Development Hell is a place many movies are sent to languish in, waiting in that pit of uncertainty for decisions to be made. Some make it through, but others are plunged into the fires of cancelation, destined never to be seen by the public.
With a popular property like DC, this happens a lot. Competing directors offer pitches for various properties, actors drop out at the last minute or, as has happened recently, whole new directions are taken which means certain films no longer fit the tone. Here are just a handful of DC movies that never made it to screens, forever loitering in “What if?” purgatory.
10 Ivan Reitman’s Batman
Before Tim Burton changed the face of comic book movies forever in 1989, Ivan Reitman had a go at bringing Batman to the big screen in 1980. From his casting choices, it’s likely he wouldn’t have strayed too far from the vibe of the Adam West film and series.
The proposed movie would have featured Bill Murray as the Dark Knight, with Eddie Murphy taking up the mantle of Robin. Lending a sneering, psychotic edge to the proceedings would have been David Bowie – Reitman’s top choice for the Joker.
9 Plastic Man
One of the first superheroes to incorporate humor into his adventures, Plastic Man made his first comic book appearance in 1941. It wasn’t until 1992 that a movie was mooted, set to be produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by the Wachowskis.
The film languished in development hell until 2009 when the script was resurrected with both Jim Carrey and Bruce Campbell in the running to play the lead. The role eventually went to Keanu Reeves though, before the plug was pulled. Plastic Man‘s day is yet to come, it seems.
8 Batman: Unchained/Triumphant
Although Joel Schumacher was criticized for making the latter 90’s Batman movies too camp, he himself had always wanted to do a darker version of the caped crusader. His unmade Batman: Unchained (sometimes referred to as Batman Triumphant) definitely reflects this.
The film would have taken place in Arkham Asylum, with Batman being tormented by the Scarecrow. A nightmare sequence was planned, with Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito reprising their roles as the Joker and the Penguin. The commercial failure of Batman and Robin put paid to that, though.
7 Green Lantern 2
There were, perhaps surprisingly, plans to continue the adventures of Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan from the 2011 Green Lantern movie. There was even a post-credits sequence teasing Sinestro’s corruption by the Yellow Ring of Fear.
A sequel was indeed commissioned, with Michael Goldenberg on script duties. The film was quickly dropped, however, after the first installment gained an incessant amount of negative reviews.
6 Lobo
In 2009, Guy Ritchie was attached to direct a movie featuring a 7-foot tall, blue-skinned, motorbike-riding alien bounty hunter. Lobo has always been a fan-favorite character, and there was a lot of excitement surrounding a potential live-action adventure with him as the lead.
Guy Ritchie opted to do a sequel to his well-received Sherlock Holmes reboot instead, and the project was passed around to other budding directors and writers. Rumors are abounding that Jason Momoa might be taking on the role, but time will tell…
5 Wonder Woman
Ivan Reitman attempted to bring another DC hero to the big screen around 1996 with Wonder Woman before directing duties passed onto Ben Cohen in 1999. By 2001, the project had a lot of traction, with Antz screenwriter Todd Alcott writing the script.
A host of names were suggested for the role of Diana Prince – including Sandra Bullock, Lucy Lawless, Mariah Carey, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Warner Brothers eventually asked Joss Whedon to write and direct in 2005, but ultimately a Wonder Woman movie wouldn’t hit cinemas until 2017.
4 Tim Burton’s Batman 3
Tim Burton was asked to step down as the director of the third Batman movie after the controversy of Batman Returns. Warner Brothers wanted to take the Dark Knight in a more family-friendly direction. Before all of this happened though, Burton did have plans for his own “Batman 3.”
Fans would obviously see the return of Michael Keaton, and also Billy Dee Williams who, in this installment, would finally go from Harvey Dent to Two-Face. Marlon Wayans was also set to finally debut as Robin (he’d signed up to appear in the first two movies but the character had been cut).
3 Justice League: Mortal
The popularity of the Nolan Dark Knight movies encouraged Warner Brothers to make more DC content. Justice League: Mortal was set in a different universe to the Christian Bale version of Batman, though, with Armie Hammer as Batman, Adam Brody as The Flash, Common as Green Lantern, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman, and D.J. Cotrona as Superman in this particular iteration.
George Miller was slated to helm the project, but writer’s strikes stalled the production of the movie. Further delays prompted Miller to finish off Mad Max: Fury Road, and Justice League: Mortal was shelved.
2 Superman Lives
Perhaps the most famous unmade DC movie is the now-legendary Superman Lives, pitched by Kevin Smith in 1996. Tim Burton was eventually attached as director, hiring Wesley Stricks to rewrite Smith’s screenplay. Tackling The Death and Return of Superman storyline, Superman Lives would have been an epic, surprising installment of the franchise.
Nicholas Cage was cast as the Man of Steel and was eager to give his take on the character. Sadly, the film was put on hold in 1998 and Tim Burton was forced to walk away. A fantastic documentary, The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? documents the birth and death of the unmade movie.
1 Man Of Steel 2
The most infamous unmade DC movie might well be the Man of Steel sequel. Countless ideas for a second standalone Cavill-era Superman escapade had been thrown around since 2014. Numerous writers and directors were attached at various points, looking at the character of Brainiac, and also tying in the Green Lantern Corps to the wider DC Universe.
In 2020, the sequel was canceled amid shakeups in the DC Studios camp. All was not lost though, as Cavill revealed his return in 2022, and even filmed a cameo appearance as Superman for Black Adam. And then he announced his retirement from the role a few months later, as DC Studios planned another Superman reboot with a younger version of the character.
