10 Movies That Started As Something Else Entirely

David Fincher's Se7en was never intended to be a franchise, a multi-film universe or followed up with any sequels or prequels. It's a visceral experience with a truly killer ending and spoiler alert; it doesn't really end well for any of the characters.

But, inevitably given how audiences were reacting to the stunning 1995 thriller, a sequel was nevertheless very much in-demand from New Line Cinema. Despite the original creative team's indifference to returning, a script was soon acquired from rookie writer Ted Griffin (who would later be tasked with remaking Ocean's Eleven) that New Line thought could transform Se7en into Ei8ht.

The original Solace script revolved around a psychic killer and a psychic detective. New Line Cinema quickly made some changes and the newly titled Ei8ht would have seen Detective Somerset (once again played by Morgan Freeman) somehow manifest psychic powers and he'd use these abilities to hunt down a religious serial killer.

David Fincher thought the idea "made no sense" and distanced himself from the project entirely and eventually New Line gave up on the project, shelving Griffin's script for almost a decade before Lionsgate picked it up. Once again Solace was being thought of as its own standalone movie.

The film was finally released in 2015 with Anthony Hopkins as John Clancy, a psychic doctor who's hunting Charles Ambrose, played by Colin Farrell. Jeffrey Dean Morgan also plays an FBI agent hunting Farrell with Hopkins in basically the Brad Pitt type role from Se7en.

Despite not really making a splash upon release, Solace's talented cast managed to carry the picture and it's far from the disaster you'd have expected given its troubled history.