Joss Whedon's unrealized projects

Last updated

Whedon in 2015 Joss Whedon by Gage Skidmore 7.jpg
Whedon in 2015

The following is a list of unproduced Joss Whedon projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American filmmaker Joss Whedon 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 or fell into development hell.

Contents

Many of Whedon's unrealized projects were cancelled spin-offs of Whedon's hit show Buffy the Vampire Slayer , so to see a complete list of these, go to Undeveloped Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoffs.

1990s

Suspension

On June 25, 1993, Variety reported that Whedon had sold to Largo Entertainment a spec script entitled Suspension for $750,000, with and additional $250,000 if production had commenced. The film was to be based on the premise of terrorists seizing control of New York City's George Washington Bridge during a traffic jam. [1] However, the script was never produced, along Afterlife . On September 19, 2014, Empire reported that the script was being made, and that Liam Neeson is attached to star in the lead role. [2]

Afterlife

In 1994, Whedon sold to Sony Pictures Entertainment a spec script entitled Afterlife for $1.5 million, with an additional $500,000 if production had commenced. On March 13, 2000, Variety reported that Andy Tennant was in talks to direct and write the film. The film's plot was about Daniel Hoffstetter, a government scientist, who awakes after dying to discover his mind has been imprinted on a mind-wiped body of a serial killer called Snowman. [3] Despite this, the project never progressed after that announcement, implying that it was scrapped or abandoned. However, some themes and ideas of the script were later used in Whedon's TV show Dollhouse , which was released in 2009. [4]

2000s

Batman: Year One

Around 2001, Whedon was hired as writer for Darren Aronofsky's and Frank Miller's Batman: Year One after The Wachowskis' script was rejected by Warner Bros. [5] Whedon's script featured a new, "more of a 'Hannibal Lecter' type" villain, and portrayed Bruce Wayne as "a morbid, death-obsessed kid" whose grief was overcome by protecting a girl from being bullied in an alley similar to where his parents were murdered. [6] However, like The Wachowskis' script, Whedon's script was also rejected, and both Aronofsky and Miller left the project, [7] leading to its cancellation. A reboot of the Batman film series was later released in 2005 as Batman Begins and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Buffy the Animated Series

In 2001, Whedon and 20th Century Fox started the development of Buffy the Animated Series , an animated spin-off of Whedon's popular TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Whedon and Jeph Loeb were to produce the show while many actor of the original series were attached to reprise their roles. It was initially planned to be aired in Fox Kids, possibly as early in February 2002. [8] However, Fox Kids ceased its operations in September 2002, and no network wanted to pick up the series, [9] which resulted in the abandonment of this project.

Ripper

In 2001, Whedon planned to make an spin-off miniseries or TV movie of Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled Ripper, about the character Rupert Giles. [10] Despite this, the project was delayed. [11] On July 28, 2007, Whedon revealed via IGN that a 90-minute Ripper special would be made in 2008. [12] Anthony Head was slated to reprise his role as Rupert Giles. However, at the end, no movie or series was made and the project was abandoned. Despite this, some elements of the cancelled project were later used in the comic book series Angel & Faith . [13]

Alien 5

Before Alien Resurrection had even been released in theaters, a Fox executive said about a possible Alien 5: "Joss Whedon will write it, and we expect to have Sigourney and Winona if they're up for it." At the same time, Joss Whedon said "There's a big story to tell in another sequel... The fourth film is really a prologue to a movie set on Earth. Imagine all the things that can happen... If I write this movie, and it has my writing credits on it, then it's going to be on Earth." However, he lost interest after seeing how Alien Resurrection turned out, saying "I'll tell you there was a time when I would have been interested in that, but I am not interested in making somebody else's franchise anymore. Any movie I make will be created by me." Sigourney Weaver, unaware of Whedon's change of heart, would go on to claim that he had in fact written a script. [14] Whedon later joked about being surprised to find that he had written such a script.

Spike

In 2004, Joss Whedon set plans for a Spike movie. The film, if ever greenlit, would star James Marsters, Alyson Hannigan and Amy Acker. At a convention, Acker stated the film was not going ahead due to money issues. [15] [16]

Goners

After the release of Serenity in 2005, Whedon sold a spec script entitled Goners to Universal Pictures. Whedon was attached to write and direct the film, while Mary Parent and Scott Stuber were attached to produce it. [17] During an interview with Fanboy Radio in 2006, Whedon spoke about the film: "I've been seeing a lot of horror movies that are torture-porn, where kids we don't care about are mutilated for hours, and I just cannot abide them... it's an antidote to that very kind of film, the horror movie with the expendable human beings in it. Because I don't believe any human beings are." [18] The film's plot was described as a mystical fantasy thriller with a female lead named Mia. [19] The project never materialized, however some of its themes were reused for The Cabin in the Woods which Whedon cowrote with Drew Goddard.

Wonder Woman

On March 17, 2005, Warner Bros. reported that Whedon was hired to write and direct the long time planned Wonder Woman feature film, while Joel Silver was attached to produce it. [20] The film's plot was to focus on Wonder Woman's adventures during World War II. However, on February 2, 2007, MTV reported that Whedon was no longer attached to the project, leading to its cancellation. [21] Whedon said "We just saw different movies, and at the price range this kind of movie hangs in, that's never gonna work. Non-sympatico. It happens all the time." [22]

Dr. Horrible 2

On May 11, 2009, Nathan Fillion revealed during an interview that Whedon was planning a sequel of his acclaimed miniseries Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog . [23] Whedon expressed his interest in make the sequel as another miniseries or as a feature film. [24] On March 15, 2012, it was reported that the script would be written that summer and that the principal photography was to take place in 2013. [25] [26] However, the production was delayed and apparently abandoned due to Whedon's commitments with Marvel Studios. [27]

2010s

Wastelanders

On September 23, 2011, it was reported that Whedon had worked with comic book author Warren Ellis to make a webseries entitled Wastelanders, which was an "end-of-the-world" project. However, it was also announced that its production was postponed and apparently cancelled due to Whedon's concerns with The Avengers . [28]

Batgirl

In March 2017, Whedon was in negotiations to direct, write, and produce Batgirl set in the DC Extended Universe. [29] After a year of developing it, he withdrew from the project in February 2018, stating that he could not come up with a working story for the movie. [30]

Pippa Smith: Grown-Up Detective

In December 2020, TheWrap reported that Freeform decided not to move forward with the dark comedy series Pippa Smith: Grown-Up Detective from executive producer Joss Whedon. The show had been in development at the Disney-owned cable channel since June 2018. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> (film) 1992 film by Fran Rubel Kuzui

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 American comedy vampire film directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui and starring Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, Luke Perry, Hilary Swank, and David Arquette. It follows a Valley Girl cheerleader named Buffy who learns that it is her fate to hunt vampires. It was a moderate success at the box office, but received mixed reception from critics. The film took a different direction from that which its writer, Joss Whedon, intended. Five years later, he created the darker, and critically acclaimed, television series of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffy Summers</span> Lead character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy Anne Summers is the title character of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in The WB/UPN 1997–2003 television series and subsequent 1998–2018 Dark Horse and 2019–present Boom! Studios comic series of the same name. The character has also appeared in the spin-off series Angel, as well as numerous expanded universe materials such as novels and video games. Buffy was portrayed by Kristy Swanson in the film and by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the television series. Giselle Loren has lent her voice to the character in both the Buffy video games and an unproduced animated series, while Kelly Albanese lent her voice to the character in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight motion comics.

<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> American supernatural TV series (1997–2003)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the 1992 film of the same name, also written by Whedon, although they are separate and otherwise unrelated productions. Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner under his production tag Mutant Enemy Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joss Whedon</span> American director, writer and producer

Joseph Hill Whedon is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) and its spinoff Angel (1999–2004), the short-lived space Western Firefly (2002), the Internet musical miniseries Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008), the science fiction drama Dollhouse (2009–2010), the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020), and the science fiction drama The Nevers (2021).

Thomas Avery Whedon was an American screenwriter and producer from New York known for his work on television programs such as The Golden Girls, Benson, Alice, It's a Living, and The Dick Cavett Show. Whedon began his career as one of the original writers on the 1955 television series Captain Kangaroo. He also collaborated with Jon Stone to produce the 1969 TV film Hey, Cinderella! featuring the Muppets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mutant Enemy Productions</span> Television production company

Mutant Enemy Productions is a production company that was created in 1996 by Joss Whedon to produce Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The company also produced the Buffy spin-off, Angel, and his two short-lived science fiction series, the space Western Firefly and his high-concept Dollhouse, produced by 20th Century Fox Television. Mutant Enemy also produced the internet series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and the film The Cabin in the Woods. Mutant Enemy produced the superhero series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. along with ABC Studios and Marvel Television. Most recently, Mutant Enemy produced the supernatural fiction series The Nevers for HBO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Espenson</span> American television writer and producer

Jane Espenson is an American television writer and producer.

The Buffyverse canon consists of materials that are thought to be genuine and those events, characters, settings, etc., that are considered to have inarguable existence within the fictional universe established by the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Buffyverse is expanded through other additional materials such as comics, novels, pilots, promos and video games which do not necessarily take place in exactly the same fictional continuity as the Buffy episodes and Angel episodes. Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate and other prolific sci-fi and fantasy franchises have similarly gathered complex fictional continuities through hundreds of stories told in different formats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fran Rubel Kuzui</span> American film director and producer

Fran Rubel Kuzui is an American film director and producer. She received her master's degree from New York University and was a script supervisor for a decade, prior to her first film, 1988's Tokyo Pop, which she co-wrote and directed. The movie was shown at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and received critical acclaim for its depiction of an American woman trying to make sense of the Japanese youth culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Goddard</span> American screenwriter and director

Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. 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.

<i>Buffy: The Animated Series</i> Cancelled television series

Buffy: The Animated Series is an animated television series concept based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer created by Joss Whedon. Initially greenlit by 20th Century Fox in 2002, it went ultimately unproduced and unaired when no network was willing to buy the series. The series would have taken place in the middle of Buffy season 1, as writer Jeph Loeb described the continuity as "Episode 7.5".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whedonesque.com</span> Collaborative weblog devoted to the works of Joss Whedon

Whedonesque.com was a collaborative weblog devoted to the works of Joss Whedon. Submissions of new content ended on August 21, 2017, following the publication of an open letter by Whedon's ex-wife Kai Cole. The site was taken offline in 2021. At its inception in 2002, Whedonesque covered Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but expanded to follow Whedon's professional output, as well as the careers of cast and crew associated with Whedon projects. Since 2004, the site has been recognized in other media outlets by awards and citations of Whedon's writings originally posted to Whedonesque.

The fictional universe established by television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been parodied or paid tribute to by a number of unofficial productions, most notably fan films and adult films.

The popular fictional Buffyverse established by TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel has led to attempts to develop more commercially viable programs set in the fictional 'Buffyverse'. However some of these projects remain undeveloped for various reasons: sometimes, vital cast members may be unavailable; alternatively, studios and networks which would provide capital for the spinoffs might remain unconvinced that such projects are financially viable.

"Welcome to the Hellmouth" is the series premiere of the American supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It originally aired on The WB on March 10, 1997 in a two-hour premiere along with the following episode, "The Harvest". The episode was written by the series creator and executive producer Joss Whedon and directed by Charles Martin Smith. "Welcome to the Hellmouth" received a Nielsen rating of 3.4 upon its original airing and received largely positive reviews from critics.

<i>Dr. Horribles Sing-Along Blog</i> 2008 superhero musical comedy drama miniseries in three acts

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 2008 musical comedy-drama miniseries in three acts, produced exclusively for Internet distribution. Filmed and set in Los Angeles, the show tells the story of Dr. Horrible, an aspiring supervillain; Captain Hammer, his superheroic nemesis; and Penny, a charity worker and their shared love interest.

<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer originally aired between March 10 and June 2, 1997, on The WB. Conceived as a mid-season replacement, the season consists of twelve episodes, each running approximately 45 minutes in length, and originally aired on Mondays at 9:00 pm ET.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Chambliss</span> American screenwriter

Andrew Chambliss is an American television writer and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georges Jeanty</span> American comic book penciler illustrator

Georges Jeanty is an American comic book penciler illustrator best known for his work on The American Way, an eight-issue American comic book limited series produced under DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. Various issues of Serenity (comics).

<i>Batgirl</i> (film) Unreleased superhero film by Adil & Bilall

Batgirl is an unreleased American superhero film based on the DC character Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. Produced by Burr! Productions and DC Films for the streaming service HBO Max, it was intended to be an installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah from a screenplay by Christina Hodson, and starred Leslie Grace as Batgirl, alongside J. K. Simmons, Jacob Scipio, Brendan Fraser, Michael Keaton, and Ivory Aquino.

References

  1. ↑ Brodie, John (1993-06-25). "'Suspension' toll: $ 1 mil from Largo". Variety. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  2. ↑ Hewit, Chris (2016-01-19). "Liam Neeson Is Up For Suspension". gb: Empireonline.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  3. ↑ Brodesser, Claude; Duke, Paul F. (2000-03-13). "Helmer Tennant believes in an 'Afterlife' with Sony". Variety. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  4. ↑ Davis, Lauren (5 October 2009). "The Mind-Transplant Script Whedon Wrote Before Dollhouse". Io9.gizmodo.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  5. ↑ "8 Unmade Batman Movies | Warped Factor - Words in the Key of Geek". Warped Factor. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  6. ↑ "Joss Whedon Talks About His 'Batman' Movie That Never Was". MTV. 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  7. ↑ Harris, Dana (2002-06-30). "WB: fewer pix, more punch". Variety. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  8. ↑ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series! - Mania.com". Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2017-03-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ↑ Hockensmith, Steve. "Dialogue with 'Buffy' creator Joss Whedon". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2017-03-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ↑ "Ripper - TV". IGN. 2007-07-28. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  11. ↑ "TV". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  12. ↑ "SDCC 07: Whedon Says Buffy Spinoff Ripper Still Planned". IGN. 2007-07-28. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  13. ↑ "TV @ CCI 2012: Andrew Chambliss & Christos Gage Prepare the End of "Buffy Season 9"". CBR. 2012-08-02. Archived from the original on 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  14. ↑ "Will Ripley Rise Again? Sigourney Weaver On 'Alien' Saga: 'I Just Don't Feel That It's Quite Finished'". MTV. 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  15. ↑ "Wizard Universe – Whedon says that "money is standing in the way" of the project". August 5, 2006. Archived from the original on August 5, 2006. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  16. ↑ Ashton, Leigh Christian. "Amy Acker confirms that the project will not be going ahead". Syfyportal.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ↑ Fleming, Michael (2005-09-22). "Whedon's a goner for U". Variety. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  18. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2017-02-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ↑ Taylor, Drew (2016-05-22). "The Lost, Forgotten & Undersung Projects Of Joss Whedon". IndieWire. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  20. ↑ "Silver Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures Sign Joss Whedon to Write & Direct DC Comics Wonder Woman". Time Warner. 2005-03-17. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  21. ↑ Gopalan, Nisha (2007-08-02). "Joss Whedon on life after 'Wonder Woman'". Ew.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  22. ↑ "Joss Whedon Won't Write, Direct 'Wonder Woman' — Despite Doing 'A Lot Of Legwork'". MTV. 2007-02-02. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  23. ↑ "Nathan Fillion Talks – Castle, Dollhouse, & Dr. Horrible". the TV addict. 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  24. ↑ "Joss & Co. reveal plans for a Dr. Horrible sequel: Maybe a movie? | SyfyWire". Blastr.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-28. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  25. ↑ "Joss Whedon on 'Dr. Horrible 2' and 'Much Ado About Nothing' from Comic Con 2012 Panel". Archived from the original on 2014-12-30. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  26. ↑ "Wait Is Almost Over for New Dr. Horrible, Joss Whedon Says". Wired. 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  27. ↑ Schwartz, Terri (2013-04-17). "Joss Whedon won't have time for 'Dr. Horrible 2' until after 'The Avengers 2' – Screener". Screenertv.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  28. ↑ Breznican, Anthony (2011-09-23). "Joss Whedon plots his return to the Web". Ew.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  29. ↑ McNary, Dave (March 30, 2017). "'Batgirl' Movie: Joss Whedon to Direct Standalone Film". Variety . Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  30. ↑ McNary, Dave (February 22, 2018). "Joss Whedon Exits as 'Batgirl' Movie Director". Variety . Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018. "Batgirl is such an exciting project, and Warners/DC such collaborative and supportive partners, that it took me months to realize I really didn't have a story," Whedon said in a statement.
  31. ↑ Maas, Jennifer (December 16, 2021). "Joss Whedon-Produced Comedy 'Pippa Smith: Grown-Up Detective' Scrapped at Freeform (Exclusive)". TheWrap . Retrieved February 17, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.