What If...? – Paramount / MGM / Scott Free (Joe Carnahan's Death Wish)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures had been developing a reboot of the 1974 vigilante thriller Death Wish, in turn based on the novel of the same name by Brian Garfield, since the mid-2000&with various writers, directors, and actors coming and going on the project, including Sylvester Stallone, John Brancato, Michael Ferris, Liam Neeson, Gerardo Naranjo, Benicio del Toro, Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado, Dan Gilroy, and Graham Yost. One of the great what-ifs of the development process was a version that was to have been written, produced and directed by Smokin&Aces and Boss Level helmer Joe Carnahan, which woud&potentially seen either Russell Crowe or Michael Fassbender starring in the lead role of Paul Kersey, with Frank Grillo playing his brother. Paramount Pictures was enlisted to be in charge of domestic distribution, while Ridley and Tony Scott would serve as executive producers through their Scott Free banner, reteaming with Carnahan following their collaborations on The A-Team and The Grey. However, due to major creative differences with MGM, Carnahan exited the project, penning a scathing letter to then-studio chiefs Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Jonathan Glickman soon afterwards. While Carnahan received sole screenplay credit for the eventually released 2018 film from director Eli Roth, little to none of his original script actually made it into the finished film. Follow me and ponder the question, "What if...?"