The following is a list of unproduced John Hughes projects in roughly chronological order. Over the course of his career, American film director and writer John Hughes had worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage. Some of these productions fell into development hell or were officially cancelled, while others he decidedly dropped himself.
In 1979, Matty Simmons hired Hughes and Tod Carroll to write the script of the third Jaws film as a National Lampoon parody from Universal Pictures. [1] [2] [3] [4] According to Simmons, the film was to star Bo Derek and Richard Dreyfuss, and be directed by Joe Dante. [1] [2] Rodger Bumpass was also to appear in the film. [5] However, Steven Spielberg, who directed the first film, managed to convince Universal not to make the film by threatening to never work with the studio again. [1] [2] [5] Nevertheless, Simmons credits the unmade film as to how Hughes began his career in the film industry. [1] [2]
In 1982, Hughes scripted a comedy/romance reworking of Romeo and Juliet for Paramount Pictures set in a Chicago high school about a romance that happens in the division between two feuding groups, the Motorheads and the Sportos. The idea later emerged in a speech by Edie McClurg in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). [6]
In the early 1980s, Hughes and P. J. O'Rourke scripted an unproduced adaptation of National Lampoon Sunday Newspaper Parody which they titled The History of Ohio from the Beginning of Time to the End of the Universe. [1] [7] According to O'Rourke, "We never really got it to work and finally abandoned it. But it was fun to work together." [8]
The Joy of Sex: A Dirty Love Story was initially set to be Penny Marshall's directorial debut and Hughes' first produced script, which consisted of several unrelated vignettes. However, as a result of the death of star John Belushi in 1982, Hughes' script was not used for the final film. It would eventually see release in 1983, titled Joy of Sex , but without the involvement of Marshall either. [9]
In 1983, Hughes wrote a script titled Dallas Debs, a satire on Texas debutantes, which was due to enter production in spring 1984 through Aaron Spelling Productions, but nothing came of it. [10]
In June 1984, Hughes finished the first draft of an original screenplay titled Fallen Angel. It is unclear whether Hughes had intended on directing the project as well. [11]
During the 1980s, Hughes wrote a script titled The New Kid, and it was based on his experiences growing up. [1] [12] According to Kirk Honeycutt, author of John Hughes: A Life in Film, the story was "about a teenager's experiences in a new high school in Arizona." [13] When Hughes offered Howard Deutch the choice to direct either The New Kid or Pretty in Pink (1986), Deutch chose to direct the latter film. [1]
Anthony Michael Hall claimed that during the making of The Breakfast Club (1985), Hughes had an idea for a film which he titled The Last Good Year:
"At one point when we were doing The Breakfast Club, John had an idea for a movie called The Last Good Year. It was something that he pitched to me as something he wanted to do with me, about the last good year being 1962, before the Beatles invasion. Maybe it was a sarcastic title. The idea was, I think, that the cultural shift was significant to him—the crossover in time from Pat Boone America to Beatles America. He didn't have too many of the story elements worked out, but, man, did he have a mix tape put together." [1] [14]
Molly Ringwald claimed that after he finished The Breakfast Club (1985), Hughes had written a script based on The Cure song, "The Love Cats." [1] [14] [15]
After he finished Pretty in Pink (1986), Hughes wrote the script of a film titled Oil and Vinegar, which was to star Matthew Broderick and Molly Ringwald. [16] According to Inquisitr, Broderick and Ringwald were to portray a couple who "spend a day in a motel room, swapping stories on life and love." [17] According to Broderick, "It was very intimate: it was just the two of them, basically, is my memory, often in a car. It was a very typical romantic comedy about two very different people who fell in love, but it was very inventive in its smallness." [18]
The film was to have been released by Universal Pictures, but Hughes objected when the studio asked for rewrites. [18] Therefore, the creative differences between Hughes and Universal, along with Broderick and Ringwald's scheduling conflicts, are credited for why the film was never made. [18] [19]
In 1990, it was reported that Hughes would direct Sylvester Stallone and John Candy in a comedy he had written titled Bartholomew vs. Neff for Carolco Pictures. [20] [21] The film was to have been about feuding neighbors. [22] Hughes had planned to direct the film right after he finished Curly Sue (1991). [1] [23] According to the Los Angeles Times , principal photography was scheduled to take place in the suburbs of Chicago during the summer of 1991. [20] The film was never made. [1] [21]
In February 1991, it was reported that three new Hughes films were greenlit for production by new 20th Century Fox chairperson Joe Roth; The Nanny, The Bugster and Ball 'n' Chain, in addition to the already-shot Dutch (1991). [24] Little is known about these proposed films other than that they were likely shelved after the underperformance of Dutch at the box office upon its release in July that year.
In November 1991, it was reported that Hughes would write, produce and direct Black Cat Bone: The Return of Huckleberry Finn for 20th Century Fox. [25] It was to have been about the character that was created by Mark Twain but be set in modern times. [26] Principal photography for that film was scheduled to begin on March 16, 1992. [27] However, it was reported that Hughes was competing against TriStar Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures, since both studios were also trying to make a Huckleberry Finn movie. [28] Disney eventually succeeded over Fox and TriStar following the completion of The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993). [29]
After four hand-drawn animated movies made by Cinema Center Films and Paramount Pictures, in 1992, it was reported that Hughes would write and produce a live action adaptation of Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts for Warner Bros. [30] Hughes reportedly visited Schulz at his home in Santa Clara, California to talk about adapting Peanuts into a film. [31] [32] According to Variety , Hughes planned to start writing the script on Christmas of 1992 and finish it by the spring of 1993, Hughes also verified that he would not direct the film. [31] It is believed that the critical failure of Dennis the Menace (1993), which Hughes wrote and produced for WB, is what prevented the movie from being made. A CGI film was finally released in 2015 by Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation now owned by Disney.
Variety reported in 1992 that Hughes and Warner Bros. were to do a remake of the 1957 film The Pajama Game . [33]
In 1993, Hughes reportedly wrote a script adapted from the musical Damn Yankees , but it never came to fruition. [32]
Due to the commercial success of Home Alone (1990), Hughes felt determined to make The Bee, a live action family comedy film that he wrote that required a $50 million budget. [32] [34] According to Daniel Stern, The Bee is about "an architect who was trying to finish his project that day and a bee comes into the house and the guy gets distracted by the bee. And the entire movie is the bee forcing the guy to destroy his own house and take his life apart." [35] Author Kirk Honeycutt claimed that The Bee was inspired by Hughes "involvement in the development of Redwing Farms, where he worked to reforest the land and turn it into a proper English farm." [32] It is said that of Hughes script, only ten pages of it contained dialogue. [32] [34] [36]
The Bee was initially developed at 20th Century Fox, but by early 1993, Hughes sold the project to Warner Bros. after Fox passed on it. [32] [34] Then in May 1994, WB put the project in turnaround. [34] By June that same year, it was officially announced that Hughes would write, produce and direct The Bee for Walt Disney Pictures with a budget of $25 million. [1] [36] Simon Brew credits Hughes's 1994 departure from Hollywood, along with the critical and financial failure of Baby's Day Out (1994), which he wrote and produced for Fox, as factors that led to the film's cancellation. [34]
In later reports, Daniel Stern claimed that he was going to direct the film. [35] According to Stern, Hughes visited him on the set of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), showed him the script of The Bee and asked him to direct it. [34] Stern further claimed that he worked on the script with Hughes. [34] It has also been reported that Steve Martin was considered to star in the film. [32] [34]
According to Hughes biographer Kirk Honeycutt, Hughes had originated the story for the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber , and had even written an incomplete screenplay draft before eventually deciding to sell it to the Farrelly brothers and requesting the removal of his name. [37]
In 1995, it was announced that Hughes was set to write, produce and direct a live action Peter Pan film as a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and TriStar Pictures. [38] [39]
In 1996, Hughes had written a script titled Tickets that followed a group of teenage strangers camped out all night in zero degree weather for tickets to their favorite band's farewell show. According to Vulture , the script was never made into a film due to the release of the similarly themed film Detroit Rock City (1999). [1]
In 1998, Hughes pitched a film version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! to various studios before it was adapted into the 2000 live-action film. [40]
Hughes was the initial director of the romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan (2002), a modern retelling of Cinderella then under the title The Chambermaid, with Hilary Swank at that time set to star as the lead. However, by 2001, it was reported that Jennifer Lopez had replaced Swank and that Hughes would no longer be directing the film, opting to produce instead. He would later use a pseudonym on the final film as a result of excessive rewrites which changed his initial screenplay story. [41]
In 2002, Hughes had written a script titled The Grigsbys Go Broke, which was about a wealthy family in Chicago who lose all of their money and are forced to move to the other side of the tracks. [1] It was later reported in 2010 that Paramount Pictures bought the rights to the script. [42] However, the studio officially confirmed that it was not negotiated to purchase the script. [43] [44] In 2013, the project was back in development at Paramount, and it was revealed that Ice Age: The Meltdown screenwriter Jim Hecht would rewrite the script. [45] But, again, the film was left in development hell.
In 2005, Emilio Estevez was reported to have signed on to appear in a sequel to The Breakfast Club (1985), with Hughes being involved as a writer: [1]
"John's got an idea for a sequel - mature aged students at college, all doing time again - for some reason or another. The twist would be that we're all the polar opposites of how we were in the original." [46]
There was an online rumor that at one point, Hughes was going to write and direct an adaptation of the 1999 novel by Stephen Chbosky. It was said that Shia LaBeouf, Kirsten Dunst and Patrick Fugit were set to play Charlie, Sam and Patrick respectively. The film was also said to have a dark comedic tone. However, Hughes never completed a screenplay before his death nor it was confirmed that he was at one point making it before his death. The novel however was adapted and released in 2012 with Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller playing the roles of Charlie, Sam and Patrick. The film was written and directed by the novel's author Stephen Chbosky. [47]
The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American indie teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The film tells the story of five teenagers from different high school cliques who serve a Saturday detention overseen by their authoritarian vice principal.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck, with supporting roles from Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones, Cindy Pickett, Edie McClurg, Lyman Ward, and Charlie Sheen. It tells the story of a charismatic high school slacker, Ferris, who skips school with his best friend Cameron and his girlfriend Sloane for a day in Chicago, regularly breaking the fourth wall to explain his techniques and inner thoughts.
John Wilden Hughes Jr. was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He began his career in 1970 as an author of humorous essays and stories for the National Lampoon magazine. He went on in Hollywood to write, produce and direct some of the most successful live-action-comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s. He directed such films as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, She's Having a Baby, and Uncle Buck; and wrote the films National Lampoon's Vacation, Mr. Mom, Pretty in Pink, The Great Outdoors, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Dutch, and Beethoven.
Home Alone is a 1990 American comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the Home Alone franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, a young boy who defends his suburban Chicago home from a home invasion by a pair of robbers after his family accidentally leaves him behind on their Christmas vacation to Paris. The cast also features Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Catherine O'Hara.
Anthony Michael Hall is an American actor, producer and comedian. He is best known for starring in the teen-centered John Hughes films Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science.
The Brat Pack is a nickname given to a group of young actors who frequently appeared together in teen-oriented coming-of-age films in the 1980s. The term "Brat Pack", a play on the Rat Pack from the 1950s and 1960s, was first popularized in a 1985 New York magazine cover story, which described a group of highly successful film stars in their early twenties. David Blum wrote the article after witnessing several young actors being mobbed by groupies at Los Angeles' Hard Rock Cafe. The group has been characterized by the partying of members such as Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, and Judd Nelson.
Teen film is a film genre targeted at teenagers, preteens and/or young adults by the plot being based on their special interests, such as coming of age, attempting to fit in, bullying, peer pressure, first love, teen rebellion, conflict with parents, and teen angst or alienation. Often these normally serious subject matters are presented in a glossy, stereotyped or trivialized way. Many teenage characters are portrayed by young adult actors in their 20s. Some teen films appeal to young males, while others appeal to young females.
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film.
National Lampoon's Vacation, sometimes referred to as simply Vacation, is a 1983 American black comedy road film directed by Harold Ramis starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Christie Brinkley in her acting debut with special appearances by Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Miriam Flynn, James Keach, Eugene Levy, and Frank McRae.
Adventures in Babysitting is a 1987 American teen comedy film written by David Simkins and directed by Chris Columbus in his directorial debut. It stars Elisabeth Shue, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, and Maia Brewton, and features cameos by blues singer/guitarist Albert Collins and singer-songwriter Southside Johnny Lyon.
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American coming-of-age teen comedy film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. Written and directed by John Hughes in his directorial debut, it was the first in a string of films Hughes would direct, centering on teenage life. The film follows newly 16-year-old Samantha Baker (Ringwald), who deals with a seemingly unrequited crush on high school senior Jake Ryan (Schoeffling) while also being pursued by freshman Farmer Ted (Hall).
Some Kind of Wonderful is a 1987 American teen romantic drama film directed by Howard Deutch and starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson. It is one of several successful teen dramas written by John Hughes in the 1980s. Blue-collar teen Keith goes out with the popular Amanda, a girl he's always dreamed of dating. Her ex-boyfriend plots revenge on him, while Keith's tomboy best friend Watts realizes she has feelings for Keith. The film had its premiere in Hollywood on February 23, 1987, and widely released theatrically in the United States on February 27.
Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Eric Jungmann, Mia Kirshner, Deon Richmond, Cody McMains, Sam Huntington, Samm Levine, Cerina Vincent, Ron Lester, Randy Quaid, Lacey Chabert, Riley Smith and Samaire Armstrong.
Ferris Bueller is an American sitcom television series based on the 1986 John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The show stars Charlie Schlatter in the title role. The series debuted on August 23, 1990, on NBC and was canceled within its first season, a few months after its debut with only 13 episodes aired, due to its poor reception. The show was produced by Maysh, Ltd. Productions in association with Paramount Television. Hughes was not involved in the show's production.
"Oh Yeah" is a single released in 1985 by the band Yello and featured on their album Stella. The song features a mix of electronic music and manipulated vocals. The song gained popularity after being featured in the films Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Secret of My Success, among other films. It is a popular staple in pop culture.
Reach the Rock is a 1998 American comedy drama film directed by William Ryan and starring William Sadler and Alessandro Nivola. It was the last film to be written and produced by John Hughes before his death in 2009.
Joy of Sex is a 1984 American sex comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. It was written by Kathleen Rowell and J.J. Salter, based on the sex manual by Alex Comfort.
Shermer High School is a fictional high school, and the nexus for many of American director John Hughes' films. The Breakfast Club and Weird Science explicitly reference it by name. Hughes has stated in interviews that all of his films take place in the same fictional town of Shermer, Illinois and that the characters know and interact with each other outside of the narrative thread:
John Hughes: When I started making movies, I thought I would just invent a town where everything happened. Everybody, in all of my movies, is from Shermer, Illinois. Del Griffith from Planes, Trains and Automobiles lives two doors down from John Bender. Ferris Bueller knew Samantha Baker from Sixteen Candles. For 15 years I've written my Shermer stories in prose, collecting its history.
Oil and Vinegar is a screenplay that was written but never filmed. It is a screenplay that John Hughes wrote and that Howard Deutch planned to direct. It would have starred Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick.
The Ben Rose House is a private residence designed by modernist architect A. James Speyer, a student of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and built in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois in 1953.
John Hughes & National Lampoon's jaws 3, people 0.