Sometimes, a movie's production just goes so off the rails that the most humane thing
the filmmakers can do is to pull the plug.
These are some previously-announced and greatly-anticipated movies that reached the end of the line in
2019.
Over the course of nearly 20 years, the X-Men movie franchise placed its ensemble cast of
mutants in different points across various timelines.
Wolverine was the first character to spin off into his own sub-franchise, with X-Men
Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, and Logan.
For years, Fox tried to get more standalone mutant movies off the ground, starting with
a proposed Origins follow-up focusing on Magneto, though this project was eventually reworked
into the ensemble prequel X-Men: First Class.
The other solo X-movie that's come close to being a reality is one about Remy LeBeau,
a.k.a. Gambit, the Louisiana-born, staff-wielding mutant who's notably adept at throwing explosive
playing cards.
Gambit is a fan favorite, having been a main character on the '90s Saturday morning X-Men
cartoon.
He even made a brief appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
"Are you Remy LeBeau?"
"Do I owe you money?"
"No."
"Then Remy LeBeau I am."
Fox stacked the deck for the film's chances by casting likable, bankable Channing Tatum
in the title role.
But the studio just couldn't get this movie into play thanks to a seemingly never-ending
search for the right director to helm it.
Gambit had been shuffled around a couple of 2019 release dates, but the ongoing director
search left its viability in question.
As 2019 began, Fox had Gambit scheduled for release in March 2020, despite not having
a director actively attached.
Then Disney acquired Fox, throwing the smaller studio's whole slate of projects into disarray.
In May 2019, the new bosses moved around the release dates for a bunch of movies, including
Gambit.
The Tatum vehicle went from a March 2020 release to… currently nothing, disappearing from
the schedule.
The enduring Star Trek big-screen franchise flew high for decades.
After focusing on the characters from the original 1960s TV series, the movies shifted
focus to the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation, ultimately sputtering out when
the 2002 entry Star Trek: Nemesis grossed $43 million, the worst-ever showing for a
Trek movie.
It took the visionary sci-fi mind of J.J. Abrams to revive Star Trek movies for a new
generation, reviving well-known, old-school characters like Kirk and Spock to create three
fun and contemporary blockbusters: Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond.
That last one earned $158 million in the summer of 2016, enough to merit a fourth entry.
Paramount announced the project at CinemaCon 2018, with S.J.
Clarkson attached to direct.
Zachary Quinto was reportedly up to reprise his role as Spock, and Chris Hemsworth may
have returned, too, having played Captain Kirk's father George in 2009's Star Trek.
Not immediately on board, however, was Chris Pine, the guy that plays the fairly important
role of Captain Kirk.
Pine and Paramount couldn't come to an agreement on a contract, and the same issue occurred
when trying to sign Hemsworth.
The studio ultimately canceled the entire movie.
Amidst the 21st-century zombie craze that gave us The Walking Dead and Pride and Prejudice
and Zombies came World War Z.
Based on the novel by Max Brooks, the movie starred Brad Pitt as a globe-trekking, military-aligned
hero trying to stop the zombie hordes running all over the world with their insatiable lust
for flesh.
The film ended with a hopeful-ish ending, and it grossed a whopping $202 million at
the North American box office, ensuring a sequel.
World War Z 2 seemed more promising than other unnecessary sequels, if only because Seven
and Fight Club director David Fincher was reportedly on board to direct.
There were vague rumors of a 2019 release date, and according to The Playlist, Paramount
did everything it could to get the ball rolling — but it never officially gave the thing
the green light.
Everything fell apart, and as of February 2019, World War Z had crawled back into the
grave.
Sequels and prequels are common movie conceits — but crossover movies?
Not so much.
The most prominent modern mash-up of two established properties on the big screen is probably Alien
vs. Predator.
Sony hoped to pull off a face-off of its own with two of its hit comedy brands, Men in
Black and Jump Street.
News of this proposed film hit the streets via the 2014 Sony hack.
In one leaked document, studio co-chair Amy Pascal floated the idea, and in an email,
Jump Street's Jonah Hill called the idea, quote, "clean and rad and powerful."
Sony continued to develop the idea, and at CinemaCon 2016 announced that the film would
be titled MIB 23, and that James Bobin would direct.
But just a few months later, Hill seemed to find the project neither rad nor powerful.
He told the Toronto Sun:
"I doubt that movie will get made.
The Jump Street films were so fun to make and the whole joke of them was they were making
fun of remakes and sequels and reboots and then now it's become a giant sequel, reboot."
In January 2019, MIB producer Walter Parkes admitted it was all over, telling Empire,
quote, "We gave it a shot."
He went on to explain that the whole thing turned out to be a, quote, "impossible match-up."
While Disney-owned Marvel proceeded full steam ahead with its Marvel Cinematic Universe,
Sony remained determined to hold on to their movie rights to Spider-Man.
The MCU solo Spidey stories starring Tom Holland are co-productions between Sony and Marvel,
but Sony has also been focusing on spin-offs centered primarily around offshoot characters
in Spider-Man's corner of the Marvel Universe.
Among those films are the Oscar-winning animated feature Into the Spider-Verse, the hit Venom
starring Tom Hardy, and the upcoming Morbius — with Jared Leto portraying the "Living
Vampire" — whatever the heck that is.
There was also a proposed endeavor called Silver & Black.
That film would showcase the adventures of not one but two Spider-Man side characters:
mercenary Silver Sable and cat burglar Black Cat.
"You look good.
Been working out?"
"No.
I mean — you know, a little…"
In May 2017, Sony signed up Gina Prince-Bythewood to direct, and charged ahead for a February
2019 release date.
That changed in June 2018, when the studio altered its theatrical debut date to… no
date at all.
There had been a few problems along the way, primarily that shooting hadn't yet begun.
One of the main problems, reportedly, was that the director didn't like the shooting
script.
No screenplay and no release date usually imply a movie is dead, but that's not exactly
the case here.
Shortly after Silver & Black lost its street date, Sony announced that it would instead
make two separate movies: one Silver, one Black.
Hey — the more the merrier, right?
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