8 Superhero Films That Nearly Had Completely Different Directors

Although Zack Snyder's 2009 film wasn't terrible, many felt that it was an underwhelming use of such rich source material. Snyder's heavily-stylised, edgy pretensions often bordered on the adolescent and lacked the subtlety of Alan Moore's groundbreaking graphic novel. Which is why it would have at least been interesting to see the film at the helm another director - namely, surrealist maestro Terry Gilliam.

For over a year in the 90s, Gilliam and Brazil screenwriter Charles McKeown worked on the project. From the titbits teased by producer Joel Silver, their version would have been a far more daring, iconoclastic adaptation, unafraid to make serious departures from the source material where Snyder was overly-respectful.

Like Snyder, Gilliam decides not to include the interdimensional Death Squid of the book. Instead, Doctor Manhattan travels back in time to prevent himself from ever existing, resulting in an alternate reality where Nite Owl, Rorschach et al. were never superheroes. Bold, but kind of brilliant.