2. Guillermo Del Toro's Universal Projects (Hellboy 3/At The Mountains of Madness)
Description: Hellboy 3 would be the further continuation of the Hellboy legacy, probably delivering us Hellboy's descent into villainy, and also Hellboy Babies. At The Mountains of Madness was to be a Tom Cruise lead, R Rated, 3D exploration into the work of H.P. Lovecraft that would unleash Cthulhu onto the Silver Screen in all of its tentacled wrath.
Why They Aren't Happening: Money and Creative Control, two of the biggest factors in making any Hollywood film, and both suffering at the hands of Universal Studios. (Yes, the same Universal Studios that greenlit, made, and marketed Battleship and Cowboys vs. Aliens.) Hellboy 3's budget, versus its box office record, isn't working in its favor, so that's pushed to the side automatically. More tragic though is At The Mountains of Madness, which was scripted, cast, and ready for action until Universal balked at making an R-Rated film. It was PG13 or go home, and Del Toro went home, dignity in tact.
The Last Word?: Del Toro thought for a little while that Prometheus would kill his chances of doing At The Mountains of Madness, seeing as it was thematically similar to the film he wanted to make. However, in July 2012, Del Toro instilled some hope by saying he might still make it. Nothing official has happened since Universal's PG13 demands. Hellboy 3, despite Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, and Del Toro's wishes, is in limbo thanks to financial woes. As recently as this month, the director basically had said that Kickstarter was the only option to get the film made. (Its projected $140 million budget isn't helping it any.)
If You Really Want To See Them..: ...make sure Pacific Rim kicks Grown Ups 2's box office out the window. Del Toro's just looking for one massive Avengers-sized hit that'll jumpstart his career, and judging by his track record (as well as the film's overall concept) this looks to be the one. Or, you know, start an official Hellboy 3 Kickstarter campaign.