10 Movies We Desperately Wanted To Happen (But Never Will)

Hype plays a massive role in the success of a movie. It’s not the only thing (overhyped movies can crash and burn the hardest if they’re terrible), but it is probably the biggest cog in the marketing machine. The problem though, to mix metaphors briefly, is when the cart goes before the horse.

These movies all had huge hype around them, in some cases before a single scene was shot, or even written. The recognisable name brand, the stars or directors attached, or the fact that it’s a sequel or spin off can mean fans get excited (and studios set off the hype) well before they should.

This list covers ten films which received that massive hype, and takes a look at why everyone was so excited, why they eventually got canned, and why the cat was let out of the bag so early.

In the movie business, projects can move on pretty fast, so it’s par for the course for studios to stop somewhere between the idea and the first day of shooting. When it happens to movies this big though, there’s always a bit of intrigue.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a beloved holiday movie, setting off good natured debates each year as to whether it counts as a Halloween film, a Christmas film, or both. That there was a sequel planned for it shouldn’t come as a surprise; in hindsight it seems strange that there wasn’t one sooner.

What might be a surprise though is the reason this was eventually thrown out.

Tim Burton’s eccentric direction has been hit and miss over the years, but when everything has worked in sync, he’s produced some huge classics in the shape of Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns and Sweeney Todd. Despite the success of Nightmare though, Burton begged Disney not to move ahead with the sequel, and his request eventually saw the flick cancelled.

Though we all know Nightmare as a Burton film, it was technically directed by Henry Selick, with the original story, images and idea coming from Burton. Burton felt the movie had a ‘purity’ to it, while actual director Selick couldn’t agree to Disney’s condition that it be CGI.

The idea was shelved in the late ‘00s, but Burton’s stance has softened lately, and talks of a remake, potentially in live action, have resurfaced.