Clive Barker's unrealized projects

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The following is a list of unproduced Clive Barker projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, British artist Clive Barker has worked on several projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially canceled, were in development limbo or would see life under a different production team.

Contents

1990s

The Mummy remake

In the early 1990’s, it was announced that Barker would write and direct a remake of The Mummy for Universal Pictures with Mick Garris set co-write the remake with Barker, but that iteration was canceled and eventually became the 1999 film with Brendan Fraser. [1]

The Thief of Always film

On February 13, 1994, Paramount Pictures and The Kennedy/Marshall Company were set to produce an animated film adaptation of Barker's The Thief of Always in a collaboration with Nelvana Communications. [2] On March 26, 1997, Universal Pictures was set to produce a live-action film adaptation with Bernard Rose attached to write and direct the movie adaptation. [3] In the 2000's, Universal Pictures was set to produce a CGI-animated film adaptation. [4] But on February 7, 2006, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights and Kelly Asbury was hired to write and direct the live-action film adaptation with Barker producing through his Seraphim Films, [5] until Barker confirmed that Oliver Parker would direct a live-action feature film adaptation with David Barron producing without a major studio. [6]

2000s

The Books of Abarat film

On April 15, 2000, The Walt Disney Company acquired the rights to adapt Barker's The Books of Abarat, [7] [8] but in 2006, Barker revealed that the film adaptation failed at Disney. [9]

The Damnation Game film

Myths Over Miami film

The rights to the 1997 article Myths Over Miami, written by Lynda Edwards, were bought by Disney in 2000. Clive Barker was the producer and the one behind the deal. [10]

Ectokid

Halloween vs. Hellraiser film

In 2002, Doug Bradley revealed on a Your Move Magazine interview that Barker would write the screenplay for Halloween vs. Hellraiser, with John Carpenter set to direct, but producer Moustapha Akkad vehemently opposed to the idea. [11] [12] [13]

Demonik video game/film

On May 19, 2005, it was announced that Barker would write the video game Demonik, a horror-action video game for Majesco Entertainment and Terminal Reality, as well as write and direct the feature film adaptation. [14] But the game was rejected by Majesco. [15] On April 24, 2013, the trailer to the video game was uploaded onto the YouTube channel Player’s Mind and on GameSpot in 2019. [16] [17]

Edgar Allan Poe ghost YA film

On November 30, 2006, it was announced that Barker would write a YA movie centered around the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, and produce it along with Seraphim Films Anthony DiBlasi and Joseph Daley and Walden Media. [18]

Born

In 2007, it was announced that Barker would be an executive producer of Born, a live action and stop-motion film with Daniel Simpson attached to direct from a script by Barker and Paul Kaye, as well as Guillermo del Toro, Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin involved as producers, Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany were set to star as husband and pregnant wife move, whose lives are shattered when the husband's Claymation cartoons start to come to life and reenact his nightmares, and The Chiodo Brothers, known for Killer Klowns from Outer Space , were set to create the animation. [19]

Jericho video game sequel

Down, Satan!

In 2008 it was reported that Barker's four page short-story Down, Satan! from The Books of Blood was being adapted into a movie. The script was written by Christopher Monfette for Barker's production company, Seraphim. [20]

Hotel TV series

On August 13, 2009, it was announced that Barker would be an executive producer of the television series Hotel from writing duo Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, and McG's company Wonderland Sound and Vision producing the series with Warner Bros. Television. [21]

2010s

Zombies vs. Gladiators

On June 5, 2012, Barker rewrote the screenplay for the zombie film “Zombies vs. Gladiators” for Prime Video. [22]

Hellraiser remake

On October 25, 2013, Barker confirmed that he wrote the screenplay for a darker remake of Hellraiser that he would direct and Doug Bradley would star as Pinhead, [23] but on April 10, 2020, David Bruckner was set to direct the remake with Jamie Clayton playing Pinhead. [24]

Jacqueline Ess film

On January 29, 2014, Barker was set to produce the film adaptation of his short story “Jacqueline Ess” as coproduction with Raven Banner. [25]

Nightbreed TV series

Hellraiser TV series

Offers

End of Days

Barker was offered to direct End of Days before Peter Hyams was hired.

Alien 3

He was offered to write and direct Alien 3, but was not interested. [26]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clive Barker</span> English author, film director and visual artist (born 1952)

Clive Barker is an English writer, filmmaker and visual artist. He came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories, the Books of Blood, which established him as a leading horror writer. He has since written many novels and other works. His fiction has been adapted into films, notably the Hellraiser series, the first installment of which he also wrote and directed, and the Candyman series.

<i>Hellraiser</i> 1987 film by Clive Barker

Hellraiser is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker in his directorial debut, Based on Barker's 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, the film’s plot concerns a mystical puzzle box that summons the Cenobites, a group of extra-dimensional, sadomasochistic beings who cannot differentiate between pain and pleasure. It stars Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, and Doug Bradley as the leader of the Cenobites, identified in the sequels as "Pinhead".

<i>The Hellbound Heart</i> 1986 horror novel by Clive Barker

The Hellbound Heart is a horror novella by Clive Barker, first published in November 1986 by Dark Harvest in the third volume of its Night Visions anthology series. The story features a hedonist criminal acquiring a mystical puzzle box, the LeMarchand Configuration, which can be used to summon the Cenobites, demonic beings who do not distinguish between pain and pleasure. He escapes the Cenobites and, with help, resorts to murder to restore himself to full life. Later on, the puzzle box is found by another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Bradley</span> English actor and author

Douglas William Bradley is an English actor and author, best known for his role as the lead Cenobite "Pinhead" in the Hellraiser film series and for narration on various Cradle of Filth albums.

Cenobite (<i>Hellraiser</i>) Fictional creatures in the works of author Clive Barker

The Cenobites are fictional, extra-dimensional, and seemingly demonic beings who appear in the works of Clive Barker. Introduced in Barker's 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, they also appear in its sequel novel The Scarlet Gospels, the Hellraiser films, and in Hellraiser comic books published (intermittently) between 1987 and 2017. In the novel Weaveworld, they are mentioned in passing as "The Surgeons". The Cenobites appear in prose stories authorized but not written by Clive Barker, such as the anthology Hellbound Hearts edited by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan, the novella Hellraiser: The Toll, and the novel Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell written by Paul Kane.

Pinhead (<i>Hellraiser</i>) Fictional character in the Hellraiser franchise

Pinhead is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Hellraiser franchise. The character first appeared as an unnamed figure in the 1986 Clive Barker novella The Hellbound Heart. When Clive Barker adapted the novella into the 1987 film Hellraiser, he referred to the character in early drafts as "the Priest" but the final film gave no name. The production and make-up crew nicknamed the character "Pinhead"—derived from his bald head studded with nails—and fans accepted the sobriquet. The name was then used in press materials, tie-in media, and on-screen in some of the film's sequels, although Barker himself despises the moniker.

<i>Hellbound: Hellraiser II</i> 1988 horror film by Tony Randel

Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a 1988 supernatural horror film directed by Tony Randel and starring Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Kenneth Cranham and Doug Bradley. The second film in the Hellraiser franchise, Hellraiser II draws heavily upon its precursor, Hellraiser, which was released a year before. Laurence reprises her role as Kirsty Cotton, who is admitted into a psychiatric hospital after the events of the first film. There, the head doctor (Cranham) unleashes the Cenobites, a group of sadomasochistic beings from another dimension.

<i>Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth</i> 1992 horror film by Anthony Hickox

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<i>Hellraiser: Inferno</i> 2000 horror film

Hellraiser: Inferno is a 2000 American horror film. It is the fifth installment in the Hellraiser series, and the first Hellraiser film to be released direct-to-video. It was directed by Scott Derrickson, in his feature-length directorial debut, and released on October 3, 2000. The film follows Joseph Thorne, a corrupt detective who discovers the Lemarchand's box at a crime scene, which results in his life gradually unraveling.

<i>Hellraiser: Deader</i> 2005 horror film

Hellraiser: Deader is a 2005 American supernatural horror film and the seventh installment in the Hellraiser series. Directed by Rick Bota, the original script was written by Neal Marshall Stevens. As with Hellraiser: Hellseeker it began as an unrelated spec script, which was subsequently rewritten as a Hellraiser film. Like Inferno, series creator Clive Barker did not have an involvement in the production.

<i>Hellraiser</i> (franchise) Horror franchise

Hellraiser is a British-American horror media franchise that consists of eleven films, as well as various comic books, and additional merchandise and media. Based on the novella The Hellbound Heart by English author Clive Barker, the franchise centers around the Cenobites which includes the primary antagonist named Pinhead.

<i>The Scarlet Gospels</i> Novel by Clive Barker

The Scarlet Gospels is a 2015 horror novel by author Clive Barker which acts as a continuation to both his previous novella The Hellbound Heart and his canon of Harry D'Amour stories. The book concerns the Hell Priest, the demonic Cenobite nicknamed "Pinhead", and his efforts to gain power. Occult detective Harry D'Amour must journey into Hell to rescue his friend and stop the Hell Priest's plans. The book was the first in which the Hell Priest was officially given a name by Clive Barker, who disliked the nickname 'Pinhead' given his character by others.

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<i>Hellraiser: Revelations</i> 2011 horror film by Víctor García

Hellraiser: Revelations is a 2011 British-American horror film written by Gary J. Tunnicliffe and directed by Víctor Garcia. It is the ninth film in the Hellraiser film series. It follows the fates of two friends who discover a puzzle box that opens a gateway to a realm inhabited by sadomasochistic monsters known as the Cenobites.

Hellraiser: Origins was a cancelled independent film project based on Clive Barker's Hellraiser films, and was presented as a two-minute long pitch trailer directed by Mike Le Han. Written and produced by Paul Gerrard, the trailer was intended to be a reboot of Hellraiser, but due to multiple factors, it did not progress to filming as a feature film.

<i>Hellraiser: Judgment</i> 2018 horror film

Hellraiser: Judgment is a 2018 American horror film written and directed by Gary J. Tunnicliffe, based on the characters created by Clive Barker. The tenth installment in the Hellraiser film series, the film stars Damon Carney, Randy Wayne, Alexandra Harris, Heather Langenkamp, and Paul T. Taylor, and centers on three police detectives who, investigating a series of murders, are confronted by the denizens of hell. The film expands the fictional universe by introducing a new faction of hell: the Stygian Inquisition. While the Cenobites offer sadomasochistic pleasures to humans that enter their dominion, the Inquisition processes the souls of sinners. Tunnicliffe plays the Inquisition's auditor, a prominent role in the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Carpenter's unrealized projects</span> Unmade works by the American filmmaker

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatterer</span> Fictional character

Chatterer is a fictional character appearing in the Hellraiser film series. He is a Cenobite, an order of extradimensional sadomasochists who experiment in extreme forms of hedonism. His name comes from the constant clicking of his teeth, his only means of communication. He serves the Cenobites' leader Pinhead. Chatterer has become a fan favourite character in the Hellraiser franchise.

<i>Hellraiser</i> (2022 film) Film directed by David Bruckner

Hellraiser is a 2022 supernatural horror film directed by David Bruckner, with a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, from a screen story co-written with David S. Goyer. A reboot of the Hellraiser franchise, the eleventh installment overall, and the second adaptation of the 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker following the 1987 film, the film stars Odessa A'zion as a young woman recovering from addiction who ends up with a mechanical puzzle box that can summon the Cenobites, humanoid beings who thrive on pain being pleasure. Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, Zachary Hing, Kit Clarke, Goran Višnjić, and Hiam Abbass appear in supporting roles.

References

  1. Squires, John (June 8, 2017). "George Romero and Clive Barker Almost Directed 'The Mummy' Remakes in the 90s". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  2. Fleming, Michael (February 13, 1994). "Par fills 'Cupboard'". Variety . Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  3. Cox, Dan (March 26, 1997). "Barker, Rose team for U's kidpic 'Thief'". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  4. Higgens, Bill (April 17, 2000). "Mouse catches Barker". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  5. Weinberg, Scott (February 7, 2006). ""SHREK" HELMER CATCHES BARKER'S "THIEF"". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  6. Radish, Christina (October 14, 2020). "'Books of Blood': Clive Barker & Director Brannon Braga on Bringing Horror to Hulu". Collider . Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  7. Scott, Ryan (April 15, 2000). "Disney to Pay $8 Million for Fantasy Series". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  8. Higgens, Bill (April 17, 2000). "Mouse catches Barker". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  9. Phil Stokes; Sarah Stokes. "Sowing The Seeds Of The Story Tree". CliveBarker.info. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  10. How a 1997 New Times Feature on Homeless Kids' Folklore Exploded the Internet
  11. Scott, Ryan (November 9, 2016). "Halloween Vs. Hellraiser Movie Almost Happened with John Carpenter". MovieWeb. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  12. Beresford, Jack (October 22, 2020). "Michael Myers vs Pinhead: The Hellraiser/Halloween Crossover That Never Was". Den of Geek. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  13. JoBlo Horror Originals (April 24, 2013). "Hellraiser vs Halloween: Why It Went Unmade". YouTube . Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  14. Thorsen, Tor (May 19, 2005). "Clive Barker and John Woo get Demonik". GameSpot . Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  15. Thorsen, Tor (May 19, 2016). "5 Cancelled Horror Games We Wish Were Made". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  16. Player’s Mind (April 24, 2013). "Cancelled Video Game: Clive Barker's Demonik (Trailer)". YouTube. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  17. GameSpot Staff (May 5, 2019). "Demonik Official Trailer 1". GameSpot. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  18. Sperling, Nicole (November 30, 2006). "Barker pairs with Walden for Poe thrills". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  19. Graser, Marc (June 11, 2007). "Connelly, Bettany to star in 'Born'". Variety. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  20. Barker's Satan Down With IGN
  21. Warmoth, Brian (August 13, 2009). "Clive Barker Teaming With 'Saw' Writers For 'Hotel'". MTV News . Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  22. Kilday, Gregg (June 5, 2012). "Clive Barker to Take on 'Zombies vs. Gladiators' for Amazon Studios". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  23. Taylor, Drew (October 25, 2013). "Clive Barker Writing 'Hellraiser' Reboot For Dimension". IndieWire . Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  24. Kit, Borys (April 10, 2020). "Spyglass' 'Hellraiser' Reboot Finds Its Writing/Directing Team (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  25. Vlessing, Etan (January 29, 2014). "Canada's Raven Banner Options Clive Barker Short Story 'Jacqueline Ess'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  26. 1000 Amazing Horror Movie Facts