9 thriller movies we'll probably never get to see – and the reasons why

Metro

26-07-2025

Link is copied Comments Whether you're a fan of gritty crime dramas, tense courtroom encounters, psychological shockers or murder mysteries, the thriller is one of the widest and most popular genres in cinema. All types of movies fall under this banner (and it's a genre which has kept us glued to the screen for decades, and has continued to do so in 2025), from the likes of Black Bag and Drop through to the upcoming remake of The Running Man and the big screen version of best-selling novel The Housemaid. But for every dose of thrills keeping us on the edge of our seat, the path is littered with those that never quite made it. Here's 10 from all sub-genres of thriller that once could have been box office gold, yet never saw the light of day... (Picture: REX/Shutterstock) First up, we have this intriguing sounding action thriller which was all set to be made courtesy of Lethal Weapon producer Joel Silver, with Wesley Snipes taking the lead. Sandblast, which was originally tipped to star Eddie Murphy, told the story of a landmine expert navigating a dangerous desert. But despite the interesting premise and big name cast, it never became a reality, and the reason isn't clear. However YouTube channel TheItalianStallion has taken a closer look at the film that never was, citing everything from its similarity to 90s movie Broken Arrow, to creative issues around co-star Jean-Claude Van Damme (Photo by) The Wachowskis have given the movie world hits such as the Matrix franchise, Cloud Atlas and the 90s indie gem Bound. But one project of theirs which never became a reality was their adaptation of Joseph R Garber's 1995 best-seller Vertical Run. Kurt Russell had been tipped to star in the movie about an executive who has the work day from hell, after his boss - and everyone else he meets - tries to kill him. But despite all the big-name talent attached, and the backing of Warner Bros, this one never made it past pre-production. It's not clear why, but we can't pretend this wouldn't have made a cracking film (Picture:) Nothing to do with the social media behemoth, Tick-Tock was originally announced in 2001 with a stellar cast that included the likes of Samuel L Jackson and Jennifer Lopez. The plot centred on an amnesiac who wakes up in the custody of the FBI and finds out he is the prime suspect for a string of bomb attacks in Los Angeles. The film was set to go into production in early 2002, however reports at the time suggested it was shelved following the 9/11 attacks that same year. Filmmaker Stephen Norrington, who was attached to the project, went on to make The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but has since retired from directing (Picture: John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images) Vince Vaughn has been a familiar face on screens over the past few decades thanks to his roles in the likes of Dodgeball, The Wedding Crashers, The Break-Up and recent Netflix smash Nonnas. But one movie he was attached to that we never got to see was the big-screen version of Ridley Pearson's suspense thriller The Risk Agent. The actor was announced in 2012 to have acquired the film rights to the novel, about a military contractor who joins forces with a Chinese intelligence officer to investigate a kidnapping. All of which sounds like cinematic gold. Except, 13 years later, we're still waiting to see it, with reports suggesting it's still 'in development'. Could it happen? In theory, yes, but with no release date or production date forthcoming, who knows if it'll ever become a reality (Picture:) So this one might tip into the realms of romance, but it's a romantic thriller more than anything else, so we'll include it. The Bodyguard, which stars Kevin Costner as a former Secret Service agent turned reluctant bodyguard to a superstar singer (Whitney Houston), was pretty much imprinted on the brain of anyone who grew up in the 90s. Mainly for Houston's smash hit track I Will Always Love You, of course. And it was so huge that it's not surprising there were plans for a sequel, which this time would have featured Costner starring alongside the late Princess Diana. Following her tragic, premature death in 1997, however, plans ground to a halt. And while that put an end to all plans for a sequel, the Bodyguard has lived on as a hit stage musical - and Deadline revealed in April a remake of the original is in development (Picture: Warner Bros) You'd think a filmmaker as revered as Alfred Hitchcock would have no problem getting a movie before the cameras, right? Well, that's where you're wrong. The creative genius behind such classic films as Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window and Strangers On A Train did have some projects which never made it to screen. Notably, 1967's Kaleidoscope, the dark tale of a New York bodybuilder-turned-serial killer, who lures his female victims to their deaths near water. Unfortunately, we'll never know what might have been with this low-budget effort - as executives at MCA/Universal turned the script down, deciding it was just too explicit for them. Hitchcock went on to make espionage thriller Topaz instead, before releasing serial killer thriller Frenzy in 1972 (Photo) Spike Lee's 2006 crime thriller starring Denzel Washington and Chiwitel Ajiofor was a critical and commercial hit when it was released, scoring an impressive 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes - and becoming the director's highest-grossing movie ahead of previous champion Malcolm X. So it's no surprise that a sequel was planned for the movie, which centred on an elaborate bank-heist turned hostage drama on Wall Street. However, Lee himself revealed in 2011 that plans for the follow-up had been shelved as he could not secure funding. 'Inside Man was my most successful film, but we can't get the sequel made,' he said at the time. Instead, film fans had to make do with a belated follow-up, 2019's Inside Man: Most Wanted, with a whole new cast and director. You can see that one on Netflix, while being left to wonder how Lee's version might have been (Picture: Lee/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock) Now here's one that had a pretty top-notch cast attached, with the likes of Gerard Butler, Matthew McConaughey and Sam Worthington all reported to be on board at the time. The film, based on the novel Thunder Run - The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad by David Zucchino, about the capture of the Iraqi capital by US forces in 2003, was originally announced in 2011. And aside from the cast, it promised some pretty impressive visuals too, with the movie set to be shot in 3D and feature CGI motion-capture technology. It never became a reality, though. Why, we're not sure, but we can't pretend we're not a little disappointed by its non-appearance (Picture:for Tribeca Festival) Considering his track record in action thrillers over the decades, Jason Statham seems like the perfect choice to topline a movie based on a novel by Andy McNab. And so it was that the Beekeeper star was revealed to be starring as an SAS agent in Echelon, based on McNab's book Firewall. Except the author revealed in 2011 that scheduling clashes had forced the star to quit. 'There are so many films he's got lined up, there wouldn't be a slot for him to do it,' he told Digital Spy. We've not heard a peep from this adaptation since then, so whether or not it'll get made, with Statham or another star, remains to be seen (Picture: Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage) Next Gallery