Superhero movies have taken Hollywood and the world at large by storm. There's no denying that superhero movies are making most of the big money at the box office. Avengers: Infinity War earned over $2 billion at the worldwide box office this year and Black Panther earned a staggering $1 billion. Deadpool, with only two movies released, has already become a billion dollar franchise. Such was the case with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise too. Indeed, even back when superhero movies weren’t Hollywood’s favorite type of films, the genre flourished with movies like Spider-Man 3 and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the latter of which also earned over one billion dollars.
So, we can’t blame Hollywood for trying to make even more superhero films, since, on average, they tend to make a lot of money. As the saying goes, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.” Alas, as optimistic as that might sound, more often than not, though, despite the studio’s best interest, these superhero movies end up being shelved or outright canceled for many different reasons.
That’s why when we hear that a new superhero movie is in production, it’s better to take such news with a grain of salt, as the worst could and might actually happen-- as we are about to explore soon. Nevertheless, while a superhero flick can get canceled at any time, that doesn’t mean that we should lose all hope. Indeed, axed projects have being resurrected before, though, for some reason, we tend to not hear much about said resurrections.
Without further ado, here are 15 Canceled Superhero Movies That Almost Happened (And 5 That Still Could).
20 Canceled: Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies defined a generation of fans and comic book movie lovers. With Tobey Maguire donning the mantle, Spider-Man became an even bigger icon thanks to his portrayal on the silver screen. The first movie gave us a pretty decent rendition of the character, as well as a solid characterization of the Green Goblin. Spider-Man 2 exceeded expectations, becoming one of the best superhero films in the genre.
Unfortunately, though, the momentum came to a halt when Raimi was practically forced to include Venom in Spider-Man 3. This mere inclusion completely capsized the film, making it convoluted and at times nonsensical. Thus, the next installment, Spider-Man 4, was canceled. Despite being axed, certain aspects of Spider-Man 4 made its way to Spider-Man: Homecoming, like the Vulture.
19 Canceled: Justice League Mortal
Back before Warner Bros. created the DC Extended Universe, a Justice League movie was in development with director George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) at the helm of the project. This was way back in 2009. Even though Christopher Nolan was already taking the comic book world by storm with his Batman films, this Justice League film was going to have a very different Batman.
Indeed, the cast included Armie Hammer as the Gotham City hero, Common as Green Lantern, Anton Yelchin as the Flash, Hugh Keays-Burne as Martian Manhunter, D.J. Cotrona as Superman, and Megan Gale as Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, circumstances like the 2008 Writers’ Guild Strike and production costs prevented the film from happening.
18 Canceled: X-Men Origins: Magneto
There was a time when the X-Men franchise was highly profitable and extremely loved by fans and the general audience. So great was the hype that Fox announced it was going to develop several “origins” spinoffs to expand their X-Men cinematic universe.
Fox decided to give Wolverine and Magneto the prequel treatment.
Both X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men Origins: Magneto were in development around the same time, but it was the Wolverine film that hit theaters first. While it’s not known why Fox abandoned the project and the “origins” format, the Magneto film eventually evolved into Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was not well-received by critics and fans, so perhaps that’s one reason why Fox felt it was time to shelve the Magneto origins film.
17 Could Happen: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy brought new light to the MCU when it released in 2014. An unexpected hit, the film introduced us to a cool, new group of heroes that are now as beloved as the Avengers. Of course, a sequel was inevitable and in 2017 Marvel Studios released Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. That film was even more successful than the first. It only seemed right for another sequel to happen, but things took a turn when old tweets from Gunn resurfaced.
Disney, the parent company of Marvel Studios, made the decision to fire Gunn amidst the controversy.
That only sparked the controversy even more and put Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in jeopardy. Nevertheless, there’s still hope for the third installment as Marvel is currently looking for a new director.
16 Canceled: Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 3
When Sony rebooted the Spider-Man franchise, it placed Andrew Garfield in the spidey suit and everyone loved him. The first Amazing Spider-Man movie captured the essence of Peter Parker handily. Fans still loved Tobey Maguire’s take on the character, but it was undeniable how perfectly Garfield embodied the famous superhero. The first movie received great praise and quickly became a fan-favorite flick, but the same can’t be said for the sequel. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 underperformed, leaving both fans and critics with unhappy faces, not to mention Sony, who felt it the most.
Alas, that was the end of the franchise.
Supposedly, The Amazing Spider-Man 3 was going to revolve around Peter’s magical blood and would’ve brought back Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy as a clone.
15 Canceled: Nicholas Cage and Tim Burton’s Superman Lives
It’s almost hard to imagine anybody else playing Clark Kent/Superman other than Henry Cavill. Even though rumor has it that Warner Bros. fired Cavill and are eyeing other actors for the role, there was once a time when the studio cast Nicholas Cage as the Kryptonian hero. Led by Tim Burton, the film was deep into production when it was sadly canceled due to another Superman film being greenlit, among other reasons.
Ironically, that other Superman film was also canceled, but one can never forget how close fans were to seeing Burton’s vision. In the film, Lex Luthor and Brainiac were going to essentially become one character. Even wilder, Cage’s Superman was supposedly going to use his soul to enter Lois Lane’s body.
14 Canceled: Silver & Black
Sony has been trying to create a Spider-Man cinematic universe ever since Marvel Studios hit the jackpot with the MCU. Plans for a Sony shared universe came about after The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but it all changed when that film flopped. Nevertheless, Sony still wanted to make a shared universe. Venom will be the first film in in Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters, or the SUMC. One other film that was announced to be in production was Silver and Black, concentrating on a superhero team-up between Black Cat and Silver Sable.
The movie was being penned by a number of writers, including Gina Prince-Bythewood, who was also going to direct the film.
The project was later axed in favor of splitting the narrative into two different films; one centering on Black Cat and the other on Silver Sable.
13 Still Could: Gambit
Fox has put the Channing Tatum-starring Gambit film into production, then on pause, and then back in production again so many times that it seems to some as if the movie will never get made. Not a single scene of Gambit has been filmed and the movie is slated to release in 2020.
The only name attached to the film so far is Channing Tatum, who will play the titular hero. Indeed, it’s not looking pretty for Gambit’s solo outing, but with the Disney-Fox deal imminent, there’s hope that the movie would at least be made for Disney’s streaming service.
12 Canceled: James Cameron’s Spider-Man
In this day and age, it’s practically impossible to disassociate cinematic Spider-Man from Tobey Maguire or Tom Holland. Maguire’s version of the character was the building block that eventually led to Holland’s near-perfect rendition of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but back in the ‘90s, things were going to take a very different turn. Titanic director James Cameron was developing a Spider-Man film. After scripts were written, with Cameron himself doing a treatment for the film, Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to play Doctor Octopus. Other villains were also set to appear.
Leonardo DiCaprio was reportedly in talks to star as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Today, things would be very different if Cameron was given the green light.
11 Still Could: Batgirl
The DC Extended Universe has been rocky from the start, but that hasn’t stopped Warner Bros. from developing new films. After the lackluster performances of films like Justice League and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, though, many fans suggested that Warner Bros. should just reboot the franchise. Even though DC has its share of underperforming movies, there’s no denying that Wonder Woman was one of the best films of 2017.
Indeed, it could be said that it saved the DCEU from collapsing. With the success of Wonder Woman, Warner Bros. announced that it was developing a number of female-led superhero movies. One of those films was Batgirl.
Ever since its announcement, the film has gone through various directors, including Joss Whedon, and it’s looking like we won’t be seeing the film anytime soon.
Yet, we shouldn’t lose hope as it’s looking like DC is trying to get back on track.
10 Canceled: Darren Aronofsky’s Batman Movie
Warner Bros. eventually gave the Batman property to Christopher Nolan, allowing the visionary director to reinvent the character as he wished. What we got was Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, arguably the best superhero movie trilogy of all time. Yet, before Nolan came along, Warner Bros. had another director ready to reboot the Bat.
Coming off films like Requiem for a Dream, Darren Aronofsky was already working with Warner Bros. on the film The Fountain when he was approached for a Batman movie. This Batman film already had a script ready from comic book legend Frank Miller and Aronofsky even wanted Joaquin Phoenix, who is now ironically playing Batman’s arch-nemesis the Joker in his own film, for the lead role. Alas, the project was shelved and perhaps for the better.
9 Canceled: Joss Whedon’s Wonder Woman
Today, Wonder Woman is one of the most beloved superhero films of our time. Directed by Patty Jenkins, the movie starred Gal Gadot as the Amazonian heroine during World War I. Tackling themes of diversity and humanity, the film became a success for Warner Bros. and it wasn’t long until a sequel was announced. Wonder Woman made Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins cinematic giants, but things were going to be quite different back in 2006.
Director Joss Whedon penned a Wonder Woman script that was nearly made into a movie.
Back then, that definitely seemed like a great idea, considering Whedon’s characterization of female heroes in shows like Buffy the Vampire. Looking back with 2018 lenses, though, and knowing what was in the script, perhaps Warner Bros. did the right thing in cancelling the project.
8 Still Could: Constantine 2
John Constantine is one of those characters who sounded perfect on paper, but turned out completely different on screen. At least that’s what some fans thought when Keanu Reeves played the role in 2005’s Constantine. The film, which also starred Rachel Weisz, received mixed reviews. Since the film’s release, Constantine has garnered a cult following and in 2011 talks of a sequel started to happen.
The film’s director, Francis Lawrence, expressed interest in developing an R-rated sequel, but nothing ever came about. Nevertheless, now that Warner Bros. has launched its own DC streaming service, perhaps a dark and gritty Constantine movie can still happen.
7 Canceled: Fantastic Four 2
According to director Josh Trank, he had an original idea for the Fantastic Four script, but Fox kept changing it and so, the director made a film he didn’t like. It’s totally normal for things like this to happen, especially in a blockbuster movie which tends to have lots of oversight.
The production was so troubled that Trank even went on Twitter to criticize his own movie.
There’s no doubt that 2015’s Fantastic Four is not the best superhero movie around, but its critical and financial performance was so bad that Fox completely changed its future slate of films. A sequel to Fantastic Four was planned before the original even released. This sequel was slated to hit theaters on July of 2017, but it obviously never did.
6 Canceled: Inhumans
One of the best Comic-Con presentations was when Kevin Feige revealed the movies that would make up Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Up on that list was Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 (called Part 1 and Part 2 at the time), and Inhumans.
What’s interesting is that Captain Marvel was supposed to release in 2018 and Inhumans in 2019. That all changed, though. Captain Marvel was then moved up to 2019 and Inhumans, as you might recall, was made into a TV show. The show was a critical failure, with many fans and critics calling it the worst thing Marvel has ever done.
5 Canceled: Green Arrow: Escape From Supermax
It’s a blessing and a curse that the CW’s Arrow exists. The former because it’s one of the best superhero shows around and the latter because it’s probably the reason why the film Green Arrow: Escape From Supermax was never developed. Screenwriter David S. Goyer (Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman) was going to pen the screenplay and lead the project. This was way back in 2008 when Goyer was coming off the success of The Dark Knight, which he co-wrote with Christopher and Jonathan Nolan.
Considering the era, it seemed that Goyer’s Green Arrow was going to follow the Nolan aesthetic, which was eventually what the CW did with the character.
All that’s known about Escape From Supermax is that is was going to have Oliver Queen in the infamous prison attempting to break out with the help of his rogues gallery-- and Batman’s.
4 Still Could: Sony’s Sinister Six
Before Sony planned to release Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 3, the third film in the Andrew Garfield-led franchise was going to be a Sinister Six spinoff. This was actually teased by the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in a scene that secretly showed Doctor Octopus’s mechanic tentacles, among other villainous props. What led to the fall of this project was The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s lackluster performance.
Eventually, Sony decided to share Spider-Man with Marvel Studios to create Spider-Man: Homecoming. While it seems like Sony is relinquishing its prime money-making superhero to Disney, the movie studio is betting on Spidey’s rogue gallery to make the big bucks. With Sony developing a cinematic universe of their own starting with Venom, expect a new version of the Sinister Six down the line.
3 Canceled: Wachowskis' Plastic Man starring Keanu Reeves
Writer-directors the Wachowskis entered the cinematic spotlight after their monumental film The Matrix became a massive worldwide success. This was in 1999 and there’s no doubt Warner Bros., who distributed The Matrix, was very happy. It’s not surprising that around that same time, the studio approached the Wachowskis with a Plastic Man project.
With a script written by the Wachowskis, supposedly the film would have had a scientific accident as the source of Plastic Man's abilities.
The Wachowskis were even given the liberty to create original supervillains for the film. For unknown reasons the film never came to fruition, but after the success of Nolan’s The Dark Knight, rumor spread that the film was still on the slate with Keanu Reeves attached. Nothing ever happened.
2 Canceled: Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern sequel
Ryan Reynolds’s adventures into the superhero genre has been quite interesting. He played one of Blade's sidekicks in Blade Trinity before taking on the role of Hal Jordan/Green Lantern in 2011. Directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Greg Berlanti, the mastermind behind the Arrowverse, Green Lantern failed to impress and drastically flopped. The film almost destroyed Reynolds’s acting career, but thankfully everything turned out alright for our favorite Merc with a Mouth.
Nevertheless, before Deadpool blessed our screens and before the eventual downfall of Green Lantern, a sequel was going to happen. Green Lantern was supposed to start a new DC cinematic universe, as was teased at the end of the first film.
1 Still Could: Hit-Girl
Back in 2010 a small film by the name of Kick-Ass captivated audiences everywhere. Based on the Mark Millar comic book of the same name and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicholas Cage and Chloe Moretz-Grace, the film became a domestic success and quickly received a cult following.
The film went on to get a sequel, but sadly Kick-Ass 2 had a rather unfortunate lackluster outing. Talks for a third installment wound down, but there’s still hope, at least, for a Hit-Girl movie. Millar is developing a series of shows and movies with Netflix, so perhaps the Hit-Girl spin-off film will find a home with the popular streaming service.
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Which canceled superhero movie do you still want to see? Let us know in the comments.
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