The rumor that Batgirl will be canceled in August 2022 spread like wildfire. It was mind-boggling to contemplate that a movie with a $90 million budget that had already wrapped up production may end up on a shelf somewhere. Batgirl is far from the first movie to finish filming but never see theatres, even if there haven’t been any other movies at that budgeted level that were shelved when they were almost finished.
Numerous instances of nearly finished movies spanning a wide range of genres that were never released may be traced back to the beginnings of filmmaking in the 1920s. The reasons they were disregarded range significantly, from studio politics to issues with the films themselves to even the causes that have since faded from anyone’s memory. It’s sometimes a good thing that certain ideas were simply abandoned. However, in certain cases, such as in Batgirl’s, these unreleased movies are like tragedies since numerous people’s labor of love will never be appreciated or viewed.
The Day the Clown Cried
A comedy starring Jerry Lewis about a clown who ends himself in a detention camp during the Holocaust, The Day the Clown Cried is perhaps the most renowned unreleased film in history. It’s hard to believe that this fundamental concept alone didn’t stop it from being published. Cried was initially concealed from the public’s view due to disagreements with scriptwriter Joan O’Brien and other significant crew members. Lewis would eventually make sure that it was never released, as he grew humiliated by his role in the film. There is little likelihood that the general public will view The Day the Clown Cried any time soon because it is hotly contested whether a final copy of the film still exists.
Scoob! Holiday Haunt
A sequel to the 2020 film Scoob! Scoob! Holiday Haunt, which would have debuted on HBO Max, would have highlighted the younger iterations of Mystery Inc. characters engaging in seasonal mischief. Warner/Discovery executives put Holiday Haunt on permanent hold even though it was almost finished. Holiday Haunt was determined to be a poor match for this trajectory because of the company’s recent departure from producing significant original films for the HBO Max platform. Scooby and his buddies could not combat the evils of corporate restructuring, despite having faced countless monsters over the years.
The House of God
The House of God, a comedy from 1984 about a group of medical trainees that starred Tim Matheson and Bess Armstrong, amongst many others, did not have a difficult shooting, at least based on the admittedly few resources available about the movie. The House of God, however, was never released in theatres. Although there are web rumors that it was broadcast on television, it’s practically hard even to confirm that. Despite being anchored by some prominent artists, The House of God has been mysteriously allowed to decay in a vault, as far as anybody can tell. You’d need more than just a capable physician to save this movie.
Killing Winston Jones
The last few weeks of 2012 saw the beginning of shooting for Killing Winston Jones, but there has never been further information on when the movie will be released. The film’s course underwent a permanent alteration by March 2017. Danny Masterson, who portrayed the title role in Killing Winston Jones, was charged with sexual misconduct by three women. Before being formally charged with three different rape counts by authorities in June 2020, Masterson was later accused of engaging in more disgusting acts. Although a formal trial for his illegal actions has not yet occurred, the barrage of negative press and horrifying events linked to Masterson have made it clear that a movie resembling Killing Winston Jones has little chance of ever being released.
I Love You, Daddy
I Love You, Daddy came so close to being made available to the general public, unlike many completed films that will never be distributed. I Love You, Daddy, a Louie C.K.-directed full-length film that featured a 17-year-old girl falling in love with a much older director who was allegedly a pedophile, among other plotlines, made a big debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. With a November 2017 theatrical release date established, The Orchard won the distribution rights over several other arthouse companies.
The New York Times, meanwhile, released an article a week before the show’s premiere with testimonials from five women, each of whom accused C.K. of gender discrimination. I Love You, Daddy was then placed on a shelf. A couple of weeks later, it was announced that C.K. had acquired the film’s rights again, but while moving on to direct other films like Fourth of July, he had never worked on the project.