After 50+ years in the business, legendary exploitation movie producer-director Roger Corman has more titles on his filmography than probably the combined output of every major American filmmaker working today. The man once directed 9 movies in one year, so you know the list of his unrealized plans must be endless. Below is a small sample of Corman deals that never closed.
ACAPULCO (1980)
Screenplay by Frances Doel
ALL THE BRIDES CAME BLOODY (1971)
Starring Jerry Talbert and Melissa Miles.
ALTAR OF BLOOD (1971)
Corman's company during the 1970s and early '80s, New World Pictures, was set to release the French horror film MIDI MINUIT (MOON AND MOONLIGHT) as ALTAR OF BLOOD, but that apparently never happened.
AVALANCHE (1974)
Written and directed by George Armitage
"A tale about an avalanche at a ski resort," this project was later assigned to director Corey Allen and uncredited writer Gavin Lambert. The finished movie was released in 1978.
A BULLET FOR EVERY AMERICAN (1974)
Co-produced with Mark Damon Productions
Written by Michael Wakely
Directed by Joe Dante
"To be filmed in Rome"
CAR WARS (1978)
THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS (1974)
Briefly on the New World release schedule, this was eventually put out by New Line Cinema in 1976 as THE CARS THAT EAT PEOPLE.
CHEERLEADERS (1978)
A sexy thriller produced by Don Schain and John Ashley
CLAWS (1978)
New World Pictures
Story: Killer cats on the loose
Produced by Max Rosenberg & Charles Fries
(Three years earlier, American International had announced a killer bear movie called CLAWS, written by Alan Caillou and also never made)
COED DORM (1971)
Written by Ed Medard & Art Elonson
THE CONFIDENCE MAN (1974)
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Screenplay by Demme, based on the novel by Herman Melville
"Set on a Mississippi riverboat in the 1850s"
DEATHSPORT II (1979)
Starring David Carradine
DEATHWORLD (1978)
THE DISC JOCKEY (1980)
"Youth comedy with music"
DISCO HIGH (1978)
Became ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL
DUNE
Based on the Frank Herbert novel
EXPLOSION (1968)
American International Pictures
Story: On the heels of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, this was the "story of a negro sheriff and his exploits in tracking down a negro killer."
Produced by Roger Corman
Directed by Monte Hellman
Written by Cliff Osmond, Sylvia Richards, Mildred Walter
(Two years later American International released an unrelated Canadian film called EXPLOSION)
THE FRAT RATS (1977)
Starring Deborah Raffin
FURY IN THE FAST LANE (1978)
Screenplay by Joel Rapp & David Brod
THE GRAVE IS ALIVE (1974)
Co-produced with British Lion
Written and directed by Curtis Hanson
Based on 3 short stories by Clark Ashton Smith
"Big budget horror film" to be shot in London and Vermont
HARD TIME ACES (1978)
"An action-adventure story"
THE HORSE IS DEAD (1978)
Comedy based on the novel by Robert Klane
Produced by Samuel W. Gelfman
Directed by Ernest Pintoff
IWO JIMA (1978)
$9,000,000 budget
KILLER BLIZZARD (1977)
New World Pictures
Written by Joe Dante and Allan Arkush.
Budget: $1 million
Two camera crews were supposedly sent to Buffalo, NY for three weeks to get blizzard footage.
KUNG FU 2000 (1980)
"Futuristic martial arts film"
THE LAST WORLD WAR (1981)
Story by Roger Corman
Music by Fred Karlin
(see also WORLD WAR III)
LOVE'S TENDER FURY (1977)
Produced by Julie Corman
Based on a novel by Jennifer Wilde
THE MOVIEGOER (1978)
Starring Karen Black and Sam Waterston
Based on Walker Percy's novel
NEON LIGHTS (1979)
Screenplay by Rita Mae Brown
OUTLAW MAMA (1971)
Written by Stephanie Rothman
PHIBES RESURRECTUS (1977)
New World Pictures
One of many sequels to THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES that were announced but never made. Starring Vincent Price and Roddy McDowell
THE PLOT TO KILL CASTRO! (1978)
ROBERT E. LEE (1979)
Written by Richard Adams
Planned TV miniseries
THE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE (1971)
[See THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE]. This was the second film released by Dimension Pictures.
ACAPULCO (1980)
Screenplay by Frances Doel
ALL THE BRIDES CAME BLOODY (1971)
Starring Jerry Talbert and Melissa Miles.
ALTAR OF BLOOD (1971)
Corman's company during the 1970s and early '80s, New World Pictures, was set to release the French horror film MIDI MINUIT (MOON AND MOONLIGHT) as ALTAR OF BLOOD, but that apparently never happened.
AVALANCHE (1974)
Written and directed by George Armitage
"A tale about an avalanche at a ski resort," this project was later assigned to director Corey Allen and uncredited writer Gavin Lambert. The finished movie was released in 1978.
A BULLET FOR EVERY AMERICAN (1974)
Co-produced with Mark Damon Productions
Written by Michael Wakely
Directed by Joe Dante
"To be filmed in Rome"
CAR WARS (1978)
THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS (1974)
Briefly on the New World release schedule, this was eventually put out by New Line Cinema in 1976 as THE CARS THAT EAT PEOPLE.
CHEERLEADERS (1978)
A sexy thriller produced by Don Schain and John Ashley
CLAWS (1978)
New World Pictures
Story: Killer cats on the loose
Produced by Max Rosenberg & Charles Fries
(Three years earlier, American International had announced a killer bear movie called CLAWS, written by Alan Caillou and also never made)
COED DORM (1971)
Written by Ed Medard & Art Elonson
THE CONFIDENCE MAN (1974)
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Screenplay by Demme, based on the novel by Herman Melville
"Set on a Mississippi riverboat in the 1850s"
DEATHSPORT II (1979)
Starring David Carradine
DEATHWORLD (1978)
THE DISC JOCKEY (1980)
"Youth comedy with music"
DISCO HIGH (1978)
Became ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL
DUNE
Based on the Frank Herbert novel
EXPLOSION (1968)
American International Pictures
Story: On the heels of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, this was the "story of a negro sheriff and his exploits in tracking down a negro killer."
Produced by Roger Corman
Directed by Monte Hellman
Written by Cliff Osmond, Sylvia Richards, Mildred Walter
(Two years later American International released an unrelated Canadian film called EXPLOSION)
THE FRAT RATS (1977)
Starring Deborah Raffin
FURY IN THE FAST LANE (1978)
Screenplay by Joel Rapp & David Brod
THE GRAVE IS ALIVE (1974)
Co-produced with British Lion
Written and directed by Curtis Hanson
Based on 3 short stories by Clark Ashton Smith
"Big budget horror film" to be shot in London and Vermont
HARD TIME ACES (1978)"An action-adventure story"
THE HORSE IS DEAD (1978)
Comedy based on the novel by Robert Klane
Produced by Samuel W. Gelfman
Directed by Ernest Pintoff
IWO JIMA (1978)
$9,000,000 budget
KILLER BLIZZARD (1977)
New World Pictures
Written by Joe Dante and Allan Arkush.
Budget: $1 million
Two camera crews were supposedly sent to Buffalo, NY for three weeks to get blizzard footage.
KUNG FU 2000 (1980)
"Futuristic martial arts film"
THE LAST WORLD WAR (1981)
Story by Roger Corman
Music by Fred Karlin
(see also WORLD WAR III)
LOVE'S TENDER FURY (1977)
Produced by Julie Corman
Based on a novel by Jennifer Wilde
THE MOVIEGOER (1978)
Starring Karen Black and Sam Waterston
Based on Walker Percy's novel
NEON LIGHTS (1979)
Screenplay by Rita Mae Brown
OUTLAW MAMA (1971)
Written by Stephanie Rothman
PHIBES RESURRECTUS (1977)
New World Pictures
One of many sequels to THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES that were announced but never made. Starring Vincent Price and Roddy McDowell
THE PLOT TO KILL CASTRO! (1978)
ROBERT E. LEE (1979)
Written by Richard Adams
Planned TV miniseries
THE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE (1971)
[See THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE]. This was the second film released by Dimension Pictures.
SPIDER-MAN
THE SUZANNE LENGLEN STORY (1980)
Screenplay by Frances Doel
To be filmed in Paris sometime in 1979
Starring Maray Ayers as the tennis star of the 1920s and '30s
SWIM TEAM (1979)
Acquired for release by New World Pictures but dropped in April 1979
TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE (1978)
THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE (1971)
Originally to be released by New World Pictures, this was part of Lawrence Woolner's buyout deal with Corman when Woolner left New World. THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE became the first film released through Woolner's Dimension Pictures in 1972.
WORLD WAR III (1978)
$15,000,000 budget
(see also THE LAST WORLD WAR)
THE WALRUS AND THE WATERGATE (1973)
This title appeared on the New World Pictures release schedule for several months. Anyone?
THE SUZANNE LENGLEN STORY (1980)
Screenplay by Frances Doel
To be filmed in Paris sometime in 1979
Starring Maray Ayers as the tennis star of the 1920s and '30s
SWIM TEAM (1979)
Acquired for release by New World Pictures but dropped in April 1979
TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE (1978)
THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE (1971)
Originally to be released by New World Pictures, this was part of Lawrence Woolner's buyout deal with Corman when Woolner left New World. THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE became the first film released through Woolner's Dimension Pictures in 1972.
WORLD WAR III (1978)
$15,000,000 budget
(see also THE LAST WORLD WAR)
THE WALRUS AND THE WATERGATE (1973)
This title appeared on the New World Pictures release schedule for several months. Anyone?
Any chance DEATHWORLD and DEATHSPORT II were the same picture?
ReplyDeleteThere's a chance, but then that Spring '78 release date would be wrong. Spring '79 would be more like it.
ReplyDeleteTHE HORSE IS DEAD
ReplyDeleteNow that should have happened. It would have been perfect timing, considering the camp movie craze explosion in the next few years.