11 Unmade Movie Adapatations That Were Just Weird

Calling something dark, especially a superhero film, may seem trite these days, but this planned Batman reboot written by Frank Miller, directed by Darren Aronofsky, and potentially starring Clint Eastwood as the caped crusader fits that description perfectly.

Pitched in 2000, and adapting the Year One storyline from the comics, this Batman movie would have re-imagined Bruce Wayne as homeless, Alfred as a mechanic, and Catwoman as the madam of a brothel. The film would also have been more upfront with its violent content, including a scene where Batman fights several men who are on fire after a pipe bomb explosion.

And while most superhero movies tend to shy away from the heroes outright killing the villains, Batman: Year One would have turned that story convention on its end, coming to a climax with Batman stabbing corrupt police commissioner Loeb in the eye.

Warner Bros rejected this retelling of Year One on the grounds that it couldn’t be marketed to a mainstream audience. Something that, in the wake of lighter and more irreverent superhero movies taking the world by storm, seems like a good call.