10 Failed Movies That Should've Been TV Shows
7. The Book Of Eli
The post-apocalyptic setting and washed-out cinematography of The Book of Eli at least gave it a different feel from the usual 'Denzel Washington Action Thriller' template, but it eventually becomes just another standard genre movie by the end despite creating an interesting mythology.
The world-building was arguably the best part about the movie, and without a studio-mandated running time a TV show would be able to dive deeper to create a more fully-developed universe. Obviously it would be difficult to replace a performer like Denzel in the lead role, but the series could always just keep the name and focus on an entirely new character.
The show would pick up thirty years after a nuclear apocalypse and follow the title character as he arrives in a small town run by a tyrannical ruler who is desperate to secure a copy of the Bible (which has long been forgotten about by most) in order to exert greater power and expand his empire. Obviously, he finds out Eli has the book and will do anything to get his hands on it.
That sounds like a pretty interesting pitch ripe with subtext. There are even cannibals, and with The Walking Dead running on fumes for years now fans could probably do with a fresh injection of post-apocalyptic flesh-eating adventures. You've even got your series finale planned out already.
Spoilers: The big reveal is that the ass-kicking Eli has been blind the whole time, and when the bad guy finally gets his hands on the Bible it's written in Braille. Cue end credits.