Few directors have made such an indelible impression on Western cinema as Sir Ridley Scott. Famous for its sci-fi movies and historical epics such as Alien, Blade RunnerAnd Gladiator, Scott has directed 27 films in his long career and he doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. While best known as a director, Scott is also a prolific producer, having produced many of the most popular films of the past few decades and increasing his influence in Hollywood and beyond. However, as with all great filmmakers, in addition to all the films Scott has directed or produced, there are many that he has been attached to and unfortunately never came to fruition. From passion projects to unfinished sequels, sci-fi classics to historical epics, Scott has a huge backlog of fascinating-sounding projects. In the list below, we've rounded up 12 of Scott's most exciting unrealized projects that will probably never see the light of day.
12 Tripoli
In early 2002, it was announced that Scott was developing a war epic titled Tripoli, based on true events that took place during the First Barbary War. The film is said to chronicle the famous westward march of US Army officer and Consul General William Eaton from Egypt to Tripoli. Much of the film was cast early on, including Russell Crowe who was tapped to play Eaton, but the project soon stalled. According to Screen Rant: “Scott was just more interested in other projects because he was developing Tripoli to lead Kingdom of heaven.”
11 Ghosts of the broken land
Ghosts of the broken land, the western novel by novelist and filmmaker S. Craig Zahler, would one day become Scott's next directed project. Just like with Zahler's own film Bone Tomahawk, Ghosts of the broken land would have been an exciting horror-western genre mash-up. As Variety reported in 2016, Scott was working with screenwriter Drew Goddard for The Martian, and "the film will be produced by Scott Free's Michael Schaefer, Genre Films' Simon Kinberg, Aditya Sood and Drew Goddard." However, after the announcement, there was no further news Ghosts of the broken land's development.
10 Tristan and Isolde
During the production of his first film, The duelistsScott planned to film an adaptation of the medieval romance Tristan and Isolde as his second feature film. Based on Celtic legend, the story would follow a man named Tristan and his quest to marry an Irish princess, swallowing a love potion along the way that sealed the fate of the legendary lovers. Development on Scott's film version stalled and the project was soon superseded by the 1985 one Legend. A movie version was released in 2006 Tristan and Isolde eventually came to fruition, though Scott only served as producer.
9 Dune
Since at least 1971, a number of filmmakers have attempted to make a film version of the novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Throughout the 1970s, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Arthur P. Jacobs, and Scott were all attached at some point. Scott's version came closest to getting off the ground, as he spent seven months working on it with screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer and artist H.R. Giger. His version would have split the novel into two parts, and he used plotting from The Battle of Algiers to help him bring the larger-than-life story into screenplay format. However, eventually Scott left the slow project to focus on his next film, Blade Runner. David Lynch replaced him, and Lynch's version received mediocre reviews in 1984. In 2021, a new adaptation of the novel directed by Denis Villeneuve was released to rave reviews, albeit without Scott's involvement.
8 I am a legend
In the late '90s, it was reported that Scott was attached to direct an adaptation of Richard Matheson's sci-fi horror novel. I am a legendof which the films were previously made The last man on earth And The Omega man. In this third version of the story, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be the main character, Dr. Robert Neville. Production on the film ground to a halt as budgetary concerns spiraled out of control, and Scott moved on to other projects. The project was finally brought back to life in 2007 - albeit without the involvement of Scott or Schwarzenegger - and became one of Will Smith's best films.
7 Stranger 5
As early as 2002, Scott started developing a fifth Alien movie. The planned sequel was meant to delve deeper into the alien origins than ever before, and James Cameron was committed to write and produce. Alas, this dream team Alien sequel never got off the ground, and was eventually superseded by the spin-off films Alien vs predator And Prometheus. Hope for one in 2015 Stranger 5 rekindled when District 9 director Neill Blomkamp announced his involvement in a new one Alien movie, with Scott set to produce. That project also fell through and Scott went on to direct his instead Prometheus follow-up, Alien: Covenant.
6 Blood meridian
A film adaptation of Blood meridianCormac McCarthy's infamous novel has been in and out of development for decades, though no version of it has ever progressed beyond the pre-production stages. This is probably because the story, which is about a teenager in the Old West who joins a vicious gang of killers known for scalping their victims, is constantly regarded as at violent for any major studio to film. Regardless of this condemnation, many high-profile filmmakers have tried to bring the film to life, including Scott. Scott's version had Kingdom of heaven writer William Monahan confirmed, and would be produced by Scott Rudin for Paramount Pictures. Unfortunately, the studio continually delayed production and insisted that revisions be made to the script due to the excessive violence, leading Scott and Monahan to leave the project.
5 Shadow divers
In 2005, Scott was added to direct Shadow diversa movie based on the 2004 non-fiction book Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of World War II's Last Mysteries by Robert Kurson. The book is about a team of divers who encounter a World War II German U-boat not far from the New Jersey coast. The movie was picked up by 20th Century Fox and Cast away writer William Broyles would pen the script. However, in 2010 Scott was replaced by director Robert Schwentke and a new script was written. Since Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which closed in 2019, no new updates regarding the film have surfaced.
4 Brave new world
In 2009, it looked like Scott's next big project would be an adaptation of Brave new world, Aldous Huxley's dark social science fiction novel about a future society in which people are genetically modified to serve the ruling class. The film was set to star Leonardo DiCaprio and seemed to be moving steadily forward until 2013, when updates stopped as Scott became heavily involved in other productions. The Scott adaptation may have been permanently shelved, as a TV adaptation of the novel was released in 2020 without director involvement.
3 3001: The Last Odyssey
3001: The Last OdysseyArthur C. Clarke's sequel to 2001: a space odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two, and 2061: Odyssey Three, was once planned as a miniseries directed by Scott. The series would have followed the resurrection and subsequent exploits of Frank Poole, the astronaut killed by the HAL 9000 supercomputer in 2001: A space odyssey. Despite reports that the estates of both Clarke and 2001: A space odyssey director Stanley Kubrick offered their full support to the project, development quickly stalled and no new updates have come to light since 2015.
2 Alien: Covenant Sequel
Since 2015, Scott has been vocal about his plans to direct several Alien: Covenant follow-up, though that film's financial disappointment may have halted his plans. Updates on the film's development have been halted as of 2021, though Scott continues to express interest in directing another film. Alien movie. AlienConsidered by many to be Scott's best film to date, it is regarded as an iconic classic and remains relevant today as video games and merchandise based on the film continue to be made. Considering this, one more Alien movie is still possible, and hopefully Scott will get a chance to do his proposed prequel sequels.
1 The Battle of Britain
In 2017, Scott announced he would be directing his "passion project." The Battle of Britain, the great World War II military campaign in which the Royal Air Force fended off the Nazi Luftwaffe in British skies. Unfortunately, the project that could have become Scott's ultimate historical epic fell into development hell following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox. No new updates have come out since then, and the movie has likely been shelved indefinitely.
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