Comic book fans took a swift kick to the crotch this week, with the double-barrel announcements that fan-faves Joss Whedon and David Goyer would not be writing or directing "Wonder Woman" and "The Flash," respectively. It got us thinking about some of the other high-profile superhero movies that never got made, and which might have made it big. If you've ever pondered Nicolas Cage in tights, Tom Cruise as a superhero or whether Batman could kick Superman's ass, read on, true believer. Because as any comic book fan knows, every good superhero story starts with one essential question: What if?
Wolfgang Petersen's "Batman vs. Superman"
What We Knew: The director of "The Perfect Storm" planned to give fans the perfect superhero movie as a 2004 summer tent pole, but Warner Bros. ultimately realized that separate Batman and Superman flicks would mean twice as many tickets purchased. Dozens of actors were auditioned or considered for the roles of Bruce Wayne (Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, James Franco and, yes, Christian Bale) and Clark Kent (Jude Law, Josh Hartnett and Matt Damon), and the plot most likely would've pitted the two against each other after a misunderstanding over a woman. You might think that Batman's lack of super-powers would put him at a disadvantage, but similar-themed comic books have revealed that the Dark Knight keeps a kryptonite ring in the Batcave — which might have significantly evened the battlefield.
What Would've Worked: Many of Petersen's interviews at the time made reference to a post-9/11 script, and a catastrophe that would have killed Batman's girlfriend. Mix in a few bloody battles between two American icons, and you've got a movie dark enough to make "Batman Begins" look like "Big Momma's House 2."
What Wouldn't: Josh Hartnett as the Man of Steel? And you thought Brandon Routh was stiff!
Verdict: Fans were so starved to see these two heroes again in 2004 that the movie would have taken in some big bucks. With Bale constantly looking to go darker and Routh's indicating last summer that he'd be willing to consider it, we'd love to see the concept resurrected with someone like David Fincher ("Fight Club") or Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City") steering the ship.
Joss Whedon's "Wonder Woman"
What We Knew: "The story takes place in modern times," the man behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" told us about the script he wanted to make (see "Joss Whedon Won't Write, Direct 'Wonder Woman' — Despite Doing 'A Lot Of Legwork' "). "That's pretty much what the story is about, her inability to deal with modern times, to fit in. She's a fish out of water." The high-profile flick about the Amazonian princess would have cast an unknown in the lead, and begin with an origin story that could feed a "Splash"-like concept.
What Would've Worked: Whedon wanted to drop the spinning clothes changes, but stay true to the fans by keeping the bracelets and lasso. He also would have emphasized the dysfunctional relationship between Diana and her mother, Queen Hippolyte — possibly setting the stage for an epic betrayal along the lines of their comic book drama.
What Wouldn't: No female superhero movie has ever worked, from "Supergirl" to "Elektra" to "Catwoman." Once prospective theatergoers got past the initial images of a beautiful woman in costume, it's doubtful that even Whedon could give them something to care about — especially while trying to set the story in modern times. Good luck to whoever takes over this project.
Verdict: Unless it was absolutely perfect on every level, it would've been viewed as yet another female-hero failure.
Darren Aronofsky's "Batman: Year One"
What We Knew: The trippy director of "Requiem for a Dream" teamed briefly with "Sin City" mastermind Frank Miller to develop a darker-than-dark story to relaunch the franchise just before Christopher Nolan took over. Aronofsky would have brought his hypnotic visual style to the table, along with a desire to see a suicidal Inspector Gordon, a Bruce Wayne versed in "The Anarchist Cookbook" and a violent caped crusader living a "Death Wish" existence.
What Would've Worked: "Year One" certainly would've wiped away memories of Joel Schumacher's cheesy "Batman & Robin," which is what Warner Bros. was hoping for. Instead, Nolan's "Batman Begins" would do the trick just fine.
What Wouldn't: Aronofsky's take might have swung "Batman" fans too much in the other direction, scarring them in a whole different way.
Verdict: The flick would be visually stunning, but take in so little money that the studio might wind up seriously discussing the return of George Clooney. "Year One" would eventually resurrect itself as a midnight-movie cult hit along the lines of David Lynch's "Dune," but mainstream fans would be so traumatized that another near-decade sabbatical would likely follow.
David S. Goyer's "The Flash"
What We Knew: "[Warner Bros.] and myself simply couldn't agree on what would make for a cool Flash film," comics fanatic Goyer recently wrote on his MySpace page, announcing he was off the project. "I'm quite proud of the screenplay I turned in. I threw my heart into it and I genuinely think it would've been the basis of a groundbreaking film. But as of now, the studio is heading off in a completely different direction." The studio instead decided to bring in family-friendly comedy director Shawn Levy ("Cheaper By the Dozen"), but Goyer would've told a more dramatic tale showing both Barry Allen and Wally West as the fleet-footed hero. Ryan Reynolds was all-but-certain to play the title character (and still might in Levy's version).
What Would've Worked: Goyer would have shown the utmost respect to a beloved character that has thrilled fans for nearly 70 years with a script showcasing his legacy. Drawing on classic comic storylines, the film would set up Reynolds as a wisecracking newbie learning to take his sacred appointment seriously.
What Wouldn't: The Flash costume is one of the goofiest imaginable in the difficult world of comics-to-film translations. Goyer may end up considering himself lucky as he watches Levy deal with fan backlash in the months to come.
Verdict: We're thinking it would have been a "Daredevil"-like medium-size hit, resulting in a one-and-done franchise. But at least it wouldn't have Steve Martin and a house full of whiny kids.
Terry Gilliam's "Watchmen"
What We Knew: Coming off another of his epic studio misadventures with "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1988), Gilliam wanted to work on something big and something he could start right away — and he found it in "Batman" writer Sam Hamm's screenplay based on the beloved tale of philosophical superheroes grappling with their own irrelevance. Super-producer Joel Silver hired Gilliam, allegedly claiming that he wanted a subversive epic along the lines of "Brazil." Ultimately, Silver couldn't raise enough money, and Gilliam famously declared the epic tale "unmakeable" as anything but a miniseries or the longest movie ever made.
What Would've Worked: Gilliam's style and sense of humor would've served Alan Moore's classic well, and his reputation and integrity could have landed him practically any actor he wanted during his late-'80s period.
What Wouldn't: Mixing Moore's hatred of Hollywood, Silver's affection for popcorn blockbusters, Gilliam's tendency to battle studios and a book most geeks read with a biblical reverence doesn't seem like a good idea. A runtime necessitating multiple intermissions wouldn't have helped.
Verdict: After the studio yanked the film from Gilliam and edited it down to a 94-minute-long flick with a happy ending, it would have made little sense and even less money.
Brett Ratner's "Superman"
What We Knew: For six months in late '02/early '03, notorious "Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner was so excited by the notion of telling the story of his favorite superhero that he sent out Christmas cards with himself dressed in the red-and-blue costume. After months of wavering between Brendan Fraser, Paul Walker, Josh Hartnett and newcomers, he finally withdrew while claiming that the casting was just too difficult. Ratner intended to work off a script by J.J. Abrams ("Mission: Impossible III") that would re-envision the Superman origin story, rather than build on it à la Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns."
What Would've Worked: Ratner wanted Anthony Hopkins to play Superman's Dad, Jor-El, something we'd love to see.
What Wouldn't: The reason why many viewed Singer's "Returns" as a disappointment was because it didn't give Superman enough of an edge. It's extremely doubtful that a popcorn filmmaker like Ratner could have done better.
Verdict: It would have a huge opening weekend and make tons of money — but everyone would wake up the next morning with a bad hangover. And every time it looked like someone was dead, Ratner would insert a shot leaving the door open for their return.
Tim Burton's "Superman Lives"
What We Knew: One of the all-time greatest "What if?" movies, Hollywood's Goth God once came thisclose to directing a script written by Kevin Smith and starring Superman-nut Nicolas Cage. Smith claimed that he hadn't dressed enough characters in black to appeal to Burton's nature, Burton turned his scissor-hands on Smith in interviews, and Cage had to settle for "Ghost Rider" instead. Smith's script focused on an evil plot by Lex Luthor and Brainiac that resulted in Doomsday's killing of the Kryptonian hero. Resuscitated by a cyborg named the Eradicator, Superman would return to once again save the day.
What Would've Worked: It's difficult to say, since Burton wasn't associated with Smith's script for long, but we are intrigued by such possible decisions as hiring Chris Rock to play Jimmy Olsen. Supposedly, much of the film would have also had Cage costume-less, going for a flawed-human take on a classic character.
What Wouldn't: Quite simply, Cage as Superman. As much as the actor loves the character, everything from his persona to his hairline to his cinematic baggage is just all wrong.
Verdict: Much like Burton's "Planet of the Apes," it would have been an interesting but unsatisfying experiment.
Nick Cassavetes' "Iron Man"
What We Knew: Throughout the 1990s and into the early part of this decade, superstar Tom Cruise flirted with the notion of making a James Bond-meets-Superman version of Marvel Comics' classic character, becoming linked with the director of "The Notebook" shortly before both vanished from the project. Instead, fans will see Jon Favreau directing Robert Downey Jr. come May 2008, but indications at the time were that Cruise wanted a slicker, Howard Hughes-like franchise character (see "Robert Downey Jr. Signs On To Sport 'Iron Man' Armor").
What Would've Worked: When you think wealthy, charismatic and borderline insane, it's hard to imagine a better-suited actor than Cruise.
What Wouldn't: Cassavetes has always preferred smaller, talkier fare like "Alpha Dog." The film also would've tread into dangerous territory by tackling complex father-son issues, possibly based loosely on Cassavetes' own relationship with his famous Dad, director John.
Verdict: If they could have made it before Cruise's high-profile recent struggles, "Iron Man" might have been "Spider-Man" big.
James Cameron's "Spider-Man"
What We Knew: It's hard to imagine now, but there was once a time when pre-"Titanic" James Cameron was determined to bring the story of Peter Parker to the big screen. His script treatment would've given us a zit-popping Peter, David Lynch montages of spiderwebs and the Trump-like character of Carlton Strand (a.k.a. Electro) as a super-villain who can manipulate computers.
What Would've Worked: Many of Cameron's main plot points — the respectful origin story, the relationship with Mary Jane, Peter's initial awkwardness with his powers and his eventual struggles with the complexity of his responsibility — are very close to the movie Sam Raimi eventually made. Factor in Cameron's almost un-paralleled track record, and it's hard to imagine that anything short of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Spidey could've brought it down.
What Wouldn't: Cameron excels at creating his own material, and would have had a hard time making someone else's character his own. We also have our doubts about Electro, but it's not like Green Goblin was that much better.
Verdict: Out of all the "What if?" superhero movies, Cameron's take on Spidey would probably have been the most successful with fans and critics alike. But would he have been able to come up with that upside-down kiss?
Check out everything we've got on "Iron Man" and "Wonder Woman."
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