What DC Movies Were Never Made?

While change is eagerly knocking on the doors at DC, it is also interesting to take a second look at the cinematic past of this brand. Over the years we have had a series of films about their characters that have literally changed the history of cinema, followed by absurd flops badly digested by the fans of all time and projects that have never seen the light of day. While James Gunn and Peter Safran are preparing to outline the future of DC Studios, with related ideas and information of various kinds, we have decided to investigate those films that have never been made over the years, despite having been announced in some way. It is good to specify that these are projects that, in some cases, have been carried far enough in terms of production, passing from being simply ideas to something else, with selected actors and other workers who in the end, unfortunately, do not are materialized.

What DC movies have never seen the light of day?

Superman Reborn Superman Lives Batman Triumphant Batman III Batman vs. Superman Batman: Year One Justice League: Mortal Batgirl Catwoman

Superman Reborn

With Superman , for example, after the flop of the third and fourth chapter they began to reflect on a hypothetical sequel called Reborn . Information about this idea comes from Jake Rossen's book Superman vs. Hollywood. According to his words this DC film, rightfully belonging to the never made list, occurred to Jon Peters in the mid-90s. The story would have seen Sups killed by the fearsome Doomsday, shortly after the superhero impregnated Lois Lane by instilling her spirit. So their child, who grew up much faster than normal, decides to avenge his father and succeeds. To realize his vision Peters had contacted the screenwriter Jonathan Lemkin imposing some important restrictions (such as not to write even a scene in which Superman flies). When pitched to Warner Bros. the idea was rejected because it apparently lacked respect for the titular character.



unmade DC movies

Superman Lives

In the wake of Superman Reborn came Superman Lives . Starting from the previous ideas of Jon Peters  we know that Tim Burton was involved in the project as director and that the story should have included Brainiac, Lex Luthor and Doomsday as villains, on screenplays by Wesley Strick and Dan Gilroy. The start of filming was not a distant mirage, especially after Nicolas Cage was chosen as the protagonist, also publishing some photographs that portrayed him with the Superman costume. All the certainties that circulated in 2009, however, were pulverized with the subsequent cancellation.



unmade DC movies

Batman Triumphant

Even dear Batman has had its cinematic ups and downs. One of them we find in Batman Triumphant . The project was supposed to be Joel Schumacher's third DC film, and the director seemed to be very confident in its realization so much so that in 1997 (via Screen Rant ) he spoke openly with Variety saying that he would like to work on a new film different from the previous two it's cheaper. According to what was reported by Collider it seems that Mark Protosevich was involved to make a script, and that they wanted to involve Nicolas Cag and in the project giving him the role of Scarecrow .



DC films never made The hallucinogenic properties of his gas, therefore, would have allowed the director to play with the past and present of the protagonist, even if the flop of Batman and Robin canceled all the possibilities of him, relegating him to this list of DC films never made.

Batman III Tim Burton

As far as Tim Burton is concerned, the great success of his films with his character never led to a third chapter. Many asked for a Batman III from the creative hands of the director but it never arrived, continuing the story of the Dark Knight with the vision of Joel Schumacher. Why such a choice. Many link the change of director to two hypotheses: the first is linked to the ruthless reception that the press reserved for Batman Returns (if you intend to recover it, you can find it on Amazon ) and to the creative liberties it took, the second, however, connects to some discussions between Warner at the time and McDonald's .



DC films never made It seems that the release of Returns inspired a sponsorship deal between the two companies considered quite forced by the public, leading to the decision to transpose Batman into a more pop and accessible dimension than in the past.

Batman vs. Superman

Not everyone knows it but one of the first to think of a film involving Batman and Superman was director Wolfgang Petersen. In his vision of him he would have liked to see the two DC characters come together to investigate a murder case, and then clash openly. In the script written by Andrew Kevin Walker and Petersen himself, we would have found an aged Bruce Wayne as he tries to avenge the death of his wife at the hands of the Joker. It seems that Jude Law and Colin Farrel were the two preferences for the roles of Superman and Batman, however Warner preferred to support another project.

After Superman Reborn and Lives also J.J. Abrams tried writing a new Superman story, called FlyBy. Based on what Simon Ward reported in The Greatest Movies You'll Never See (which you can easily find on Amazon ), it seems that the story and the budget numbers did not convince Warner who opted for the Superman Returns project.



unmade DC movies

Batman: Year One

The legendary Batman: Year One was also supposed to be a DC movie, only to somehow end up unmade. In Tales from Development Hell by David Hughes (if you are curious you can retrieve the book on Amazon ) it is explained that the idea for the project came to director Darren Aronofsky , managing to convince investors, at least at the beginning. Seeing in Clint Eastwood the perfect actor for his adult Wayne, he also brought on Frank Miller in the script. The director's vision, however, deviated so much from the original events, to the point that Bruce Wayne would not have been rich in his version, but an orphan on the street who would grow up, with the support of his adoptive father, would become the vigilante we all know . It is speculated that major creative differences between Aronfosky and Miller and the studio led to the project's unraveling.



unmade DC movies

Justice League: Mortal

A of the most legendary stories among the DC ranks sees George Miller (director of Mad Max among other things) directing Justice League: Mortal . We only know about this film that it should have been shot in Australia due to some tax breaks, and that DJ Cotrona would have worn the red cape with Armie Hammer as Batman, followed by the other characters in the group.



unmade DC movies The Hollywood writers' strike of 2007 and 2008 impacted production, which didn't proceed after Miller was denied previously promised Australian tax relief, according to reporter Tyler Golsen.

Batgirl

As everyone well knows, the Batgirl film with Leslie Grace had also gone far beyond the dimension of ideas, completing its shooting only to be cancelled. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallahand and set to debut on the HBO Max streaming service, the film was shelved due to tax reasons in August 2022 by Warner Bros Discovery. About 90 million dollars had been invested in it.



DC films never made

Catwoman

Still on the Burton theme, after the success with Batman Returns, a spin was also thought of -off of Catwoman with Michelle Pfeiffer . Based on the statements of the actress, it seems that she intended to return to the role without problems, even if once it was discussed, a real team was never reached.



film DC never made The screenplay was written in '95 by Daniel Waters and found Selina with amnesia in the city of Oasisburg, busy fighting a gang that dominates the place. It is said that Burton's departure from DC prompted the cancellation of the project.