Lost, rumored movie projects that I am obsessed with

All of this talk about big tentpole movies getting delayed indefinitely has gotten me thinking about projects I've heard about over the years and was excited about, but have never been made and probably never will be. They're movies that you hear about from filmmakers or trade publications as stuff that's 'in development' but for one reason or another they don't happen.

It'll be curious to see what happens with the release schedule once delayed movies finally start coming out.

Production has been shut down on several major movies -- perhaps all of them -- so there is going to be a bit of a drought at some point as the industry tries to catch up and that's if we can wrangle COVD-19 in this country, and right now it's a big if.

So with this time on my hands I'm going to talk about some projects that I remember hearing about and wish were still possible...

Uptown Saturday Night remake - I remember once hearing that director Adam McKay was looking to reboot this Sidney Poitier-Bill Cosby comedy about two regular guys who stumble into mobster antics with Will Smith and Denzel Washington in a rare comedic role. I was so excited to see Denzel especially outside of his comfort zone. I believe he can be very funny with the right material and McKay would have been the perfect director to coax humor out of him.

Yankee wife swap picture - Years ago I'd heard that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were attached to a  biopic about the incredible true story of two New York Yankees pitchers who decided to swap wives and families in the 1970s. They have probably aged out of of these roles by now but I still think it's an incredible story that is worth telling -- maybe get Chris Pine and Chris Pratt to play the teammates?

Bill Murray baseball movies - At various times the mercurial Murray has been attached to a biopic of legendary and colorful baseball promoter Bill Veeck and more recently he's been floated as a potential casting coup as former Cubs manager Joe Madden in a film about their historic World Series season. Like so many Bill Murray stories, it's hard to know how much is true and how much is hyperbole

Martin Scorsese's Dean Martin movie - For years, I've heard that Martin Scorsese was looking to make a biopic about the iconic Rat Packer. I'm intrigued since Scorsese has only really dipped a toe in the genre once, with The Aviator (I guess you could count The Last Temptation of Christ).

For some time, Tom Hanks was the name most often associated with this project, and the idea of a collaboration between him and Scorsese sounds fantastic but the ship has probably sailed on this one.

Dan Aykroyd's Chevy Chase comeback vehicle - Aykroyd has unfortunately become better known as an eccentric vodka pitchman  than for his acting over the last few years but he did raise some eyebrows when he claimed to be writing a film for him and Chevy Chase to star in -- a kind of Spies Like Us reunion. Presumably the film would factor in their ages (Chase is now in his late 70s) and would be a throwback of sorts to their brand of SNL humor. I love these guys and would love to see them in a least one last truly funny movie, but it's hard to tell if either of them have the chops for it.

The Last Dragon remake - The original Last Dragon is a great bad movie, a total cult classic that has a lot of affection for it, especially in the black community. Years ago there was talk of remaking it with Rihanna in the love interest role played by Vanity and Samuel L. Jackson as the villain Sho Nuff. I still think this could be a fun, viable project as long as the filmmakers get the tone right.

Spike Lee-Eddie Murphy collaboration - A while ago I'd heard that Lee and Murphy were going to team up for an HBO film about the wild life of former DC Mayor Marion Barry. It seemed like an irresistible pairing and subject matter. I know Murphy and Lee had not been particularly friendly in the past so I was excited to see that they had buried the hatchet and decided to combine forces. Plus, I've always loved Murphy in his more dramatic roles. I hope this can still happen!

Spike Lee's Joe Louis movie - Speaking of Spike Lee, he also had a biopic of the legendary boxer Joe Louis floating around. He supposedly penned a film about Louis' iconic bouts against German Max Schmeing with the veteran (now later) screenwriter Bud Schulberg. Casting might be a challenge (Louis had a very distinct look) but this feels like an easy, patriotic home run of a movie, if not for Lee, than for someone.

Richard Pryor biopic - Basically every black comic actor of a certain age has been linked to a theoretical Pryor movie (Marlon Wayans is said to have made an incredible audition tape). For whatever reason -- I suspect tensions within the Pryor estate -- there has yet to be a big screen (or even documentary) dedicated to the remarkable rise and tragic end of perhaps the greatest of stand up comic who ever lived. It feel like an enormous missed opportunity.

Escape from New York remake - To be clear, I don't want this remake to happen. The original Escape from New York is one of my favorite movies and unless there was a top notch director involved with a new vision, I feel like this can only be a letdown (although the production values would be better). But if they do make it -- I hope they do it well. Years ago there was a rumor that Gerard Butler was being tapped for the Kurt Russell role -- terrible choice.

Old man Batman movie - There is a pretty legendary string of graphic novels depicting Batman as an old man struggling to keep up his work as the Caped Crusader as Gotham descends into madness. Decades ago there was talk of someone like Clint Eastwood suiting up to play this part. I would argue that the original and still the best big screen Batman -- Michael Keaton -- is the perfect age right now to reprise the role. He hasn't outright said he wouldn't return and it'd be cool to see the Tim Burton aesthetic merged with the more modern Christopher Nolan one. This will probably not happen for some time (the Ben Affleck gray-haired Batman was certainly a nod to it) especially with the younger version of the character heading to the big screen soonish but I boy can dream can't he?