Movies often change a lot during development: scenes can be rewritten, characters can be removed or recast, and in some cases, they can become television shows. A film isn't converted into a series for no reason. Sometimes, there's just too much material to cover in a two-hour period. Other times, ideas are picked up by television networks who want to keep viewers coming back week after week. Regardless, as hard as it might be to imagine "Game of Thrones" or "Mr. Robot" on the silver screen, that's certainly how they started out. These TV shows were originally planned to be feature films.
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00:00Which video game adaptations were originally slated for the silver screen?
00:04What award-winning family drama was almost a movie about octuplets?
00:08Check out which TV shows were originally planned to be movies.
00:12The gun-slinging bounty hunter from a galaxy far, far away had a tumultuous journey before
00:16finally landing on the Disney streaming service.
00:19Shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm and, by extension, the Star Wars franchise, the
00:24company announced spinoff films telling stories adjacent to the original Star Wars saga.
00:29Boba Fett was initially supposed to be one of those projects.
00:33Originally, Josh Trank, the director of Chronicle and the catastrophic box office bomb that
00:38was 2015's Fantastic Four, pitched his version of a Boba Fett narrative to Lucasfilm.
00:44The studio was enthusiastic about his ideas and announced his admission to the Star Wars
00:48family, with Trank set to direct the Boba Fett standalone production.
00:53After the failure and drama that spun out of Fantastic Four, Trank quit the project,
00:57understanding that he'd probably be fired if he didn't drop out himself.
01:01Eventually, the project landed in the hands of Logan director James Mangold, but a certain
01:06famous fictional smuggler seemingly ruined plans for Boba Fett's big-screen feature.
01:11The prequel film Solo A Star Wars Story, which chronicled Han Solo's younger days picking
01:16fights with gangsters and the Empire, was considered a financial disappointment upon
01:20its release.
01:22Disney's focus shifted toward their new streaming service, where The Mandalorian became a flagship
01:27series for the service's debut.
01:29Thanks to that show's success, plans for Boba Fett's own series quickly followed, and the
01:33rest is history.
01:36George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels are now as well-known as Tolkien's
01:41Middle-Earth fantasy thanks to the additional popularity that the HBO series Game of Thrones
01:47brought to the books.
01:49For years, Martin had been courted by scriptwriters who eagerly wanted to share their version
01:53of Martin's fantasy world in live-action cinema.
01:56Like a King's Landing not fit for the Dragon Queen's world, he scorched these ideas to
02:00ash and cinder.
02:02According to Entertainment Weekly in 2011, Martin claimed that his book series was simply
02:07unfilmable, despite visions of the contrary attempting to sell him on the idea.
02:11The author stated,
02:12"...even Tolkien took three feature films, and three Tolkien novels are as long as one
02:18of my books."
02:19Martin also noted that after giving a feature film idea some thought, he felt that his works
02:24were simply too mature.
02:25After all, sex and violence saturate the entire narrative.
02:29"...be quick about it."
02:32Eventually, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss approached Martin and proposed adapting his books into
02:37a series.
02:38Since the show would land on HBO, the mature content was no longer a problem.
02:43Furthermore, Benioff and Weiss could take all the time they needed to build out the
02:47story over several seasons, depending on the show's popularity.
02:51After reaching an accord with Martin on the direction of the series, film ideas were finally
02:55put to rest.
02:57The White Wolf, better known as Geralt of Rivia, has long been a mainstay of the fantasy
03:01genre.
03:02Andrzej Sapkowski created the fabled Witcher and authored a collection of stories surrounding
03:07his exploits before writing a sprawling saga.
03:10The Witcher, known for his combat prowess, keen senses, and hunting acuity, is capable
03:15of slaying the most dangerous of monsters in the wilds.
03:19Geralt is often embroiled in the warring politics, evil machinations, and drama of the most prominent
03:24characters to populate the land.
03:27Netflix was always a prime destination for The Witcher to receive a proper live-action
03:31outing.
03:32Although the character had appeared in a few well-received video games made by Polish game
03:36developer CD Projekt Red, fans were chomping at the bit to see Geralt realized in cinematic
03:41glory.
03:42The Witcher was originally going to receive a standalone Netflix film, but creatives behind
03:48the scenes convinced the producers that there was far too much material to cover in just
03:52two hours.
03:53Convinced that the property deserved more, they got the green light to move forward with
03:57a Netflix original series.
03:59Mr. Robot was a massive hit for the USA Network.
04:02Centered around a mentally unwell cybersecurity expert named Elliot, the series deals with
04:07hacktivism and political issues of all kinds.
04:10It received high praise from both critics and audiences along the way, winning three
04:14Emmys, two Golden Globes, and a Peabody Award.
04:17I respect that about you."
04:19However, many likely don't realize that Mr. Robot was originally intended to be an independently
04:25produced feature film.
04:26In an interview with Forbes, series creator Sam Esmail discussed his creative journey.
04:32Esmail stated,
04:33"...When I saw it as a movie, I knew where I was going.
04:35I knew the ending.
04:36The problem was that he simply had more material than he knew what to do with."
04:40Esmail continued,
04:41"...When I got to page 90 and I was still halfway through Act 1, that's when I decided,
04:46OK, this can be a television show."
04:49The showrunners still tackled the series like a movie production, treating each episode
04:53as if it were a short film.
04:55Ultimately, Esmail still achieved what he set out to do with the narrative he'd originally
04:59planned.
05:00Sure, the fiery vigilante of Hell's Kitchen already received a big-screen adaptation in
05:052003, with Ben Affleck taking on the role of the blind lawyer Matt Murdock.
05:10However, the Netflix Daredevil series was also originally envisioned and pitched as
05:15a film by series creator Drew Goddard.
05:18Goddard explained why the film approach ultimately didn't pan out in an interview with IGN.
05:23Marvel nixed the idea, believing that Goddard's approach was far too dark and violent.
05:28Marvel simply wouldn't do an R-rated film.
05:30Furthermore, Daredevil is typically seen as a local hero, interested primarily in cleaning
05:35the streets of his own neighborhood.
05:36That wouldn't gel with the large-scale epics of the MCU.
05:40Instead, Daredevil landed on Netflix, with Goddard free to produce his far more mature
05:45take on the character.
05:46Goddard, who'd previously stated that anything short of his adult vision would be inadequate,
05:51was certainly pleased with this outcome.
05:53Believe it or not, The Sopranos was originally destined for theaters.
05:57Imagine seeing James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano on the silver screen.
06:01It would have been a sight to behold.
06:03However, this hypothetical film wouldn't have been the cultural landmark that The Sopranos
06:07series was across its six seasons.
06:10According to series co-creator David Chase, the show was conceived as a film and pitched
06:14as such from the get-go.
06:15However, Chase's manager at the time, Lloyd Braun, suggested that his idea could actually
06:21be a television series.
06:22Chase gave it some thought and began to wrap his mind around the mobster's life as an ongoing
06:27series.
06:28The scope of his pitch changed, but only enough to cover season one, ending with Tony confronting
06:33his mother over trying to kill him.
06:35Chase understood this moment as the end of their tormented relationship, and the second
06:39season had to work with fresh ideas beyond the scope of Chase's original plan.
06:43In the end, of course, Chase produced one of the best TV dramas in history, which won
06:4721 Emmys and five Golden Globes during its time on the air.
06:51I'm honored just to be considered.
06:54The winding family drama This Is Us likes to toy with viewers' emotions.
06:59The story follows the Pearson clan and their three children, who are depicted at various
07:03ages, but primarily as adults.
07:06They experience many of life's greatest joys and heartaches.
07:09After all, the Pearsons and many other supporting characters reflect many facets of American
07:14society.
07:15While the series has proved to be one of the most successful dramas in modern television,
07:19it wasn't always meant to depict the same family that we know today.
07:23In an interview with Emmy magazine, series creator Dan Fogelman revealed some juicy details
07:28regarding the origins of the show.
07:30Instead of Randall, Kate, and Kevin as the Big Three, Fogelman originally penned an 80-page
07:36film featuring a Pearson family with octuplets.
07:39Ultimately, Fogelman decided that he didn't want to follow a traditional narrative trajectory
07:44with a beginning, middle, and end.
07:46He wanted to explore a lasting story that continuously unfolded in the past, present,
07:51and future of a single family.
07:53The character-driven nature of the show has proved successful, engaging audiences and
07:57critics alike.
07:58Let's just be thankful that we didn't have to follow the chaotic lives of octuplets.
08:04In 2020, The Queen's Gambit took the streaming world by storm with a thrilling period piece
08:13based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis.
08:16The Netflix miniseries centers around Beth Harmon, portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy.
08:21As an orphaned youth, she becomes obsessed with and shows a talent for chess, eventually
08:26developing a drug addiction to help her focus on her game and cope with personal loss.
08:30The series chronicles her rise to fame in the chess world.
08:34The Queen's Gambit novel had long been examined for a possible feature film adaptation.
08:38In fact, the late actor Heath Ledger, himself something of a chess connoisseur, was planning
08:43on making his directorial debut with an adaptation of the novel before he tragically passed away.
08:49The project was halted upon Ledger's death and was eventually pitched to Netflix as a
08:53miniseries.
08:54Fans of the original Archie Comics likely never suspected that it would eventually be
08:59adapted for the small screen and live action.
09:02The television series on The CW Network, titled Riverdale, features the exploits of the famous
09:07Archie Comics teenagers, including Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, and
09:12Veronica Lodge.
09:14Positioned as a teen drama, Riverdale goes big on its mystery themes and has enjoyed
09:18a lasting legacy on The CW Network with its deliciously dark tones.
09:23Of course, Archie almost found himself on the big screen.
09:26Warner Bros. sought an adaptation of the character on film.
09:29The creatives behind the TV series originally had their idea dismissed and were asked to
09:34work on Archie's first-ever live-action appearance in a time-traveling story featuring Louis
09:40C.K., of all people, as the iconic high schooler.
09:43The studio imagined a Riverdale filled with portals that would open up to other dimensions.
09:48That was just a little too wacky, a bit too much like a live-action Rick and Morty.
09:52Thankfully, Riverdale show creator Robert Aguirre-Sacasa didn't like that idea.
09:57He walked away from the whole ordeal, only to be contacted later by the studio to commit
10:02his original vision to television.
10:04Like the bounty-hunting Boba Fett, Jedi Master extraordinaire Obi-Wan Kenobi was once set
10:10to return to the big screen in his own film.
10:13After Solo A Star Wars Story didn't exactly gain the financial returns Lucasfilm and Disney
10:18were looking for, their approach shifted focus.
10:21The streaming service Disney Plus changed the game for Lucasfilm, giving Ewan McGregor
10:26a chance to reprise his role on the streaming platform.
10:29In fact, both Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are set to reprise their prequel film roles
10:37in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
10:39The show offers fans the chance to finally see what Obi-Wan has been up to for all those
10:44lonesome years in the desert wilderness of Tatooine.
10:47While his top goal is to protect Luke Skywalker, it seems that much more went on behind the
10:52scenes that Luke could've ever possibly imagined.
10:55As a live-action production, the popular video game property Halo has been through development
11:00hell and back.
11:01Aside from smaller productions like Forward Unto Dawn and Nightfall, a true blue Halo
11:06film with Master Chief positioned as the lead has been in the works as far back as 2005.
11:12Alex Garland, known for Ex Machina and Annihilation, was hired by Microsoft to write an adaption
11:18of the series for the silver screen.
11:21Guillermo del Toro was attached to direct, but ran for the exit when he decided to head
11:25up Hellboy 2 The Golden Army.
11:27The project eventually bounced over to District 9 creator Neil Blomkamp, but a tug-of-war
11:32over creative control between Fox, Universal, and Microsoft resulted in the project being
11:37shelved.
11:38Halo once again entered the live-action spotlight with the announcement of a TV series in 2013,
11:44with Steven Spielberg attached as a producer.
11:47News emerged that the series was being developed for Showtime.
11:50After going through several producers and directors, the show was shifted to Paramount+,
11:54where it made its debut in March 2022.
11:57Now, Halo has received the renewed attention it deserves in the live-action space, although
12:02that might be up for debate among longtime fans.