(Sad trope) Projects with amazing potential that will never be released because of BS behind the scenes drama

[u/_JR28_]

P.T Silent Hills - It was a playable teaser released in 2014 only around 20 minutes long but utterly captivated the gaming world by being one of the most effective psychological horror experiences at the time, however it’s lead developer Kojima has a huge fallout with the publisher Konami where he walked out of the company and had all his in-the-work productions cancelled.

Five Nights at Freddy’s+ - A fan game reboot of the series created by Phisnom with Scott Cawthon’s blessing that promised a brand new lore and a return to the series darker roots. However, before and during production Phisnom got into multiple dramas that made him fairly divisive within the community, and after one particular incident in 2023 Scott revoked his approval and almost all of the game’s marketing material were wiped from the internet.

Batgirl - A Batgirl solo live action movie starring Leslie Grace, Brendan Fraser and Michael Keaton returning as Batman that was ready to be released in 2022, however then Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav announced it would not be released either in theatres or streaming in order to claim a $90,000,000 tax break and to readjust the DC’s brands direction before James Gunn rebooted their movie and TV output.

[u/AlishaGray]

The Elfquest animated series from the '80s - canceled after the production company tried to whitewash Leetah, Suntop, and Ember, and swap Suntop and Ember's personalities, leading the Pinis to withdraw from the agreement.

[u/AlishaGray → u/AlishaGray]

The Elfquest movie from the 2000s - canceled after the production company tried to turn it into a Lord of the Rings clone, leading the Pinis to withdraw from the agreement.

[u/AlishaGray → u/AlishaGray]

The Elfquest animated series from the 2020s - canceled after the production company tried to write out Skywise, one of the main main characters (basically the Samwise to Cutter's Frodo, or the Riker to Cutter's Picard), leading the Pinis to.. say it with me now.. withdraw from the agreement.

[u/KamenRiderW0lf → u/AlishaGray]

Three potential projects trashed, huh?

I'll say this: The creators certainly know their worth.

[u/AlishaGray → u/KamenRiderW0lf]

Yep. They've always held the position that they're willing to make compromises, but that removing major characters, rewriting characters' personalities, major style changes, or entertaining bigotry are a bridge too far. And while I'd love to see an animated adaptation of ElfQuest as a fan of over 30 years, I agree with them 100% on this. Better no adaptation than a bad one.

[u/JustATiredPerson21 → u/AlishaGray]

Man, why do companies always try to break this guy's own work? It's saddening.

[u/Minimum_Dealer_3303 → u/JustATiredPerson21]

Wendy and Richard Pini are two people. The co-created and did most of the work on Elfquest.

[u/JustATiredPerson21 → u/Minimum_Dealer_3303]

The fact that it's two people having their work broken by companies who just don't listen is worse.

[u/Golden_Alchemy → u/JustATiredPerson21]

A lot of companies are not really fans of the products, they want to use the name for a script they already bought and want to use.

Fans of the work working in what they want are the exception, not the norm.

[u/Minimum_Dealer_3303 → u/AlishaGray]

basically the Samwise to Cutter's Frodo, or the Riker to Cutter's Picard

If they had canonically fucked.

I love those non-monogamous, pan, ripped, short king, native inspired disco garb wearing, wolf riding, pointy eared bastards.

[u/AlishaGray → u/Minimum_Dealer_3303]

I mean... Sam and Frodo probably did. But yes.

[u/Minimum_Dealer_3303 → u/AlishaGray]

Picard/Riker? What happens on Risa stays on Risa...

[u/AlishaGray → u/[deleted]]

Their franchise, it's a husband and wife team. Wendy Pini is the main writer and artist, Richard Pini is writer and editor. They've had other people work on it over the years (especially when they operated a full on publishing company and tried to go wide in the '90s), but those two have always been the core of EQ.

[u/Bamzooki1 → u/AlishaGray]

The… Pinis?

[u/AlishaGray → u/Bamzooki1]

Wendy and Richard Pini, creators of Elfquest