Robert Zemeckis' unproduced projects

Before the release of Romancing The Stone, Zemeckis was attached to direct Cocoon and Ron Howard replaced him.[1]

On September 19, 1997, Zemeckis was slated to produce the film adaptation of Richard Preston's novel The Cobra Event for DreamWorks Pictures.[2]

In the 1990s, Zemeckis was one of three directors, including Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg, in talks with George Lucas to direct Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which Howard revealed on a 2015 Happy, Sad Confused episode that it was too daunting and Lucas ended up directing.[3]

On November 2, 2005, Zemeckis had signed on to produce Neil Jordan's historical drama Borgia through ImageMovers, which eventually became a TV series on Showtime.[4]

On March 26, 2008, Michael Dougherty was set to direct the animated sci-fi adventure film Calling All Robots with Zemeckis producing the film through ImageMovers Digital for Walt Disney Pictures.[5]

On November 26, 2009, Zemeckis had signed on to produce and direct the motion capture animated film adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker through ImageMovers Digital for Walt Disney Pictures.[6] On July 21, 2016, Universal Pictures revived the adaptation, which may or may not use motion capture, with Zemeckis only set to produce the film and Evan Spiliotopoulos was hired to write the script.[7] There has been no information since.

On September 29, 2010, Warner Bros announced that Zemeckis would produce Mike Thompson's time-travel script Timeless through ImageMovers.[8]

On November 16, 2010, Warner Bros announced that Zemeckis plans to remake The Wizard of Oz with the original script, but Zemeckis left the project.[9]

On April 14, 2011, Zemeckis had signed on to produce and potentially direct the live-action/animated hybrid film adaptation of Chuck Sambuchino's book How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack along with The Gotham Group and Sony Pictures Animation.[10] In November that year, Chad Damiani and JP Lavin were hired to write the script.[11]

On April 29, 2011, Zemeckis was set to direct the film adaptation of Replay after Ben Affleck left the project.[12] On October 3, 2012, Greg Berlanti was set to direct the film adaptation.[13]

On May 17, 2011, Zemeckis was slated to produce the live-action/animated hybrid film Animated American for Disney with Rob Edwards writing the script.[14]

On February 22, 2012, Universal Pictures announced plans for a film adaptation of Andrew Pyper’s Demonologist, with Zemeckis producing the film through ImageMovers.[15]

On August 6, 2012, Zemeckis was set to direct the biographical crime drama Taking Flight about Colton Harris-Moore, for 20th Century Fox after David Gordon Green dropped out of the project.[16] However, the film fell into development hell and its fate is unknown after Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox was completed.[17]

On October 8, 2012, Disney announced that Jason Fuchs will write Chris Appelhans’s original sci-fi adventure story The Magic Catalogue and Zemeckis set to produce the film with his ImageMovers production team.[18]

On August 5, 2013, Zemeckis was set to produce Nathaniel Halpern's script Rose through ImageMovers for Focus Features.[19]

On August 21, 2013, Zemeckis was set to produce the film adaptation of Elizabeth L. Silver’s novel The Execution of Noa P. Singleton through ImageMovers.[20]

On September 24, 2013, it was reported that Zemeckis was set executive produce Clifton Campbell's television series Billy Ray and direct the pilot episode for Fox.[21]

On June 8, 2016, Zemeckis was set to co-produce the film The Gafin Academy with Voltage Films, John & Drew Dowdle set to direct, and Aaron Rapke and Stewart Kaye adapting Danny King’s novel School for Scumbags.[22]

On August 15, 2017, Zemeckis was set to produce an untitled Genghis Khan tomb hunting film for Universal Pictures, with Evan Spiliotopoulos writing the script and Dwayne Johnson set to produce and potentially star.[23]

On 2017 a live action TV sitcom version of The Jetsons was in development for ABC Studios and Warner Bros Television for 7 years then 7 years later after it's delevopment the live action TV sitcom version of The Jetsons was cancelled forever because fans of The Jetsons wanted a primetime animated The Jetsons spinoff shows by Rob Renzetti and ideas of a live action TV sitcom version was shifted into a James Gunn PG theatrical Live action feature film without Zemeckis for several reasons.

On February 6, 2018, Zemeckis was set to produce the sci-fi action film Steel Soldiers with Ken Kaufman writing the script.[24]

On August 29, 2018, Zemeckis was set to direct The King about Kamehameha I, with Randall Wallace writing the script and Dwayne Johnson set to star at Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema.[25]

On September 10, 2018, it was reported that Zemeckis would executive produce Chad Fiveash and James Stoteraux's television series The Cove for The CW.[26]

On November 1, 2010, Zemeckis was offered to direct a Superman reboot, but passed on it which led to Man of Steel.[27]

On May 16, 2017, Zemeckis was offered to direct The Flash.[28]

On October 20, 2018, it was reported that Zemeckis would've produced the film adaptation of Joe Iconis' musical adaptation of the novel Be More Chill through ImageMovers, but Shawn Levy and Greg Berlanti acquired the project.[29]