Draft:Shawn Levy's unrealized projects

The following is a list of unproduced Shawn Levy projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, Canadian film director Shawn Levy has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell into development hell, were officially cancelled, or would eventually be completed by a different production team.

The Way Back
On April 30, 2007, it was announced Levy would direct the coming-of-age comedy-drama The Way Back, written by Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, for Fox Searchlight Pictures, with production expected to begin in mid-June. Rash and Faxon would eventually direct the project themselves, which was ultimately retitled The Way, Way Back and released in theatres on July 5, 2013.

Untitled action adventure film
On February 3, 2011, it was announced that 20th Century Fox had acquired an original action adventure pitch by Carlton Cuse for Hugh Jackman to star and Levy to direct.

Fantastic Voyage remake
On February 7, 2011, it was announced that Levy had been selected to direct a remake of the science fiction film Fantastic Voyage (1966) by producer James Cameron and 20th Century Fox, with Laeta Kalogridis polishing a screenplay by Shane Salerno; Levy was to have replaced Paul Greengrass. On January 7, 2016, it was announced that Guillermo del Toro would be taking over as director, with David S. Goyer now writing the screenplay.

Frankenstein
On August 24, 2011, it was announced that Levy was entering talks with 20th Century Fox to direct a new film based on Frankenstein, from a screenplay by Max Landis. The project would eventually be directed by Paul McGuigan and released on November 25, 2015, as Victor Frankenstein, with Levy ultimately uninvolved.

The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto
On October 14, 2011, it was announced that 20th Century Fox had acquired the spec script The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto, a prequel to The Adventures of Pinocchio written by Mike Vukadinovich centered around Geppetto, as a directing vehicle for Levy.

City That Sailed
On November 14, 2013, it was announced that Levy would direct the adventure film City That Sailed for 20th Century Fox, with Audrey Wells writing the screenplay and Will Smith starring.

Minecraft
On October 16, 2014, it was announced that Levy would direct Minecraft, a film adaptation of the video game by Mojang Studios, for Warner Bros. Pictures, with Roy Lee and Jill Messick producing. On December 9, it was announced that Levy had departed the project, along with writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney, due to creative differences. The film was ultimately directed by Jared Hess and will be released in theatres on April 4, 2025.

Steelheart
On July 22, 2015, it was announced that 20th Century Fox had set Carter Blanchard to adapt the Brandon Sanderson 2013 novel Steelheart, the first installment in The Reckoners series, as a potential directing vehicle for Levy.

Bill Graham: My Life Inside Rock and Out
On February 17, 2016, it was announced that Levy would direct a biographical film about music promoter Bill Graham for 20th Century Fox, based on the autobiography Bill Graham: My Life Inside Rock and Out that Graham co-wrote with Robert Greenfield. On January 5, 2017, it was announced that Zach Dean would write the screenplay for the film.

Starman remake
On April 1, 2016, it was announced that Levy would direct a remake of the John Carpenter film Starman (1984) for Sony Pictures, with Arash Amel writing the screenplay; Levy would also produce the remake alongside Michael Douglas, who had also produced the original film. In August 2021, Levy stated that the project was "far horizon, or you could say unlikely", as he had not found a draft he felt was worthy enough of remaking the title.

Uncharted
On October 25, 2016, it was announced that Levy would direct the action adventure film Uncharted, based on the video game series of the same name, for Sony Pictures, with Joe Carnahan writing the most recent draft of the screenplay. On May 22, 2017, it was announced Tom Holland had been cast as Nathan Drake, with the film being reconfigured to serve as a prequel to the games. Rafe Judkins was rewriting the script by January 2018, with producer Charles Roven describing the film as an "origin story". On December 19, 2018, it was announced Levy had departed the film in order to prioritize working on Free Guy. The film was eventually directed by Ruben Fleischer and released in theatres on February 18, 2022.

The Fall
On May 17, 2017, it was announced that levy would direct and produce the science fiction film The Fall, written by Pete Bridges, for Amblin Partners.

Crater
On November 8, 2017, it was announced that Crater, a science fiction spec script by John Griffin, had been acquired by 20th Century Fox and that Levy was in negotiations to direct and produce the project. On January 12, 2021, it was announced that Kyle Patrick Alvarez would direct the project instead, with Levy only serving as a producer, with the film moving to a Disney+ release after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney. The film was released on Disney+ on May 12, 2023.

Real Steel sequel
On August 8, 2021, Levy said that he wants to reunite with Hugh Jackman for a sequel to Real Steel, that would potentially co-star Ryan Reynolds.

Free Guy sequel
On August 14, 2021, following the successful first-day box-office gross of Free Guy, star Ryan Reynolds confirmed that Disney wanted to make a sequel. In September 2023, Levy said the story for the sequel was being revised in response to the film Barbie. Levy stated, "We are developing a sequel, but the truth is that you now have Barbie that has obviously left a mark about a character in a fictional world who comes to self-awareness. So, we're only gonna make Free Guy 2 if it's different than the first movie and if it's different from other movies."

Backwards
On February 9, 2022, it was announced that Levy would direct the science fiction film Backwards for Netflix, based on the short story by Julianna Baggott and Finneas Scott, with Levy's 21 Laps also producing the project alongside Safehouse Pictures, with Baggott also serving as an executive producer.

Boy Band
In February 2023, it was announced Levy would produce the comedy Boy Band for Paramount Pictures alongside Ryan Reynolds, who would also co-write and star in the project. Levy was confirmed as the film's director in February 2024.

Untitled heist comedy film
In December 2023, it was announced Levy would direct and produce an untitled heist comedy film for Netflix, with Ryan Reynolds set to star and co-produce.

Untitled fifth Avengers film
While completing his work as director of Deadpool & Wolverine for Marvel Studios, Levy was approached to direct Avengers 5 in mid-March 2024. He turned down the offer due to scheduling concerns with his role as a director and executive producer on the fifth season of Stranger Things that would keep him busy until 2025.