Why studios cancel finished films, and who pays the price

Cancellations used to mean disaster on set but in the topsy-turvy world of Hollywood economics they now happen in boardrooms.

Most people would assume that once a major studio backs a film and cameras roll, the release is locked in. But a growing number of finished films are being pulled before they reach an audience.

Studios have always cancelled projects. In the past, the reasons were usually creative or logistical. A film might collapse under its own weight, or be sunk by clashing egos. That still happens, but something else is happening more often now.

Films are being cancelled on purpose, because finishing them no longer fits the plan.

I thought it would be helpful to go over why these cancellations happen, what they cost, and who is left carrying the consequences.

When films collapse

Studios have been cancelling films for almost as long as they’ve been making them. These decisions can happen at any stage, from deep development to right through to after post-production is complete.

The causes fall into a few sub-categories:

1. Development dead ends

2. Sabotage from within

3. Chaos behind the camera

4. Tragedy on set

5. External fallout

6. Franchise failures

7. The strategic cancellation

1. Development dead ends

Some projects stall before cameras roll. Kubrick’s Napoleon was in deep pre-production by 1970. Costumes were made, locations were scouted and Jack Nicholson had been cast. But after Waterloo flopped and MGM changed leadership, the project was cancelled. The budget felt suddenly too risky and the studio lost its nerve.

Disney’s Gigantic, an animated take on Jack and the Beanstalk, went through multiple rewrites and delays before it was shelved in 2017. By that point, years of development work had already been paid for.

2. Sabotage from within

Starting filming is no guarantee of finishing it, as some projects collapse from inside the production. Broadway Brawler began filming in 1997 but fell apart after Bruce Willis fired the director, cinematographer and several producers. Twenty days into shooting, Disney shut it down. Willis was later forced to make three further films under contract to cover the losses. One of them was The Sixth Sense (neatly bringing his career back from the dead).

In 1988, Atuk made it as far as a single scene before Sam Kinison demanded major script changes, then walked off. The production folded. Later attempts to restart the film failed. Several actors linked to the lead role (including John Belushi, John Candy and Chris Farley) died before any version was made.

3. Chaos behind the camera

Sometimes the dysfunction is not in front of the lens. Empires of the Deep, a fantasy epic funded by a Chinese property tycoon, ran through multiple directors and was shot in chaotic conditions. Cast members reported unpaid wages and poor treatment. One actress said her passport was withheld when she tried to leave. A trailer leaked, but no finished film was ever released.

Terry Gilliam’s first attempt at The Man Who Killed Don Quixote collapsed after a few days of shooting. A flash flood damaged the set, and lead actor Jean Rochefort suffered a serious back injury. The production was suspended and later abandoned. Insurance covered part of the loss. Gilliam eventually remade the film nearly twenty years later. The original collapse is documented in Lost in La Mancha, which should be required viewing for anyone heading into production.

4. Tragedy on set

Midnight Rider, a biopic about Gregg Allman, was cancelled on its first day. A train struck and killed camera assistant Sarah Jones during a scene that was being shot without a permit. Seven others were injured. The director was jailed. The film was never restarted. The only lasting result was a safety movement in her name.

5. External fallout

Sometimes the problem isn’t in the production at all. Netflix completed Gore, a biopic starring Kevin Spacey, but shelved it after sexual misconduct allegations emerged. The edit was finished but the film never went out.