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I really wish he made The Fountainhead or Man's Fate. The Frank Costello biopic intrigues me, The Yellow Jersey also seemed like a good comeback picture for him if he got it made and his version of Footloose sound of lot better than the final product. Cream Rises also seemed like a interesting project, and if Cimino played his cards right on that one, probably could of been great,
Cream Rises- In the early 2010s, French film producer Vincent Maraval worked on various projects with Cimino, none of which came to fruition. One film, an original screenplay by Cimino himself titled Cream Rises, followed the daily lives of two young female models, (whom Maraval compared to Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie) who are "completely disconnected from reality" and live a hedonistic life in Los Angeles filled with empty sex and boozing. Cimino wanted Taylor Swift to play one of leads, but since she was unknown at the time, Maraval passed on it.
Halfway through the film, the more timid of the two girls is murdered and the other heads to the countryside to find her uncle, "An old cowboy farmer with very Western values", whom Christopher Walken was to embody. "It was something very contemporary," Maraval explained, "About the world of today and its confrontation with the world of yesterday. As if the cinema of Cimino looked at the cinema of today. It was very moving.” The script for Cream Rises was also read by the TV channel Arte, who were apparently "enthusiastic" about possibly investing.
The roughly $25 million project was to have been shot wholly on location in Shanghai in June of the following year and would have benefited from the support of China's government, which said it would provide $2 million worth of local labor costs. The film's producer, Mirko Ikonomoff was in early talks to pre-sell Man's Fate to several European groups, including Italy's RAI and France's TFI, but failed in his attempts. Actors Johnny Depp, Daniel Day Lewis, Uma Thurman, John Malkovich, and Alain Delon were all in negotiations as possible stars for the project. After failing to raise money elsewhere, Cimino took his script to Martha De Laurentis who passed on it. "If you edit it down, it could be a very tight, beautiful, sensational movie," De Laurentiis said, "but violent, and ultimately a subject matter that I don't think America is that interested in."
Cimino however, felt differently, "There was never a better time to try to do Man's Fate," he said, "because Man's Fate is what it's all about right now. It's about the nature of love, of friendship, the nature of honor and dignity. How fragile and important all of those things are in a time of crisis.” In a March 2002 interview for Vanity Fair, Cimino called the screenplay "the best one I've ever done," adding that he had "half the money; [we're] trying to raise the other half.” Up until his death, Cimino tried to get the film off the ground several times, struggling to secure financing. In what would be his last interview in March 2015, Cimino had said he still hoped to make the film someday.
Che Guevara Biopic- After Terrence Malick Exited the Production, Cimino pitched himself to direct it. Eventually, Steven Soderbergh eventually directed the Biopic.
Filming was then pushed back to early 1999, for a planned release in 2000, coinciding with the 500th anniversary of the discovery of brazil. That year, Cimino was in Brazil to choose sets and scout locations, which included Porto Seguro and Portugal. For research, he read the famous epic poem Os Lusiadas, about the discovery of a sea route to India Speaking at a press conference in Lisbon, Cimino said that unlike the films made about Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas, this film would follow a young man as its protagonist, "in a story very similar to that of Lawerence Of Arabia," he said, He also claimed that an exact replica of Cabral's flagship had been constructed for the production. The film was not made due to producers Ilya Salkind and Jane Chaplin's failure to secure a deal with an international investor.
Man’s Fate- In September 2001, it was reported that Cimino would return to the director's chair to make Man's Fate, a 3-hour epic set against the backdrop of the Chinese Revolution. Based on French author Andre Malraux’s 1933 novel, the film, as described by Cimino, was to have depicted "the deep, emotional bonds that develop between several Europeans living in Shanghai during the tragic turmoil that characterized the onset of China's Communist regime."
The Godfather Part III: Michael Cimino was, at one point, considered to helm The Godfather: Part III.
The Dreaming Place- In 1997, Cimino was reported to direct The Dreaming Place forTrimark Pictures. Originally titled Law of the Jungle, Variety reported that the film, which was in the early stages of development, was to be a male vigilante story along the lines of Paramount's Eye for an Eye, Robert Patrick Vaccaro wrote the screenplay under the supervision of Cimino, and Jonathon Komack Martin was to executive produce the film. The planned budget was not revealed, however, it was Trimark's attempt to make a bigger-budgeted film than usual which is ultimately why it was never produced
Brasil 1500- As early as 1997, Cimino was attached as the director of a film called Brasil 1500, planned to debut in the United States under the title Gonçalo, after the main character. Variety magazine incorrectly referred to the film's title as 1500. This Brazilian-American co-production intended to portray the events of what happened in Santa Cruz Cabralia on April 21, 1500 - the official date of the arrival of Pedro Alveres Cabral's flagship.
Written by first-time Brazilian scribe Fábio Fonseca, the film was to have been told through the eyes of a fictional character (similarly to Titanic), named Gonçalo, a Portuguese sailor from Cabral's fleet. Antonio Banderas was eyed as a possible star, with a supporting cast planned to be composed largely of Brazilian natives. Cimino and producer Ilya Salkind were also interested in casting several British actors for the project, chief among them being Paul Scofield. A budget of $35 million was estimated, with principal photography initially set for January and February 1998.
Santa Ana Wind- Less than 3 Weeks after The Michael Collins Biopic was canceled, Cimino started pre-production work on Santa Ana Wind, a contemporary romantic drama set in L.A. offered to him by Barry Spikings. Budgeted at roughly $15 million, the set start date for shooting was early December 1987. The screenplay was written by Floyd Mutrux and the film was to be bankrolled again by Nelson Entertainment.
Cimino's representative added that the film was "about the San Fernando Valley and the friendship between two guys" and "more intimate" than Cimino's previous big-budget work like Heaven's Gate and the then unreleased The Sicilian. However, Nelson Holdings International Ltd. canceled the project after disclosing that its banks, including Security Pacific National Bank had reduced the company's borrowing power after Nelson failed to meet certain financial requirements in its loan agreements. A spokesman for Nelson said the cancellation occurred "in the normal course of business," but declined to elaborate. The film, also intended for distribution by Columbia, did not feature any major stars..
Born On The Fourth Of July- Sometime in the 1980s, Cimino met with Olvier Stone again and he was given the script to Born On The Fourth Of July. Cimino was eager to make the film, going so far as to offer to work for nothing, even attracting Al Pacino for the role of Ron Kovic. However, The Producers declined Cimino to direct the film.
Legs- In the mid 1980s, Cimino attempted to direct a film based on the William Kennedy Novel of the same name. It would of starred Mickey Rourke as the Gangster, Legs Diamond.
Porgy & Bess- One of his goals since arriving in Hollywood was to make a musical. One dream project was a musical inspired by "Porgy and Bess". Not a straight adaptation, it would have been a romance about a black gospel singer and a white Juilliard pianist, as they struggle to mount a production of the opera."
Handcarved Coffins- In 1985-86, Producer Dino De Laurentis offered Cimino the chance to direct the Truman Capote novella, Handcarved Coffins. Cimino turned down the offer.
Michael Collins Biopic- In 1987, ino began work on an epic saga chronicling the life of the Irish patriot Michael Collins, based on a screenplay by Eoghan Harris. After disagreements with Harris over Collins as a character, his draft was heavily rewritten by Cimino with the assistance of Robert Bolt, which the two developed in London. Their script, now titled Blest Souls, was described by the Los Angeles Times as "a love story set against the backdrop of the Irish Rebellion and would have starred Gabriel Bryne in the lead role as Collins. Joann Carelli assisted with casting for the project; finding Sean Bean and Tilda Swinton to co-star.
To inspire the mood of the film, Cimino spent countless hours reading the work of Irish poet W.B Yeats. He also began scouting for locations in Edinburgh, Liverpool, and in Ireland While there, he and his team of production managers sought permission from the Irish Parliamentary Party to use their army for the production, which they got Bono and Bob Geldof were also signed on to compose the music. The film was backed by Nelson Entertainment and would have re-teamed Cimino with his Deer Hunter co-producer Barry Spikings, David Puttnam of Columbia Pictures reportedly gave Cimino the green light to begin shooting, however due to the corporate meddling of Coca-Cola who wanted to go for something decidedly more mainstream, he would be forced to compromise his vision for the film. Instead, Cimino quit.
Over the next decade, the film generated expenses of nearly $2 million, and been in development with four studios and several independent production companies. Then, when Dustin Hoffman indicated an interest in starring in it, Mehlman took it back to Columbia in 1983. With Hoffman coming off the success of Columbia'sTootsie, "the film would have gone [into production] the moment he was ready," said Mehlman. By then, Colin Welland and Carl Foreman were brought aboard as a scriptwriters, as well as Danish filmmaker Jorgen Leth (who had made the 1976 bicycle-racing documentary A Sunday In Hell, as Hoffman's research adviser. Cimino said that production was long controlled by Foreman, who died in June 1984.
The following month, Mehlman, Leth, Cimino, Welland and Hoffman went to France for the Tour, for yet more research. Shooting with the Tour de France was initially scheduled for 1980 and nearly every year since. Welland was still working on the script and hoped to have a draft by October of that year. It has been rumored that Hoffman fired Cimino from the production, although multiple sources claim that the deal simply "fell apart with Cimino". After he exited, none of the replacement directors that Mehlman or the studio suggested were satisfactory to Hoffman, so he too left and the film continued to sink further into development hell.
Atlas Shrugged- In 1985, The Los Angeles Times reported that Michael Cimino was interesting in adapting Atlas Shrugged. Like The Fountainhead, This was one of Cimino’s passion projects.
Purple Lake- Purple Lake the second collaboration Cimino did with Raymon Carver in hopes for it to be made into a film. Purple Lake was a contemporary Western about juvenile delinquents who return to society after serving time in prison. Ultimately, the script wasn’t made into a film.
Working from Dean Pitchford's original script, Cimino was at the helm of the film for several months, making more and more extravagant demands in terms of set construction and overall production. Just when the film was to begin shooting, he asked Melnick to let him rewrite the screenplay for an additional $250,000 and to delay the start date, Melnick fired him, and Hebert Ross was hired. according to Melnick, "It might have been a good film [if Cimino had directed], but it wasn't the film we wanted to make. It wasn't the film we came to the party with.”Craig Zadan, one of the film's producers, also stated, "Cimino wanted to make a darker film. We wanted to make entertainment.”
The Bounty- Michael Cimino was one of many directors considered to direct The Bounty.
The Pope Of Greenwich Village- After Ronald F. Maxwell was dismissed as director, Michael Cimino was brought up as a possible replacement. Cimino wanted to finesse its screenplay with some rewriting and restructuring, which would have taken beyond the mandated start date for shooting. Instead, as a favor to the producers who were on a deadline, Cimino generously went over his extraordinarily copious notes written on the script with the new director they hired, Stuart Rosenberg. According to MGM president Freddie Fields, Cimino's contributions to the film were invaluable; "He's been a terrific consultant."
The Yellow Jersey- In 1984, One Of Many Cimino’s Longtime projects that he tried to make was going into production, The film was The Yellow Jersey, based upon a novel by Ralph Hurne about an aging, woman-chasing professional cyclist who nearly wins the Tour de France. The rights had been optioned back in 1973 by film producer Gary Mehlman, who then made a development deal with Columbia Pictures. In 1975, Cimino had been brought on board to direct the film and visited the Tour for the first time, for research.
The King Of Comedy- Cimino had been attached as the director of The King Of Comedy, which he withdrew from when Heaven's Gate was green lit, but vowed to return to once production ended. The film was first reported in 1979 as a Joann Carelli production, with Buck Henry making revisions to the script. However, by 1981, Martin Scorsese had already entered negotiations to direct According to Cimino, in his version he would have cast Andy Kaufman in the lead role as Rupert Pupkin. "I shot videotape of Andy for weeks," he said His version was to have also starred Meryl Streep and Orson Welles
Fyodor Dostoevsky Biopic- In early September 1982, Cimino approached short story writer Raymond Carver and his wife Tess Gallagher (both fans of Heaven's Gate) to rework a screenplay based on the life of Fyodor Dostevsky, in hopes that he would direct it According to Carver, Cimino presented him an existing screenplay commissioned by the veteran Italian film producer Carlo Ponti. The first draft had been written by Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and then translated to English by two Italian writers. Heavily researched, and taking Dostoevsky's near-execution as the film's focal point, Carver and Gallagher opted to rewrite the entire script, delivering a 220-page draft to Cimino in November. Cimino was impressed with the results, but Ponti returned to Europe shortly thereafter, halting further development.
Footloose- After being unable to finalize a deal with Herbert Ross. Paramount offered the picture to Cimino, which he accepted. Producer Daniel Melnick warned him that if the film went over its budget of $7.5 million, Cimino would have to cover the expenses himself and he agreed. Cimino's proposed reimagination of the film, "a John Steinbeck inspired musical-comedy", set during the Great Depression, was to have followed a rich girl from Houston who falls in love with a dancer from a shanty town.
Perfect Strangers- In 1977, Cimino tried to make Perfect Strangers with Paramount Pictures. Cimino described the film as a political love story that bore "some resemblance to Casablanca, involving the romantic relationship between Three People.” The film was sold to the studio as "a romantic Z" and was to star Roy Scheider, Romy Schneider, and Oskar Werner in the lead roles. Cimino stated, "We'd already shot two weeks of pre-production stuff, but because of various political machinations at the studio, the project fell through. This was just before David Picker left. He was the producer. There were internal difficulties, that's all. Nevertheless, I'd spent a year and a half of my life on something. It had been a difficult time. My father passed away while I was writing the screenplay. I kept working..."
Midnight Express- In the late 1970s, Cimino passed up an offer to direct Midnight Express
Live On Tape/Nitty Gritty- Following Heaven's Gate, Joann Carelli quickly landed him a picture deal at CBS Theatrical Films to direct Nitty Gritty, described by The New York Times as "a black comedy about news reporting". The film was scheduled to be released in 1982, alongside a slate of films which including Table for Five, however, Cimino's never went into production, just as with several of the other reported projects. It was later listed as a lost project of Cimino's by the Los Angeles Times, who reported that it had been retitled Live on Tape prior to being dropped by CBS.
Reel to Reel- In 1983, Cimino was to direct this unmade film with the help of Steven Spielberg and Gary David Goldberg.
Yor probably wouldn't like Sergio's other choices for the role
Originally, Sergio wanted John Belushi for the role of Max and when he died, he hoped to get Gerard Depardieu for the role, but settled on James Woods.
2001: Scary Movie II (Role: Father McFreely) (Actor Who Got It: James Woods) (Reason: Brando had to withdraw when he was hospitalized with pneumonia in April 2001.)
2004: Man Of Fire (Role: Paul Rayburn) (Actor Who Got It: Christopher Walken) (Reason: Brando was the original choice to play Rayburn, less than a year before he died.)
2006: Big Bug Man (Role: Mrs. Sour) INCOMPLETE (Reason: Brando recorded for the voice of Mrs. Sour a month before his death on July 1, 2004. He thought it would be fun to voice a girl for this project. Since Brando's death, there has been no update on the film's progress).
1991: Nostromo (Role: UNKNOWN) INCOMPLETE (Reason: Brando was scheduled to appear with co-star Paul Schofield, Peter O’Toole, Isabella Rossellini, Christopher Lambert, and Dennis Quaid However, when director David Lean died, the production came to a halt.)
1991: JFK (Role: X) (Actor who got it: Donald Sutherland) (Reason: In a interview, Oliver Stone stated he offered the role to Marlon Brando, but Brando turned down the role. "I had been dumb enough to go to Marlon Brando. We all love him, of course. But if he’d said yes I would have been f—–. That scene would have gone on for twice the length.”- Stone)
1992: Batman: Returns (Role: The Penguin) (Actor who got it: Danny (DeVito) (Reason: Tim Burton wanted to cast Brando as The Penguin but Warner Bros rejected the idea)
1995: Divine Rapture (Role: A Priest) INCOMPLETE (Reason: The project included stars like Johnny Depp, Debra Winger, and John Hurt. Production was never completed due to a lack of financing.)
1998: The Big Lebowski (Role: Jeffrey “The Big” Lebowski) (Actor Who Got It: David Huddleston) (Reason: The Coen Brothers wanted Brando to play the role and even had him in mind while writing the script but Brando couldn't star in the movie due to ill health)
1998: American History X (Role: Cameron Alexander) (Actor Who Got It: Stacy Keach) (Reason: Brando was originally considered and envisioned for the role of Cameron Alexander)
1999: Sleepy Hollow (Role: The Headless Horseman) (Actor Who Got It: Christopher Walken) (Reason: Brando was the 1st choice for The Headless Horseman but he turned it down)
1999: Magnolia (Role: Earl Patridge) (Actor Who Got It: Jason Robards) (Reason: Brando was considered for the role after Paul Thomas Anderson for a time couldn't get Jason Robards and George C. Scott turned it down, but Thomas Anderson finally got Jason Robards for the role)
1984: Nineteen Eighty-Four (Role: O’Brien) (Actor Who Got It: Richard Burton) (Reason: Brando was considered for the role, but Brando wanted too much money)
1986: Salvador (Role: Richard Boyle) (Actor Who Got It: James Woods) (Reason: Director Oliver Stone's first choice for the role of Richard Boyle was Marlon Brando, But Brando had become notoriously reclusive by the time this project got underway.)
1987: The Untouchables (Role: Al Capone) (Actor Who Got It: Robert De Niro) (Reason: Brando was considered for the role in case if Robert De Niro was unabled to do the role)
1987: Angel Heart (Role: Louis Cyphere) (Actor Who Got It: Robert De Niro) (Reason: Alan PArker offered the role to Marlon Brando, but Brando declined)
1987: The Last Emperor (Role: Reginald Johnson) (Actor Who Got It: Peter O’Toole) (Brando was considered for the role)
1988: Tucker: The Man And His Dream (Role: Preston Tucker) (Actor Who Got It: Jeff Bridges) (Reason: The director wanted Brando to appear as Preston Tucker in his biopic of the maverick automotive executive that Coppola planned to make after completing The Godfather Part II**. Brando was not interested.)**
1988: The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (Role: Vulcan) (Actor Who Got It: Oliver Reed) (Reason: Gilliam offered the role to Brando, but Brando declined the role)
1990: Dances With Wolves (Role: Major Fambrough) (Actor Who Got It: Maury Caykin) (Reason: Costner originally wanted to cast Brando as Major Fambrough but Brando's reputation as a diva dissuade Costner from the idea to cast him)
1990: The Field (Role: Bull McCabe) (Actor Who Got It: Richard Harris) (Reason: After Ray McAnally sudden death, Jim Sheridan considered Marlon Brando or Sean Connery for the role until Richard Harris, who was cast as the priest convinced Sheridan to cast him in the role)
1972: Child’s Play (Role: Joseph Dobbs) (Actor Who Got It: Robert Preston) (Reason: Brando backed out just before principal photography was to begin when he realized James Mason had the better part. Brando subsequently was sued by producer David Merrick for breach of contract.)
1972: Fat City (Role: Billy Tully) (Actor Who Got It: Stacy Keach) (Reason: Huston initially wanted Brando to star. When Brando informed Huston repeatedly that he needed some more time to think about it, Huston finally came to the conclusion that the star wasn't really interested and looked out for another actor until he finally cast the then relatively unknown Stacy Keach.)
1973: The Exorcist (Role: Lankester Merrin) (Actor who got it: Max von Sydow) (Reason: Warner Bros wanted Brando for the role, but Friedkin refused, arguing that once Brando was cast, it would be a Marlon Brando picture)
1974: The Great Gatsby (Role: Jay Gatsby) (Actor Who Got It: Robert Redford) (Reason: Paramount studio brass wanted him to appear as the titular character, but he wanted $4 million, an unheard-of salary at the time.)
1974: The Godfather: Part II (Role: Vito Corleone) (Reason: Brando was scheduled to make a cameo appearance in the film, in the flashback at the end of the film in which Vito Corleone comes back to his home and is greeted with a surprise birthday party. In fact, he was expected the day of shooting but did not show up due to a salary dispute.)
1975: One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Role: Randle Patrick McMurphy) (Actor Who Got It: Jack Nicholson)
1976: A Star Is Born (Role: John Norman Howard) (Actor Who Got It: Kris Kristofferson) (Reason: Brando was considered for the part)
1977: Equus (Role: Martin Dysart) (Actor Who Got It: Richard Burton) (Reason: The Producers originally wanted Marlon Brando to play the role)
This was before Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke were attached. Originally it was supposed to be Steve McQueen and Barbra Streisand, but they couldn't get along, so they both departed.
1978: Superman (Role: Clark Kent / Superman) (Actor who got it: Christopher Reeve) (Reason: He was offered the role, but he turned it down)
1979: Apocalypse Now (Role: Benjamin Willard or Colonel Kurtz) (Actor who got it: Martin Sheen) (Reason: Steve McQueen was Coppola's first choice to play Willard, but McQueen did not want to leave America for three weeks and Coppola was unwilling to pay his $3 million fee. In another Interview, Clint Eastwood, revealed that when he was in discussions for the role, which he turned down, McQueen tried to convince him to play Willard; McQueen wanted to play Kurtz because he would have to work for only two weeks)
1980: Raise The Titanic (Role: James Sandecker) (Actor who got it: Jason Robards) (Reason: McQueen was offered the role, but he felt the script was flat)
1982: First Blood (Role: John Rambo) (Actor who got it: Sylvestor Stallone) (Reason: When Sydney Pollack was attached as Director, he wanted Steve McQueen and McQueen expressed interested in the role, but was turned down by the Producers as they thought, at 45 years old, he was too old).
1990: Quigley Down Under (Role: Matthew Quigley) (Actor who got it: Tom Selleck) (Reason: As Early as 1979, Steve McQueen was attached to the role, but by the time production began in 1980, McQueen was ill. The project was scrapped after he died, until it was later revived with Tom Selleck in the lead Role)
1992: The Bodyguard (Role: Frank Farmer) (Actor who got it: Kevin Costner) (Reason: He was offered to star alongside Diana Ross when the project was first developed in 1976, but the film did not reach production until years after McQueen's death; the film eventually starred Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston in 1992.)