10 Failed Comic Book TV Projects That Would Be Awesome Now

2. Generation X (1996)

X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, Excalibur... there was a time when Marvel realised that all they had to do was throw an X into a title and the'd have a bonafide hit on their hands. In the 1990's, the company decided to capitalise on the teen market with a new spin-off called Generation X that featured Jubilee and other mutants learning to control their abilities under the tutelage of Banshee and the White Queen.

A number of new characters created for the series were actually quite unique within the world of comics and their inability to cope with their powers captured the essence of what the X-Men is really all about. Husk could rip off her own skin to reveal a new substance like metal or rock underneath, while Chamber's explosive powers tore off half of his face, forcing him to communicate solely through telepathy. Unfortunately, unusual members like these were replaced in the Generation X TV movie by two-dimensional characters like Buff and Refrax... who were sort of strong or had laser eyes.

Of course, budgetary concessions needed to be made for the TV adaptation, but that's no excuse for poor scripting and even poorer acting. The final product was almost unrecognisable to fans of the Generation X comic and plans for a potential series quickly fell to the wayside.

There will always be a market for teen programming and a new TV series bearing the X insignia could prove to be extremely popular off the back of the movies. Fox are currently developing another team show called New Mutants, but Generation X are arguably a more unique property and could be so much more than just a "young X-Men" show given the right treatment.