Great movies that never were

Eigenwelt

Tribe of the West (1993)

"Some men wandered the desert, some men conquered it."


Sam Peckinpah's last film tells the story of three Jewish brothers (Goldblum, Bogosian, Arkin) who quit herding cattle to help their sheriff cousin (Patinkin) tame a tame a lawless region of the Arizona Territory in 1871.


(pardon the crappy photoshopping)

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Killer300

Gold Plated Fist: 2003

Released before the presidential election, came a movie detailing Pitochet's regime, and the support it got from the CIA throughout the years. Also detailed various supports by Milton Friedman, and similar economists gave to it.

Starting as an indie art house film, with first time director and an a cast of non-professional actors, it still unexpectedly become a huge hit commercially and among critics.
 

ColeMercury

Star Trek: Enigma (1994)

The first Star Trek: The Next Generation film, released one year after the show finished its six-season run. Also features the first appearance of the Enterprise NCC-1701-E, after its predecessor's destruction in the show's two-part finale. The film is wholly and completely a Next Generation film, with the producers being able to convince the executives that this could be viable by making the film's subject matter as epic as possible.

Therefore, the plot of the film is basically the same as OTL's season-6 episode "The Chase" (never produced in TTL, obviously), only at a much grander scale as befits the subject matter and with the roles of the Cardassians & Romulans switched. (The Romulans' role was in fact taken by Commander Sela; meanwhile, the Duras sisters did not appear in the film.) The film also includes various subplots which were found in OTL's Star Trek: Generations, i.e. Data struggling with his emotion chip (only with the added detail of the chip also containing his erased memories from Omicron Theta, as was hinted in the two-parter "Descent" -- there is a memorable scene where Data is implanted with the chip and re-lives his own activation) and Picard brooding over what he could've done with his life (only this is triggered by Professor Galen's reappearance and later death, rather than his brother & nephew's offscreen senseless deaths).

The film's screenplay, written by Joe Menosky (based on a story by Menosky and Ronald D Moore) was praised particularly for its ending, which was the first Star Trek film ending in a long time to actually convey a real sense of wonder. The film's direction by Winrich Kolbe (making his feature film debut) was also praised.

Followed two years later by Star Trek: First Contact (written by Brannon Braga & Ronald D Moore, directed by Jonathan Frakes), which garnered a comparable amount of praise.
 

titulus regius

Tea Party For Two (2010)
In this reworking of "No, No, Nanette," wealthy heiress Shani Lapar bets her uncle $25m that she can say "no" to everything logical for 48 hours. If she wins, she can invest the money in a Broadway show, “Right Side Story”, featuring songs written by her beau and, of course, in which she will star.
 

JDGiant

1968 (2001)
Starring:

Robert De Niro ---- Lyndon B. Johnson
Robert Duvall ---- Richard J. Daley
Meryl Streep ---- Lady Bird Johnson
Gene Hackman ---- Hubert Humphrey
Anthony Hopkins ---- Richard Nixon
Matt Damon ---- Robert F. Kennedy
Gary Sinise ---- George Wallace
Joe Pesci ---- Ed Muskie
Dustin Hoffman ---- Sprio Agnew
John Goodman ---- Curtis LeMay
Kevin Kline ---- Eugene McCarthy
John Heard ---- Ronald Reagan
Sigourney Weaver - Ethel Kennedy
Morgan Freeman ---- Martin Luther King Jr.
James Earl Jones ---- Rosey Grier
Emile Hirsch ---- Joseph P. Kennedy II
Sean Penn ---- Edward Kennedy
Tommy Lee Jones ---- George McGovern
Christopher Walken ---- Nelson Rockefeller
Walter Cronkite ---- (himself, archival footage)
Chet Huntley ---- (himself, archival footage)
David Brinkley ---- (himself, archival footage)

Directed by - Oliver Stone

(184 minutes in length)

In 1971, two years after leaving office, former President Lyndon B. Johnson is resting at his ranch in Stonewall, Texas, when he receives a vistor. It's Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago, Illinois. They reminisce about various events from the past, and after a couple of minutes, the conversation is fixed on the 1968 U.S. Presidential Election.

Oscars:

Best Picture (nominated)
Best Actor - Robert De Niro (won)
Best Supporting Actor - Robert Duvall (nominated)
Best Supporting Actor - Anthony Hopkins (nominated)
Best Supporting Actress - Meryl Streep (nominated)
Best Director - Oliver Stone (won)
Best Adapted Screenplay - (won)

Current IMDB Score - 8.2/10
Current RottenTomatoes Score - 91%

"Easily the best politically-orientated movie since JFK." ~ Roger Ebert
 

JoeMulk

Banned
Fear and Loathing on the campaign trail 72 (2000)

Following the success of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Raoul Duke returned for the hijinks of the 1972 presidential election.

Starring

Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke
Rob Lowe as Pat Caddell
Richard Schieff as Frank Mankiewitz
Kelsey Grammer as George McGovern
Eugene Levy as Ed Muskie
 

Hades

Batman: Shattered Mirror (1998)

Building upon the Success of Batman: Year One (1994) and Batman: The Killing Joke (1996), Shattered Mirror focused on Batman's efforts to stop a terrorist named Dr. Crane/Scarecrow (Malcolm McDowell), who seeks to instil fear into Gotham. As well as that, he must also stop his former friend Harvey Dent/Two Face (Patrick Swayze), who has gone insane from a Scarecrow attack, and blames Batman for not saving him. Shattered Mirror also delved into Batman's mind as he faced his deepest fears and secrets, alongside the relationship between Harvey Dent and Two Face. While not as Big as Year One or Killing Joke, Shattered Mirror is still considered a good Batman movie.
 

TNF

Star Wars : Sequel Trilogy (1986-1992)
--Episode VII (1986)
--Episode VIII (1989)
--Episode IX (1992)
 

Glass Onion

Troy McClure
This comedy favorite stars Phil Hartman as the washed up actor Troy McClure as he attempts to navigate both his addictions and his considerable loss of fame since the height of his popularity. Hartman is reprising a role first established on The Simpsons, and the script was created by various writers on that show. Troy McClure to date is the closest The Simpsons has come to a full length film, and as such is beloved by fans of the show. Aside from Hartman the film boasted an all star comedic cast. While the film was a moderate success upon release, the film's popularity skyrocketed in the years following its DVD release.
 
Marc Pasquin

Marc Pasquin

Doctor Who: Invasion Seatle (1997)

Staring Paul McGann, this was the second of a series of Doctor Who made-for-tv movies produced especialy for the North American market.

It saw the 8th Doctor facing his old enemies the Daleks trying to enslave the human race by way of hypnotic music played by their minions, a group known as "One-Eyed Paradise".

 

VidaLaVida

Not the most original idea, because it was a real film that unfortunately never saw release. But definitely a great film that never was:

Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan The Terrible: Part III (1948)

The completion of Eisenstein's masterwork of the story of the great Russian ruler, released mere months after the director's sudden death. With Nikolai Cherkasov reprising the role of Russia's first Tsar one last time, Act 3 of this wonderful trilogy marked the latter period of Ivan's life, marking the contrasts between his incredible power over his subjects and his increasing isolation in his old age. He embarks on a series of fruitless and destructive wars against Russia's Scandinavian neighbors that do nothing but wreak havoc on the economy. To say nothing of the massacre at Novgorod.

But the scene that most people remember from the movie, and which has been studied by filmmakers throughout the world as an example of presenting near-Shakespearean drama on screen, comes during the climax, when the Tsar truly loses his last bit of humanity by killing his eldest son Ivan Ivanonvich in a fit of rage. The film ends shortly after, thus ending the epic tale of the leader who saved his nation, but lost his soul.

Though the film itself gained prestige on its own merits throughout both the USSR and abroad, some are more interested in the fact that the film itself nearly didn't see the light of day; with Part II having come under suspicion by Stalin's authorities for its supposed comparisons of Ivan's cunning to the Soviet leader's methods. Fortunately, both Part II and III were eventually approved after much persuasion, and Sergei Eisenstein's completed trilogy stands forever as one of the most revered masterworks in world cinema.
 

Nosferatu

Ridley Scott's "Prophet of Dune" (1985)

The film version of Frank Herbert's "Dune" had passed from director to director for years until it was finally picked up by Ridley Scott, acclaimed director of "Blade Runner" (1982). Although die-hard fans of the novel criticize the liberties taken with the story, the film was successful in the box office, and Vangelis' score, mixing a futuristic techno sound-scape with middle-eastern influences was nominated for an Academy Award.

David Lynch's "A Scanner Darkly" (1984)

Although Lynch was initially involved in a filmatization of "Dune", he quit the project due to disagreements over budget and artistic freedom. He ended up instead with the rights to recently deceased Philip K. Dick's novel by the same name. This surreal detective story featuring mind-altering drugs and split personalities proved "too surreal" for many critics, but would go on to become a cult hit. The role of Bob Arctor was played by the then-obscure Kyle McLachlan, who would go on to star in a number of Lynch's productions.
 

Tothlord

War of the Worlds 2- The Andromeda Strain (1970)

Its 1990 and the Martians have been learning from their failed invasion of Earth. Scientists have sent probes to the 3rd planet to study and bring back bacterial strains. It is decided that the opening move in the second invasion will be a biological attack to weaken resistence and gain ameasure of vengance.

The first probe lands in a remote desert community. The local population quickly killed off with the exception of 2 people. Norad tracks the probe and investigates but its team also succumbs to the Strain. The government responds with a special team of scientists to study the problem. It's a race against time to find a solution as more probes are falling to Earth.
 

JoeMulk

Banned
Tommy 2003

A remake of the original Tommy only this time with a hiphop twist.
Starring:
Snopp Dog as Tommy
Will Smith as Captain Walker
Hallie Berry as Nora
Cedric The Entertainer as Uncle Earnie
50 Cent as Cousin Kevin
Ice Cube as the Doctor
Eminem as the Pinball Wizard
Kanye West as the preacher
 
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ColeMercury

JoeMulk said:
Tommy 2003

A remake of the original Tommy only this time with a hiphop twist.
Starring:
Snopp Dog as Tommy
Will Smith as Captain Walker
Hallie Berry as Nora
Cedric The Entertainer as Captain Walker
50 Cent as Cousin Kevin
Ice Cube as the Doctor
Eminem as the Pinball Wizard
Kanye West as the preacher
Click to expand...
As the ghosts of Keith Moon and John Entwisle whisper from beyond the grave: "...Get your own fucking rock opera!"
 
Noravea

Noravea

Doctor Who: The Movie (2019)

With the conclusion of the 13th Doctor's run on television, actor Ewan McGregor appears for a final time as the 13th Doctor, which he has held a role in for nearly four and a half years. The film had guest appearances by Matt Smith and David Tennant as the 11th and 10th Doctors respectively, and the 12th Doctor, who was played by Simon Pegg makes a brief cameo.

The film depicts the epic battle between the Daleks, Cybermen, Humans, and an unknown faction. It also answers the question if the Doctor's 13th incarnation is his last (It is not). Other of the Doctor's companions make appearances in this epic 3 hour film, which made Box Office records in not only the UK, but in the United States, where it made over 2 billion dollars. It introduced Doctor Who to the American public, being one of the first foreign shows to have large ratings on major networks. A Doctor Who channel was added to many American cable providers due to the popularity of the show following its release.

Starring:

Ewan McGregor (13th Doctor)
Daniel Radcliffe (Billy Oxford- Companion (2016-2020)
Simon Pegg (12th Doctor)
Matt Smith (11th Doctor)
Karen Gillan (Amy Pond- Companion (2010-2013)
David Tennant (10th Doctor)
Billie Piper (Rose Tyler- Companion (2005-2007/2016)

The film won academy awards for Best Picture, with Best Actor being given to Ewan McGregor for his performance as the Doctor. David Tennant was given the award for best supporting actor, with Karen Gillan and Daniel Radcliffe being nominated for that award. It also won the award for Best Score. The 13th Doctor started regenerating at the end of the film, but his new identity had yet to be revealed until the 2020 series began.

Due to major American attraction, much more additional funding was given to the series, with the 2020 series being paid for 22 episodes, rather than the 14 usually for each Series. It was picked up by NBC for 4 Seasons in a new deal, however, its writing and production would be handled by the BBC.
 

Bolt451

I don't know if anyones mentioned Terry Gilliam's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (Philosophers Stone over here) (2001). The film was pretty good but the Directors Cut was even better :)

OOC: Terry Gilliam was genuinely considered to direct (at least) the first Harry Potter and at the time was apparently up for it. Not sure how it would've played out compared to Chris Columbus' fairly pedestrian takes.
 
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