There are things that happen in Hollywood that are insane. Things that make no sense. Well the below list of screenplays fall under the why hasn’t this been made into a movie category.
We have compile ten of the best screenplays that have yet to be produced. These screenplays are remarkable and amazing reads. From writers like Joe Carnahan, Stanley Kubrick, David Koepp, The Coen Brothers and Guillermo del Toro just to name a few. Enjoy.
When you are done reading take a listen to Apple’s #1 Screenwriting Podcast The Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast, with guests like Oscar Winner Eric Roth, James V. Hart, David Chase, John August, Oliver Stone and more.
(NOTE: For educational and research purposes only).
Gladiator 2
This screenplay is one of the most insane we have ever read. I don’t know if it works as a sequel to Gladiator but it definitely works as a stand alone.
As a Roman god in the afterlife, Crowe’s Maximus meddles with Roman gods, is reincarnated, defends early Christians, and ultimately lives forever, leading tanks in the second world war and mucking around in the modern world.
Screenplay by Nick Cave – Read the screenplay!
Mr. Hughes or An Honest to God American Sh*t
According to David Koepp’s website here is what he had to say about this script.
“Oh, how I love this Howard Hughes / Clifford Irving story DePalma and I came up with. Inches away from making this with Nic Cage, but then Snake Eyes came out and wasn’t a hit, and we were dead. It be’s like that sometimes.”
Screenplay by David Koepp and Brian De Palma – Read the screenplay!
White Jazz
This mythical screenplay is based on the novel “White Jazz: by James Ellroy. White Jazz is a 1992 crime fiction novel by James Ellroy. It is the fourth in his L.A. Quartet, preceded by The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, and L.A. Confidential.
Screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan & Joe Carnahan – Read the screenplay!
Napoleon
Stanley Kubrick’s legendary script for Napoleon is a thing of myth. He spends years developing the story. He literally knew what Napoleon did everyday of his life and had it cataloged. If you saw the Kubrick exhibit at the LACMA you had a chance to see it. Apparently, this script is being developed into a min series so lets see what happens but until then get ready for one hell of a read,
Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick – Read the screenplay!
Vivien Hasn’t Been Herself Lately
Vivien tracks a married couple struggling to survive against a supernatural entity.
Screenplay by Brian Duffield – Read the screenplay!
Poe
This was a personal project that obsessed Sylvester Stallone about the infamous poet and writer EDGAR ALLEN POE since the time he wrote the original ROCKY screenplay. He toiled for years to get the funding for this project but it never came to fruition. An extremely interesting read. You can watch a live reading of the script or purchase it below.
Screenplay by Sylvester Stallone – Read the screenplay!
To The White Sea
Joel and Ethan Coen adapted the novel over a decade ago. Considered one of the best screenplays never producer. Why it hasn’t been produced yet is anyone’s guess.
An American gunner for a B-29 bomber squad crash lands in Tokyo during World 2 and must find a way to escape alive.
Screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen – Read the screenplay!
At the Mountains of Madness
The story details the events of a disastrous expedition to Antarctica in September 1930, and what is found there by a group of explorers led by the narrator, Dr. William Dyer of Miskatonic University.
Based on H. P. Lovecraft’s masterwork of the same name. Guillermo del Toro has been trying to get this script produced for years. He’s been close a bunch of time but no bites yet.
Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins – Read the screenplay!
Cortez
Written by the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Reversal of Fortune Nicholas Kazan, Cortes paints a a searing portrait of the 16th-century conquistador who vanquished Eden-like Mexico and its exotic inhabitants.
The historical catastrophe of Spain’s clash with American Indian civilizations is played out with comedy, tragedy, valor and barbarism on both sides.
Screenplay by Nicholas Kazan – Read the screenplay!
Edward Ford
One of the best Hollywood-satires ever written. It makes The Player look optimistic.
Moving to LA to pursue his film obsession, an oddball film fan bounces around the dregs of Hollywood trying to get work as an actor. His best friend is a young man whose interest in Edward Ford is a way to seek understanding of his own past.
Screenplay by Lem Dobbs – Read the screenplay!