It sounds strange in retrospect that comic book films were once touted as too risky and too atypical subject matter to convert to the silver screen. As next year, audiences around the world are embracing an upcoming eight comic book films with this exemplifying the golden age of superhero films we are witnessing today. While at one point many thought a Hulk movie would be too improbable, we have seen the likes of Iron Man, Green Lantern and even Guardians of the Galaxy embrace the silver screen.
However, not all ideals had the opportunity to be realised on screen. In this list we look at the possibilities and the what ifs that were never showcased in a finished product ranging from films that weren’t made and ideas that were never used in films among other implications that made you think maybe. Here is the top ten missed opportunities in comic book films … Part One.
10) Leonardo DiCaprio as the Riddler
Dark Knight Director Christopher Nolan is known amongst other things for frequent collaborations with his actors as almost all of the Inception ensemble cast are a part of his Dark Knight trilogy. With Inception, a passion project of Nolan’s beginning production after the success of The Dark Knight. Many spent the time speculating as to who in Batman’s rogue gallery would be featured in the third instalment and subsequently who would portray them. The result was Tom Hardy as the merciless Bane and Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman, however, the executives at Warner Bros. had someone else in mind.
Screenwriter David S. Goyer stated the Warner Bros executives wished for the Riddler to be the main antagonist and for the role to be played by five time Academy Award nominee Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio went on to be the lead in Nolan’s Inception and although DiCaprio is known to be very selective with his roles his already existing relationship with Nolan wouldn’t make it too farfetched a situation. In Nolan’s gritty and almost realistic Batman universe, the addition of DiCaprio easily one of the most multi-faceted and talented actors working today it would have been interesting to see what he would have done with that character.
It would have been a swift departure from the campy Riddler which Jim Carrey and Joel Schumacher brought us in 1995’s Batman Forever. However, Nolan did not wish to include the character of Riddler as he cited the villain having too many similarities with that of the Joker. From a standpoint of continuing a narrative Nolan’s argument seemed fair game and the flirtation of DiCaprio never expanded from the discussion stage. In looking back though the idea of DiCaprio as the Riddler in The Dark Knight Rises seemed almost too perfect.
9) The candidates for X-Men 3 director
There is something about comic book films and successful trilogies that just don’t seem to gel. Whether it be Christopher Reeve’s Superman, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy or what could be defined as the beginning of the end in Batman Forever. In successful superhero franchises more often than not the third film tends to falls way short of the standard left by the predecessors. The X-Men trilogy followed the same trend with the incredibly disappointing X-Men: The Last Stand.
The weakest aspect in X-Men: The Last Stand was easily its direction with Brett Ratner at the helm. Bryan Singer departed the project to make a quasi-reboot and ultimate love letter to Richard Donner with 2005’s Superman Returns. With Singer out of the picture, the two directors Fox were interested in was Matthew Vaughn who showed what he could do later on with 2011’s X-Men First Class. The other Darren Aronofsky who’s CV includes the critically successful Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler.
The addition of either one of these directors without question would have boosted the quality and overall product that was X-Men: The Last Stand. The decision to ultimately choose Ratner is a lost opportunity as both Vaughn and Aronofsky would have been able to bring a lot more to the table in terms of their artistic direction and storytelling ability. As X-Men: The Last Stand started a role of films that almost killed the franchise with Vaughn or Aronofsky the end result of Last Stand would have been straightforwardly less brutal.
8) Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 (… and 4)
The first two films in the Sam Raimi directed Tobey Maguire starring Spider-Man films were nothing short of fantastic. Well cast and expertly written with narratives simplistically all centred on Maguire’s nuance and brilliant duality portrayal of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. So it came as a shock when Spider-Man 3 became loud, convoluted and at its worst laughable. However, the original plan for Spider-Man 3 was much better.
With Sony executives over the moon with the financial and critical success of Spider-Man 2, Raimi quickly turned his attention to the threequel. With a heavy focus on the thematic concern of forgiveness originally Spider-Man 3’s villains would have been Vulture and the Sandman. Vulture and Sandman would escape from prison together bringing about a formidable alliance and Spider-Man would continue his journey in stopping the duo. Sounded good until producer Avi Arad forced a rewrite of the script requiring Venom be in the storyline.
As well as including Venom the screenplay had to introduce Gwen and George Stacy, the black suit storyline and although financial successful these changes ultimately killed the franchise. A return to form was the plan in Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 with John Malkovich as the Vulture and Anne Hathaway as Black Cat. However, no script could formulate and the studio interference exerted Raimi to the point where he and Maguire departed the soon to be dead series. With Raimi showing in the first two films the understanding he has of the source material his intended third instalment had the potential to be brilliant.
However the insistence for Venom went as far as plaguing the third film, destroying the fourth film and abolishing the opportunity for a fantastic end to the franchise. Raimi to this day has a disdain for the character of Venom and one can think it would be because his vision for Spider-Man 3 was stumped by the villain’s inclusion.
7) Kevin Smith could have led an early DC Cinematic Universe
Batman and Robin killed a lot of things mainly hope, careers, money and for a long period of time DC movies. After the release of the film all the good work initiated by the Keaton/Burton collaborations were almost disregarded and this played into the demise of the planned Superman Lives film. Superman Lives will be discussed later on however what was almost a positive from all this was the relationship Warner Bros. garnered with the screenwriter Kevin Smith.
Kevin Smith was moonstruck when in 1996 he was in the position of writing a Superman movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Nicolas Cage. His treatment seemed to leave a good impression when the head of Warner Bros. Lorenzo di Bonaventura offered Smith an opportunity ahead of its time retrospectively. Di Bonaventura showcased Warner Bros. insistence on only bringing Batman and Superman to the big screen when he thought that they could go deeper. Smith was offered to run a division in Warner Bros. based solely on DC comic book characters.
He was offered a role similar to that of Marvel’s Kevin Feige, Smith had the opportunity to create a DC cinematic universe prior to the new millennium. Albeit sensationally Smith rejected the role wishing to focus his budding career on his own projects. As although this isn’t based on a particular film if this eventuated there was an endless plethora of potential big screen introductions for characters like the Flash and Green Arrow. Smith stated recently that he regrets declining the offer.
It can be said that with the dismal failure of Batman and Robin and the cancellation of Superman Lives if things would have still turned out positively. However, the wheels were in motion for a DC cinematic universe long before Marvel came into the fray with 2008’s Iron Man. You can only imagine a film in which Nicolas Cage and Michael Keaton are leading the Justice League. In the more than capable fanboy hands of Smith his rejection of leading a wider DC film universe has to goes down as a massive lost opportunity.
6) The Fantastic Four we almost got
After finishing an array of exams my friends and I wanted to kick back and bought tickets for the then recently released Fantastic Four directed by Josh Trank. What followed the next two hours of our lives made us feel ungrateful we took the exams for granted. Following three other unsuccessful attempts, Marvel’s Fantastic Four property has proved to be a more than testing challenge for cinematic translation. Which makes it interesting to hear that Ant-Man director Peyton Reed tried to orchestrate his own vision of Marvel’s first family in the early 2000s.
His pitch revolved around the four already receiving their powers with Reed comparing it to the structure of the film A Hard Day’s Night. Reed knew the characters like the back of his hand and wished to illuminate that they were superheroes without secret identities, they were celebrities who were always present in the public eye. Reed showed his credentials stepping in for Edgar Wright as the director of Ant-Man. With the success of that film and Reed’s comedic accuracy and knowledge of the source material regardless you’d think it would be better than what Fox has done to the property so far.
Fox’s requirement for the film to be more directed for children caused difficulty for Reed. Especially when he perceived it to be similar to that of a 60s period piece. The film ultimately went on to director Tim Story who crafted 2005’s Fantastic Four with Chris Evans and Jessica Alba. In retrospect Reed’s Fantastic Four sounds like it was heading in the right direction in being true to the comic mythology. As to this day we are still waiting for a definitive let alone good depiction of the Fantastic Four not going with Peyton Reed’s version is without question a missed opportunity.
With comic book movies becoming the pinnacle of the Hollywood blockbuster for the last ten years or so it’s interesting to see what could have happened if these “what ifs” actually came into fruition. Expect an appearance from Nicolas Cage as next week we count down points 5-1 in the TOP 10 LOST OPPORTUNITIES IN COMIC BOOK MOVIES! Leave your thoughts in the comments below as to which one you wished could have happened the most.