Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

50 Great Unproduced Movie Scripts

Features
By Matt Maytum published 29 November 2010

The Best of the Black List

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The Muppet Man by Christopher Weekes

The High Concept: This screenplay (which topped the 2009 list), is a biopic of Muppets creator and all-round fuzzy felt genius Jim Henson. It's said to include surreal moments with some of his hand-operated creations, and could tie in nicely with Jason Segel's Muppet s movie.

Scene We'd Like To See: The script apparently begins with a hungover Kermit awaking after a drunken bender. Any scene showing the darker side of the Muppets could be amazing, like a Carnal Knowledge -style row between Kermit and his demanding other half Miss Piggy.

Dream Director: Michel Gondry could get some heartache in amidst the puppet antics.

Starring: Will Ferrell, the Muppets.

Motorcade by Billy Ray

The High Concept: Like all the best action movies, this has a winningly simple conceit (ideally any action movie should be able to be described as some twist on Die Hard ). The President's motorcade is attacked en route to Los Angeles, which leaves plenty of room for dramatic speeches amidst the action.

Scene We'd Like To See: The President delivers a reassuring address to his citizens… from the back of his under-fire motorcade.

Dream Director: Tony Scott

Starring: It'd have to be Denzel Washington, a man who you can believe could run the country and beat you up.

I Want to F*** Your Sister by Melissa Stack

The High Concept: A guy tries to protect his younger sister from the amorous attentions of randy young men, as he knows all too well from his own experience what those people are like.

Scene We'd Like To See: Our guy spills the beans on all of his indiscretions as a 'playa' in an attempt to convince his sis that a male has never done anything nice for a young lady simply out of the kindness of his heart.

Dream Director: Easy A 's Will Gluck could nail the tone.

Starring:
Justin Timberlake and Dakota Fanning.

The Voices by Michael R. Perry

The High Concept: Schizophrenic factory worker Jerry accidentally murders a colleague, and in the aftermath of the event he starts to get advice from his pets: a foul-mouthed cat and dog who 'talk' to him.

Scene We'd Like To See:
After the shock of committing a murder, Jerry nervously chats away with his animals for a good five minutes before realising that they didn't used to be able to talk.

Dream Director: Chris Morris

Starring: Zach Galifianakis as nervy Jerry, veering from dead-eyed seriousness to completely unhinged. Have him voice the pets as well.

Samurai by Fernley Phillips

The High Concept: During the 150 Year War in Japan, a vengeance-seeking ronin, a ninja and an English boy team up to bring down an evil Lord. There's plenty of scope for epic scale in terms of action and location.

Scene We'd Like To See:
The taciturn ronin explains to his allies why he holds a grudge against the evil Lord (in addition to the fact that he's evil of course). His story unfolds visually as an animation in traditional Japanese style.

Dream Director: Nicolas Winding Refn would allow the action to unspool with minimal dialogue.

Starring: Unknowns who can convince in the fight sequences.

The Days Before by Chad St. John

The High Concept: A man uses a time-travel device to keep jumping backwards one day at a time in order to prevent a world-ending alien invasion. A nice potential blend of conspiracy thriller, epic alien action and human drama.

Scene We'd Like To See: In an attempt to win the trust of a woman who our hero knows will be vital to the plan, he buys a lottery ticket and promises she can have it if the Earth survives to witness Saturday's rollover draw.

Dream Director: After Source Code , we reckon Duncan Jones could handle this.

Starring: Reunite him with Moon man Sam Rockwell, and Source Code 's Michelle Monaghan.

Keiko by Elizabeth Wright Shapiro

The High Concept: After being adopted, and raised in Japan by Japanese parents, a white teenage girl heads to the US to discover her estranged birth father, who just happens to be comedian and erstwhile Wayne's World star Dana Carvey. The postmodern meta-laughs mean this could potentially be his JCVD .

Scene We'd Like To See: Carvey proves that he's got serious acting chops with a heartfelt monologue detailing the fate of Keiko's biological mother.

Dream Director: Sofia Coppola, putting a bit of a reverse spin on Lost in Translation .

Starring: Youth in Revolt 's Portia Doubleday, Dana Carvey, and a Mike Myers cameo.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The Phantom Limb by Kevin Koehler

The High Concept: A troubled PI investigates a gangster who's running a brothel catering for amputee fetishes, and the doctor who helps to make fantasy a reality for some of the perverse clientele. We can already hear the preparation of 'Ban This Sick Filth' banners...

Scene We'd Like To See: Expecting standard brothel practise, the PI gets something of a shock when he goes to meet the escort he has hired for 'research purposes'…

Dream Director: It'd have to be David Cronenberg. It's hard to imagine the script wasn't written without some inspiration from his ouevre.

Starring: Clive Owen

A Fistful Of Quarters: The Legend of Nolan Bushnell by Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman

The High Concept: As the title suggests, it's a biopic of Nolan Bushnell, the man behind Atari. As well as being an instrumental figure in the history of videogames, he also created American institution Chuck E. Cheese's. The script is said to focus on his 70s heyday.

Scene We'd Like To See:
Bushnell has a eureka moment whilst playing a bit of table tennis, before the groundbreaking Pong is created.

Dream Director: We reckon King of Kong doc director Seth Gordon could atone for Four Christmases with this.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio's name was linked to the role when the script was first touted. It's difficult to imagine any role we wouldn't be happy to see Leo in…

Z for Zachariah by Nissar Modi

The High Concept: This screenplay is based on the the 1976 novel by Robert C. O'Brien (you may have read it during school English lessons). It tells the story of teenage girl Ann Burden (the novel takes the form of a diary) following a nuclear fallout, and the arrival of a mysterious man in a radiation suit.

Scene We'd Like To See:
Ann watches from the window of her base as she thinks she sees a mysterious figure in the far distance. She doesn't take her eyes off the man in the radiation suit, who slowly but surely makes his way down through the valley.

Dream Director:
Brad Bird brings a non-patronising approach to material intended for 'young people'.

Starring: True Grit newcomer Mattie Ross, and Paddy Considine as Loomis.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Current page: Page 1

Next Page Page 2
Matt Maytum
Matt Maytum
Social Links Navigation
Former Editor of Total Film magazine

Matt Maytum is the former Editor of Total Film magazine. Over the past decade, Matt has worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.

Latest in Movies
John Wick 4
Action Movies John Wick spin-off star Donnie Yen wants to make it "the most definitive martial arts-infused action film ever made"
 
 
A young girl swaddled in rags awakening from death
Horror Movies The Mummy director defends its "domestic setting" as he suggests the franchise shouldn't "be limited to tourists in Cairo"
 
 
Jinu and Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters' McDonalds ad
Animated Movies KPop Demon Hunters 2 may still be years off yet, but at least we have this new short to literally whet our appetite
 
 
Spider-Man Brand New Day
Live Action Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Michael Mando joins Sydney Sweeney in the Gundam movie, calls it a "love letter to anime"
 
 
Twilight
Fantasy Movies Robert Pattinson jokes "no one" was Team Jacob at the height of Twilight's success: "That was just a marketing thing"
 
 
James Marsden as Cyclops in Avengers Doomsday
Marvel Movies Avengers: Doomsday star James Marsden says he was "very proud" to wear comics-accurate Cyclops costume
 
 
Latest in Features
Marathon Thief shell in dark lighting
FPS Games I'm in a situationship with Marathon's "worst" gun, and after 80 hours I'm not letting the meta break us up
 
 
Mega Charizard X in Pokemon Champions.
Pokemon Pokemon Champions producer "really enjoyed" the Pokemon Stadium games, used them as a "reference"
 
 
Greninja and Sylveon fight in Pokemon Champions
Pokemon I made a competitive team in minutes in Pokemon Champions – this could open the door for newcomers
 
 
Crimson Desert screenshot of Kliff with an orange On the Radar overlay
RPGs I hope Crimson Desert never fixes its weird controls
 
 
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Marvel Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer has crossed 1 billion views faster than any movie in history
 
 
Kiln key art featuring colorful spirit-inhabited pots duking it out
Action Games I built the biggest, ugliest vase Kiln would let me and immediately got bullied by better potters
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Fallout: New Vegas
    1
    Fallout: New Vegas devs "did a great job" of shepherding the spirit of the RPG series, Bethesda veteran admits – "in some ways better than we did"
  2. 2
    Finally, CRKD is launching a pro controller that's shaped like a regular gamepad, and it promises TMR thumbsticks, six extra buttons, and a sub-$100 price tag
  3. 3
    Gillian Anderson urges X-Files fans to "have an open mind" over Ryan Coogler's upcoming reboot, as she shares reaction to first episode's script
  4. 4
    Dune: Awakening update adds new overland location, Landsraad missions, bug fixes, and more to Chapter 3 ahead of the survival MMO's upcoming server merges
  5. 5
    I could swap out every retro controller I own with this Sega Saturn-inspired Bluetooth gamepad, and it happens to be under $35 right now

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...