the franchise, has placed the project on ice indefinitely.

** A sequel to ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' and a third crossover film that would bring the original film series to the same world as the remake series has also apparently been scrapped. The ''Army'' sequel alone may have been scrapped completely in favor of the Starz TV series ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'' instead that premiered in 2015.

* In early 2007, Creator/NewLineCinema bought the film rights for ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan''. The screenwriter got to work and the cameras were supposed to start rolling by Fall 2008. The script passed through many hands (even the comic's creator Creator/BrianKVaughan) but no one could crack compressing the story enough to fit into a movie's runtime while still staying true to the original series. Ultimately the director D.J. Caruso and his team pitched a trilogy to New Line (the first movie would have ended at issue #14) but were told it needed to be one movie. Caruso couldn't make it work and quit the project. By 2013, a new script that the studio felt was workable was written and then they hired a new director, aiming to shoot in 2014. However, the rights reverted back to Vaughan and co-creator Pia Guerra by the time it could start shooting. In 2015, Vaughan and Guerra optioned the rights for a show to debut on Creator/{{FX|Networks}} which was set to debut sometime in 2019 or 2020, over a decade after the rights were first sold. Then, in April 2019, it was reported that showrunners Aida Mashaka Croal and Michael Green had exited the project during pre-production due to CreativeDifferences, leaving the show in limbo as well. While the heads at FX are optimistic for a 2020 premiere, time will only tell if they can move forward.

* A [[{{Biopic}} biopic]] about Creator/MaryShelley titled ''Mary Shelly's Monster'' staring Creator/SophieTurner fell to this in this state. Between no new casting information coming up about the film since its August 2014, the production falling to ScheduleSlip (it was supposed to begin in Fall of 2014 but was delayed to January 2015, but still failed to start)

* Same goes for the possibility of a ComicBook/BlackWidow solo film. Lionsgate commissioned a script from Creator/DavidHayter back in 2004 before dropping the project, and Kevin Feige has stated that Marvel was in discussions with Creator/ScarlettJohansson for a Black Widow movie as far back as 2010. In July 2018, Jac Schaeffer (''Disney/OlafsFrozenAdventure'') was been tapped to write a Black Widow solo film with Cate Shortland as director. Filming eventually started in early 2019, targeting a May 1, 2020 release date.

** At least two animators at ''Creator/{{Disney}}'' want to see an AnimatedAdaptation. There was an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKSlQinKTD8 unofficial storyboard]] of "Defying Gravity" created by an animator has been floating around for a while. There was also another animator who hoped Disney (or at least some animation studio) would pick up the film. A possible third person who does character designing for Disney also made his own concept arts for what he thought ''Wicked'' might look like coming out of Disney as a part of their art portfolio. Sadly, considering the musical ''is'' property of Universal Studios, the chances of Disney getting hold of such a project is dubious. The blockbuster reception of ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' has also likely killed the chances of Disney animating ''Wicked''; the stories are incredibly similar, even down to the original Elphaba actress Creator/IdinaMenzel being the voice of Queen Elsa. It's a joke in both fandoms that ''Frozen'' is the [[SpiritualAdaptation closest thing]] to a ''Wicked'' adaptation we'll see.

* Pratchett was fond of citing an early aborted interaction with a major American producer - who he publicly denied was Disney - who assured him that they were abolutely in love with ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'' and really wanted to do the movie of the novel - but considered Americans would have a problem relating to [[TheGrimReaper Death]] as the star of a feelgood movie, so we're gonna have to write the character out. Pratchett said this was when he started to get ''cynical'' about proposed big-scren versions of his novels.

** [[http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/04/halo-movie-generation-xbox/ This Wired article]] provides an in-depth view of the drama, and points out that the film's failure to materialize is likely due to Microsoft's inexperience in dealing with Hollywood politics, plus the problems that would be involved with it - minimizing the amount of ConspicuousCGI would be prohibitively expensive, and Hollywood has never done well with more-or-less silent protagonists.

* Nickelodeon had been planning films for ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' and ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' since early 2015, with ''Film/DoraAndTheLostCityOfGold'' finally being SavedFromDevelopmentHell in 2019. There's still no info yet about ''Korra'', though.

* In early 2007, Creator/NewLineCinema bought the film rights for ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan''. The screenwriter got to work and the cameras were supposed to start rolling by Fall 2008. The script passed through many hands (even the comic's creator Creator/BrianKVaughan) but no one could crack compressing the story enough to fit into a movie's runtime while still staying true to the original series. Ultimately the director D.J. Caruso and his team pitched a trilogy to New Line (the first movie would have ended at issue #14) but were told it needed to be one movie. Caruso couldn't make it work and quit the project. By 2013, a new script that the studio felt was workable was written and then they hired a new director, aiming to shoot in 2014. However, the rights reverted back to Vaughan and co-creator Pia Guerra by the time it could start shooting. In 2015, Vaughan and Guerra optioned the rights for a show to debut on Creator/{{FX|Networks}} which was set to debut sometime in 2019 or 2020, over a decade after the rights were first sold. Then, in April 2019, it was reported that showrunners Aida Mashaka Croal and Michael Green had exited the project during pre-production due to CreativeDifferences, leaving the show in limbo as well.

** [[http://deadline.com/2016/11/voltron-david-hayter-live-action-film-universal-dreamworks-animation-1201848630/ Things seemed to be looking up as of 2016]]. With Creator/{{Universal}} buying Creator/DreamWorksAnimation (the current owners of the ''Voltron'' franchise) and production of ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'', Universal appeared to be dead set on starting a ''Voltron'' multimedia franchise, going full-steam ahead with the movie and Creator/DavidHayter rumored to be attached as scriptwriter. However, following that latest incarnation of the series showing dismal merchandise sales, and Dreamworks hurrying to finish their commitment and wash their hands of the series, it remains to be seen if Universal still continues to see Voltron as a viable franchise, with no news since the announcement of the film, or for any additional Voltron related items. As of October 2019, there is no mention of any ''Voltron'' productions from either Universal or Dreamworks in their upcoming schedules (when prior a film had been listed by Dreamworks as "TBA"), which means that the film was likely quietly shelved.

* No less than two Creator/JimHenson biopics were placed in development in the 2008-2011 period but never got off the ground. ''Henson'', written by Robert D. Slane, appears to have been a standard bio. ''The Muppet Man'', written by Australian actor/writer Christopher Weekes, was a more unorthodox story that was going to parallel Henson's life with Muppet scenes, and even have Muppet characters interact with Henson. In both cases, the Jim Henson Company refused to give permission to use the characters, which was really odd for ''The Muppet Man'', since they had actually bought the screenplay after it topped the annual Black List for the best unproduced screenplays. Creator/JimCarrey, Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio and Creator/HughJackman were all said to be in the running to play Henson. The Henson organization wasn't too thrilled with the way ''The Muppet Man'' delved into the collapse of his marriage, and couldn't work out a compromise with Weekes. Reaction to the screenplay among Muppet fans and bloggers was mixed, noting that Henson never sentimentalized his characters or regarded them as real, and that the script was a bit sloppy, with misspellings, factual errors and Americans using Australian slang terms.