Barry Sonnenfeld's unrealized projects

Lore & Background

During the 1990s, Sonnenfeld was involved in developing several film adaptations that did not come to fruition under his direction. These included a film based on David McClintock's book Swordfish, a remake of Another Man's Poison, and an adaptation of Ryne Douglas Pearson's novel Simple Simon (later released as Mercury Rising). He was also set to produce or direct projects such as a biopic about Muhammad Ali (titled Power and Grace), a live-action/animated romantic comedy The Big Mocambo, and a remake of Harvey, among others. In the 2000s, Sonnenfeld was attached to direct adaptations of Don DeLillo's White Noise (ultimately made by Noah Baumbach in 2022), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (later directed by Brad Silberling), and a remake of Fun with Dick and Jane, which was taken over by another director.

Reader's Guide

Barry Sonnenfeld's career includes a significant number of projects that never advanced beyond pre-production under his direction. These unrealized projects span multiple genres and decades, reflecting his active role in Hollywood development. While some projects were eventually completed by other filmmakers, others remained in development limbo or were canceled outright. His involvement in these projects illustrates the common industry phenomenon where directors attach to numerous potential films, only a fraction of which reach production. Sonnenfeld's unrealized projects include adaptations of novels, remakes of classic films, and original screenplays, often developed through his production company Sonnenfeld/Josephson Productions in collaboration with major studios like Touchstone Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, and Warner Bros.

Did You Know?

• Sonnenfeld was developing a film adaptation of Jeff Rovin's novel Vespers through his Sonnenfeld/Josephson company and Touchstone Pictures.
• He was set to direct a biopic about Muhammad Ali titled Power and Grace starring Will Smith, but the project was never made.
• Sonnenfeld was attached to direct the feature film adaptation of Don DeLillo's White Noise, which Noah Baumbach ultimately directed in 2022.
• Sonnenfeld was attached to direct a remake of The Heartbreak Kid, but the project was later taken over by the Farrelly brothers.

The 1990s: A Decade of Near-Misses

Throughout the 1990s, Barry Sonnenfeld found himself attached to an astonishing number of projects that never reached the screen under his name. In 1995 alone, he was developing both a Swordfish adaptation of David McClintock's nonfiction book and a remake of Irving Rapper's Another Man's Poison, both under the Touchstone Pictures banner with executive producer Zachary Feuer. By 1996, he was set to helm a thriller adaptation of Ryne Douglas Pearson's Simple Simon, with Nicolas Cage, Bruce Willis, and George Clooney all circling for the lead, before he pivoted to Men in Black and Harold Becker took the wheel. The late '90s brought further attachments: a Muhammad Ali biopic with Will Smith, a live-action/animated romantic comedy co-financed by Disney and Warner Bros., a Harvey remake he lost in a bidding war to Miramax, and a Vespers novel adaptation. Each project represented a genuine creative opportunity that slipped through Sonnenfeld's fingers, leaving a trail of what-ifs across an entire decade.

The 2000s Slate: A Production Machine That Never Fired

By the turn of the millennium, Sonnenfeld had built a prolific development engine through his Sonnenfeld/Josephson Productions company, with Barry Josephson as his producing partner. In a single window around June 2000, the slate included at least seven distinct projects all anchored by Walt Disney Pictures for financing and distribution: a road comedy called Dummy, a Tim Allen vehicle titled The Killer, a sports drama about Lamar Hunt's football origins, a Los Angeles noir thriller directed by John Frankenheimer with Shane Black as executive producer, a screenplay by Gerald Di Pego, and a heist picture helmed by George Armitage. Additional titles like Twisted and a Moist feature adaptation followed in 2001. The sheer volume suggests a studio relationship in full swing, yet not one of these titles appears to have crossed the threshold into production under Sonnenfeld's banner. The pattern points to a period where creative momentum and studio commitment simply failed to align, leaving an entire shelf of scripts in perpetual development limbo.

White Noise: A Two-Decade Odyssey

Few unrealized projects illustrate the patience required in Hollywood development quite like the adaptation of Don DeLillo's black comedy novel White Noise. Sonnenfeld first attached to direct the film in October 1999, with a writer's search underway and Nina Jacobson joining as a producer alongside himself and Barry Josephson, all under the Walt Disney Pictures umbrella. Remarkably, as late as July 2004, he remained attached to both direct and produce the project, though the partnership had shifted to Cherry Road Films and Scott Rudin after Disney chose not to renew the rights. The story did not end there. Michael Almereyda subsequently stepped in to write and direct his own version, yet that iteration, too, failed to materialize. It was not until 2022 that Noah Baumbach finally brought DeLillo's novel to the screen. For Sonnenfeld, the project represented more than a decade of creative investment that ultimately belonged to someone else's vision, a sobering reminder of how long a single property can circulate through the industry before finding its definitive filmmaker.

The Pipeline Effect: Projects That Lived On Without Him

Perhaps the most striking pattern among Sonnenfeld's unrealized projects is how many eventually found their way to the screen under entirely different creative hands. Swordfish, which he was developing with a Stephen Schiff draft in the late 1990s, ultimately reached audiences in 2001 directed by Dominic Sena. The Simple Simon thriller he was set to helm became Mercury Rising under Harold Becker, with Bruce Willis in the lead. The Muhammad Ali biopic he was in talks to direct with Will Smith materialized as Ali, directed by Michael Mann. Nicole Eastman's screenplay The Ugly Truth, which he was attached to direct for Warner Bros. in the early 2000s, was eventually made by Robert Luketic and released through Columbia in 2009. Even the Harvey remake he lost to Miramax in a bidding war found a new home. This recurring dynamic—Sonnenfeld as the initial creative catalyst whose departure opened the door for another director—suggests his early involvement often helped shape the DNA of these films, even when his name never appeared on the final credit.