List of unproduced Warner Bros. Animation projects

This is a list of unmade and unreleased projects by Warner Bros. Animation. Some of these productions were, or still are, in development limbo. The following included animated feature films, short films and TV specials and shows that were made by Warner Bros. Animation.

Contents:	1990s: 1992 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1998 2000s: 2000 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2008 · 2009 2010s: 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2015 · 2016 · 2018 · 2019 2020s: 2021 · 2023 See also · References

1990s

1992

Series	Title	Description
Feature film	The Thief and the Cobbler	Following his success with Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988, Richard Williams and Warner Bros. negotiated a funding and a distribution deal for his long in-development feature, which included a $25 million marketing budget.[1] The film was not finished by a 1991 deadline that Warner Bros. originally imposed upon Williams, and after a rough screening of the film in May 1992, the studio backed out of production entirely.[2] The Completion Bond Company seized control of the film afterwards, where it would be overhauled and released under the title The Princess and the Cobbler in 1993.[3]
DC Animated Universe	Catwoman: The Animated Series	After the success of Batman: The Animated Series, Bruce Timm was asked by Warner Bros. and Fox Kids to make a spin-off show, but with Catwoman. However, only a small amount of production work was done before the idea was scrapped in favor of Superman: The Animated Series.[4]

1994

Series	Title	Description
Feature film	Androcles	Modern Family writer Stephen Lloyd along with Jonathan Ehrlich (who would go to work on Hi Opie!) and Ann Carli of Crossroads and Fast Food Nation pitched an idea for an animated film version of the famous Roman folktale of Androcles with new songs by Michael Jackson for Warner Bros., but due to production problems going on at Warner Bros. Feature Animation, the film's production was shut down.[5][failed verification]
	King Tut	In 1994, Bill Kroyer, along with his studio Kroyer Films, was asked to co-produce Warner Bros. Animation's animated musical film of the early times of famous kid Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun (also known as King Tut) with new songs by Prince, but nothing came through and the production was likely cancelled due to some arguments between Kroyer and Warner Bros. However, a few of the concepts later went into Jay Stephens' animated TV show version of his comic Tutenstein. While the rest of the concepts would be used for the upcoming Warner Bros. Spanish animated movie Moomios.[5]
	Marco Polo	Warner Bros. Feature Animation had plans to make an animated epic movie based on and inspired by the life and times of famous explorer Marco Polo. However the film's production was canceled due to high production costs.[6]
DC animated universe	Teen Titans	Warner Bros originally considered producing an animated television series based on the Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Arnold Drake comic book of the same name, but the series was cancelled, and an animated series unrelated to the DC animated universe was produced instead and aired simultaneously on Cartoon Network and Kids' WB from 2003 to 2006
Feature film	The Snow Queen	Another animated film that was going to be directed by Bill Kroyer and produced by Kroyer Films for Warner Bros. Animation was in the works, this film was going to be based on The Snow Queen, but after heated arguments between Kroyer and Warner Bros. and Kroyer being fired from directing Quest for Camelot, production for The Snow Queen, along with King Tut and Arrow (an animated film fully made by Kroyer Films and distributed by Warner Bros.), was forced to be shut down.[5][failed verification]

1995

Series	Title	Description
Feature film	untitled Day of the Dead film	In 1995, there were plans for an animated musical film centered around the Mexican Holiday of the same name with art work by Milton Knight and would predate famous Day of the Dead animated films like The Book of Life and Coco. The film was scrapped most likely due to the tragic death of Selena, whom the filmmakers and songwriters really wanted to be one of the voices in the movie before production even started.[7]
	Shangri-La	According to animator Michel Gagné's website. Warner Bros. Feature Animation had plans for an animated movie about a group of friends going on a quest to find the city of Shangri-La, after finding a map to it. However the film's production was shut down for unknown reasons.[8]
	The Flying Dutchman	In 1995, writers Evelyn Gabai and Sandy Fries of Spider-Man: The Animated Series pitched an idea to Warner Bros. Feature Animation of an animated film of the ghost ship "The Flying Dutchman" with an prologue by David Bowie, but nothing came through and the production was shut down.[5][failed verification]
	Hiiaka, Daughter of the Volcano	In 1995, animation director Frederik Du Chau was going to make an animated musical film of the famous Hawaiian story Hiiaka, Daughter of the Volcano with a new song by Michael Franks. However, after Bill Kroyer was fired from directing Quest for Camelot and Frederik was brought to take over directing, the film's production was shut down immediately.[9][failed verification]
	Nicholas Cricket	In 1995, Storyopolis announced it was co-producing a musical animated film adaptation of the children's book Nicholas Cricket by Joyce Maxner and William Joyce with Warner Bros.[10] In 1999, it was announced that Sandra Bullock's production company Fortis Films had extended its production deal with Warner Bros with Nicholas Cricket as one of its projects, and Karey Kirkpatrick was attached as screenwriter.[11]
	The Sorcerer's Apprentice	Along with a series of announced projects, Storyopolis announced they were adapting the children's novel The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Nancy Willard. In January 1997, Geena Davis was cast to voice the female apprentice Sylvia and her production company, the Forge, was co-producing the film. Bill Marsilli was also attached to serve as the project's screenwriter.[10]
	The Jester	Along with a series of announced projects, Storyopolis announced they were co-producing an animated film about a Jester going on a quest to save his kingdom and win the love of his life.[12]
	The Iguana Brothers	Along with a series of announced projects, Storyopolis announced they were adapting the children's book The Iguana Brothers by Tony Johnston and Marc Teague. The story was to tell a road trip featuring two iguanas who travel to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival.[10][13] The film was later moved to Blue Sky Studios only for that to be canceled as well.[14]
	Ray Gunn	In late 1995 Brad Bird was in development of a film titled Ray Gunn under Turner Feature Animation, but due to the Turner Time Warner merger the film was scrapped and Bird would later direct The Iron Giant.[15][16][17] It was later announced in 2022 that the film would be made under Skydance Animation.[18]
	Red Ranger Came Calling	Along with a series of announced projects, Storyopolis announced they were adapting the children's book, Red Ranger Came Calling by Berkeley Breathed, into a live-action/animated hybrid film.[10][13]
	Wagstaffe the Wind-Up Boy	An animated adaption of Wagstaffe the Wind-Up Boy by Jan Needle, the story of a boy born with a wind-up key in his back, was in the works at Warner Bros. Animation, but was cancelled when the next project that was announced was The Iron Giant.[5][failed verification]

1996

Series	Title	Description
Feature film	Blue Moose	In 1996, an animated feature film adaptation of Blue Moose by children's book author Daniel Pinkwater of a cook named Mr. Breton (set to be voiced by Fred Melamed) gets help from a rare blue moose (set to be voiced by Rick Moranis) to make his restaurant even better was in the works at Warner Bros. Dan Aykroyd was also set to voice Mr. Bobowicz the game warden and Christopher Plummer was set to voice Dave the friendly, but shy forest hermit. However, it was cancelled when Warner Bros. decided to make Quest for Camelot as their next movie instead.[5]
	Haunted Holiday	In 1996, animator Ralph Eggleston was set to direct his first animated feature film at Warner Bros. that was based on the famous ghost story Bluebeard called Haunted Holiday with Tim Curry as the voice of Baron Azuro, a character that was modeled after him. However the production was shut down after the failure of Quest for Camelot and Warner Bros. putting their money on The Iron Giant. After that, Ralph Eggleston left Warner Bros. Animation to return to Pixar in which he won an Academy Award for his short For the Birds. Despite this, the film's storyboards were leaked online.[19]

1998

Series	Title	Description
Batman	Batman: Arkham	After the success of Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero, Warner Bros. greenlighted the production of a third installment, entitled Batman: Arkham. Boyd Kirkland, the director of this film, was attached to write and direct. The film would have Batman and Robin facing off against a collection of Arkham Asylum escapees, in addition to Batman finding himself falling in love with a new love interest, planned to be voiced by Angie Harmon. The main cast of Batman: The Animated Series was attached to reprise their roles. Steven E. Gordon also drew some art concept for the film. However, the film was cancelled in favor of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (which also featured Harmon),[4] while Batman: Arkham eventually became a successful video game series by Rocksteady.
Feature film	Sho and the Demons of the Deep	In 1998, Warner Bros. Animation pitched an idea for an animated film based on Sho and the Demons of the Deep by Annouchka Gravel Galouchko about a story set in ancient Japan of how kites came to be. However the project was cancelled after no news came and problems at Warner Bros. Feature Animation.[5][failed verification]
	WONKA	A planned animated adaptation of the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was in the planning stages, but was never made.[20][21]
	The Zoo	According to animator Alex Williams, Warner Bros. Feature Animation had plans to do an animated anthology film called The Zoo about the days, lives and shenanigans of the animals living in the same zoo. However, it was canceled after Quest for Camelot did not do to well at the box office.[22]
Quest for Camelot	The Green Knight and King Arthur's Daughter	Sequels to Quest for Camelot that were based on the books The Green Knight and King Arthur's Daughter by Vera Chapman were in the works at Warner Bros. However, after Quest for Camelot became a commercial and critical failure, the sequels' productions were shut down immediately.[9][failed verification]

2000s

2000

Series	Title	Description
Batman	Untitled Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker sequel	A second Batman Beyond movie was planned for release, but was finally scrapped due to the dark tones and controversies of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker in 2000.[23]

2003

Series	Title	Description
Batman	Untitled Catwoman film	Around 2003, during the production of Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, Warner Bros. approached Boyd Kirkland to write a Catwoman direct-to-video feature film as a tie-in with the 2004 live-action film. Although the script was written, the project was soon scrapped after the poor reception of the live-action film.[24]
Looney Tunes	Skate Jam	In 2003, Warner Bros. had approached professional skater Tony Hawk to star in a live action/animated hybrid film with the Looney Tunes, but following the box office failure of Looney Tunes Back in Action, the project was shelved.[25][26] However, in 2021, Warner Bros later released a sequel titled Space Jam: A New Legacy starring NBA athlete LeBron James.
	Looney Tunes theatrical shorts	In 2003, Warner Bros. Animation had plans to return to making Looney Tunes shorts, produced by Larry Doyle, but due to the box office failure of Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Warner Bros cancelled several short projects while still in development as executives believed that the interest in slapstick humor, traditional animation, as well as the classic cartoon franchises were vanishing, despite the positive reception of the film.
Feature film	Armada	In December 2003, Warner Bros. Pictures had signed up a deal with Metro3D to produce their first film with ImageMovers to produce an animated film with live-action motion capture animation. It started production in Spring 2004 and it was set for a spring 2007 release date, but got canceled due to EvStream owning the rights in early 2005.

2004

Series	Title	Description
Justice League	Justice League: Worlds Collide	Around 2004, Bruce Timm announced that a direct-to-video Justice League feature film was in the works. The film was intended to make a bridge between the second season of Justice League to the first season of Justice League Unlimited. The film was planned to reveal how Wonder Woman acquired her Invisible-Jet, and also planned to feature the Crime Syndicate as the main antagonists, an idea that was originally conceived for the two-part episode "A Better World", until the Syndicate was replaced by the Justice Lords.[27] Dwayne McDuffie wrote the script and Andrea Romano assembled the cast, but Warner Bros. finally scrapped the project.[28] However, in 2010, the film's plot was used for the non-DCAU film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, but removing all references to the continuity of the DC animated universe, and replacing John Stewart with Hal Jordan as the Justice League's Green Lantern.
Batman	Batman: No Man's Land	In the mid-2000s, producer James Tucker wanted to make a traditional animated television adaptation of Batman: No Man's Land with designs by Coran Stone, but its production was shut down when Warner Bros. Animation found it too dark for television.[4] Later, a second attempt to make a television adaptation was in the works during the late 2000s, but with CGI. However, like their earlier attempt, Warner Bros. found it too dark and violent for television.[4]

2005

Series	Title	Description
Feature film	Neopets	In March 2005, it was announced that Warner Bros. had closed a deal to produce an animated film based on Neopets.[29] In February 2006, it was announced that Rob Lieber was hired to write the screenplay. John A. Davis was attached as director along with Dylan Seller as producer.[30]

2006

Series	Title	Description
Batman	The Batman vs. Hush	A second movie of The Batman titled The Batman vs. Hush that featured Hush as the main villain along with the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman and Clayface was planned for a long time. However, the film ended up being scrapped.[31] Before its cancellation, producer Alan Burnett had hopes of making one or two more DTV movies based on The Batman.[32] However, a film based on Batman: Hush ultimately came out in 2019 as part of the DC Animated Movie Universe.
Superman	Untitled Superman spinoff series	In June 2006, during an interview about Superman: Brainiac Attacks, writer Duane Capizzi mentioned a Superman series set in the same universe of The Batman, a possibility supported by Superman's revealed existence during the show's fifth season.[33]

2008

Series	Title	Description
Justice League	Untitled Justice League film	An untitled Justice League direct to DVD film was in the works in 2008, with a design by James Tucker.[4]
Green Lantern	Untitled Green Lantern: First Flight sequel	There were plans to make a sequel to Green Lantern: First Flight, but nothing came about due to poor DVD sales.[34]
Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera	Mixed Nutz	Tom Ruegger pitched an idea for a TV show where the Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters have crossovers together in different stories and parodies, but production was shut down when the executives found it too difficult to pair the characters together.[35]

2009

Series	Title	Description
Batman	Gotham High	In 2009, an animated series that re-imagined the Batman characters as high school students was in development. But was scrapped due to unknown reasons.[36]

2010s

2010

Series	Title	Description
Wonder Woman	Untitled Wonder Woman sequel	There were plans to make a sequel to the 2009 direct-to-video film Wonder Woman. It was cancelled due to poor DVD sales.[34]
Aquaman	Untitled Aquaman film	An animated film based on Aquaman was first mentioned by Bruce Timm in 2010, but it was cancelled due to marketing concerns.[34][37] In December 2013, filmmaker Adam Green stated he had written a screenplay for the project.[38]
Batman	Nightwing: The Animated Series	An animated series featuring Nightwing was in development from Ki Hyun Ryu of The Boondocks and The Legend of Korra fame.[39] The series was rejected in favor of Young Justice.[4]
Looney Tunes	Pepé Le Pew	In October 2010, it was reported that Warner Bros. was producing a live-action/CGI film centered on the Looney Tunes character Pepé Le Pew. Mike Myers was slated to voice the character.[40] In 2016, Max Landis told San Diego Comic-Con that he was writing the script for the film.[41] The movie was cancelled due to sexual assault allegations against Landis in 2017, and a report that the character has not yet been planned to appear in future Warner Bros. productions leaves the feature film in doubt.[42]

2011

Series	Title	Description
Batman	Batgirl: Year One	Batman: Year One's executive producer Bruce Timm and co-director Lauren Montgomery expressed interest in producing an animated movie based on Batgirl: Year One.,[43][44] but DC cancelled all plans for an adaptation.[45]
The Flintstones	Untitled Flintstones reboot series	In May 2011, Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth MacFarlane was hired by Warner Bros. Animation to make an adult animated reboot of The Flintstones. The series was projected to premiere in fall 2013.[46] MacFarlane was slated to voice Barney Rubble and other roles, while Jeff Bergman and Tress MacNeille were set to reprise their voice roles as Fred Flintstone and Wilma Flintstone and Patti LuPone was in the talks to voice Pearl Slaghoople. However, the project was placed on hold due to MacFarlane being busy directing A Million Ways to Die in the West and arguments between him and the studio.[47] On March 12, 2021, storyboards of what the show would be like were revealed on the show's storyboard artist Andy Clark's website.[48]

2012

Series	Title	Description
Feature film	Bolivar	In March 2012, Warner Bros. announced they had optioned Sean Rubin's upcoming graphic novel Bolivar for an intended animated feature film. Irish filmmaker Kealan O'Rourke has been attached to write and direct the project. Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Foster were to produce the film through their Weed Road company.[49] However, in April 2018, 20th Century Fox Animation announced they had acquired the rights to the book.[50] Although, Blue Sky Studios did shut down on April 10, 2021.

2015

Series	Title	Description
Adventure Time	Untitled Adventure Time film	In February 2015, a film based on the Cartoon Network animated series Adventure Time reportedly entered development. Adventure Time creatore Pendleton Ward was set to write and executive-produce, with Chris McKay and Roy Lee producing the film. It would have been a collaboration between Warner Animation Group, Cartoon Network Studios, Vertigo Entertainment, and Frederator Films.[51][52] In October 2015, Adventure Time producer Adam Muto said that Pendleton was developing the film's premise, but stated that there was "nothing official to announce yet".[53] In July 2018, he said that the film was never "officially announced", and in later that August, he stated that the series' finale would not affect development on a potential movie nor would it lead to it, but noted that "all the lore and stuff would not work for a first time viewer", and so, it would need to work on its own to be successful.[54][55]
Lego	The Billion Brick Race	In March 2015, Warner Bros. announced that a third Lego Movie spin-off, titled The Billion Brick Race was in development. Jason Segel and Drew Pearce were signed on to co-direct and write the film. On August 2, 2017, it was announced that Jorge R. Gutierrez had signed on as director, with Pearce stepping down. At that time, the film was scheduled to be released on May 24, 2019, but on February 8, 2018, it was announced that Gutierrez had left the project.[56][57][58] Following the box office underperformance of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, the franchise moved to Universal Pictures on December 20, 2019.[59][60]
The Beatles	Meet The Beatles	In September 2015, an animated musical film based on the Beatles was announced to be in development at Warner Animation Group with Paul King in talks to direct.[61]

2016

Series	Title	Description
Feature film	Bone	On November 17, 2016, it was announced that Warner Animation Group was adapting Jeff Smith's comic series Bone into an animated film with Mark Osborne to direct it. However, in October 2019, it was announced the project had been sold to Netflix to become a television series, which was later cancelled in April 2022 due to problems going on at Netflix Animation.[62][63][64]
	Fowl Road	In February 2016, it was announced that Nicholas Stoller was attached to direct an animated film titled Fowl Road. The project was to be a satirical premise about a chicken and a hen who must cross a super highway to save their daughter from a fried chicken company, which would be a take on the "Why did the chicken cross the road?" joke.[65]
The Lego Movie	Contagious	Two additional shorts for theatrical distribution were in production alongside The Master in 2016: Contagious directed by Patrick Osbourne, and Emmet Amuck directed by Jon Saunders and Ross Evans. Both ultimately went unreleased.[66][67][68]
	Emmet Amuck

2018

Series	Title	Description
Lego	Lego Superfriends	In December 2018, Chris McKay confirmed that a sequel to The Lego Batman Movie was in development and that he would return to direct the film.[69] However, the film was canceled due to Warner Bros. losing the Lego film rights to Universal after The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part underperformed at the box office.[59][70] In 2021, McKay revealed that the script was being written by Michael Waldron and Dan Harmon. It would have focused on Batman's relationship with the Justice League, particularly Superman, and the main villains would have been Lex Luthor and OMAC.[71]

2019

Series	Title	Description
Feature film	That Christmas	In November 2019, it was announced that Locksmith Animation was developing That Christmas, an animated feature based on a series of Richard Curtis-penned children's books.[72][citation needed] It was originally expected to be released by Warner Bros Pictures under its Warner Animation Group banner.[73] However, in June 2022, Netflix unveiled the film as part of its slate of animated films.[74]
Looney Tunes	Tooned Out	On October 29, 2019, at the HBO Max launch event, it was announced a live-action/animated hybrid TV series featuring Looney Tunes characters to be produced by Warner Bros. Animation and ImageMovers, the series was in development after it was announced as Tooned Out, to be released on the then upcoming WarnerMedia streaming service. Zemeckis teamed up with Jared Stern to write the series.[75] It was set to premiere on Max, but as of 2025, there have been no official updates since then.

2020s

2021

Series	Title	Description
Television series	Wings of Fire	In April 2021, film director Ava DuVernay confirmed that she will executive produce an animated TV series adaptation of the Wings of Fire novel series with both Warner Bros. Animation and Netflix Animation. However, plans for the show have been canceled due to problems going on at Netflix.[76][77]

2023

Series	Title	Description
Scooby-Doo	Scooby-Doo! and the Mystery Pups	A cancelled project that would have been the fifteenth incarnation of the Scooby-Doo franchise.[78] The series was animated and was an educational show made for preschool children. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and would have premiered on Max (through Cartoon Network's Cartoonito block) in 2024.[79]
	Scooby-Doo! and the Haunted High Rise	A cancelled project in a series of direct-to-video films based upon Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons.[80][81][82][83] It was to be released back-to-back with Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! in fall 2023.[84][85][86]
Tom and Jerry	Tom and Jerry Time	On June 4, 2020, co-creative director of the show's visual style, Genevieve Tsai uploaded concept art of characters to social media.[87] WarnerMedia Kids & Family announced on February 17, 2021, that they were developing the show.[88] On September 3, 2021, ten days before Cartoonito's launch, the show's name was changed from its working title to Tom and Jerry Time. The show was to premiere in 2022, but was changed to 2023. On Twitter, Warner Bros. Discovery announced on September 8, 2022, that they will also invest in animated children's programs, which would include Tom and Jerry Time among other animated shows. The future WBD platform also invested in animated programming. In July 2023, Will Finn confirmed on Instagram that the show was axed by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.[89]

See also

• Warner Bros. Animation
• Warner Bros. Pictures Animation
• List of Warner Bros. Animation productions
• List of unproduced DC projects
• List of unproduced Universal Pictures animated projects