The following is a list of unproduced Darren Aronofsky projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director Darren Aronofsky has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in "development hell" or were cancelled.
In June 1998, it was reported in Variety that Aronofsky had struck a pay-or-play deal to direct the big-budget WWII sci-fi thriller Proteus as his next film, from a script he co-wrote with Lucas Sussman. [1] By 2000, Aronofsky had departed from the project, with David Twohy taking over as both director and co-writer. The resulting film, titled Below , credits Aronofsky as one of the writers.
Eleven days after the release of Pi , his first film, Aronofsky signed a deal with New Line Cinema in July 1998 to direct a film adaptation of Frank Miller's Ronin comic book series. [2] Frank Miller, the author of the comic book, was attached to write the script. [3] However, the project never materialized and Aronofsky left it to direct Requiem for a Dream .
On May 23, 2000, Aronofsky was announced to direct the animated film adaptation of David Wiesner's Sector 7 with Good Machine for Nickelodeon Movies. Eric Watson was attached to produce the film. However, the project finally fell into development hell, [4] and Aronofsky moved to other projects.
On September 21, 2000, Variety reported that Aronofsky had signed a deal with Warner Bros. to direct a fifth Batman film based on Frank Miller's acclaimed comic book Batman: Year One , with Miller attached to write the script, with Eric Watson attached to produce and with Aronofsky's frequent collaborator Matthew Libatique to work on it. [5] [6] The film was intended to be a reboot of the film series, [7] after the failure of Batman & Robin in 1997, although Warner Bros. originally planned to release the film as a prequel of Tim Burton's Batman . [7] Christian Bale, who later portrayed Batman in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy was attached to star in the lead role. [8] Gillian B. Loeb was supposed to be the main antagonist of the film, replacing Carmine Falcone as the head of Gotham City's mafia. [9] Aronofsky also planned to film the movie in Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo, Uruguay. [10] However, on June 30, 2002, Aronofsky and Miller finally left the project due to other commitments. [11] A reboot of the Batman film series was finally released in 2005 as Batman Begins and directed by Christopher Nolan.
On January 28, 2003, Aronofsky was reported to direct a film adaptation of Theodore Roszak's novel Flicker. [12] [13] Fight Club screenwriter Jim Uhls was attached to write the script. [14] However, on February 15, 2006, Variety reported that Aronofsky left the project and moved to Universal Pictures. [15]
In July 2004, Aronofsky was hired by Paramount Pictures to direct a film adaptation of Watchmen, with David Hayter as writer (who wrote the script in October 2001) [16] and with Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin and Eric Watson as producers. [17] However, at the end, Aronofsky left the project due to scheduling contracts with The Fountain . [18] The film was eventually released in 2009 directed by Zack Snyder.
On February 17, 2006, Aronofsky was announced to direct a film adaptation of Dan Simmon's Song of Kali for Universal Pictures. Eric Watson was attached to produce the film. However, the project finally fell into development hell, [19] and Aronofsky moved to other projects.
On February 17, 2006, Aronofsky was announced to develop John McLaughlin's haunted New York City housing series Riverview for HBO. Eric Watson was attached to produce the series. However, the project finally fell into development hell, [19] and Aronofsky moved to other projects.
In August 2006, Aronofsky was hired to direct the film adaptation of Shannon Burke’s Black Flies with Todd Kessler as writer and Paramount Pictures producing the film. [20] The film would eventually be directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire under the title Asphalt City .
On March 26, 2007, Aronofsky announced that he was attached to direct The Fighter , a biographical film based on the life of professional boxer Micky Ward. [21] Scott Silver was attached to write the script. [22] However, on July 25, 2008, Collider reported that Aronofsky left the project in favor of directing the RoboCop remake. [23] The film was finally released in 2010 and directed by David O. Russell.
On July 9, 2008, The Hollywood Reporter reported that MGM was in talks with Aronofsky to direct the long-planned RoboCop remake [24] that was first announced in 2005. Sixteen days later, it was announced during the San Diego Comic-Con in 2008 that Aronofsky would direct the film with David Self attached to write it, [25] leaving the production of Paramount Pictures' The Fighter . [23] On June 12, 2009, it was reported that the film would be released in 2011. [26] However, in July 2009, during San Diego Comic-Con, MGM reported that the project was slowing down due scheduling conflicts with Aronofsky. [27] Finally, on March 2, 2011, it was reported by Internet Movie Database that Brazilian director José Padilha would direct the film instead of Aronofsky. [28] The film was finally released in 2014 and directed by Padilha.
On September 21, 2009, Darren Aronofsky was in talks to direct the Lee Murray biopic Breaking the Bank from a script by Kelly Williamson. [29] On May 4, 2012, Gareth Evans replaced Aronofsky as director and XYZ Films will produce and Universal Pictures as distribute the film. [30]
In February 2010, it was announced that Angelina Jolie would star in the film adaptation of Ron Rash’s Serena , with Aronofsky set to direct and Chris Kyles' script. [31] However, both Jolie and Aronofsky dropped out, leading to Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence to star, and Susanne Bier directed the adaptation. [32]
In April 2010, it was announced that Rachel Weisz would star as the title character, with Aronofsky set to direct Jackie , from Noah Oppenheim 's script. [33] However, both Weisz and Aronofsky dropped out after they ended their romantic relationship and Pablo Larrain took over directing the movie. [34]
In May 2010, it was announced that Brad Pitt would star and produce the film adaptation of John Vaillant’s novel The Tiger, with Aronofsky set to direct and produce the film and Guillermo Arriaga writing the script. [35] However, both Pitt and Aronofsky dropped out as star and director, respectively, and Alexander Skarsgard and Dane DeHaan were attached to star and Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi took over directing the movie. [36]
On September 28, 2010, MTV News reported that Aronofsky was in talks with Warner Bros. to direct a reboot of the Superman film series, after the lukewarm reception of Superman Returns in 2006. [37] However, Aronofsky refused to direct it due his commitment with Wolverine 2 . [38] A reboot of the Superman film series was finally released in 2013 as Man of Steel and directed by Zack Snyder.
On October 13, 2010, SuperHeroHype.com reported that Aronofsky was in talks with 20th Century Fox to direct Wolverine 2 , the sixth entry of the X-Men film series that started with X-Men and the planned sequel of Gavin Hood's poorly-received film X-Men Origins: Wolverine , [39] after X-Men director Bryan Singer turned down the offer of directing the film in March 2010. [40] Seven days later, Hugh Jackman confirmed via Vulture.com that Aronofsky would direct the film. [41] On November 13, 2010, Aronofsky confirmed via Upprox that the film would be titled now The Wolverine. [42] However, on March 17, 2011, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Aronofsky left the project because directing would have meant that he had to leave his country for a long time and be away from his family. [43] The film was finally released in 2013 and directed by James Mangold.
On October 26, 2010, Aronofsky reported that he would direct Max Barry’s novel Machine Man from a Mark Heyman script with Barry producing, for Mandalay Pictures. [44]
On March 16, 2011, one day before announcing his departure from The Wolverine film, Aronofsky reported via Deadline Hollywood that he would direct the pilot of a planned TV series entitled Hobgoblin for HBO. The series would have focused on the adventures of a group of magicians and con artists who use their powers of deception to defeat Adolf Hitler during World War II. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon and Chabon's wife Ayelet Waldman were attached to work on the project. [45] However, ScreenCrush reported on June 18, 2013 that Aronofsky was pulled out from the project. [46]
In May 2011, it was announced that Aronofsky was in talks to direct Joe Welsh’s sci-fi script Human Nature, with George Clooney in talks to star and Akiva Goldsman producing the film for Warner Bros. Pictures. [47]
On April 17, 2012, Aronofsky reported that he would direct an Unforgiven-style George Washington movie The General, from a script by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage with Paramount Pictures in negotiations to develop the film. [48]
On August 14, 2013, Deadline reported that Aronofsky was in talks to direct a film adaptation of Jason Matthews' spy novel Red Sparrow , [49] with Eric Warren Singer attached to write its script. [50] However, The Hollywood Reporter later reported on January 16, 2014, that Aronofsky had abandoned the project. [51] On June 9, 2014, it was announced that David Fincher would direct the film, although no release date was announced at the moment. [52] The film was eventually produced with Francis Lawrence directing.
On June 4, 2014, Deadline reported that Aronofsky will produce the TV series based on Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy and potentially direct for HBO. [53] There have been no developments since.
On July 17, 2017, Aronofsky reported that he will direct and produce a film from a Joe Epstein script, for Paramount Pictures, [54] which was revealed to be a courtroom drama that focuses on artificial intelligence. [55]
In 2021, it was reported that Jared Leto would re-team with Aronofsky to star in Adrift, with Jason Blum producing. The film was based on a short story by Koji Suzuki, with Aronofsky and Luke Dawson on board to write the script. [56]
In 2023, a biopic about Elon Musk, mainly based on Walter Isaacson's Elon Musk biography released earlier that year, was announced to be in development at A24, with Aronofsky directing and producing through Protozoa Pictures. [57] [58]
Darren Aronofsky is an American filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, melodramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological fiction.
David Samuel Goyer is an American filmmaker, novelist and comic book writer. He is best known for writing the screenplays for several superhero films, including Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1998), the Blade trilogy (1998–2004), Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy (2005–2012), Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). He has also directed four films: Zig Zag (2002), Blade: Trinity (2004), The Invisible (2007) and The Unborn (2009). He is the creator of the science fiction television series Foundation which is loosely based upon the Foundation series written by Isaac Asimov.
Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard is an American screenwriter, director, and producer most closely associated with the horror genre. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias, and Lost. After moving into screenwriting in film, he wrote Cloverfield (2008), World War Z (2013), and The Martian (2015), the latter earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2011, he made his directorial debut with The Cabin in the Woods.
The Batman franchise, based on the fictional superhero Batman who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, has seen the release of various films. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the character first starred in two serial films in the 1940s, Batman and Batman and Robin. The character also appeared in the 1966 film Batman, which was a feature film adaptation of the 1960s television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, who also starred in the film. Toward the end of the 1980s, the Warner Bros. studio began producing a series of feature films starring Batman, beginning with 1989's Batman, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton. Burton and Keaton returned for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, and in 1995, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever, with Val Kilmer as Batman. Schumacher also directed the 1997 sequel Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney. Batman & Robin was poorly received by both critics and fans, leading to the cancellation of a sequel titled Batman Unchained.
The Wolverine is a 2013 superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Wolverine. It is the sixth installment in the X-Men film series, the second installment in the trilogy of Wolverine films after X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and a spin-off/sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). Directed by James Mangold from a screenplay written by Scott Frank and Mark Bomback, based on the 1982 limited series Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, it stars Hugh Jackman as Logan / Wolverine, alongside Rila Fukushima, Tao Okamoto, Hiroyuki Sanada, Famke Janssen, and Will Yun Lee. Following the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan travels to Japan, where he engages an old acquaintance in a struggle that has lasting consequences. Stripped of his healing powers, Wolverine must battle deadly samurai while struggling with guilt over Jean Grey's death.
The following is a list of unproduced Tim Burton projects, in roughly chronological order. During a career that has spanned over 30 years, Tim Burton has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction.
RoboCop is a 2014 American cyberpunk action film directed by José Padilha and written by Joshua Zetumer, Edward Neumeier, and Michael Miner. It is a remake of the 1987 film and the fourth installment of the RoboCop franchise overall. The film stars Joel Kinnaman as the title character, with Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, and Jay Baruchel in supporting roles. Set in 2028, a detective becomes critically injured and is turned into a cyborg police officer whose programming blurs the line between man and machine.
Andrés Walter Muschietti is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who had his breakthrough with the 2013 film Mama. He gained further recognition for directing both films in the It film series, the 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel and its 2019 sequel, It Chapter Two. In 2023, he directed the DC Extended Universe film The Flash.
The following is a list of unproduced Ridley Scott projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, English film director Ridley Scott has worked on a number of projects that never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell into development hell or were officially canceled.
The following is a list of unproduced projects from The Wachowskis in roughly chronological order. During their long careers, The Wachowskis have worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under their direction. Some of these projects fell into development hell and are presumably or officially canceled.
The following is a list of unproduced Joss Whedon projects in roughly chronological order. During his career, American filmmaker Joss Whedon worked on a number of projects that never progressed beyond the pre-production stage.
The following is a list of unproduced Sam Raimi projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director and producer Sam Raimi has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects, are officially cancelled and scrapped or fell in development hell.
Gambit is an unproduced American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It was intended to be an installment of the X-Men film series. Before its cancellation, the film had been written by Josh Zetumer based on a story by the character's creator Chris Claremont. Channing Tatum was set to star in the title role.
The following is a list of unproduced Phil Lord and Christopher Miller projects in roughly chronological order. During their career, film-making duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under their direction. Some of these projects are officially cancelled or fell in development hell.
The following is a list of unproduced David Fincher projects in roughly chronological order. During his career, American film director David Fincher has worked on a number of 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.
The following is a list of unproduced Kathryn Bigelow projects in roughly chronological order. During her long career, film director Kathryn Bigelow has worked on several projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under her direction. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially cancelled, were in development limbo or would see life under a different production team.
The following is a list of unproduced James Mangold projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director James Mangold has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these productions fell in development hell or were cancelled.
The following is a list of unproduced Doug Liman projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American filmmaker Doug Liman 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.
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