Steven Spielberg Nearly Made A Sequel To This Iconic Movie

Publish date: 2024-08-16

Crafting a successful movie is a genuine skill that few possess, which is why seeing a filmmaker carve out a legacy in Hollywood is incredibly impressive. Names like Denis Villeneuve and Chloe Zhao are currently making waves and setting themselves up for years of future success.

Steven Spielberg is a legend of the business who has crafted numerous hit flims that have inspired younger filmmakers. Spielberg seems to choose the right project more often than not, but sometimes, the projects he wants to make don't work out.

Let's take a look at a sequel that the director didn't get to bring to life.

Steven Spielberg Is An Icon

When looking at the most successful directors to ever work in the film industry, it becomes quite clear that Steven Spielberg is in a league of his own. The man has been churning out hit films since the 1970s, and there aren't many people out there who can contend with a resume like his.

Spielberg has been ahead of the curve time and time again in Hollywood, and he has inspired legions of filmmakers with his most successful projects. After all, we are talking about the director responsible for movies like Jaws, E.T., the Indiana Jones franchise, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, and a whole lot more.

It has been an amazing run in Hollywood for Steven Spielberg, and these days, he is one of the most celebrated directors in history. While he could simply rest on his laurels and enjoy the fruits of his labor, Spielberg continues to tackle huge projects with the hope of crafting a story that will be loved by millions.

The director has done amazing work, but there have been some interesting projects that he never got the chance to bring to life.

Related: Why Was Steven Spielberg Never Hired To Direct A 'James Bond' Film?

He Has Had A Number Of Unrealized Projects

Making the right movie is a legitimate skill, but staying away from the wrong movie is just as important. Through the years, Steven Spielberg has had an immense amount of success, but the director has also avoided projects that could have drastically altered the trajectory of his career.

Any project could benefit from someone like Spielberg being on board, but the final product would not have been the same. Take Shrek, for instance. That film is a beloved classic, and before it was made, Steven Spielberg was going to tackle the project. In fact, he had Bill Murray tabbed to voice Shrek early on. Let that sink in for a second.

Some other notable projects that Spielberg nearly worked on include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Meet the Parents, Memoirs of a Geisha, and even Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. All movies that were successful, and they all would have looked a lot different with Spielberg on board.

The director has also had his eye on doing some interesting sequel projects, including a sequel to one of the most fascinating and successful movies to emerge from the 1980s.

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He Wanted To Do A 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' Sequel

1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit was nothing short of a triumph upon release, and to this day, it remains one of the most incredible feats in film history. The Oscar-winning film has a tremendous legacy in Hollywood, and at one point, Steven Spielberg was interested in making a sequel to the beloved movie.

The story, which would have been titled Who Discovered Roger Rabbit, would have focused on Roger and how he came to meet Jessica. Roger was also set to joint the Army to fight against the Nazis, who had kidnapped Jessica and forced her to help with Nazi propaganda.

However, after working on Schindler's List, the director "wasn't having any of it. Both Toon Platoon and Who Discovered Roger Rabbit featured nefarious Nazis plots and Spielberg vowed to not have Nazis appear as villains in any of his more frivolous entertainments," per Collider.

Spielberg also had difficulties behind the scenes with Disney, which contributed to the project never coming to life. To date, there are still attractions in Disney parks that feature Roger Rabbit himself, but the sequel to the classic film never materialized.

In 2016, Robert Zemeckis, who directed the original film, talked about the sequel, and he mentioned that "the current corporate Disney culture has no interest in Roger, and they certainly don’t like Jessica at all."

Related: These Are Some Of Steven Spielberg’s Most Famous Movies, Ranked By How Many Awards He Won For Them

Who Discovered Roger Rabbit could have been an interesting Spielberg project, but it sure seems like it will never happen at this point.

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