This is a list of abandoned and
unfinished film
An unfinished creative work is a painting, novel, musical composition, or other creative work, that has not been brought to a completed state. Its creator may have chosen not to finish it, or may have been prevented from doing so by circumstances ...
s.
Films may not be completed for several reasons, with some being shelved during different stages of the production. Some films have been shut down days into production. Other unfinished films have been shot in their entirety but have not completed post-production where the film is edited and sound and score added. This is different from unreleased films which are finished but have not yet been released and shown in theatres or released on DVD. In some instances these films cannot be shown due to legal reasons. Withdrawn films are similar except they did have brief showings but cannot be shown again, also usually for legal reasons.
According to the ''Film Yearbook'', "history has shown that the unfinished film is with few exceptions designed to remain that way." Exceptions do exist: these include ''
Gulliver's Travels
''Gulliver's Travels'', or ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'' is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan ...
'' and ''
The Jigsaw Man
"The Jigsaw Man" is a science fiction short story by American writer Larry Niven, set in the ''Known Space'' universe. The story was first published in Harlan Ellison's anthology '' Dangerous Visions'', and is included in Niven's collections ''A ...
'', both of which shut down when they ran out of funds but after a year or more found new financing and were able to finish shooting.
Films abandoned during pre-production
Films that were abandoned during the
pre-production
Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content starts ...
stage before
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began, and significant preparations had been made such as a completed script, hiring of key cast and crew, scheduled start date for filming, and construction of sets.
Films abandoned during filming
Films that were abandoned after
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
had commenced, or in the case of animated films, after animation had begun.
Films abandoned during post-production or completed and never released
Films that completed
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
, or in the case of animated films, after most animation had been completed, but were abandoned during the
post-production
Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments.
The ...
phase or were completed and never released.
Most expensive abandoned films
The most expensive films with information available from reliable sources regarding how much money had been spent on the film when it was abandoned.
See also
*
List of lost films
For this list of lost films, a lost film is defined as one of which no part of a print is known to have survived. For films in which any portion of the footage remains (including trailers), see List of incomplete or partially lost films.
Reas ...
*
List of incomplete or partially lost films
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of rediscovered films
This is a list of rediscovered films that, once thought lost, have since been discovered, in whole or in part. See List of incomplete or partially lost films and List of rediscovered film footage for films which were not wholly lost.
For a fil ...
References
Bibliography
*
* {{cite book, last=Richardson, first=Tony, authorlink=Tony Richardson, title=The Long-Distance Runner: An Autobiography, publisher=
William Morrow and Company
William Morrow and Company is an American publishing company founded by William Morrow in 1926. The company was acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, sold to Hearst Corporation in 1981, and sold to News Corporation
News Corporation (abbrev ...
, year=1993, isbn=9780688121013, url-access=registration, url=https://archive.org/details/longdistancerunn00rich
*
*
*
abandoned
Abandon, abandoned, or abandonment may refer to:
Common uses
* Abandonment (emotional), a subjective emotional state in which people feel undesired, left behind, insecure, or discarded
* Abandonment (legal), a legal term regarding property
** Chi ...
Lists of unfinished works