13 Long-Delayed Film Projects We Wish Would Get Made Already

2. At The Mountains Of Madness

Originally Announced: First set up at Dreamworks in 2004, then delayed, then revived in 2010 at Universal with James Cameron producing. Status: Most likely dead. Plot Details: An expedition from Miskatonic University heads to an Antarctic plateau they thought was lifeless until they discover an abandoned city that's said to have been built by an ancient civilization called the "Elder Things." When the explorers enter this lost city, they soon realize that they aren't alone. Why Is It Dead? Ultimately, Universal didn't want to go through with an R-rated film budgeted at $150 million. Director Guillermo del Toro has refused to budge from this proposition, saying that he wants to stay true to the H. P. Lovecraft novella and doing so would require a large budget. At The Mountains Of Madness seemed to be moving forward in 2010 and parts of 2011 with Tom Cruise, at one point, attached to star. Universal apparently had cold feet, however, and pulled out of the project at the very last minute. Del Toro had been working on the project on-and-off for so many years at that point so he decided to take his talents elsewhere and work on Pacific Rim with Warner Bros instead. Now, Del Toro is making a film based on an original screenplay called Crimson Peak, which plans to get released in October 2015. He still wants to make At The Mountains Of Madness at some point, but it doesn't seem all that likely.