In today’s frenzy of superhero-related media, the idea of a crossover movie is nothing new. With that said, crossover movies have been around for a while. From Alien vs. Predator and Freddy vs. Jason to the Universal Monster movies, crossovers have only recently become a more common trend.
Yet not every crossover movie that has been proposed ever saw the light of day in terms of production, or at the very least changed significantly from the initial draft. Some of these proposed crossover movies, though, were quite strange and even baffling. Here are arguably the strangest examples from recent decades.
The Fantastic Four, X-Men, Deadpool & Daredevil In One Movie
Before Disney acquired Twentieth Century Fox, let alone the Avengers movies, Fox had an ambitious crossover movie in mind. This would have involved not just the X-Men and Fantastic Four, but also Deadpool and Daredevil (while he was owned by Fox).
Planned in 2010, the movie’s plot would’ve resembled Captain America: Civil War’s story where the superheroes are pitted against each other over a dubious law. Unfortunately, the director they wanted left and Fox concentrated their efforts on X-Men: First Class instead. Had Fox seen the crossover movie through, the landscape of superhero movies might have looked different.
G.I. Joe Meets Transformers
Being successful toy lines and cartoon series, G.I. Joe and Transformers shaped a whole generation of young boys. Their movie adaptations, though, have been mixed with the latter franchise’s films being more successful than the former’s.
So a crossover between the two would sound crazy, except there’s a whole history of comic books where the G.I. Joe unit and robots of Transformers collided. This was even considered during the initial planning of the second G.I. Joe movie, but it ended up not happening. Now, it’s not definite if Paramount won’t consider pairing these franchises in the near future.
Freddy Versus Jason Versus Ash
Among the 1980s slasher movies, two of the most popular franchises were A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Featuring supernatural killers, it seemed like a good idea to have the two fight in a cinematic crossover. However, this wouldn’t manifest until roughly twenty years after the film was planned due to financial and legal reasons.
While the eventual product Freddy vs. Jason did financially well, a sequel for it was cancelled that would’ve brought in Ash from the Evil Dead movies. The main reason this didn’t happen, according to Robert Englund, was New Line and Sam Raimi couldn’t agree on who should win between Freddy and Ash.
Men in Black Meets 21 Jump Street
As movies like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein demonstrate, a crossover between horror movie icons and comedic actors is possible. But combining different comedies, namely Men in Black and 21 Jump Street, wasn’t doable. Yes, there was a planned crossover between these two franchises that first came to light following the 2014 Sony hack.
Though after the film was officially announced with MIB 23 as the working title, it didn’t come together. Supposedly it had to do with the creative team being unable to meld the two concepts, but another reason involved financial negotiations falling through.
Eddie Murphy In A Star Trek Movie
With Guillermo del Toro’s Haunted Mansion reboot up in the air, it’s unclear if we’ll ever get something better than the movie we got that starred Eddie Murphy in 2003. But there was another possible combination that could’ve happened involving the Star Trek franchise.
During the early development of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Murphy was considered for a possible role. Fresh off the success of Beverly Hills Cop, it seemed like a natural fit due to Star Trek IV’s lighthearted tone story-wise. However, he was apparently not happy with the role and turned it down much to his regret.
Leprechaun Versus Candyman
Following the success of '80s slasher movies, the '90s presented its own brand of slasher movie killers. Some were campy like Leprechaun, yet others had layers of substance such as Candyman. But around the time Freddy vs. Jason was coming together, a crossover was pitched to pair the Candyman and Leprechaun characters.
While the plot details are unknown, Candyman’s actor Tony Todd turned the movie down thus ensuring it wouldn’t happen. He claimed in a later interview that he didn’t want his character to be handled in the same comedic way Abbott and Costello did with the Universal Monsters.
Chucky Versus Freddy Krueger
Prior to Cult of Chucky’s release, the screenwriter Don Mancini guest-starred on a podcast called Necronomicast where various horror movies are discussed. On it, he proposed a crossover between the Child’s Play franchise and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Calling it Child’s Play on Elm Street, Mancini elaborated the film would involve the possessed doll Chucky meeting Freddy Krueger in an Elm Street house. Initially, the two killers reveal themselves to be “fans of each other,” as quoted on Dread Central, before fighting. Now since the podcast, no further word has been made about this crossover actually happening.
The Monster Squad Versus Godzilla
For those who don’t know, The Monster Squad was an '80s family horror film that featured a bunch of kids taking on versions of the classic Universal Monsters. While it didn’t do financially well at the time, the film has since gained a cult following.
Yet before the box office numbers came in, ideas for a sequel were already being made. Among these included having the kids take on Godzilla. Sadly, this crazy idea never took off. Now, there was talk of still doing a sequel and/or adapting The Monster Squad for television, but the film’s director Fred Dekker claimed neither was likely.
Jay And Silent Bob Meet Pinhead
Iconic characters from the '90s, Jay and Silent Bob have appeared in various media ranging from comic books to movies to music videos. Yet among the various situations they’ve gotten into, nothing could top off the idea of them encountering Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies.
To give some context, Silent Bob’s actor Kevin Smith was contacted by Harvey Weinstein following Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’s release. He suggested the two stoners should pair with one of the horror movie characters owned by The Weinstein Company, among which included Pinhead. So it would’ve been a modern Abbott and Costello-type crossover, though nothing developed further.
The Beatles In Stanley Kubrick’s Lord of the Rings
Before the Korean Wave, there was the British Wave in the mid-'60s. Among the bands that became popular were the Beatles, who became musical pioneers. They also made several films, which arguably inspired modern music videos.
A proposed movie idea, though, was putting the Beatles in Lord of the Rings with Stanley Kubrick to direct. The boys’ roles were even picked with Paul as Frodo, Ringo as Sam, John as Gollum, and George as Gandalf. Unfortunately, Kubrick wasn’t interested leading the Beatles to make Yellow Submarine instead.