Best Science Fiction Films Never Made

Is it possible to love something that you've never seen? Or rather, something that never fully existed? If you're talking about science fiction films, the answer to both questions is a resounding yes.

Throughout the years, there have been many sci-fi movies that have been awarded, applauded, and remembered by myriads of people. However, not all great works of art manage to make it to movie theaters.

Science fiction is a notoriously expensive movie genre, and that means that many potential box office hits tend to fall through the cracks due to funding, logistics, or other issues. However, in many cases, the scraps that are released are enough to make us wish that things worked out.

Though it's hard for some to imagine, some of the best science fiction films of all time never really got to completion. Here are some of the best science fiction films never made — and what caused the movies to fail.

Jodorowsky's Dune

Without a doubt, one of the best science fiction films never made has to be Dune, as imagined by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Jodorowsky's Dune is considered to be one of the most influential never-produced films in cinema history.

The famed director had corralled the best creative minds of the 60s and 70s to help make his concept come to life. People involved in the project included:

• H.R. Gigeras a major conceptual artist.
• Moebiusas a secondary concept artist.
• Pink Floyd as the makers of the soundtrack.
• Mick Jagger as an actor.
• Salvador Dali as an actor.
• Dan O'Bannon for special effects consult.

Jodorowsky's version of Dune was expected to be one of the greatest works of cinematographic art ever made. However, only $2 million of the $9.5 million budget was amassed — and the project was quickly dropped.

Despite it never being made, Jodorowsky's Dune still was able to make a huge impact on science fiction. H.R. Giger got an introduction to O'Bannon during the concept meetings for the film, who in turn gave him the opportunity to create the xenomorphs later used in Alien.

Influences from Jodorowsky's Dunecan still be seen in many aspects of modern science fiction. Still, we would have killed to see Pink Floyd make a soundtrack for any science fiction film.

Halo

It's true, the favorite sci-fi video game spawned a lot more creativity than just Red Versus Blue. Fans of Halo were given the hint that there could be a live action film made based on the game — and directors were even tapped for their talent to begin it.

According to officials, Peter Jackson was meant to be executive producer, with Neil Blomkamp as director of the movie. This movie would have meant seeing what the characters behind Halo were supposed to look like and also give players an in-depth look at what the video game was about.

However, squabbles with 20th Century Fox ended up killing this before it even became time to select top actors. That being said, it wasn't a total loss. Blomkamp and Jackson ended up teaming together to create another science fiction movie — District 9.

For video gamers, Halo definitely could rank among the best science fiction films never made.

Neuromancer

William Gibson's fame in the science fiction world goes without saying, and to a point, it's kind of shocking that some of his biggest titles have yet to see the silver screen. His smash hit, Neuromancer, is a prime example of a movie that would be incredible to see happen.

Over the years, many people have tried to get funding for the cyberpunk classic to be developed into a feature-length film. The script has been made, and Gibson himself offered his two cents on what the film should include.

According to recent reports, it looks like this may cross over from being one of the best science fiction films never made to being one of the newest ones to hit box office. The Neuromancer project is apparently back on, this time with Tim Miller being the director.

No word yet on who will be playing any of the characters, but just hearing that it's on is news enough to us.

The Matrix Prequel

Believe it or not, The Matrix was originally marketed as a trilogy — and no, we're not talking about The Matrix Reloaded crap, either. The original Matrix franchise was meant to be a prequel, The Matrix (as we know it), and a last movie that showed what happened when the Matrix collapsed afterwards.

The Matrix Prequel would have shown how the war between humanity and technology got started, why it got started, and was supposed to warn against the potential of giving too much of yourself to technology. No one knows how the story would have been told, but it would have been amazing to see.

The problem that killed the Matrix Prequel and Matrix Aftermath movies were the very actors that made it a box office hit. Studio brass wanted big names in the film in order to agree to its funding. Having to write Neo and the others into the other two films wouldn't have worked well.

So, the Prequel and Aftermath movies were both scrapped, leaving us with Matrix Reloaded. Seeing a more artistic and poignant take on this cyberpunk classic would have been amazing.

Unfortunately, that's why the Matrix Prequel is now one of the best science fiction films never made.

William Gibson's Alien 3

We all remember the H.R Giger-inspired Alien movie franchise. It's a science fiction movie megafranchise, and xenomorphs have been tattooed on more rivetheads' arms than anyone can count. The first two Alien movies were amazingly popular, but as anyone can tell you, Alien 3 was a total box office disaster.

Many science fiction fans can tell you that the disaster that was Alien 3 could have been averted, if studio brass would have chosen William Gibson's script instead.

William Gibson's take on the third Alien movie was one that was an order of magnitude darker than what you saw on movie screens back in the 90s. In his version, humanity had captured xenomorphs and begun to genetically alter them to become deadlier.

Much of humanity now lived in space stations, with a major cold war happening between capitalists and communists. Scenes would have involved GMO xenomorphs flying through space, and a new creation called The Beast.

Gibson's Alien 3 screenplay was decidedly more cyberpunk than most people were willing to work with at the time. It also would have likely cost much more than a typical movie. So, they rejected the screenplay.

Gruesome, gory, and gritty, it doesn't take much to see why Gibson's Alien 3 ranks high among the best science fiction films never made.

Dazzler

If you're a fan of music, then you would probably have done anything to see Dazzler. This would-be movie was a joint venture between Casablanca Records and Marvel Comics during the 1970s — and it featured a rock star superheroine named Dazzler.

What makes this one of the best science fiction films never made is the sheer number of celebrity singer appearances that it was supposed to have. Understandably, Dazzler also was expected to have one of the best soundtracks in science fiction history.

Casting was done, and they included the following A-list celebrities:

• Cher as the Witch Queen.
• The Village People as the Stompers. Each Stomper had superpowers, including Leatherman who had super strength and the Cowboy who had an unbreakable lasso.
• Lenny and Squiggy as Jesters.
• KISS as the Dreadknights who battle The Stompers. The Dreadknights, too, had their own superpowers — but they're actually KISS, so that's kind of normal.
• Rodney Dangerfield as found different characters.
• Donna Summer as the Queen of Fire.

Robin Williams was supposed to be Dazzler's romantic lead, which only makes this movie concept even more insane. Sadly, the full script was left on the scrapper and Jim Shooter's Dazzler was canned.

However, not all is lost. Dazzler will be making an upcoming appearance in the newest X-men movie. So, at the very least, that character came to life — even if it was not in a super-cool 70s way.

Live Action Akira

If you want a seriously impressive film idea, think of what would have happened if the 80s hit Akira was made into a live action movie. Believe it or not, this was an idea that was floated around a number of different movie studios earlier on.

Imagine being able to see a live-action version of neo-Tokyo, complete with all the rubble of WWIII of the anime! Heck, even seeing the motorcycle scenes would give The Fast and the Furious a run for its money.

The live action Akira remake has been in and out of production since 2002, with a number of major issues plaguing the film. These issues include budgeting, casting troubles, and even technology issues that make filming a live action Akira difficult.

As of right now, Christopher Nolan is rumored to be working as a producer on the Akira project. With a little hope, this might actually hit box offices within the decade — and will stop being one of the best science fiction films never made.

Rendezvous with Rama

Without a doubt, one of the best science fiction films never made would have to be a rendition of Arthur C. Clarke's famous Rendezvous with Rama. The entire movie plotline would follow a team of explorers searching a seemingly-abandoned 34-mile-long spaceship that was used by an alien race called the Ramans.

Believe it or not, Morgan Freeman has been working to make this movie happen for the past 10 years — and even enlisted the help of maverick David Fincher to make it happen.

However, due to the sheer budget it would need to be produced, Rendezvous with Rama never was made. Since 2008, there have been some scenes shot, but too many setbacks seem to have push this movie to the bottom of the priority list.

As a result, we probably will never know what Morgan Freeman's vision is for this classic science fiction novel. Shame, isn't it?