What if Natalie Portman battled the undead in Pride and Prejudice and
Zombies? And would John Krasinski have won best actor for "Manchester By The
Sea?" These are Hollywood's biggest "what if's."
"Gone Girl" is a 2014 psychological thriller that tells the story of Nick Dunne and his
missing wife Amy, who disappears on the day of the fifth wedding anniversary. The prime
suspect in the case, Nick must try to clear his name while uncovering the truth about what
has happened to Amy. The film is based on Gillian Flynn's 2012 novel and was a
financial and critical hit, earning $369 million worldwide against a reported $61 million budget.
According to The Washington Post, Reese Witherspoon played a major part in developing
the film and was initially set to star as Amy. However, the role eventually went to Rosamund
Pike, who is not much younger than Witherspoon. Speaking in a roundtable event hosted by The
Hollywood Reporter, Witherspoon revealed that after talking with director David Fincher,
she came to the conclusion that she was not the right person to portray Amy on screen.
Whatever conversation Witherspoon and Fincher had seemed to have been
for the best. Not only was Pike widely praised for her performance in the movie,
but she was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
"You think I'd let him destroy me and end up happier than ever? No f—ing way."
Directed by Martin Scorsese's, the crime thriller "The Departed" was actually a remake of the 2002
film "Infernal Affairs." The story follows two undercover agents, one working for the mob and
one for the police, as they try to infiltrate each organization and uncover the identity of
the opposing mole. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as state trooper William Costigan,
Matt Damon as the mob spy Colin Sullivan, and Jack Nicholson as mob boss Frank Costello.
Brad Pitt and his production company Plan B purchased the rights to remake "Internal
Affairs," beating out disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, via Variety. The actor and
producer told Interview magazine that he worked on the project for more than two years to try
and get it made before securing the services of Scorsese and scriptwriter William Monahan.
Early reports suggested that Pitt would take on the part of Sullivan
in the movie. However the actor stepped back from the role when
Scorsese signed on to direct. In the same interview, Pitt explained:
"I thought it would be better if they were younger guys that were just starting their lives,
guys coming out of the academy, guys who were hungry. I thought I was too old for it."
Although "The Batman" was originally meant to be part of the DC Extended Universe,
the Matt Reeves-directed movie is now considered a standalone project separate
from the larger continuity. This is largely down to the insistence of the director, who
wanted to tell an earlier story about the Caped Crusader and his struggles to battle crime in
Gotham. This version of the movie was co-written with Peter Craig and stars Robert Pattinson.
"I'm vengeance."
"The Batman" had a troubled production, like many DC movie projects, and it wasn't clear when
it would actually get made. Ben Affleck, who had already portrayed Batman in three earlier films,
was set to direct, write, and star in the movie. But by 2017, Variety was reporting that
Affleck had chosen to step down from directing duties to focus on producing and performing.
The actor later chose to exit the project altogether. Explaining his decision in 2019,
Affleck said that he couldn't get the film to work and felt that it would be
better if someone else filled the role and provided a fresh take on the character. He
also revealed to The New York Times in 2020 that he had stepped back from "The Batman" due
to a combination of personal issues. This includes his alcoholism and divorce from
Jennifer Garner, as well as his negative experience working on "Justice League."
Based on Marie Brenner's 1997 Vanity Fair article "American Nightmare:
The Ballad of Richard Jewell," this movie focuses on the real-life story of security guard Richard
Jewell. He discovered the explosives at the Centennial Olympic Park bombing and subsequently
became a suspect in the investigation. Directed by Clint Eastwood, it features Paul Walter Hauser
as Jewell and Sam Rockwell as Attorney General Watson Bryant Jr., with Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm,
and Olivia Wilde all having major roles. While it was not a financial success, failing to make back
its $45 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, the film received largely positive reviews.
"Please clear my son's name."
Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio were both attached to the film early on and
were expected to both produce and star. Deadline reported in 2014 that Hill would play Jewell,
while DiCaprio would take on the part of Jewell's lawyer. Updates were few after that,
until Clint Eastwood was eventually signed to direct. It was confirmed in 2019 that
the two actors would no longer appear in the film, with Eastwood instead looking to put
together his own cast, via Deadline. However, Hill and DiCaprio stayed on as producers.
For many people, "Murder Mystery" is likely just another film in a long line of Adam
Sandler comedies, but it has proved successful enough for Netflix to greenlight a sequel that
has already begun filming. The first movie sees police officer Nick Spitz and his wife Audrey,
played by Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, as they turn into murder investigators after
witnessing a billionaire killed on his own yacht during a party.
"Has anybody tried to revive him?"
"He's got a knife plunged in his heart. I don't think he's revivable."
Both director John Madden and actor Charlize Theron were attached to "Murder Mystery" when
it was first developed. The pair were first linked to the project by The Hollywood Reporter back in
2012. THR later revealed that Madden and Theron had dropped out of the project, although there
was no reason given why. Theron was eventually credited as an executive producer, with her
production company Denver and Delilah Productions also involved in a minor way. By the time filming
started in 2018, Kyle Newacheck was at the helm, with Sandler and Aniston as the leads.
"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" is a comedy horror film that follows the
basic story of Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice," but mashes it together with
modern zombie elements. The end result is a movie where the Bennet sisters search for
suitable suitors while also defending themselves from hordes of the undead.
Burr Steers led the project, writing and directing the film,
while Lily James and Sam Riley starred. However, James was not the first person considered for
the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet. In 2009, Variety reported that Natalie Portman would be
producing and starring in the film through her own production company, Handsomecharlie Films.
Her departure from "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" came two days after David
O. Russell also left the project. As per The Wall Street Journal,
Russell seemingly quit following a dispute with Lionsgate about the film's proposed budget.
Although no reason was given for why Portman would no longer appear, New York magazine
suggested it may have been down to scheduling conflicts. She continued to serve as a producer.
"Yes Man" is a 2009 romantic comedy starring Jim Carrey as Carl, a man who attempts to turn
his life around by only saying yes to any and all opportunities. The plot is partly based
on the "Yes Man" book written by Danny Wallace, who lived his life saying "yes" for six months.
Before Wallace's memoir was even published, Warner Bros. purchased the rights to make a
film. According to The Advocate, Jack Black and his "School of Rock" collaborator Mike White were
set to develop the movie with producer David Heyman, who stayed with the project. There's
been no definite reason given for why Black and White left "Yes Man," but Vulture suggested that
it was likely down to the actor being involved in other films and unable to make room in his
schedule. This does make sense, considering that the actor was involved in the high-profile
movies "Be Kind Rewind," "Kung Fu Panda," and "Tropic Thunder" all around the same time.
"No!"
"No."
In the 2019 drama "Lucy in the Sky," space explorer Lucy Cola, played by Natalie Portman
returns to Earth following a space mission but finds her life deteriorating as she struggles
to find meaning. This eventually culminates in an attack on two fellow astronauts as she
suffers from hallucinations and paranoia. Directed and written by Noah Hawley,
who had previously worked on television series such as "Fargo" and "Legion," it
was a huge financial failure, grossing just over $300,000, according to Box Office Mojo.
Variety confirmed in 2017 that Fox Searchlight had partnered with Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea,
and Noah Hawley to produce the film, which at that point was titled "Pale Blue Dot."
Witherspoon was expected to star as Lucy and was attached as a producer through her
company Pacific Standard. Later that year, Witherspoon announced that she was stepping
down from the cast but would remain as a producer, with Deadline speculating
that this was probably so that she could film a second season of "Big Little Lies."
Following the success of its other original movies,
Apple has recently been working on a film titled "Project Artemis," based on NASA's
Artemis program to get humans back on the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
When the film was first announced, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, and Jason Bateman were
all involved. Evans and Johansson were expected to star in the movie, working together for the
first time since they appeared in "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019. Despite the fact that the two
had expressed a desire to team up again, it was revealed just a few months later that Evans had
been forced to quit the role due to scheduling conflicts. The Apple release would have caused
issues for filming on two of his other upcoming movies, "Pain Hustlers" and "Big Red One."
An emotional and deeply personal story, "Manchester by the Sea" focuses on the life
of a man who is stricken with guilt and grief following the death of his three children. This
is something that he was unintentionally responsible for by accidentally starting
the house fire that killed them. Shocked to find that he has been named his nephew's legal
guardian following the death of his brother, he is forced to confront his past and deal with his
turmoil. The film was lauded by critics, with a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and
particular praise for star Casey Affleck, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Matt Damon was heavily involved in "Manchester by the Sea" from its conception. According to
Rolling Stone, Damon developed the basic idea for the story with actor John Krasinski . The
pair later approached writer-director Kenneth Lonergan to further expand the plot and come up
with a screenplay. Explaining the creative process in an interview with Variety, Lonergan said that
Damon was set to direct the film while Krasinski would have starred as the leading character. The
two actors ended up being unavailable and had to drop out as they were busy with other projects,
leaving the space open for Casey Affleck to take over in the main role and Lonergan to direct.
"We don't -- We don't exactly know what we're doing."
"25th Hour," a film written by "Game of Thrones" showrunner David Benioff and
based on his novel of the same name, tells the story of Monty Brogan as he
enjoys one final day of freedom. About to go to prison over a drug deal conviction,
and having been sentenced to seven years behind bars, he explores New York and spends time with
some of his family and friends. He recalls the events that led him to this moment and his
potential future. Spike Lee took on directing duties while Edward Norton starred as Monty.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2003, Benioff revealed how Tobey Maguire had expressed
an interest in producing and starring in a film adaptation of the novel. The actor
had read a preliminary copy some six months before it was due to be
published and acquired the rights. Maguire requested that Benioff write the screenplay,
but was ultimately forced to back out of starring in the film due to his commitments
with "Spider-Man." However, like many actors on this list, he remained as a producer.