Draft:List of unproduced Alex Proyas projects

The following is a list of unproduced Alex Proyas projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, Australian film director Alex Proyas has worked on several projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially canceled, were in development limbo or would see life under a different production team.

Casper the Friendly Ghost film
Proyas was initially attached to direct a film adaptation of Casper the Friendly Ghost, but on November 28, 1993, Proyas left the film to finish The Crow after Brandon Lee was fatally shot. On October 26, 2008, Proyas admitted that the screenplay was rewritten not to his liking. The film was ultimately directed by Brad Silberling.

The Masque of the Red Death film
On May 7, 1999, it was announced that Proyas would direct a medieval fantasy film adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s story The Masque of the Red Death, with Proyas and Stuart Hazeldine writing a Dirty Dozen-esqe screenplay and producing with Julie Corman and Andrew Mason for Fox 2000.

Rizen
On May 7, 1999, it was announced that Proyas would direct Rizen, a horror-thriller written by Proyas and Stuart Hazeldine for Universal Pictures. It is unknown if Proyas revised the script to Sister Darkness.

Untitled time-travel film
On August 24, 1999, it was announced that Proyas would produce and direct a time-travel film based on a pitch he and Jerrold E. Brown came up with for 20th Century Fox, with Brown writing the screenplay after Proyas was impressed by Brown's draft for a comedic Lobo movie.

Enoch's Portal film
On June 2, 2000, it was announced that Proyas would write and direct the film adaptation of Andy Hill’s suspense novel Enoch's Portal for Sean Daniel’s Alphaville Productions.

Berserker film
On December 11, 2000, it was announced that Proyas would direct a film based on Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series with Jesse Alexander writing the script and New Line Cinema producing the film.

Drive
On October 18, 2001, it was announced that Proyas would direct and produce a film based on Harlan Ellison's Along the Scenic Route entitled Drive with Cyrus Vorris and Ethan Reiff writing the script and Paramount Pictures producing the film.

Dracula Untold (fka Dracula: Year Zero)
On July 10, 2007, it was announced that Proyas would direct Dracula Year Zero for Universal Pictures, with Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless writing the screenplay. On February 10, 2012, it was reported that Gary Shore would be taking over the film, as Proyas and prospective star Sam Worthington had been let go from the project due to its high budget. The film was eventually retitled Dracula Untold and released in theatres October 10, 2014.

The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag film
On August 22, 2008, Proyas was set to write and direct the film adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s novella The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag and produce along with Phoenix Pictures. On April 10, 2012, Red Granite Pictures and James Vanderbilt’s Mythology Entertainment were set to produce Proyas' feature film adaptation with Phoenix Pictures.

The Tripods film franchise
On January 29, 2009, it was announced that Proyas would direct and co-write with Stuart Hazeldine the film adaptation of John Christopher’s The Tripods starting with The White Mountain.

Paradise Lost film
On September 16, 2010, Proyas was set to direct a 3-D film adaptation of John Milton’s poem Paradise Lost for Legendary Entertainment, with Bradley Cooper casted as Lucifer, Benjamin Walker as Michael, Djimon Hounsou as Abdiel, Casey Affleck as Gabriel, Dominic Purcell as Satan, Diego Boneta as Adam, Rufus Sewell as Sammael, Camilla Belle as Eve, Sam Reid as Raphael, and Callan McAuliffe as Uriel. On December 7, 2011, production was halted, and on February 9, 2012, Legendary officially scrapped the film.

Amped film
On December 1, 2010, Proyas was set to produce and possibly direct the film adaptation of Daniel H. Wilson’s sci-fi thriller novel Amped for Summit Entertainment, and on March 18, 2011, Proyas was confirmed to direct the film adaptation. There have been no further announcements since.

Joe Golem and the Drowning City film
On July 11, 2012, Proyas was set to write and direct the film adaptation of Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden’s comic book Joe Golem and the Drowning City for Constantin Film.

Evolve TV series
On November 1, 2012, Proyas was set to direct and executive produce Evolve, a biotoxin drama series Jamie Paglia will write and produce for ABC, but the series was ultimately never picked up.

Dark City TV series
On August 12, 2021, Proyas revealed that he was making a television series of his movie Dark City.

Foundation film
On January 16, 2009, Proyas was offered to direct a film adaptation of Issac Asimov's Foundation book series in a rights auction for Warner Bros. Pictures, but Roland Emmerich and Columbia Pictures acquired the rights instead.

A Nightmare on Elm Street sequel
On February 14, 2021, Proyas revealed on Indie Film Hustle that he was offered to direct a sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street, but turned it down.