Spike Lee's unrealized projects

In July 2000, Lee acquired the rights to make a film about Joe Louis from a script he wrote with boxing expert Bert Randolph Sugar and scriptwriting legend Budd Schulberg under the title Save Me, Joe Louis.[1] The movie was focused on Louis' fights with Max Schmeling with Arnold Schwarzenegger interested in playing Schmeling.[2] In July 2006, Schulberg mentioned that Lee talked with Terrence Howard to play Louis.[3] The film fell into development hell because Lee didn't get half of the budget he needed.

In May 2006, Lee was set to direct 20th Century Fox's supernatural thriller Selling Time,[4] with Tom Cruise in talks to star.[5] In January 2014, D.J. Caruso took over directing the movie from Lee, with Dan McDermott writing a new draft and Will Smith is rumored to star in the movie.[6] However, plans fell in development hell and its fate is unknown after the Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was completed.[7]

In June 2008, it was announced that Lee was going to adapt Ronald Mallett's memoir Time Traveler: A Scientist’s Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality into a feature film.[8][9][10][11] The film was to have been titled Time Traveler and Lee was to have co-written and directed it.[12][13] On July 27, 2015, Mallett reported that Lee and screenwriter Ian Harnarine were "in negotiations about how to proceed regarding a feature film of my book, Time Traveler."[14]

In July 2008, Lee was set to direct the film L.A. Riots, with John Ridley and Terry George writing the script and Brian Grazer producing the film.[15] In August 2012, Justin Lin was set to direct L.A. Riots, since Lee didn't get enough money and ended up working on Miracle at St. Anna.[16] There has been no further announcements since.

In February 2009, Lee acquired the rights to Brendan Koerner's novel Now the Hell Will Start, a World War II manhunt in the Burmese jungle.[17] However, plans fell into development hell.

On April 21, 2010, Samuel L. Jackson announced that Lee showed him a script that he wrote titled Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson. The script, according to Jackson, was "about these folks who want to have a big concert in a Brooklyn park for Michael. And the new gentrified people that live in the neighborhood are worried about the kind of element that might be coming into the neighborhood."[18] On January 24, 2011, it was announced that Lee scrapped the project.[19]

On June 21, 2011, HBO announced they would develop a pilot for the series Da Brick, with Lee directing the pilot, written by John Ridley and executive-produced by Lee, Ridley, Mike Tyson, and Doug Ellin, based on Tyson's childhood,[20] and John Boyega was cast as the lead, Donnie.[21] In March 2012, HBO passed on the pilot.[22]

On June 28, 2010, Lee was announced to direct the thriller Nagasaki Deadline with David Griffiths, Peter Griffiths, William Broyles Jr. writing the script and Lightstorm Entertainment producing the film.[23] However, plans fell into development hell.

In December 2011, Lee was set to direct and produce a biopic of Marion Barry with Eddie Murphy set to play Barry, and John Ridley writing the script for HBO Films.[24] There has been no further announcements since.

In August 2012, Lee was in negotiations with the George Gershwin estate to direct the Porgy and Bess remake.[25] In April 2013, Both the Gershwin Family and the DuBose Heyward estate announced a remake is in development without Lee's involvement.[26] On February 11, 2020, Dee Rees was hired to write and direct the remake.[27]

In September 2014, Lee was in negotiations to direct the remake of Enter the Dragon with Ken Jeong set to play Lee and Billy Bob Thornton set to play Roper.[28] In 2015, Brett Ratner revealed that he replaced Lee as director,[29] and in 2018, David Leitch was in early talks to direct.[30]

By September 2017, Sony Pictures was actively developing a film based on the character Nightwatch for their Sony's Spider-Man Universe, with a script from Edward Ricourt. Sony wanted Lee to direct the film,[31] and he was confirmed to be interested in the project in March 2018, with Cheo Hodari Coker re-writing the script.[32] However, Lee was no longer involved by October.[33]

In August 2017, it was announced that Lee was developing Archer, a TV series with a "young, black Mark Zuckerberg-like protagonist" who develops a dating app that reads sexual chemistry.[34]

In November 2018, Lee was set up to direct a film version of the stage show by Roger Guenveur Smith, Frederick Douglass Now.[35]

In November 2019, Lee closed a deal to direct the long-gestated Prince of Cats film, based on the graphic novel.[36]