History DevelopmentHell / LiveActionFilms

** A ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'' SpinOff about Creator/BlackCanary was announced in 2021 as part of DC's new initiative to create lower budget DC films for Creator/HBOMax, which also included ''Film/BlueBeetle2023'' and ''Batgirl''. Creator/JurneeSmollettBell was hired to reprise her role as Black Canary, with ''Series/LovecraftCountry'''s Misha Green writing and directing. However, the film was thrown into chaos when new CEO David Zaslav cancelled the initiative the following year, which led to ''Blue Beetle'' instead being released theatrically and ''Batgirl'' being shelved outright. Despite claims that it was still in the works, the project's fate was seemingly confirmed when Green deleted all mentions of the movie from her social media accounts, which, combined with the news of the DCEU's impending reboot, led many to believe it had been cancelled.

** In 2005, a ''Comicbook/{{Zatanna}} movie was said to be in the works, with ''Film/IcePrincess''' Hadley Davis writing the screenplay and Denise Di Novi producing. Nothing more was heard about the film beyond this, and the project was seemingly cancelled. In 2021, Creator/EmeraldFennell was hired to write a new Zatanna film as part of the DCEU, but this too ultimately went nowhere due to the behind-the-scenes shakeups at the studio, which ultimately led to the entire franchise being rebooted under James Gunn and Peter Safran.

* ''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.)

* 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.
* 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.
* ''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.

* 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, Disney refused to give permission to use the characters, which was really odd for ''The Muppet Man'', since the Muppets' creators & previous owners the Jim Henson Company 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 [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Americans using Australian slang terms]]. The Henson biopic concept may yet get SavedFromDevelopmentHell, since in 2021 Disney announced they would make one called ''Muppet Man'' (minus the "The", and not connected to the Weekes screenplay), apparently based around the launch of ''Series/TheMuppetShow''.

* 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/DreamWorksSKG 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 second solo Superman film after ''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 SHAZAM!]]'', and his obligation to Netflix's ''Series/{{The Witcher|2019}}''. 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 film (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 ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' movie without Henry Cavill's involvement. Even when news broke in late May 2020 that Cavill had entered talks to reprise his role, outlets like ''Deadline'' and ''Variety'' cautioned that the studio was more interested in having the Superman character appear in ''other'' movies and team-ups (similar to the Hulk's current status in the MCU), and that ''Man of Steel 2'' was still not being developed. Then, in February 2021, it was announced that WB was instead pursuing a Superman ContinuityReboot written by Creator/TaNehisiCoates and produced by Creator/JJAbrams... and that project also entered development hell. In late 2022, Cavill returned for a cameo in ''Film/BlackAdam2022'', leading to speculation that ''Man of Steel 2'' might finally be back in production. However, despite Steven Knight being attached to write a treatment, these hopes were dashed when not only did Cavill announce that he would not return as Superman, but new DC Films head Creator/JamesGunn also confirmed ''Man of Steel 2'' would not be moving forward, with the new Superman movie instead being a ContinuityReboot starring a younger actor.

* [[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. Come 2022, however, and bolstered by the huge success of the live action ''Film/{{Sonic The Hedgehog|2020}}'' film and [[Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022 its sequel]], a live action film based on ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' was announced, followed soon after by film adaptations of ''Comix Zone'' and ''Space Channel 5''. Time will tell if any of these come to light or if they succeed.

* ''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.
** As of April 2023, it has now been officially SavedFromDevelopmentHell (sans Columbus as director and writer) and is in production for [[Film/FiveNightsAtFreddys2023 an October 27, 2023 release.]]
** Meanwhile, while nothing has been stated publicly, it's been alleged WB took one of the scrapped scripts and retooled it as ''Film/TheBananaSplitsMovie'', a horror film featuring the [[Series/TheBananaSplits titular Hanna-Barbera characters]].

*** Margot Robbie was also attached to a ''ComicBook/GothamCitySirens'' adaptation co-starring ComicBook/PoisonIvy and Characters/{{Catwoman}}, with ''Suicide Squad'''s Creator/DavidAyer supposedly returning to direct. The film was shelved in favor of Robbie’s ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'' movie.

*** Once the studio decided on creating [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse its own shared universe]] due to the success of the MCU, ''The Flash'' was said to be in the works for a tentative 2016 release, and was officially announced with a March 2018 release date in late 2014, with Creator/EzraMiller tapped to star as the title character. The movie subsequently went through a tumultuous turnover of directors and writers regarding the direction of the film and the change in the franchise's plans after ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' opened to negative reviews and underperformed at the box office. Seth Grahame-Smith (writer of ''Film/AbrahamLincolnVampireHunter'' and ''Film/PrideAndPrejudiceAndZombies'') was originally hired as the director before being replaced by Rick Famuyiwa (director of ''Film/{{Dope}}''), who later dropped out over creative differences, leading to Warner Bros. settling on John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (writers of ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' and directors of ''Film/GameNight''). However, production was repeatedly delayed due to Miller's commitment to the ''Film/FantasticBeasts'' series. Furthermore, Miller's dissatisfaction with the LighterAndSofter approach by Daley and Goldstein led to him rewriting the script with aid of Creator/GrantMorrison to make it DarkerAndEdgier. Daley and Goldstein would later drop out with [[Creator/AndresMuschietti Andy Muschietti]]of ''Film/IT2017'' fame signing on to direct in July 2019 while the studio rejected Miller's rewrite and instead hired Christina Hodson (''Film/BirdsOfPrey'') to draft a new script. Progress had been made throughout 2020, including some casting (most notably the addition of Creator/MichaelKeaton as Batman) but production got delayed due to COVID-19 related delays to the third ''Fantastic Beasts '' film. However, things got back on track in 2021, with Creator/SashaCalle joining the cast as ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and filming ''finally'' officially starting in Spring of that year.

** Several {{Spin Off}}s of ''Film/SuicideSquad'' were planned, but never came to fruition:

** A third ''Film/WonderWoman'' movie was initially stated to be in development, with Creator/PattyJenkins returning to direct. In late 2022, it was announced that the project had been shelved after Jenkins parted ways with the studio over CreativeDifferences.

** In 2014, a ''Comicbook/{{Cyborg}}'' SpinOff was announced as part of the DCEU's first slate of films, with a tentative April 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 was dropped from the ''Flash'' movie after publicly vowing not to work with DC Films president Walter Hamada (whom he accused of covering up abuse that occurred during the ''Justice League'' reshoots), likely meaning that any remaining sliver of hope for a ''Cyborg'' solo movie is now dead.
** A ''Justice League'' sequel was also originally announced for 2019, but was later shelved. Originally intended to be directed by Creator/ZackSnyder, the sequel was to be DarkerAndEdgier than its predecessor and follow up on [[SequelHook Sequel Hooks]] present in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', with a LegionOfDoom consisting of Lex Luthor, Black Manta, Ocean Master, Doctor Poison, Comicbook/TheRiddler (intended to be introduced in the aforementioned Ben Affleck ''Batman'' movie) and Captain Cold (intended to be introduced in the ''Flash'' movie) appearing as the villains. 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. This subsequently created a bit of an awkward situation when [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague Snyder's cut of the film]] was officially released in 2021, as it contains blatant teases for a hypothetical sequel and that the studio has specifically said it does not intend to actually make.[[note]]Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff publicly stated in 2021 that the studio views ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' as the end of Snyder's arc, and Snyder himself subsequently admitted in a livestream that he is doubtful that WB will make his two planned sequels.[[/note]]
** 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/GreenLantern2011 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. The original premise of a Stewart/Jordan team-up would eventually be used for the HBO Max series ''Lanterns'' as part of Creator/JamesGunn's reboot of the DC Universe.
** 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 ''Film/ChaosWalking2021'', and, despite the title officially being announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2017, no further movement has been mentioned since then. The above-mentioned failure of the ''Justice League'' movie likely contributed to the studio being cagey about the chances of a SpinOff. In 2020, it was announced that instead of a film, Creator/JJAbrams would be producing a ''Justice League Dark'' TV series for the Creator/HBOMax streaming service. However, the future of ''that'' project was later thrown into question when it was announced that the studio would be moving forward with a sequel to the Creator/KeanuReeves ''Film/{{Constantine}}'' movie.

*** A Comicbook/TheJoker[=/=][[Characters/HarleyQuinnTheCharacter Harley Quinn]] movie was announced in 2017, with Creator/JaredLeto and Creator/MargotRobbie reprising their roles as the respective characters, and ''Series/ThisIsUs''' Glenn Ficarra and John Requa attached to write and direct. Described as a BlackComedy “criminal love story,” the directors hoped to enlist Series/DrPhil for a cameo in the opening scene, which would see him kidnapped by Joker and Harley as part of a ploy to fix their toxic relationship. After an update in 2018, nothing more was heard about the project.

*** Margot Robbie was also attached to a ''Comicbook/GothamCitySirens'' adaptation co-starring Comicbook/PoisonIvy and Characters/{{Catwoman}}, with ''Suicide Squad'''s Creator/DavidAyer supposedly returning to direct. The film was shelved in favor of Robbie’s ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'' movie.
** 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 released in quite some time. It is believed that the uncertain future of the Batman franchise following the backlash to the initial DCEU films, as well as Ben Affleck's departure from the DCEU, has placed the project on ice indefinitely.

** The studio was said to be working on a ''Comicbook/PlasticMan'' movie in late 2018, with Amanda Idoko writing the script. Aside from some articles in 2020 claiming that the project was being reworked to star a [[GenderFlip female lead]], there have been no further updates.
** The new slate launched from ''Film/TheFlash2023'' was originally supposed to culminate in an adaptation of ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. However, the project was shelved, if not killed entirely, when Walter Hamada exited his role as the head of DC Films and was replaced by James Gunn and Peter Safran.

** 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/TheInhumans Inhumans]]'' 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 eventual release of ''Film/{{Eternals}}'' (which covers similar territory), the return of the X-Men to Marvel and the premier of the live-action ''Series/{{Ms Marvel|2022}}'' Creator/DisneyPlus series (which was overseen by Feige instead of Perlmutter) have seemingly made the project's revival even less likely. To further push the nail in the coffin, the ''Ms. Marvel'' show made her a [[Franchise/{{XMen}} Mutant]] instead of an Inhuman.
* 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.

** Among many other 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 a 2016 release, it went through multiple directors (including Rupert Wyatt (''Film/DawnOfThePlanetOfTheApes''), 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 acquired Fox, the film, along with several other Marvel films planned by Fox, was removed from the release schedule, ensuring its death. Wyatt [[https://www.comicsbeat.com/rupert-wyatt-on-how-the-fantastic-four-movie-messed-up-his-gambit-plans/ added]] that a few months before production started, Fox slashed the budget following the failure of ''[[Film/FantasticFour2015 Fant4stic]]'', the first drawback in a neverending succession of them.

** Additionally, a Comicbook/KittyPryde film 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.

* A new ''Comicbook/RedSonja'' film was announced, with a teaser poster announcing a 2009 release date. Since the 2011 ''Film/{{Conan the Barbarian|2011}}'' [[BoxOfficeBomb tanked at the box office]], the film has been on hold. The film supposedly had a new screenwriter as of 2015, then nothing more 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.

* ''Comicbook/{{Witchblade}}'' was in development not too long ago. It seems to have been scrapped in favor of a film 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.

** As of April 2023, it has now been officially SavedFromDevelopmentHell (sans Columbus as director and writer) and is in production for an October 27, 2023 release.

* WebOriginal/{{Momo}}, another Internet horror meme linked to a supposed curse that caused people to commit suicide (actually based on a picture of a statue by a Japanese artist), was to be the basis for at least two movies. One is [[https://deadline.com/2019/07/momo-challenge-orion-pictures-the-ring-producers-1202643927/ an untitled project]] produced by Orion Pictures, and no other news surfaced about it. The other is titled GETAWAY and [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9893228/?ref_=nm_flmg_cin_3 according to IMDb]] has entered production and has the typical premise of a bunch of teenagers in a cabin in the middle of nowhere telling each other scary stories and urban legends. Still not much else is known about it.

* ''Film/TombRaider2018'' was already a successful rescue of a project that had been considered ever since a third ''Film/LaraCroftTombRaider'' was cancelled. But the sequel to that has been a victim, starting with the Usefulnotes/COVID19Pandemic delaying the start of production and pulling the film from schedule. During the following two years, directors and writers were brought in, but in 2022 MGM's production rights lapsed for taking too long to make the sequel, so now a bidding war started for the next ''Tomb Raider'', with star Creator/AliciaVikander no longer attached.

** A solo Batman movie, which would star Creator/BenAffleck as the titular character and Creator/JoeManganiello as Deathstroke, was planned to be released in 2020. Zack Snyder shot a lead-in for the project as the post-credits scene of ''Justice League'', which featured Comicbook/LexLuthor hiring Deathstroke to take down Batman. However, following the massive creative rewrites within the franchise after ''JL'', the project kept continuously getting delayed, not helped by the fact that Affleck gave [[FlipFlopOfGod seemingly contradictory statements]] in interviews about whether or not he was still playing Batman. In 2017, Creator/MattReeves took over as director and discarded the script that Affleck co-wrote with Creator/ChrisTerrio and Creator/GeoffJohns. The film eventually morphed into ''Film/{{The Batman|2022}}'', a standalone film that has no connection with the DCEU whatsoever, starring Creator/RobertPattinson as Batman instead of Affleck. The subsequent critical and commercial success of ''The Batman'', as well as the announcement of a ''Comicbook/TheBraveAndTheBold'' movie starring a recast Batman as part of Creator/JamesGunn’s overhaul of the DC Universe following the release of ''Film/TheFlash'', have likely removed any remaining incentive the studio might have had to make the movie, even if one discounts Ben Affleck’s disinterest.

* 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 [[DiedDuringProduction 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.

** A ''Justice League'' sequel was also originally announced for 2019, but was later shelved. Originally intended to be directed by Creator/ZackSnyder, the sequel was to be DarkerAndEdgier than its predecessor and follow up on [[SequelHook Sequel Hooks]] present in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', with a LegionOfDoom consisting of Lex Luthor, Comicbook/BlackManta, Ocean Master, Doctor Poison, Comicbook/TheRiddler (intended to be introduced in the aforementioned Ben Affleck ''Batman'' movie) and Captain Cold (intended to be introduced in the ''Flash'' movie) appearing as the villains. 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. This subsequently created a bit of an awkward situation when [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague Snyder's cut of the film]] was officially released in 2021, as it contains blatant teases for a hypothetical sequel and that the studio has specifically said it does not intend to actually make.[[note]]Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff publicly stated in 2021 that the studio views ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' as the end of Snyder's arc, and Snyder himself subsequently admitted in a livestream that he is doubtful that WB will make his two planned sequels.[[/note]]

** Creator/AvaDuVernay was attached in March 2018 to direct a ''ComicBook/NewGods'' movie, which would've expanded on ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s role in the DCEU and introduce characters such as Orion. It was announced in April 2021 that ''New Gods'' was one of the films from the previous regime that was no longer moving forward, with the other being a horror-focused ''Trench'' SpinOff from ''Aquaman'' director Creator/JamesWan, which would've seen Creator/YahyaAbdulMateenII reprise his role as Comicbook/BlackManta.

* 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.

** Universal announced 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 was also mentioned. However, the poor critical reception and [[BoxOfficeBomb box office flopping]] of ''The Mummy'' 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/{{Beauty and the Beast|2017}}'') 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/{{The Invisible Man}}'' would see release in 2020 as a standalone film).

* ''Film/TrainToBusan'' had an American remake announced in 2018, with Creator/JamesWan attached as the producer. News about it was virtually nonexistent until 2021, which was when it picked up a director (Timo Tjahjanto), screenwriter (Gary Dauberman), and the title ''The Last Train to New York''. It was originally slated to be released on April 21, 2023, but it was dropped from Warner Bros.' schedule and seems to have been delayed indefinitely.

* Creator/WillSmith was once reported to be starring in a SwordsAndSandals epic about the Nubian pharaoh Taharqa called ''The Last Pharaoh'', with ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'' screenwriter Randall Wallace penning the script. This was in 2008, and nothing else was heard of it afterwards.

* ''Kaiju Gaiden'' was a crowdfunded documentary meant to raise awareness on obscure, independently-produced {{kaiju}} movies, which began production in mid-2014. Despite clearing its $25,000 Website/{{Kickstarter}} goal by over $5,000, its progress quickly stagnated. The project director was removed in early 2016 when it became apparent he was a conman who took the money and ran, but the main producer vowed to continue production on his own. However, updates from him and the project's Website/{{Facebook}} page ceased in mid-2018. His personal Facebook page resumed activity in late 2022 without mentioning ''Kaiju Gaiden'', but it was eventually discovered in early 2023 that the producer had actually been in prison for participation in a child porn distribution ring, a revelation that almost certainly put the final nail in the coffin for the film.[[/folder]]

* 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 Creator/RichardGere 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 third ''ComicBook/SinCity'' film. After the first film's box office success, 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 was put into Development Hell yet again.

** The new slate launched from ''Film/TheFlash2023'' was originally supposed to culminate in an adaptation of ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. However, the project was shelved, if not killed entirely, when Walter Hamada was ousted from his role as the head of DC Films and replaced by James Gunn and Peter Safran.