During his career, American film director Alexander Payne has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were cancelled or would see life under a different production team.
In 2000, it was reported that Payne was to co-write and direct an untitled film inspired by Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
However, nothing more was heard of this project.[2]
At one point, Payne was in talks to direct the remake of the 1966 heist comedy Gambit, after the Coen brothers did a rewrite of the film in 2003. He planned to reunite with Reese Witherspoon for the project, but he ultimately decided against it, reluctant to direct a script he didn't write.[3]
In November 2010, it was reported that Payne would possibly direct the film adaptation of Daniel Clowes's graphic novel Wilson.[4][5][6][7] Then in November 2011, Payne confirmed that he was to direct Wilson next after Nebraska (2013).[8][9][10] However, Payne officially confirmed in a 2014 interview with Parade that he was no longer attached to the Wilson project.[11]
Fork in the Road
It was reported in 2011 that Payne was to direct a film titled Fork in the Road.[12] That project was to have been an adaptation of a novel by Denis Hamill.[13]
The Lost Cause
In 2012, it was reported that Payne and Jim Taylor wrote a script titled The Lost Cause, which was said to be an expansion of Taylor's 2004 short film of the same name.[14]
The Judge’s Will
In November 2013, Payne was in talks to direct a film titled The Judge's Will for Fox Searchlight Pictures.[15][16][17] The project was to have been based on a New Yorker article written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala about an elderly judge from Delhi who wants to make sure his much younger wife will be taken care of after his death.[18][19][20] In May 2018, it was reported that James Ivory would write the screenplay of the project for Payne.[21][22][23] In June 2018, it was reported that Payne will possibly shoot The Judge's Will in Chicago.[24]
La Vida Norteña
In November 2014, it was announced that Payne would direct a film titled La Vida Norteña.[25] The project was to have been about a Latin music promoter who befriends a Nebraskan mayor.[26]
Septillion to One
In April 2015, it was reported that Payne was interested in directing Septillion to One, a contemporary romantic comedy inspired by the true story of Joan Ginther, who won the Texas State Lottery four times.[27][28][29][30] Adam R. Perlman and Graham Sack's spec script was purchased by OddLot Entertainment, who intended to produce and finance the film. Payne was not officially committed to directing at the time, due to his preoccupation with the production of Downsizing (2017). In September 2016, Mark Romanek signed on to direct the film.[31][32][33]
My Saga
In February 2016, it was announced that Payne was to direct a film titled My Saga, which is based on a pair of articles written by Karl Ove Knausgård and published by The New York Times Magazine.[34][35][36][37] The articles cover Knausgård tracing the Vikings' voyages in North America.[38][39][40] The film was to have been distributed by Netflix and star Mads Mikkelsen.[41][42][43] In October 2019, the production was cancelled a week before filming was to begin due to Knausgard objecting to his life story being turned into a feature film.[44]
It was reported in February 2019 that Payne was attached to direct the comedy horror film The Menu for Gary Sanchez Productions.[51] The plot concerns a young couple that attends an exclusive restaurant in a tropical island only to experience some "shocking surprises."[52][53][54][55] By April 2019, Emma Stone and Ralph Fiennes were set to star in the film.[56][57] By May 2020, Mark Mylod replaced Payne on The Menu.[58][59]
Babette’s Feast remake
On December 2, 2019, it was announced that Payne was attached to direct an American remake of the 1987 Oscar-winning Danish film Babette's Feast.[60][61][62][63] Payne's version is said to be set in Minnesota.[64][65]
On December 20, 2019, it was announced that Payne was going to direct the HBO miniseries Landscapers.[66] However, in October 2020, it was announced that Payne dropped out of the project due to a schedule conflict and was replaced by Will Sharpe.[67]
2020s
Untitled Paris-set comedy
In 2021, Payne said that one of his upcoming projects, which he planned to follow The Holdovers, would be a comedy set in Paris based on the true story of rival antique chair dealers, and that he was using the pandemic downtime to craft the screenplay.[68] In 2023, Payne told IndieWire that he was working with Jim Taylor and a French screenwriting team, and that their script is "maybe 65 percent there".[69] Project is based on the 2018 Vanity Fair article "The Chairmen".
While promoting The Holdovers, Payne announced that he was collaborating with scribe David Hemingson yet again on a long-time dream to make a Western film. "I finally found a creative partner who shares the same zeal that I have for Westerns", Payne said.[73][69] The film is said to be set in 1886 Custer County, Nebraska, and will feature Paul Giamatti in a currently undisclosed role.[74][75] Payne has cited the Westerns of Anthony Mann as an influence on the project.[76]
Tucker Ames as Himself
On a 2023 episode of Happy Sad Confused, Payne revealed that one of his favorite scripts which had not been produced was a rewrite with Jim Taylor on a film called Tucker Ames as Himself, which he described as "sort of a parody of a Bill Gates guy who gets his comeuppance in some way."[77] In the same interview, Payne reiterated that he and Taylor were still discussing how to adapt Tracy Flick Can't Win, attributing his desire to add Matthew Broderick's character from the first film and veer away from "making high school movies," since the novel is set at a high school again.[78]
