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These in-development movies just got canned.
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00:00Though there are literally thousands of movies released every single year, the number of
00:05in-development films that end up getting scrapped for one reason or another is basically innumerable.
00:13Heck, some films get culled early enough in development that we never even hear about them,
00:19not unless someone close to the production spills the beans. Just a big ol' saucy mess everywhere.
00:26But there are of course many movies that get so close to actually being filmed that they're widely
00:33publicly known about and yet for one of many potential reasons, they still end up getting
00:40cancelled. And wouldn't you know it, it happened to a bunch of films just this year. So I'm Ewan,
00:46this is WhatCulture and it's time to stick our hands into that big ol' pile of bean goo
00:51and look at a few movies that just got cancelled.
00:55First up, Tron 4.
00:57Oh Hollywood, you silly old rascal. Well, we learn that Jared Leto just isn't the answer.
01:04The recently released Tron Ares was obviously intended to revitalize the series' big screen
01:12prospects, complete with an ending that showed that Jared Leto's Ares will seek out the protagonists
01:18of previous film Tron Legacy, specifically Sam, played by Garrett Hedlund, and Cora, played by
01:24Olivia Wilde, in the next movie. Obviously, the sequel's existence was entirely contingent upon the
01:36box office success of Ares. And given that the 220 million blockbuster will be lucky to crack 200
01:43million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run, less than half of what Legacy made 15 years ago,
01:51well, that pretty much poured cold water on any plans for a fourth movie in the franchise.
01:56Days after the movie's soft opening weekend, The Hollywood Reporter indicated that Disney would
02:02likely now be quote-unquote, retiring Tron as a cinematic event, instead using the IP's branding for
02:10theme park rides, video games, and maybe a TV show?
02:16Next up, Sylvester Stallone's Rambo Prequel
02:20Though 2019's Rambo Last Blood was initially intended to be the final entry into the Sylvester
02:28Stallone starring action thriller franchise, it didn't take too long for Sly to start talking
02:33up the prospect of another sequel anyway. Earlier this year, it was announced that the sequel had
02:39been scrapped in favor of a prequel called John Rambo, with Noah Centineo set to star as a younger
02:47iteration of the character. When discussing the prequel, Stallone mentioned that another version
02:53of the idea was actually in the works before this, in which Stallone would have once again portrayed Rambo
02:59with AI technology being used to make him look much younger. However, Stallone added that he ultimately
03:06quote-unquote procrastinated too long with the idea, at which point Rambo's rights holders decided
03:13instead to move forward with a different prequel starring a young actor. Considering how costly and
03:20risky it would be to de-age Stallone for an entire movie, it was honestly probably for the best that
03:26this
03:26version of a Rambo prequel never came to fruition. The Aristocats live-action...remake?
03:35The emotional whiplash reading out of that heading has given me, like I didn't even know if this was
03:40a thing and it was gonna happen, but to find out that it was and that it's now also dead?
03:45Just like
03:46pure fatigue switching to relief but also bewilderment in like the space of two seconds.
03:52Anyway, in 2022 Disney announced that they were set to produce a live-action remake of their beloved
03:581970 animated musical comedy The Aristocats, which we've established I clearly managed to psychically
04:04block from my perception due to how bad and pointless all those other Disney live-action
04:10remakes are. Seriously, what are we doing here? They make so much money! Why? They're so bad!
04:18Again, getting sidetracked. Word went deathly quiet on The Aristocats remake in the years that followed its
04:25announcement. Until this past August, when Questlove flatly confirmed that the remake had been scrapped,
04:32citing numerous regime changes at Disney causing the film to get the old
04:38given that Disney is taking a more conservative approach to their live-action remakes following the
04:45box office failure of Snow White earlier this year, prompting them to even pause a remake of hit
04:51animation tangled, it's not terribly surprising that they've tabled a trickier adaptation of one of
04:58their less mainstream animations. Next on the list, an untitled Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio
05:05project. It's no secret that the great Martin Scorsese constantly has numerous projects on the go,
05:12although which one exactly will be the next in the mixer has been the subject of some confusion. It was
05:19recently reported that Scorsese actually got incredibly close to shooting a new film this
05:24past summer with his regular collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio, a project DiCaprio apparently dropped out
05:31of Damien Chazelle's Evil Knievel film to be a part of. The exact project in question hasn't been publicly
05:38revealed, and given the numerous unfilmed Scorsese and DiCaprio collabs over the years,
05:44it could be one of many. The most likely candidates include their long gestating Frank Sinatra biopic,
05:51an adaptation of Marilyn Robinson's acclaimed novel Home, serial killer dramatization The Devil
05:56in the White City which I just read this summer and gets my endorsement for It Should Be Made,
06:02and a Hawaii-set crime drama co-starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. Whichever one it was,
06:08was it didn't happen, and considering that the filmmaker turns 83 this year, the time window
06:14is naturally beginning to close for most of these projects to actually get made.
06:19The Transformers 1 sequel
06:21With last year's animated spin-off Transformers 1 scoring stronger views from critics and a solid
06:27A cinema score from audiences, it seemed like a given that the film would be a box office success and
06:33spawn a wider franchise of animated pictures. But to the surprise of many, Transformers 1 flopped
06:40commercially, grossing well below expectations in its opening weekend and ending its global run with
06:47just $129.4 million. For a film said to be budgeted as high as $147 million, that is a disastrous
06:57result, and has been attributed to both mediocre marketing and competition from the more acclaimed
07:04animation The Wild Robot, which released just a week later. This left many doubting the prospect of
07:11a planned trilogy coming to fruition. All the more so once Transformers co-owner Hasbro revealed that they
07:17were stepping back from co-financing film adaptations in light of the movie's failure. But it wasn't until
07:23botcon in June 2025 that director Josh Cooley formally confirmed that the planned Transformers 1 sequel
07:30had indeed been scrapped. However, recent word indicates that Cooley will instead be put to work
07:37directing a new live action Transformers movie instead. So Paramount at least clearly appreciates
07:44the fine work he did on the animated version. On the way, Killing Gawker
07:49In summer 2024, it was announced that Killing Gawker was in the works, a dramatization of the legal
07:57battle between Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media after the latter published segments from a sex tape featuring
08:03Hogan in 2012. The film was set to be produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's label Artist's Equity and
08:10based on Ryan Holiday's book, Conspiracy, Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and The Anatomy of Intrigue.
08:22Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant was meanwhile circling to direct, and there were
08:27even rumors that Affleck himself would end up portraying the Hulkster. However, in light of
08:33Hogan's sudden passing this past July, word did the rounds that Killing Gawker had been scrapped
08:39by Damon and Affleck. And while one might assume this was directly related to his death, the report
08:46added that the decision was made long prior to this. Notably, Hulk Hogan had reportedly considered
08:52legal action against the filmmakers prior to his death, depending on the content of the movie.
08:59Another Star Wars disappointment now, with the hunt for Ben Solo.
09:04Now, in total fairness, this film was technically cancelled a few years back, but news of its
09:10existence was only brought to light in recent weeks. And yeah, if there was any further proof
09:16that the movie was made to be seen in the movie, the movie was made to be seen in the
09:20movie.
09:20Well, here it is. Now, in total fairness, this film was technically cancelled a few years back,
09:28but news of its existence was only brought to light in recent weeks.
09:32Kylo Ren actor Adam Driver revealed in October that he and legendary filmmaker Steven Soderbergh spent two
09:41years developing a follow-up to The Rise of Skywalker called The Hunt for Ben Solo,
09:48with Soderbergh's regular collaborator Scott Z. Burns petting the script.
09:52Burns wrote a draft which Driver called, quote, one of the coolest scripts he'd ever been involved with.
09:59But ultimately, Disney CEO Bob Iger and co-chairman Alan Bergman rejected the pitch,
10:05expressing confusion over how Ben Solo could still be alive after episode 9.
10:12Given the vitriolic fan response to The Rise of Skywalker, a campaign to get this movie made swiftly
10:18began, urging Disney to greenlight the hunt for Ben Solo rather than leave it unmade forevermore.
10:25But considering the wildly messy state of modern Star Wars and the series fraught past with kowtowing
10:31for the loudest members of its fanbase, it seems incredibly unlikely that The Mouse House will
10:36actually pull the trigger on this one. Next up, an unspecified DC Universe film.
10:44James Gunn is currently in the midst of building up his DC Universe, which formally kicked off with his
10:50well-received reimagining of Superman this past summer. Gunn, who is incredibly online and regularly
10:57talks to fans and journalists alike about the state of ongoing projects, revealed to NPR back in July
11:04that one planned DCU movie was actually recently scrapped. He hasn't named the film in question but
11:11Gunn said that it was written and fully greenlit with a talented director in place, only to cancel
11:16the project because he knew the script wasn't in a good moment. Gunn added that he killed the film
11:23because he knew it would make everyone involved look bad, and this naturally left fans speculating
11:29on precisely which project it could be. Given that Andy Muschietti's The Brave and the Bold and James
11:35Mangold's Swamp Thing are still said to be in development, it's far more likely to be something
11:40like The Authority, which Gunn had already admitted was struggling to come together many months before
11:46this interview. Either way, one of the previously slated DCU movies flat out isn't happening anymore,
11:53straight from the horse's mouth. On the way, Megan 3.0
11:592022's horror comedy Megan was such a stonking box office hit, grossing $181.8 million on a $12
12:08million budget, that it was abundantly clear that a major new IP was born. Sequel Megan 2,
12:162.0 was swiftly greenlit, as well as an erotic thriller spinoff called Soulmate, and considering
12:22both the success of the original and the relatively low budget involved, it seemed like Blumhouse could
12:27crank these silly killer robot movies out for years. In the lead up to Megan 2.0's release, it was
12:35simply
12:35assumed that the film would be an easy success, after which Megan 3.0 would hit cinemas within a few
12:41short years. But in one of the more surprising box office stories of the year, the sequel massively
12:48underperformed, grossing just $39.1 million, barely 20% of what its predecessor raked in just a few years
12:57before. This was primarily attributed to Megan 2.0 veering into more overt sci-fi comedy territory,
13:05while toning down the horror elements of the first film, ensuring that many who got a kick out of the
13:11first one just weren't interested this time around. The failure was catastrophic enough to ensure that
13:17all plans for Megan 3.0 seemingly ground to a halt overnight, but producer Jason Blum bluntly stating
13:25that he and the filmmakers quote, classically overthought how powerful people's engagement was
13:31with the title character. On the way, Carnival at the End of Days
13:36In June 2024, the great Terry Gilliam announced his latest film, Carnival at the End of Days,
13:44a fantastical satire in which Jeff Bridges and Johnny Depp would play God and Satan respectively,
13:50with a supporting cast to be filled out by Jason Momoa, Aser Butterfield, Emma Laird, and Tom Waits.
13:56Given that Gilliam turns 85 this year, the movie was widely expected to be his last,
14:03though the filmmaker recently confirmed that the project had been regretfully scrapped.
14:09In a new interview, Gilliam bluntly confirmed that Carnival at the End of Days wouldn't be happening,
14:15revealing that his Italian financing partners had failed to come through with the expected money.
14:20Despite his plaudits, Gilliam has struggled to finance films throughout most of his career due to their
14:25esoteric and often not remotely commercial nature, so this isn't terribly surprising even if it is
14:32hugely disappointing. Gilliam has now turned his sights to making The Defective Detective instead,
14:39which is a script he wrote more than 30 years ago and now hopes to make as his final project,
14:45so here's hoping it all comes together.
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