9 superhero movies we’ll never get to see – and the reasons why
Superheroes. What would the cinema be without them? Moviegoers have always loved a good superhero blockbuster, whether it’s Superman, Batman or Spider-Man – or perhaps someone else entirely – donning their tights to save the world from their arch nemeses. But for every comic book character and super-powered legend who has made it to the big screen, the path is littered with those costumed crime-fighters whose movies never even got out of the starting blocks. Here’s a bunch of heroic flicks which might well have been, for want of a better word, super – except they never saw the light of day… (Picture: James Gourley/Shutterstock)
1. Plastic Man
First up, we have this comic book character who came so close – and yet so far – from making it to the screen. Plastic Man is the alter-ego of Patrick ‘Eel’ O’Brien, who first appeared in Police Comics #1 in 1941 (which was later acquired by DC Comics), and who has the ability to stretch his body into any imaginable form. Given the possibilities for snazzy special effects – not to mention the fact that the character has crossed paths with Batman and been a member of the Justice League – you’d think Plastic Man the movie would be a no-brainer, right? Wrong. Rumours of a film version first surfaced in the early 90s, with Steven Spielberg on board to produce, but it was the Wachowskis’ take on the character, from a script written before they made The Matrix, with Keanu Reeves tipped to star, which gained the most traction. It never went any further though, for reasons which aren’t quite clear, and to this day Plastic Man remains unmade. (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
2. Superman Lives
Superman might have led to you believe a man can fly but this particular incarnation of the man of steel didn’t even get off the ground. The movie, which was due to go before the cameras in the 1990s, was to be directed by Tim Burton, with Nicolas Cage donning the infamous red and blue suit to play Clark Kent/Superman. And with a cast which was also due to include Chris Rock as Jimmy Olsen, Sandra Bullock as Lois Lane, and Christopher Walken as Braniac, what was not to like? Sadly, the film suffered production issues and script rewrites, with Warner Bros pulling the plug just weeks before shooting was set to begin – despite having already spent $30m (£23.2m) on costumes and promotional material. For those still wondering what might have been, a documentary, The Death Of Superman Lives: What Happened?, was released in 2015 and can be seen on YouTube.
3. Superman: Flyby
Speaking of Superman, here’s another one which came close but floundered rather than flew. Superman: Flyby was Warner Bros’ attempt to revive the Man of Steel after Superman Lives was canned – and it looked very promising indeed. It had a script by JJ Abrams, it had a director (Brett Ratner) and even casting rumours with reports that Josh Hartnett, Ashton Kutcher, Paul Walker, and James Marsden were all considered for the role, while actor Matt Bomer came very close to playing it. He told the Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast in 2024. ‘It looked like I was the director’s choice for the role. I signed a three-picture deal at Warner Bros.’ Filming was all set to go ahead in 2003 until Ratner quit the project citing casting difficulties and other issues. Charlie’s Angels’ McG stepped in to replace him but he was subsequently replaced by Bryan Singer, who had a very different vision for Superman’s return to the screen. Which led to us getting Superman Returns in 2006 and Abrams’ script being abandoned. (Picture: CW Network/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)
4. Joss Whedon’s Wonder Woman
Speaking of big screen superheroes we’re familiar with, Wonder Woman’s popped up a fair few times recently, both in 2017’s box office hit and 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, as well as showing up in the likes of Batman vs Superman and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. One Wonder Woman movie which never saw the light of day though was Joss Whedon’s take on the character. The Avengers filmmaker was hired by Warner Bros in 2005 to bring Wonder Woman to the screen, but he left the project in February 2007 with the Hollywood Reporter saying at the time it was down to creative differences. Speaking to a fan site, he said: ‘I had a take on the film that, well, nobody liked.’ The project was subsequently scrapped, leaving Wonder Woman in limbo for a decade, and the rest of us to wonder what might have been. (Picture: BROS/Moviestore/Shutterstock)
5. Hawkman
Now here’s one that could have been interesting. Hawkman, the super-powered, hawkish identity used by several reincarnations of an Egyptian prince, is already familiar to viewers via the likes of Smallville and DC – Legends Of Tomorrow. However, the character was also primed for big screen treatment with plans for a movie stretching back to 2011, with Digital Spy reporting that it was pitched as ‘Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code meets Ghost’. We can’t even begin to imagine. Sadly this one never made it past the development stage for reasons which aren’t quite clear and promptly flew away from the schedule. So if you want your Hawkman fix you’ll have to stick to his small screen adventures. (Picture: The CW)
6. Batman Beyond
A Batman movie which never made it to the cinema? Say it ain’t so! Sad but true we’re afraid, and this one would have been something special, given that Michael Keaton – after reprising his role as the Caped Crusader in The Flash – was in line to don the cape once more for a standalone film. Sadly, the underwhelming performance of The Flash at the box office – making around $271m (£206m) worldwide and failing to recoup its producion and marketing costs – led to those plans being scrapped. Sad face. Still, you can always watch one of Tim Burton’s original movies – 1989’s Batman or 1992’s Batman Returns – if you want your fix of Keaton as Bruce Wayne. (Picture: Getty Images)
7. Silver Surfer
Anybody who went to see Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer and stayed for the closing credits will have seen that moment when it was revealed that the character survived the climactic showdown with Galactacus – despite him appearing to be floating, dead, in space. All of which set things up nicely for a potential spin-off film putting Silver Surfer centre stage. And indeed, plans were afoot for a Surfer movie, with Babylon 5’s J. Michael Straczynski on board to write the script. Sadly the project never became reality due to Rise’s disappointing box office performance, with Straczynski reportedly saying in several interviews that while the film wasn’t a disaster, it wasn’t successful enough for makers Fox to give Surfer his own movie. (Picture: 20th Century Fox/Marvel/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
8. Justice League Dark/Dark Universe
DC Comics might have brought its superheroes and comic book legends to the screen in many forms but Justice League’s passage there hasn’t always been easy. Granted, we had the 2017 Justice League movie featuring a whole host of familiar characters – Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman among them -but other spin-off titles haven’t been quite so lucky. Take the case of Justice League Dark for instance, the superhero team who deal with supernatural and occult threats. Director Guillermo del Toro was all set to bring them to the screen in 2013, revealing the script included the likes of John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Madame Xanadu, Deadman and Zatanna, as well as other characters. He subsequently quit the project in 2015. Edge Of Tomorrow’s Doug Liman was then attached, but that never happened either. More recently attempts to make an HBO series around the characters, produced by JJ Abrams, also came to nothing. Will it ever become a reality? Who knows? In the mean time you’ll have to make do with 2017’s animated effort Justice League Dark instead. (Picture: Warner Bros)
9. She-Hulk
The Incredible Hulk might have notched up a fair bit of cash at the box office in recent years but his female counterpart Jennifer Walters – aka She-Hulk – is still lingering on the sidelines. While the character did come to life in a short-lived Disney+ series in 2022 (with Tatiana Maslany, pictured, donning the green make-up), attempts to bring She-Hulk to the big screen first surfaced in the early 90s, with cult director Larry Cohen set to produce a film based around the character. Actress Brigitte Nielsen was in line to play Walters/She-Hulk – and even did make-up tests for the role – but the project was ultimately cancelled, with no reasons given as to why it never happened. As Kermit might say, it’s not easy being green… (Picture: AP) Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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