Every Cancelled John Carpenter Film We NEVER Got To See
5. The Mutant Chronicles
In 1996, Carpenter was set to direct a film adaptation of the tabletop role-playing game, The Mutant Chronicles. The game is set in a dark future where humanity wages a secret war against an ancient force hell-bent on mutating and annihilating their enemies. The story deals with mega-corporations, religious militarism, and body-horror, so it seemed to fit all of Carpenter's strengths to a T.
Just before shooting began in the UK, The Mutant Chronicles found itself in hot water due to the producer, Edward R. Pressman. Pressman suffered back-to-back box-office bombs beforehand, including Judge Dredd, The Crow: City of Angels, and The Island of Dr. Moreau.
As such, the studio was cynical about whether it was worth investing in an adaptation of a niche tabletop game. When Carpenter's proposal for a higher budget was rejected, he decided to walk away, killing the project then and there.
The Mutant Chronicles was adapted with a different script in 2008, but had little resemblance to the source material. It's a shame Carpenter's rendition never came to be but it's more depressing to see The Mutant Chronicles being adapted so poorly.