10 Movies They Keep Saying Will Be Made (That Never Will)

One of the most famous quotes about Hollywood is that “nobody knows anything.” The box office of 2017 has given us proof of that, as movies that were a sure thing became instant bombs (Baywatch), films adapted from hit graphic novels tanked (Valerian, Ghost In The Shell), and Oscar-bait that should have been critically acclaimed became universally reviled (mother!).

If nobody knows anything in Hollywood than surely the films that your favourite writers, directors, and actors have been promising you for years could all be a lie.

If you hear rumours linking X famous actor to Y famous movie property, or one director gives an interview every few years outlining the progress on a long-awaited novel adaptation, you should probably learn from past movies that never were and lower your hopes.

In Hollywood, nothing is made until cameras start rolling. No matter how many times a movie is described as written or funded or greenlit or moving forward, it never really is. And for some films – despite the passion behind the scenes or the fanbases that demand them – the only way they’ll live on is in the rumour-mills and “what could have been” threads on message boards...

Ever since The Simpsons Movie came out in 2007 and took the world by storm, fans have been clamouring for a sequel. After all, for many people the movie was the last time they saw The Simpsons in top form, so it makes sense that for the past ten years producers have been talking about bringing The Simpsons Movie 2 to the world.

Eventually. Maybe. At some point.

The first time we heard about The Simpsons Movie 2 was when Maggie said the word “Sequel?” in the credits of the first movie, and since then every few years we’ve gotten an update as to how that sequel is progressing. In 2014 James L. Brooks said that they were approached by Fox for a sequel, but that The Simpsons’ producers were busy “doing a lot of other stuff” and thus ignored Fox’s requests.

More updates came in 2015 when it was revealed that a January episode called “The Man Who Came To Be Dinner” was originally made in 2012, then delayed because it was almost adapted into the movie’s sequel. Of course that never happened, and the latest update came in July of 2017 when The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean said that the sequel was in the early stages of development (Hollywood speak for not in development at all) and that he felt “no need for another one unless it’s great.”

At this point, with less people caring about The Simpsons than ever before, it’s probably safe to say that The Simpsons Movie 2 is never happening.