John Landis

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John David Landis (born August 3, 1950)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for directing comedy films such as The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos (1986), Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), and horror films such as An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Innocent Blood (1992). He also directed the music videos for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (1983) and "Black or White" (1991).

Landis later ventured into television work, including the series Dream On (1990), Weird Science (1994) and Sliders (1995). He also directed several episodes of the 2000s horror anthology series Masters of Horror and Fear Itself, as well as commercials for DirecTV, Taco Bell, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kellogg's and Disney. In 2008, Landis won an Emmy Award for the documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007).

In 1982, Landis became the subject of controversy when three actors, including two children, died on set while filming his segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). Landis, as well as several other parties, were subsequently tried and acquitted for involuntary manslaughter, but the incident had long-lasting effects on film industry practices.

Landis is the father of filmmaker Max Landis.

Early life

Landis was born into a Jewish American family<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Shirley Levine (née Magaziner) and Marshall Landis, an interior designer and decorator.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Landis and his parents relocated to Los Angeles when he was four months old. Though spending his childhood in California, Landis still refers to Chicago as his home town; he is a fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.Template:Citation needed

When Landis was a young boy, he watched The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which inspired him to become a director:

I had complete suspension of disbelief—really, I was eight years old and it transported me. I was on that beach running from that dragon, fighting that Cyclops. It just really dazzled me, and I bought it completely. And so, I actually sat through it twice and when I got home, I asked my mom, "Who does that? Who makes the movie?"<ref>As told to Robert K. Elder for The Film That Changed My Life</ref><ref>Landis, John. Interview by Robert K. Elder. The Film That Changed My Life. By Robert K. Elder. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2011. N. p. 223. Print.</ref>

Career

Early

Landis began his film career working as a mailboy at 20th Century-Fox. He worked as a "go-fer" and then as an assistant director during filming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Kelly's Heroes in Yugoslavia in 1969; he replaced the film's original assistant director, who became ill and was sent home.<ref name=vallan>Template:Cite book</ref> During that time Landis became acquainted with actors Don Rickles and Donald Sutherland, both of whom would later work in his films. Following Kelly's Heroes, Landis worked on several films that were shot in Europe (especially in Italy and the United Kingdom), including Once Upon a Time in the West, El Condor and A Town Called Bastard (a.k.a. A Town Called Hell).<ref name=vallan/> Landis also worked as a stunt double.

Template:Blockquote

Aged 21, Landis made his directorial debut with Schlock. The film, which he also wrote and appeared in, is a tribute to monster movies.<ref name=vallan/> The gorilla suit for the film was made by Rick Baker—the beginning of a long-term collaboration between Landis and Baker. Though completed in 1971, Schlock was not released until 1973 after it caught the attention of Johnny Carson. A fan of the film, Carson invited Landis on The Tonight Show and showed clips to help promote it. Schlock has since gained a cult following, but Landis has described the film as "terrible".<ref name=school>Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Landis was hired by Eon Productions to write a screen treatment for The Spy Who Loved Me, but his screenplay of James Bond foiling a kidnapping of the Pope in Latin America was rejected by Albert R. Broccoli for satirizing the Catholic Church.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Landis was then hired to direct The Kentucky Fried Movie after David Zucker saw his Tonight Show appearance.<ref name=school/> The film was inspired by the satirical sketch comedy of shows like Monty Python, Free the Army, The National Lampoon Radio Hour and Saturday Night Live.<ref name=vallan/> It is notable for being the first film written by the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker team, who would later have success with Airplane! and The Naked Gun trilogy.

1978–1981

Sean Daniel, an assistant to Universal executive Thom Mount, saw The Kentucky Fried Movie and recommended Landis to direct Animal House based on that. Landis says of the screenplay, "It was really literally one of the funniest things I ever read. It had a nasty edge like National Lampoon. I told him it was wonderful, extremely smart and funny, but everyone's a pig for one thing."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While Animal House received mixed reviews, it was a massive financial success, earning over $120 million at the domestic box office, making it the highest grossing comedy film of its time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its success started the "gross-out" film genre, which became one of Hollywood's staples. It also featured the screen debuts of John Belushi, Karen Allen and Kevin Bacon.

In 1980, Landis co-wrote and directed The Blues Brothers, a comedy starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. It featured musical numbers by R&B and soul legends James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker. It was, at the time, one of the most expensive films ever made, costing almost $30 million (for comparison, Steven Spielberg's contemporary film 1941 cost $35 million). It is speculated that Spielberg and Landis engaged in a rivalry, the goal of which was to make the more expensive film.<ref name="vallan" /> The rivalry might have been a friendly one, as Spielberg makes a cameo appearance in Blues Brothers (as the unnamed desk clerk near the end) and Landis had made a cameo in 1941 as a messenger.

In 1981, Landis wrote and directed another cult-status film, the comedy-horror An American Werewolf in London. It was perhaps Landis' most personal project; he had been planning to make it since 1969, while in Yugoslavia working on Kelly's Heroes. It was another commercial success for Landis and inspired studios to put comedic elements in their horror films.

Template:Main On July 23, 1982, during the filming of Twilight Zone: The Movie, actor Vic Morrow and child actors Myca Dinh Le (age 7) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (age 6) were killed in an accident involving an out-of-control helicopter. The three were caught under the aircraft when it crashed, and Morrow and one child were decapitated.<ref name="Outrageous Conduct"/>

In June 1983, Landis, associate producer George Folsey Jr., production manager Dan Allingham, head of special effects Paul Stewart and helicopter pilot Dorcey Wingo were charged with involuntary manslaughter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December, Morrow's daughters Jennifer Jason Leigh and Carrie Morrow also sued Landis, Wingo, Warner Bros. Studios and others for negligence and wrongful death, resulting in Warner Bros. settling their case out of court, awarding $850,000 to each party.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following the accident, Spielberg ended his friendship with Landis.<ref name="trapped">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="An Interview with Director John Landis">Template:Cite news</ref>

In October 1984, the National Transportation Safety Board reported:

Template:Blockquote

The lawsuit finally proceeded in 1985.<ref name="Weintraub">Template:Cite web</ref> Landis insisted that the deaths of Morrow, Le and Chen were the result of an accident.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, camera operators filming the scene testified to Landis being a very imperious director, and a "yeller and screamer" on set.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During a take three hours before the incident, Wingo (a veteran of the Vietnam War) told Landis that the fireballs were too large and too close to the helicopter, to which Landis responded, "You ain't seen nothing yet."<ref name="Deutsch">Template:Cite news</ref> With special effects explosions blasting around them, the helicopter descended over Morrow, Le, and Chen. Witnesses testified that Landis was still shouting for the helicopter to fly "Lower! Lower!" moments before it crashed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The prosecutors demonstrated that Landis was reckless and had not warned the parents, cast or crew of the children's and Morrow's proximity to explosives, or of limitations on their working hours.<ref name="Outrageous Conduct">Template:Cite book</ref> He admitted that he had violated California law regulating the employment of children by using the children after hours, and conceded that that was wrong, but still denied culpability.<ref name="Outrageous Conduct"/> Metallurgist Gary Fowler testified that the heat from two explosions engulfed and delaminated the helicopter's tail rotor, causing it to fall off, and that there had been "no historical basis" for the phenomenon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Deputy District Attorney Lea Purwin D'Agostino stated that Landis was acting "cool", "slippery" and "glib" during the trial, and that his testimony contained inconsistencies.<ref name="Deutsch"/> After a ten-month jury trial that took place in 1986 and 1987, Landis—represented by criminal defense attorneys Harland Braun and James F. Neal—and the other crew members were acquitted of the charges.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Both Le's and Chen's parents later filed civil suits against Landis and other defendants and eventually settled out of court with the studio for $2 million per family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1988, Landis was reprimanded by the Directors Guild of America for unprofessional conduct on the set of the film and the California Labor Commission fined him $5,000 for violating child labor laws.<ref name="trapped"/> Additionally, Cal/OSHA issued 36 citations and $62,375 in fines, although this amount was later reduced to $1,350.<ref name="trapped"/> Warner Bros. vice president John Silvia also spearheaded a committee to create new safety standards for the film industry.<ref name="Weintraub"/>

During an interview with journalist Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan, Landis said, "When you read about the accident, they say we were blowing up huts—which we weren't—and that debris hit the tail rotor of the helicopter—which it didn't. The FBI Crime Lab, who was working for the prosecution, finally figured out that the tail rotor delaminated, which is why the pilot lost control. The special effects man who made the mistake by setting off a fireball at the wrong time was never charged."<ref name=vallan />

Subsequent film career

Trading Places, a Prince and the Pauper–style comedy starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, was filmed directly after the Twilight Zone accident. After filming ended, Landis and his family went to London. The film, a big hit at the box office (the 4th-most-popular movie of 1983) did well enough for Landis' image and career to improve, along with his involvement with Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

Next, Landis directed Into the Night, starring Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer and David Bowie, and appeared in the film, which was inspired by Hitchcock productions, as an Iranian hitman. To promote the film, Landis collaborated with Jeff Okun to direct a documentary film called B.B. King "Into the Night".

His next film, Spies Like Us (starring co-writer Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase), was an homage to the Road to ... films of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. It was the 10th-most-popular movie of 1985. Hope made a cameo in the Landis film, portraying himself.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

In 1986, Landis directed Three Amigos, which featured Chevy Chase, Martin Short and Steve Martin. He then co-directed and produced the 1987 satirical comedy film Amazon Women on the Moon, which parodies the experience of watching low-budget films on late-night television.

Landis next directed the 1988 Eddie Murphy film Coming to America, which was hugely successful, becoming the third-most-popular movie of 1988 at the U.S. box office. It was also the subject of Buchwald v. Paramount, a civil suit filed by Art Buchwald in 1990 against the film's producers. Buchwald claimed that the concept for the film had been stolen from a 1982 script that Paramount optioned from Buchwald, and won the breach of contract action.<ref>Template:Cite court</ref>

In 1991, Landis directed Sylvester Stallone in Oscar, based on a Template:Ill stage play. Oscar recreates a 1930s-era film, including the gestures along with bit acts and with some slapstick, as an homage to old Hollywood films.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> In 1992, Landis directed Innocent Blood, a horror-crime film. In 1994, Landis directed Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop III, their third collaboration following Trading Places and Coming to America. In 1996, he directed The Stupids and then returned to Universal to direct Blues Brothers 2000 in 1998 with John Goodman and, for the fifth time in a Landis film, Dan Aykroyd, who also appeared in Landis' film Susan's Plan, released that same year. None of the above six films scored well with critics nor audiences.

Burke and Hare was released in 2010, as Landis' first theatrical release in 12 years.

In August 2011, Landis said he would return to horror and would be writing a new film.<ref name=b-d>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was the executive producer on the comedy horror film Some Guy Who Kills People.

Music videos

Landis has directed several music videos. He was approached by Michael Jackson to make a video for his song "Thriller".<ref name=vallan/> The resulting video significantly impacted MTV and the concept of music videos; it has won numerous awards, including the Video Vanguard Award for The Greatest Video in the History of the World. In 2009 (months before Jackson died), Landis sued the Jackson estate in a dispute over royalties for the video; he claimed to be owed at least four years' worth of royalties.<ref name="news.yahoo.com">Legal Thriller: Michael Jackson Sued by John Landis Yahoo News, January 27, 2009</ref><ref name="nme.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1991, Landis collaborated again with Michael Jackson on the music video for the song "Black or White".

Television

Landis has been active in television as the executive producer (and often director) of the series Dream On (1990), Weird Science (1994), Sliders (1995), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (1997), Campus Cops (1995), The Lost World (1998), Masters of Horror, and various episodes of Psych. He also made commercials for DirecTV, Taco Bell, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kellogg's, and Disney. In 2011 he made an appearance in Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's television series Psychoville. In June 2020, Landis signed on to direct and executive produce the streaming series Superhero Kindergarten.<ref name="Director">Template:Cite web</ref>

Documentaries

Landis made his first documentary, Coming Soon, in 1982; it was only released on VHS. In 1983, he worked on the 45-minute documentary Making Michael Jackson's Thriller, which aired on MTV and Showtime and was simultaneously released on home video, which became the biggest selling home video release of the time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Next, he co-directed B.B. King "Into the Night" (1985) and in 2002 directed Where Are They Now?: A Delta Alumni Update, which can be seen as a part of the Animal House DVD extras. Initially, his documentaries were only made to promote his feature films. Later in his career he became more serious about the oeuvre and made Slasher (2004), Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007) and Starz Inside: Ladies or Gentlemen (2009) for television. Landis won a 2008 Emmy Award for Mr. Warmth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, he appeared in the Spanish documentary The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry, which covered the career of Spanish movie director Paul Naschy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Landis was friends with Christopher Lee and he appeared in the documentary The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee (2024).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Archives

Landis' moving image collection is held at the Academy Film Archive.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film material at the Archive is complemented by photographs, artwork and posters found in Landis' papers at the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Landis is married to Deborah Nadoolman, a costume designer. They have two children, including Max. In a BBC Radio interview, he stated that he is an atheist.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The family lives in Beverly Hills, California.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They had purchased Rock Hudson's estate in Beverly Crest.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2009, Landis signed a petition in support of director Roman Polanski, who had been detained while traveling to a film festival in relation to his 1977 sexual abuse charges. The petition argued that the detention would undermine the tradition of film festivals as a place for works to be shown "freely and safely", and that arresting filmmakers traveling to neutral countries could open the door "for actions of which no-one can know the effects."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1973 Schlock Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No
1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie Template:Yes Template:No Template:No
1978 Animal House Template:Yes Template:No Template:No a.k.a. National Lampoon's Animal House
1980 The Blues Brothers Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No
1981 An American Werewolf in London Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No
1982 Coming Soon Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Documentary
1983 Trading Places Template:Yes Template:No Template:No
Twilight Zone: The Movie Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Segments "Prologue" and "Time Out"
1985 Into the Night Template:Yes Template:No Template:No plus actor, as one of the Iranian henchmen
Spies Like Us Template:Yes Template:No Template:No
Clue Template:No Template:Partial Template:Partial Co-story with Jonathan Lynn
1986 ¡Three Amigos! Template:Yes Template:No Template:No
1987 Amazon Women on the Moon Template:Yes Template:No Template:Partial Segments "Mondo Condo", "Hospital", "Blacks Without Soul" and "Video Date"
1988 Coming to America Template:Yes Template:No Template:No
1991 Oscar Template:Yes Template:No Template:No
1992 Innocent Blood Template:Yes Template:No Template:No
1994 Beverly Hills Cop III Template:Yes Template:No Template:No
1996 The Stupids Template:Yes Template:No Template:No
1998 Blues Brothers 2000 Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes
Susan's Plan Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes
2010 Burke and Hare Template:Yes Template:No Template:No

Executive producer

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
1970 Kelly's Heroes Sister Rosa Stigmata Uncredited;
Also production assistant
1973 Battle for the Planet of the Apes Jake's Friend
Schlock Schlock
1975 Death Race 2000 Mechanic
1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie TV Technician Uncredited
1979 The Muppet Movie Grover Uncredited, puppetry only in Rainbow Connection Finale scene
1941 Mizerany
1980 The Blues Brothers Trooper La Fong
1981 An American Werewolf in London Man Being Smashed Into Window Uncredited
1982 Eating Raoul Man who bumps into Mary
1983 Trading Places Man with briefcase
1984 The Muppets Take Manhattan Leonard Winesop
1985 Into the Night SAVAK plus director
1990 Spontaneous Combustion Radio Technician
Darkman Physician
1992 Sleepwalkers Lab Technician
Body Chemistry II: Voice of a Stranger Dr. Edwards
Venice/Venice Himself
1994 The Silence of the Hams FBI Agent
1996 Vampirella Astronaut #1
1997 Laws of Deception Judge Trevino
Mad City Doctor
1999 Diamonds Gambler
Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby Judge
2004 Surviving Eden Doctor Levine
Spider-Man 2 Doctor
2005 The Axe Père copain Maxime
Torrente 3: El protector Embajador árabe
2007 Look Aggravated Director
2012 Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader Professor
2015 Wrestling Isn't Wrestling Therapist Short film
Tales of Halloween Jebediah Rex Segment "The Ransom of Rusty Rex"

Television

Year Title Director Producer Writer Notes
1976 Holmes & Yo-Yo Template:No Template:No Template:Partial Episode "Key Witness"
1985 Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration Template:Yes Template:No Template:No TV documentary
George Burns Comedy Week Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Episode "Disaster at Buzz Creek"
1990–1996 Dream On Template:Yes Template:Partial Template:No Directed 17 episodes
1990 Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration Template:Yes Template:No Template:No TV documentary
1994 Weird Science Template:No Template:Partial Template:No
1995 Sliders Template:No Template:Partial Template:No
1996 Campus Cops Template:Yes Template:Partial Template:No Directed episodes "Muskrat Ramble" and "3,001"
1997–1999 Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show Template:Yes Template:Partial Template:No Directed episode "Honey, Name That Tune"
1999–2002 The Lost World Template:No Template:Partial Template:No
2002 The Kronenberg Chronicles Template:Yes Template:Partial Template:No Unaired pilot
2004 Slasher Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Television documentary
2005–2006 Masters of Horror Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Directed and co-wrote episode "Deer Woman"
Directed episode "Family"
2007 Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No TV documentary
2007–2008 Psych Template:Yes Template:No Template:No 3 episodes
2008 Fear Itself Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Episode "In Sickness and in Health"
Starz Inside: Ladies or Gentlemen Template:No Template:Partial Template:No TV documentary
2011 Wendy Liebman: Taller on TV Template:No Template:Yes Template:No Stand-up special
2012 Franklin & Bash Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Episode "Voir Dire"
2021 Superhero Kindergarten Template:Yes Template:Partial Template:No 26 episodes<ref name="Director" />

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
1974 The Six Million Dollar Man Michael Episode "The Pal-Mir Escort"
1990 Psycho IV: The Beginning Mike Calveccio TV movie
1991–1994 Dream On Herb Episodes "Futile Attraction" and "Where There's Smoke, You're Fired"
1994 The Stand Russ Dorr Episode "The Stand"
2011 Psychoville Director Episode "Dinner Party"

Music videos

Year Title Artist
1983 Thriller Michael Jackson
1985 My Lucille B.B. King
Into the Night
In the Midnight Hour
1986 Spies Like Us Paul McCartney
1991 Black or White Michael Jackson

Unrealized projects

Year Title and description Template:Tooltip
1970s See You Next Wednesday, a fictional "musical autobiography" of himself if he died at 19 years old <ref>Template:Cite video</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Teenage Vampire, a vampire film set in 1950s Ohio <ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Spy Who Loved Me <ref name=Collider>Template:Cite interview</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Unmade">Template:Cite web</ref>
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, retitled from Project Bluebook <ref name=cool>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Unmade"/>
The Thing <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Fatal Voyage, a film co-written with John Barry described as an "Alien ripped off script" <ref>Template:Cite archive</ref><ref>Template:Cite archive</ref>
Big Trouble, a fantasy adventure film co-written with Douglas Kenney and Harold Ramis set partially on another planet <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite archive</ref>
A Chorus Line <ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref>
The Incredible Shrinking Woman <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Burger City, a TV pilot co-written with Paula Levenback and Wendy Riche set inside a hamburger restaurant <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel The Lost World written by Richard Matheson <ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>Template:Cite archive</ref>
1980s Barnum, a biopic of circus showman P. T. Barnum written by Bill Lancaster starring John Belushi <ref name="FDI">Template:Cite video</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Unmade"/>
A film adaptation of Mark Twain's novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court written by Waldo Salt <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite archive</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="DB">Template:Cite web</ref>
Dick Tracy starring Clint Eastwood <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="john">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Unmade"/>
Whereabouts, a mystery adventure written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. <ref>Template:Cite archive</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Clue <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Little Shop of Horrors <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Club Paradise <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1990s The Lone Ranger, a film based on the eponymous character written by George MacDonald Fraser <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="DB"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite archive</ref>
A remake of the 1933 film King Kong <ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Red Sleep, a vampire film co-written with Mick Garris, Richard Christian Matheson and Harry Shearer set in Las Vegas <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="john"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A sequel to his film An American Werewolf in London <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Unmade"/>
An unaired TV pilot based on Thorne Smith's novel Topper, starring Tim Curry, Courteney Cox and Ben Cross <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite video</ref>
Fastlane, a two-hour television film about people on the road with a "bitchin' car" <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite video</ref>
Call Me a Cop, a comedy about a group of gangsters who disguise themselves as policemen <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Cast of Characters, a film written by Peter Barnes and Larry Cohen <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite archive</ref>
The Return of Willard, a sequel to Willard starring Bruce Davison <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Really Scary, an anthology horror film with segments directed by Landis, Guillermo del Toro, Sam Raimi and Joe Dante <ref>Template:Cite video</ref><ref name="Unmade"/><ref>Template:Cite archive</ref>
2000s Gone, a thriller set in a haunted house <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
A film adaptation of Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming's rock musical Bat Boy <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=Collider/>
A film adaptation of Larry Coen and David Crane's one-act play Epic Proportions written by Todd Berger <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=cool/>
The Missionary Position, retitled from Missionary Impossible, a comedy written by Glen Brackenridge and Curtis Brien <ref name=dogs>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=cool/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Show Dogs, a comedy about a homeless Jack Russell Terrier written by Mike Bender <ref name=dogs/><ref name=Collider/>
A film adaptation of Mike Richardson's novel Cut <ref>Template:Cite archive</ref>
The Wolfman <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ghoulishly Yours, William M. Gaines, a biopic of EC Comics publisher William Gaines written by Joel Eisenberg <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Bone Orchard, a Western about Chinese vampires written by M. D. Presley starring Russell Brand and Mila Kunis <ref name=return>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Unmade"/>
A film adaptation of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's five-act play The Rivals starring Joseph Fiennes, Albert Finney, James Corden, Imelda Staunton and Paul Whitehouse <ref name=return/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref><ref name="AV">Template:Cite web</ref>
2010s Untitled Parisian monster movie co-written with Alexandre Gavras <ref name=b-d/><ref name="AV"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020s Superhero Kindergarten live-action TV series <ref name="Director"/>
Untitled Superhero Kindergarten film spin-off

Other unmade projects include a book he was working on as of 2015,<ref>Template:Cite video</ref> a TV series adapted from an unproduced feature script that he was hoping to make as of 2016,<ref name="FDI"/> and a Broadway show he was said to be planning as of 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

Template:Reflist

Bibliography

Interviews
About Twilight Zone accident

Template:John Landis Template:Authority control