9. Superman Lives
Kevin Smith has spoken extensively about the ridiculous production history of his pet project Superman Lives, and how producer Jon Peters wanted to implement countless changes that were a) not in step with the comic book and b) totally idiotic. He wanted Superman to wear black, not fly, and then fight a giant mechanised spider at the end of the film, something that would actually go into another Peters project - you guessed it, Wild Wild West. In addition to this, Peters also wanted to introduce sidekick characters who could be turned into toys, such as a dog-like cohort for Lex Luthor. At one point, production seemed pretty much ready to go - Tim Burton was hired to direct and Nicolas Cage had even attended a costume fitting, but cold feet from the studio caused them to slash the budget and demand re-writes. Essentially, the project faltered and what we wound up with years later was Bryan Singer's ambitious if divisive Superman Returns.