Barry Levinson's unrealized projects
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The following is a list of unproduced Barry Levinson projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, film director Barry Levinson has worked on several projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially canceled, were in development limbo or would see life under a different production team.
1990s
Home Fries
On March 9, 1993, Levinson was set to direct and produce Vince Gilligan’s script Home Fries, with Mark Johnson producing for Warner Bros., until Dean Parisot replaced Levinson as director.[1]
2000s
A View from the Bridge
In February 2005, Levinson was set to direct the film adaptation of the Arthur Miller play A View from the Bridge, with Andrew Bovell writing the screenplay and Anthony LaPaglia, Frances McDormand, and Scarlett Johansson cast as the leads.[2][3] On January 18, 2011, Levinson was replaced by Robert Connolly as the film's director, with Vera Farmiga and Mia Wasikowska alongside Sam Neill and Sebastian Stan.[4]
Babi Yar
On February 3, 2009, Levinson was set to direct the film adaptation of Anatoly Kuznetsov’s nonfiction novel Babi Yar: A Document in the Form of a Novel with Anatoly Fradis’ Aurora Entertainment producing the film.[5]
City of Angels
On June 16, 2009, Levinson was set to direct the film adaptation of the detective musical dramedy City of Angels with Larry Gelbart writing the screenplay based his musical book, Marc Shaiman as music director, Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne’s Unique Pictures producing and Warner Bros distributing.[6]
2010s
Brother Jack
On July 8, 2010, Levinson was set to direct Brother Jack, a biopic about activist Jack Healey, with Kelly Masterson rewriting the script and Columbia Pictures set to produce the film.[7]
Gotti
O.K.C.
On March 2, 2011, Levinson was set to direct O.K.C., a biographical legal drama about the legal defense of Timothy McVeigh, with Clay Wood writing the script and Peter Safran set to produce the film.[8]
Black Mass
Musketeers 3.0 TV series
On September 2, 2011, Levinson was set to produce Tom Fontana’s police procedural series Musketeers 3.0 with Fontana attached as executive produce the series and distributed by The CW.[9]
Gypsy movie musical remake
Revival
On April 4, 2017, Levinson was set to direct and executive produce Phil Primason's comedy script Revival with Billy Crystal set to executive produce and star in the film.[10]
HBO’s Wag the Dog TV series
On April 27, 2017, Levinson was set to direct and executive produce the television series adaptation of Wag the Dog for HBO with Rajiv Joseph writing and executive producing the series, along with Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Barry Welsh producing through Tribeca Productions and Warner Bros. Television.[11]
2020s
Sheela
On February 20, 2020, Levinson was set to direct Nick Yarborough’s Sheela, a biopic about Ma Anand Sheela, with Priyanka Chopra set to star and produce with Levinson, Jason Sosnoff, David Permut and distributed by Prime Video.[12]
Francis and the Godfather
On September 30, 2020, Levinson was set to direct Andrew Farotte’s biographical script Francis and the Godfather about the development of The Godfather, with Oscar Isaac and Jake Gyllenhaal starring as Francis Ford Coppola and Robert Evans respectively, and Echo Lake Entertainment’s Mike Marcus, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding are producing with Kevin Turen, Jon Levin and Baltimore Pictures’ Jason Sosnoff, but there has been no announcement since The Offer.[13]
One Giant Leap
On September 1, 2021, it was announced that Levinson would direct the limited television series One Giant Leap about the Apollo 11 mission, to be written and showrun by Stephen Kronish, who would also executive produce the project alongside Thoroughbred Pictures' Jeremy Fox and Howard Stringer, Benjamin Anderson, Kevin Costner, and Phoenix Pictures' Mike Medavoy.[14]
Offers
Hernan Cortes historical epic
In 1988, Levinson was offered to direct Cortes a historical epic about Hernan Cortes from a Nicholas Kazan screenplay and with Edward R. Pressman producing, but Kazan & Pressman couldn't get the movie funded.[15]
References
- ^ Ayscough, Suzan (March 9, 1993). "Levinson, Johnson in on WB 'Fries'". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Fleming, Micheal (February 15, 2005). "The bigscreen 'View'". Variety. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Staff and Agencies (February 16, 2005). "Miller's A View From the Bridge gets big-screen treatment". The Guardian. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Lodderhose, Diana (January 18, 2011). "Farmiga, Wasikowska join 'Bridge'". Variety. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Swart, Sharon (February 3, 2009). "Levinson to helm 'Babi Yar'". Variety. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (June 16, 2009). "Lynne, Shaye plot 11 pics". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Fleming Jr., Michael (July 8, 2010). "Barry Levinson Directs On Big Screen Again, Nick Cassavetes Acts, Jeff Bridges Walks". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Fleming Jr., Michael (March 2, 2011). "Barry Levinson To Helm 'O.K.C.'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 2, 2011). "CW Teams With Tom Fontana And Barry Levinson For Rookie Cop Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Petski, Anita (April 4, 2017). "Barry Levinson & Billy Crystal Huddle On Comedy 'Revival'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Petski, Denise (April 27, 2017). "'Wag The Dog' Comedy Series In Works At HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Fleming Jr., Michael (February 20, 2020). "Priyanka Chopra To Play '80s Guru & Convicted Bioterrorist Ma Anand Sheela In Barry Levinson-Directed Drama 'Sheela' For Amazon Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Fleming Jr., Michael (May 16, 2013). "'The Godfather' Making Of Movie: Barry Levinson Taps Oscar Isaac To Play Francis Coppola & Jake Gyllenhaal As Robert Evans". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ White, Peter (September 1, 2021). "Barry Levinson To Direct Apollo 11 Limited Series From Kevin Costner, Stephen Kronish & Mike Medavoy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ^ Koch, Neal (July 21, 1991). "Between Screenplay and Screen Stretches the Highway to Oblivion". The New York Times. Retrieved November 22, 2023.