In 1987, Timothy Dalton made his big-screen debut as James Bond in the well-received THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS. The film was a box-office hit, and critics and audiences alike praised his darker take on the character, which was much more in line with the character Ian Fleming created on the page. In 1989, the second Dalton 007 outing, LICENCE TO KILL was released, but this time, many thought they'd taken the character too far into the darkness with its grounded tale of drug lords and revenge despite w...
Aug 01, 2022•7 min
For over two decades Mel Gibson was the king of Hollywood, from his launch to stardom in the MAD MAX movies and the LETHAL WEAPON franchise, to his acclaimed and successful shift behind the camera with BRAVEHEART and THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. But his battles with booze and inner demons eventually got the best of him, and his shining star was all but extinguished after publicized drunken tirades in 2006 and 2010. Although he has since returned as both actor and director, he retains only a fracti...
Jul 29, 2022•54 min
As a teenager in the late 1960s, Frank Abagnale Jr. established himself as “the world’s most savvy con man” by cashing millions in fraudulent checks and impersonating a doctor, lawyer and airline pilot. In the 2002 film CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, director Steven Spielberg presented these various cons with Leonardo DiCaprio as the effortlessly charming swindler. Is Spielberg’s movie an accurate depiction of Abagnale’s criminal career, or just another elaborate con? Get your boarding pass and find out “...
Jul 25, 2022•17 min
There are some characters in horror that stick with us because they scare us half to death. Others are just so hilariously over the top that you just can’t forget them. But there are others that are so relatable that you immediately feel a kinship to them, and they stick with you for years to come. One of those characters is Billy Peltzer, played by actor Zach Galligan, from the eternal classic (and yes, it’s a Christmas movie) Gremlins. So, this holiday season, we’re taking a look at one of the...
Jul 22, 2022•11 min
In today's "WTF Happened to this Unmade Horror Movie" we're taking a look at a series that has been dormant for over a decade, "Friday the 13th." Countless films have entered development, yet none have made it to cameras rolling. How have we been deprived of Jason Voorhees mayhem for nearly a decade? Was it bad scripting? Bad management? Or is it the lawsuit that just doesn't seem to disappear. Find out all of that and more on today's episode as we take a look at Nick Antosca’s “Friday the 13th ...
Jul 18, 2022•10 min
What happens when a studio has a massive blockbuster and is so desperate for a sequel that they give the director a massive budget and complete creative control free from studio interference? Sometimes, if you're lucky, you get a movie like Joe Dante's GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH, which, despite being a box office flop when it came out thirty years ago, is now regarded as a cult classic, even if many fans don't consider it quite in the same league as the original. So join us as we try to figure WT...
Jul 15, 2022•16 min
While Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR memorably ended with the death of Russell Crowe's iconic Maximus, that didn't stop Hollywood from trying to figure out a way to make a sequel, with Russell Crowe returning as its star. In fact, the great Nick Cave, following his success with THE PROPOSITION, was hired to pen a sequel, which he did involving Roman Gods, persecuted Christians and a return from the dead for old Maximus. While the film never did get made, it has a reputation for being one of the most i...
Jul 11, 2022•8 min
LONE WOLF MCQUADE, his wild run with Cannon Films, which included classics like MISSING IN ACTION, THE DELTA FORCE and INVASION USA, to eventual TV superstardom on WALKER TEXAS RANGER. Since cameoing in THE EXPENDABLES 2, Norris has been pretty low-key in front of the camera, but it turned out the bearded one had plenty of good reasons as we go into in WTF HAPPENED TO CHUCK NORRIS!
Jul 08, 2022•31 min
After two brontosaurus-sized box office smashes, a third JURASSIC PARK movie seemed like a guaranteed success. But without Steven Spielberg in the director’s chair, and a script that was constantly revised throughout the entire production, the 2001 sequel was met with financial and critical disappointment, putting the dinosaur franchise into deep storage for 15 years. But is JURASSIC PARK III so bad? Sharpen your claws and find out “WTF Happened to JURASSIC PARK 3?”
Jul 04, 2022•14 min
You know him as Pinhead from the iconic HELLRAISER franchise; but Doug Bradley achieved way more than that one role within his illustrious career. We take a look back at his roots, his journey and his career. And stay tuned at the end of the episode for a BRAND NEW interview with Mr. Bradley himself!
Jul 01, 2022•1 hr 26 min
In the latest "WTF Happened to this Unmade Horror Movie" we're taking a look at the alternate reality where Fincher's "Alien 3" doesn't exist and instead we received William Gibson's "Alien 3." Are the changes enough to turn the controversial "Alien 3" into something that's as adored as "Alien" and "Aliens"? Is Ripley still the coolest female protagonist this side of LV 426? And are the fates of Newt and Hicks finally resolved? Find out all that and more!
Jun 27, 2022•10 min
In this episode, we take a look at the zombie action flick World War Z, starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Matthew Fox, James Badge Dale, Peter Capaldi, David Morse, Ruth Negga and Daniella Kertesz. Directed by Marc Forster, this globe-spanning zombie yarn is adapted from the novel of the same written by Max Brooks, although it's seemingly mostly in name only as the story changed drastically for the big screen. With all manner of production issues, a reshot ending and clashes with the director a...
Jun 20, 2022•16 min
In the mid-nineties, star Arnold Schwarzenegger and director Paul Verhoeven were riding high. Arnold was arguably the world's biggest star at the time, while he had one of his biggest hits ever teaming with Verhoeven on the classic TOTAL RECALL, which was produced by Carolco Pictures. The two then pitched the studio on doing a massive, big-budget epic about the Crusades, appropriately titled, CRUSADE, which got so far into pre-production that the cast, which would include Jennifer Connelly, Gary...
Jun 17, 2022•11 min
Kirsten Dunst started her career at a young age, making her first big impression alongside A-list talent in INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE before appearing in hits like JUMANJI, BRING IT ON and the Sam Raimi SPIDER-MAN trilogy. Outside of blockbusters, Dunst established herself as a reliable performer in projects and roles of any size. And while her recent output may have slowed as she focuses on a new family, a look through her recent career demonstrates just how UNDERRATED she really is. Fall into...
Jun 13, 2022•45 min
Mike Judge found massive success with his "Beavis and Butt-Head" TV series, but the transition to live-action proved far more difficult. After the box office failure of OFFICE SPACE in 1999, Judge's next effort IDIOCRACY fared even worse in 2006, with the studio practically burying his movie. But in the years since, the social satire found a cult following and became part of the pop culture landscape with its depiction of a moronic future. Mutilate your thirst and find out "WTF Happened to IDIOC...
Jun 10, 2022•14 min
Monster Kid is a term applied to those of us who grew up on the classics, who read Famous Monsters of Filmland, who loved the monsters and weren’t afraid of anyone knowing that we were cheering on Frankenstein and company. Monster Kids would go all out for Halloween and would spend their allowance on anything they could find that was related to a horror movie. We’d stay up late watching Creature Features and would ask the question “how’d they make that?” when they saw a new weird creation shambl...
Jun 06, 2022•28 min
This week on "The Horror Movie That Almost Was" we're diving into the Bruce Campbell-starring cult classic NOT named Evil Dead. That's right, we're taking a look at "Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She Vampires." Why was this movie unable to get funding? Why did Campbell lose interest in the sequel? And why on earth did we never get this film despite so many heavy hitters being involved? We hope to answer all those questions and more...
Jun 03, 2022•10 min
Wes Craven gave the horror genre one of its greatest icons when he introduced Freddy Krueger in 1984’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, but he had very little to do with what happened to Freddy after that. So when Alive Films asked him to create a new horror franchise that he would have control over and a financial stake in, he jumped at the chance. He gave them the 1989 SHOCKER! SHOCKER was supposed to give us a new genre icon, jump-start a franchise, and earn Craven stacks of cash. Instead, it had a...
May 30, 2022•12 min
In this episode, we take a look back at the doomed, big-budget, R-rated AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS adaptation from director Guillermo del Toro (PAN'S LABYRINTH), producer James Cameron (ALIENS), and star Tom Cruise (THE MUMMY), based on H.P. Lovecraft's famous novella! In fact, it came really close to being made many times, and we chronicle the ill-fated journey of this amazing-sounding film, as well as what it might've looked like! Hope you enjoy!
May 27, 2022•12 min
In the 1980's, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark stepped out of the shadows and into the living rooms of many a household. She was campy, she was vampy, and she was hilarious. Elvira was the creation of Cassandra Peterson, and she would go on to become an icon in the lands of horror and TV. She would make the term “horror host” known around the world and she’d do it all while not only being Elvira but writing and producing her work as well. So, settle back darlings and prepare for some unpleasant dre...
May 20, 2022•36 min
This week on "The Horror Movie That Almost Was" we're taking a look at a "Versus" film that came so close to happening yet never could manage to cross the finish line. Was it due to lack of a good story? Were they unable to get the actors back? Was the budget too high? We'll answer all those questions and more as we dive into the battle of all battles, "Freddy vs Jason vs Ash." SERIES SYNOPSIS: "WTF Happened to this Unmade Horror Movie" takes a look at the various horror projects that could neve...
May 16, 2022•10 min
In this episode we look at the troubled and deadly production of 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie. Directed in four segments by John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller, the Landis-directed chapter ("Time Out") resulted in three deaths, including actor Vic Morrow, which would bring up criminal charges for Landis and sever his friendship with Spielberg forever. It's a frightening tale set amidst a frightening tale as we explore WTF Happened to Twilight Zone: The Movie!...
May 13, 2022•13 min
In this episode, we take a look back at the epic JUSTICE LEAGUE MORTAL, the doomed JUSTICE LEAGUE film that was to be directed by MAD MAX: FURY ROAD and HAPPY FEET director George Miller. At one point, it was fully cast (including Armie Hammer as Batman/Bruce Wayne and rapper Common as Green Lantern/John Stewart), costumes were being designed by LORD OF THE RINGS' Weta Workshop, and large sets were even being built before everything came crashing down! Would it have been better than the Zack Sny...
May 09, 2022•15 min
After an early career as a model and commercial actor, Jonathan Taylor Thomas entered millions of homes as the son of Tim Allen's character on eight seasons of the hit show "Home Improvement." In the 1990s, the teen heartthrob voiced young Simba in Disney's THE LION KING and appeared in several movies (WILD AMERICA, TOM AND HUCK, MAN OF THE HOUSE) before taking a break for school… but he never really returned. While he did briefly reunite with his TV dad on the sitcom "Last Man Standing", in rec...
May 06, 2022•35 min
It took a century for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic pulp hero JOHN CARTER (played by Taylor Kitsch) to finally reach the red planet on the big screen. But Disney’s 2012 feature -- the live-action directing debut of Pixar’s Andrew Stanton (FINDING NEMO, WALL-E) -- was exorbitantly expensive, mishandled its marketing, and ultimately proved to be one of history’s biggest box office failures posting an over $200 million loss. Yet the movie itself is - dare I say - pretty damn good! Get yer ass to Ma...
May 03, 2022•15 min
This week on "The Horror Movie That Almost Was" we're getting into the sequel we've been waiting on for decades, "Gremlins 3." Will original stars Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates return? Will Steven Spielberg be involved in any capacity? Are they going super family friendly? We answer all of those questions and more so take a look! SERIES SYNOPSIS: "WTF Happened to this Unmade Horror Movie" takes a look at the various horror projects that could never seem to get things off the ground, be it for b...
Apr 29, 2022•9 min
Film production often has a habit of going way off the rails. In recent years, the news has been full of torturous, drawn-out production histories on movies that limp their way to the finish line, often coming out in highly compromised forms. Usually, the only movies we here about are big budget tentpoles, but more modest films often meet a similar fate, such as HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE, which underwent massive reshoots and re-edits at the hands of Dimension Films. So what exactly went wrong, and i...
Apr 25, 2022•12 min
In this episode, we take a look at one of the more intriguing, never-made projects, Stanley Kubrick's planned epic, Napoleon. Viewers may be surprised to see just how much work Kubrick had put into his planned masterpiece, with elements from the un-produced film showing up in his BARRY LYNDON. Check it out!
Apr 22, 2022•17 min
After spending his youth in TV and smaller film appearances, Hayden Christensen made an impact as a rebellious teen in the acclaimed drama LIFE AS A HOUSE. Everything changed when he won the prized role of Anakin Skywalker in George Lucas' highly anticipated STAR WARS prequels… but playing the man who would become Darth Vader was not necessarily a gateway to greater things, and his post-prequel career has struggled. Check your midi-chlorian count and find out "WTF Happened to Hayden Christensen!...
Apr 15, 2022•32 min
Director Martin Scorsese’s 1980 biographical drama RAGING BULL, with an unforgettable Robert De Niro as real-life boxer Jake La Motta, has been acclaimed as one of the greatest films ever made. But does this glimpse into the tumultuous life of “The Bronx Bull” pull its punches, or is it hitting with full force? Climb in the ring and find out “WTF REALLY Happened to RAGING BULL!”
Apr 11, 2022•13 min
