David O. Russell's unrealized projects

Speaking on an episode of Marc Maron's podcast, actor Jason Schwartzman revealed that after he had finished Rushmore in 1998, he was pitched a project by Russell. The film was to have been an ensemble piece, including original songs that were written by Schwartzman. According to the actor, the film had even entered the late stages of pre-production: "There was a cast, a crew, a script and I was prepared to do it and we were talking about it and having these meetings and a few weeks before we started it he called me on the phone and he said, 'I'm going to pause this movie because it just doesn't feel right and I don't wanna do something unless it feels right; I promised myself I wouldn't do that.' "[1]

In 2000, Russell intended to direct a documentary on the boxer/actor Benny Hernandez.[2]

In 2002, Russell was attached to direct the Temple Grandin biopic for HBO, but was later replaced by Mick Jackson.[3]

Russell collaborated on a total of four scripts together with Jeff Baena, only one of which was produced into a feature film.[4]

In 2006, Russell was in pre-production with Vince Vaughn on a film titled The H-Man Cometh, about a sarcastic radio call-in show host who takes on the qualities of his neurotic patrons. Elizabeth Banks was also attached to the project, later saying that, "Yeah, there was a David O. Russell movie that I really wanted to make with Vince Vaughn that ended up falling apart. I mean, I don’t get depressed, it’s just the nature of the game."[5][6] Russell rewrote the screenplay, based on a draft done by David Cohen and Tony Lord.[7]

In November 2008, Russell was in talks with New Line Cinema to direct Mike Arnold and Chris Poole's raucous comedy script of The Grackle. Matthew McConaughey was attached to star as a New Orleans barroom fighter who hires himself out for $250 to settle disputes for people who can't afford to hire a lawyer.[8][9]

In April 2009, Russell signed with Fox 2000 to helm Aaron and Sarah, retitled from B.F.F., a romantic comedy described as John Hughes-esque. The film would have focused on a geek and a popular girl who meet as Freshman and fall in love over their four years together at high school. Chad Gomez Creasey and Dara Resnik Creasey wrote the screenplay.[10][11]

In July 2010, it was reported that Russell had scripted a film titled Old St. Louis about a traveling salesman whose life changes when his daughter becomes part of his life. Vince Vaughn was in talks to produce and star in the film.[12] Chloë Grace Moretz was set to play the daughter, with Scarlett Johansson appearing as the love interest.[13]

In September 2010, it was announced that Summit Entertainment was considering Russell to direct Jim Carrey in Under Cover, a comedy about a family man who joins a cover band.[14]

In October 2010, Vulture.com reported that Russell had dropped out of directing his adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's horror-comedy-parody Pride and Prejudice and Zombies because star/producer Natalie Portman couldn't meet his intended start date.[15] A separate film adaptation was later released in 2016, but Russell had no involvement.

In November 2010, it was reported that Ice Cube and Russell were in talks with New Line Cinema to create a potential yet-titled cop drama said to be in the vein of films like Dirty Harry and Death Wish.[16]

On November 24, 2010, an interview with Mark Wahlberg was published by MTV with the actor stating that Russell was currently writing the adaptation of the video game franchise Uncharted and was excited for what he had in store. "I'm obviously in whatever David wants to do but the idea of it is so off the charts: Robert De Niro being my father, Joe Pesci being my uncle. It's not going to be the watered-down version, that's for sure."[17] On May 26, 2011, it was reported that Russell had departed the film to direct Silver Linings Playbook.[18]

In January 2011, Russell was in talks to rewrite and direct Blake Masters' adaptation of 2 Guns with Vince Vaughn attached to star.[19] A film was released in 2013, but without the involvement of Russell or Vaughn.

In February 2011, Russell revealed that, in addition to simultaneously working on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Silver Linings Playbook and 2 Guns, he was considering directing a narrative film of the 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys, with Mark Wahlberg.[20]

In March 2011, Russell was in negotiations with Fox Searchlight to direct a feature biopic of the Sexploitation film director Russ Meyer.[21]

In June 2011, as claimed by The Hollywood Reporter, Russell was one of the directors interested in taking over for Tim Burton on the production of Disney's Maleficent after his departure.[22]

That same month, Russell spoke of a project he was working on with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura called Mission. "It's very cool," Russell told THR, "It's sort of an action-drama."[23]

It was officially confirmed by the Los Angeles Times in April 2012 that Russell would be directing a biopic of former Providence mayor Buddy Cianci after an arrangement with producer Jane Rosenthal. Based Cianci's biography Politics and Pasta, Russell was confirmed to not be writing the script for the film.[24]

In August 2012, Russell was in negotiations with CBS to direct a legal drama written by Danny Strong inspired by a real-life New York father/daughter defense attorney team.[25]

In September 2012, Russell revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he was in talks with Bradley Cooper to direct American Sniper.[26]

Russell also mentioned a project he scripted titled The Bends, which would have been "a kind of cousin to Vertigo."[26]

In February 2013, it was announced that Russell would be reunited with Jennifer Lawrence for The Ends of the Earth, a fact-based love story about a powerful oil tycoon who has everything stripped from him after he is caught in an affair. The script was written by Chris Terrio and was set to be produced by Todd Black, Steve Tisch and Jason Blumenthal of Escape Artists.[27]

In May 2013, Russell agreed to write and direct an adaptation of the JFK conspiracy thriller Legacy of Secrecy, based on the book by Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann. Leonardo DiCaprio was set to star as FBI informant Jack Van Lavinham and Robert De Niro was also attached to play mafia boss Carlos Marcello.[28]

During a 2013 directors roundtable discussion for THR, Russell revealed he had written a horror film script that Eli Roth was interested in directing as well as a supernatural time travel script.[29]

On January 22, 2014, ABC had given a straight-to-series 13-episode order to a drama series from Russell and Susannah Grant.[30][31][32] The script for the pilot episode was written by Grant. Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly also signed on as executive producers of show. First pitched as an FX series from Russell and writer Josh Lieb in 2006,[33] the show was described as an upstairs-downstairs soap opera set at a private country club.[34] On February 26, 2014, Russell departed the series as executive producer, saying "I'm not really transitioning right now to TV projects.".[35][36] Members Only, originally titled The Club, was canceled by ABC before its premiere.[37]

In August 2016, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Russell was prepping a limited series set to star Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore.[38] Later, in November, Amazon acquired the property, granting a two-season order — eight episodes each — for the mafia drama, with each installment to have been written and directed by Russell.[39] In June 2017, Michael Shannon was cast to star alongside De Niro and Moore.[40] That October, Amazon scrapped the series due to its involvement with The Weinstein Company.[41]

In September 2016, Mark Wahlberg revealed that he and Russell were both at work on a screenplay about athlete-turned-priest Father Stuart Long.[42] Revealed to be titled Father Stu, Russell would later leave the project as director, with newcomer Rosalind Ross boarding to write and direct for Wahlberg.

On July 18, 2017, Russell signed on as producer for an adaptation of the basketball drama Boy21.[43]

In 2020, there was talk of Russell pursuing a biopic written by Charles Randolph of the oil business magnate John D. Rockefeller with oft-collaborator Robert De Niro portraying Rockefeller.[44]

In 2022, O. Russell was set to direct the pilot for a Paramount+ limited series titled FIFA, set in the world of pro-soccer. Paramount also had a first-op deal with Russell to direct two other projects in addition to FIFA.[45]