Steven Spielberg’s Unmade Movies: 10 Films the Oscar Winner Came Close to Directing

“Why Can’t I Be Audrey Hepburn?”

Spielberg directed Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn’s last film, “Always” (1989), and considered exploring her legacy further when he purchased a script from an unknown young writer named Ryan Murphy. The rom-com titled “Why Can’t I Be Audrey Hepburn?” would have followed a couple who bond over their shared obsession with the late movie star. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Téa Leoni were briefly attached to star, though the project never materialized. 

“That started my career,” Murphy said in an interview with NPR’s On Air. “I wrote it, sold it, and fell into it and have never stopped working since.” —MF

“Night Skies”

After exploring his lifelong fascination with aliens to enormous success in “Close Encounters to the Third Kind,” Spielberg was ready for another round. Spielberg wrote a treatment for “Night Skies,” original sci-fi horror film that was loosely inspired by the 1955 Hopkinsville encounter. He brought in John Sayles and Lawrence Kasdan to work on the script and began developing concept art for the new breed of aliens. The movie was never made although the character design went on to influence “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” —MF

“E.T. 2: Nocturnal Fears”

A sequel to “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” was in the works at one point, with Spielberg even recruiting screenwriter Melissa Mathison to return to write the script. Despite exploring a story about a new group of evil alien invaders, Speilberg ultimately determined he was satisfied with the first film and laid the idea to rest. 

“Sequels can be very dangerous because they compromise your truth as an artist,” Spielberg said in an NBC article. “I think a sequel to E.T. would do nothing but rob the original of its virginity. People only remember the latest episode, while the pilot tarnishes.” —MF

“Robopocalypse”

An A.I.-induced robot apocalypse sounds like would have aligned perfectly with Spielberg’s flair for spectacle, but he couldn’t find a way to get one of his most recent blockbuster obsessions off the ground. Spielberg was expected to direct an adaption of Daniel H. Wilson’s sci-fi novel “Robopocalypse,” but issues with the script and high production cost ultimately shuttered the project in 2013. The novel follows small patches of human survivors and their fight against Archos, an evil A.I. program. 

Spielberg spokesman Marvin Levy said it was “too important and the script is not ready, and it’s too expensive to produce. It’s back to the drawing board to see what is possible.” —MF

“The Talisman”

Although Hollywood’s two favorite Stevens have never collaborated on a movie before, Spielberg and King did come close with “The Talisman.” Spielberg was such a fan of the book King co-wrote with Peter Straub that he bought the film rights before it was even published. The 944-page novel tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who travels through a parallel universe to search for a crystal that will cure his sick mother. 

“I’ve owned the book since ’82, and I’m hoping to get this movie made in the next couple of years,” Spielberg said in an interview. “I’m just saying that it’s something that I’ve wanted to see come to theaters for the last 35 years.” —MF

“Micro”

After finding massive success with “Jurassic Park,” Spielberg tried to reteam with Michael Criton for an adaptation of the tech thriller “Micro.” The story follows biotech students who are lost in the jungle after being shrunk down to an inch in size with their scientific expertise as their only defense. Although Spielberg stepped away from “Micro,” director Joachim Ronning is expected to spearhead the project according to the latest update. —MF

“The Martian Chronicles”

Though Paramount acquired the rights to Ray Bradbury’s “The Martian Chronicles” in 2011, Spielberg tried to adapt the short story when Universal held the rights in the late ’90s. Although NBC made a miniseries on the story in the 80s, no big screen adaptation has ever materialized. A sci-fi junkie, Spielberg was heavily influenced by the late Bradbury before his passing in 2012. 

“He was my muse for the better part of my sci-fi career,” Spielberg said in an interview after Bradbury’s death. “He lives on through his legion of fans. In the world of science fiction and fantasy and imagination, he is immortal.” —MF

“Ghost Soldiers”

In 2002 Spielberg attempted to partner with Tom Cruise on a WWII movie called “Ghost Soldiers” about American prisoners of war during the Bataan death march. The film would have been based on the bestselling book by Hampton Sides. “Ghost Soldiers,” but was halted shortly after Cruise and Spielberg wrapped production on “Minority Report” for Twentieth Century Fox. —MF

“Chocky”

DreamWorks bought the rights to John Whyndam’s 1968 sci-fi novel “Chocky” in 2008, and Spielberg briefly flirted with directing the film. The book tells the story a boy whose imaginary friend turns out to be an alien entity that’s invaded his mind. With his hands full with other productions including “Lincoln” and “The Adventures of Tintin,” Spielberg never got around to recreating Whyndam’s story. —MF

“Flushed With Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper”

Spielberg’s career could have taken a dramatically different turn if one of his first proposed projects got off the ground. Before he rose to prominence with “Jaws,” the future “Schindler’s List” director attempted to adapt   “Flushed With Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper,” Wallace Reyburn’s satirical book about the invention of the toilet. He approached screenwriters Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck before dropping the project around the same time “The Sugarland Express” was shot. 

“We came up with the great idea of doing it as ‘Young Tom Edison.’ But like ‘Little Big Man,’ Huyck said in Joseph McBride’s Spielberg biography. “We wrote a treatment, and we gave it to our [mutual] agent, Guy McElwaine, who said ‘Steve, if this is the kind of movie you want to do, I don’t want to be your agent.’” —MF