Why These Actors’ Final Movies Will Never Be Released

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It’s a dream scenario for every actor to wrap up their career with a fantastic film, but in reality, it rarely pans out. While some actors do retire, the majority continue working until they can no longer due to age or health issues. Sadly, this often results in actors ending their careers with mediocre or even poorly received movies – perhaps they didn’t realize it would be their swan song, and the unremarkable nature of their final role was simply bad luck. Even when things don’t take such a dramatic turn, most actors’ last performances are in ordinary productions, nothing that stands out as a grand finale for their careers.

Absolutely, there are numerous instances where actors passed away during film production, which is undeniably tragic. However, it’s equally unfortunate when a movie intended to be an actor’s final work gets stuck in development hell and never sees the light of day. This leaves their final film credit marked with an asterisk. In this article, we will focus on films that were either completed or officially began production, with the actor having contributed to them significantly – movies where the actor was signed but the project didn’t take off aren’t part of our discussion.

Marlon Brando – Big Bug Man

Marlon Brando’s career is a complex mix of brilliance and controversy. On one side, he’s renowned for his iconic performances in films like “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “The Godfather,” “On the Waterfront,” and “Last Tango in Paris.” These roles have solidified his status as one of cinema’s greatest actors. However, as time went on, his work during the 1980s and beyond was often criticized due to subpar performances in less than stellar films and reports of challenging or unpredictable behavior on set. Regrettably, this turbulent phase lasted for a significant period and tends to overshadow the exceptional work he did earlier in his career.

Looking back, I can say that Brando truly left his mark in the film industry on a solid note. His swan song was the 2001 heist flick “The Score,” which garnered generally favorable reviews and even earned some positive nods towards Brando’s performance from critics – something that hadn’t happened for quite a while before that. However, it seems he had a bit of fun and whimsy planned for his final project, as he almost ended up voicing a bug! Yes, you heard that right. Before bidding the world of animation adieu, Brando signed on for an animated film called “Big Bug Man,” starring Brendan Frasier. The filmmakers initially wanted him to voice the male boss character, but Brando had other ideas – he opted to play a character named Mrs. Sour instead. And to really get into character, he showed up for recordings wearing makeup, a wig, and a dress! Now that’s what I call going out with style.

The movie titled “Big Bug Man,” initially slated for a 2006 release, faced delays and eventually became one of those high-budget productions that were completed but remained unseen. Over time, it has become almost impossible to find any solid information about its disappearance from the public eye. Notably, this film represents one of only two instances where Marlon Brando lent his voice in his acting career; the other being a single line as Don Vito Corleone in the 2006 video game version of “The Godfather.” Given the elapsed time, it’s fair to speculate that “Big Bug Man” will forever remain undiscovered.

River Phoenix – Dark Blood

For the final year of River Phoenix’s life, he faced much hardship and sorrow. However, in spite of his personal struggles, this talented actor continued working diligently until his untimely death in October 1993. During that period, he filmed three movies: “Silent Tongue,” “The Thing Called Love,” and “Dark Blood.” Notably, “The Thing Called Love” was released just prior to his passing, making it the last movie of his to be shown during his lifetime. “Silent Tongue,” on the other hand, wasn’t released until 1994, serving as the final completed film of Phoenix’s that would be distributed posthumously.

Regarding the movie titled “Dark Blood,” actor River Phoenix died during its production, leaving behind only partially filmed scenes since his character was central. Unlike the approach taken with Brandon Lee in “The Crow,” where stand-ins and computer effects were used, completing “Dark Blood” proved impossible without Phoenix. Consequently, the project was thought to be permanently scrapped. However, in 2011, director George Sluizer disclosed that he not only saved the original footage from destruction but also managed to edit it into a finished film. Incredibly, he declared that he had been able to create a movie out of the salvaged material.

Despite strong objections from the River Phoenix family, this project was not welcomed by them and they chose to stay clear of it. However, director Sluizer showed his “completed” version of “Dark Blood” at several film festivals in 2012 and 2013, and it was even released on DVD in Germany. Yet, it’s important to note that this film doesn’t truly fit the definition of a complete movie as Sluizer merely provided explanations for missing scenes at their respective places within the movie, using unrelated footage or still images instead.

Leslie Nielsen – The Waterman Movie

Leslie Nielsen had a lengthy acting career spanning from 1950, predominantly focused on dramatic roles. However, it was his shift into comedy with the 1980 film “Airplane!” – a movie mocking disaster films – that made him a familiar face to many households. This change of path ignited a remarkable career resurgence for Nielsen, leading him to appear in the satirical series “Police Squad!”, which later evolved into the “Naked Gun” film series. These roles solidified his new career trajectory, with Nielsen often portraying the deadpan humorous character against the backdrop of more absurd and exaggerated comedy surrounding him.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Nielsen was exceptionally productive in both films and television. This productive period of his career coincided with the surge of spoof genre movies during that era. In 2007, Nielsen took on his last television roles, such as hosting “Doctor*Ology” on the Discovery Channel, a comedy documentary exploring various medical specialties. He then appeared in two final parody films in 2009 – “Stan Helsing” and “Spanish Movie”. His final film role was a minor part in the 2011 comedy “Stonerville”.

Interestingly, what you may not be aware of is that Nielsen was actually working on a different movie before his passing: an animated feature titled “The Waterman Movie.” This film was based on a collection of online cartoons called “The Waterman,” created by Bryan Waterman who is an actor, animator, and director. In the movie, Waterman had developed a character reminiscent of Leslie Nielsen for the lead role. Remarkably, he managed to contact Nielsen’s representatives and eventually secured Nielsen’s agreement to play the part, all without charge. Nielsen had even recorded his lines before his unfortunate demise. Sadly, the project ran out of funding after only a few minutes of animation were completed. Since Waterman could not finance the project himself, this lost film remains unseen.

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2025-01-25 20:30