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In the 1970s, aspiring screenwriter David Franzoni travelled across Europe and the Middle East. Coming across many ancient arenas, he read Daniel P. Mannix’s 1958 book Those About to Die. It was about Roman Gladiators, and Franzoni thought it would make a great movie.
The first serious talk of an Avengers movie preceded the MCU. In 2005, Marvel Studios and Paramount struck a deal to make a series of Marvel Comics-based movies, one of which was The Avengers. Zak Penn (co-screenwriter of two X-men films) was hired to write the script. 
In 1982, E.T. beat Star Wars' record and Lucas returned the favour and took out the below ad for Spielberg.
Following Avengers: Age of Ultron, the MCU was moving into Phase 3 of its overarching story and two Avengers movies were planned. Joss Whedon had written-directed both Avengers films to that point but, citing exhaustion (and with rumours of on-set unrest), he stepped aside.
The story of Thanos collecting the Infinity Stones to wipe out half the universe was so epic, Marvel Studios knew they needed two films to do it. Infinity War and Endgame were filmed in one 200-day production. With Infinity War making $2bn, the pressure was on for Endgame.
In 1991, Brett Easton Ellis’ American Psycho was published. An 80s-set satire about a serial killer, film studios were interested almost immediately. Within on year, producer Edward Pressman had bought the rights.
In the late 1970s, amateur filmmakers George Miller and Byron Kennedy we’re looking to break into the professional industry. Working as a Doctor in a Sydney hospital at the time, Miller fleshed out an idea with Kenndy for a film set in a post-apocalyptic future.
In the early 1960s, successful French author Pierre Boulle was working on his latest novel. A science fiction story set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future, it was called La Planète des singes, translated as Planet of the Apes.
After releasing his classic satire Dr Strangelove in 1964, Kubrick knew he wanted his next project to be a groundbreaking science fiction film. He got in touch with acclaimed sci fi author and futurist Arthur C. Clarke by letter, asking if he wanted to collaborate on a script.
In 1995, Lana and Lily Wachowski had written Assassins. The producer of that film was Joel Silver, and the Wachowskis showed him their new screenplay called The Matrix. Silver loved the script, but not the Wachowskis’ insistence that they direct it themselves. 
In 1967, struggling writer Mario Puzo started penning a new book – an epic crime thriller he called Mafia. Paramount literary scouts came across the manuscript when it was just a 20-page outline and took it to Paramount Vice President of Production, Peter Bart.
The idea of a filming revolving around the two DC icons at loggerheads was first discussed by Warner Bros in 2000. Andrew Kevin Walker then Akiva Goldsman wrote scripts, with Wolfgang Petersen mooted to direct. The project was cancelled by WB in 2004.
2/25 - E.T. 
7 years after the success – and film adaptation of – his 1981 novel Red Dragon, author Thomas Harris published a sequel. It followed an enigmatic character from the first – Hannibal Lecter – and was called The Silence of the Lambs.
The Warriors is based on Sol Yurick's 1965 novel of the same name, which was inspired by the classic ancient Greek story Anabasis by Xenophon. Yurick drew on his experiences working in the Department of Welfare in New York City for a gritty portrayal of gang life.
The concept originated from Andrew Bergman's 1971 treatment Tex X, purchased by Warner Bros. for $50,000. It was bought as a vehicle for blacklisted comedian Dick Gregory to lead, but plans soon changed.
Pixar's story began in 1979 when George Lucas recruited Ed Catmull to head Lucasfilm's The Graphics Group. The group was tasked with developing cutting-edge computer technology for the film industry, including digital editing systems and computer graphics exploration.
In the late 1980s, make-up effects guru Robert Kurtzman had an idea for a film - a crime thriller that, midway through, would morph into an action-horror-vampire film. The idea being it would be a great showcase for Kurtzman’s effects company, KNB.
In 1924, Austrian filmmaker Fritz Lang visited New York City for the premiere of his film Die Nibelungen and, struck by the Art Deco architecture, began developing ideas of a tale set in a futuristic city. He pitched it to German production company UFA, and they loved it.
In the mid-2000s, Tarantino was contributing to a book about western director Sergio Corbucci and was inspired to visit the genre himself. He wanted to make “movies that deal with America's horrible past with slavery… but like Spaghetti Westerns, not big issue movies.”
In 1812, German folk storytellers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published a collection called Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Tale 53 was a story of a magic mirror, Evil Queen and young princess. Their final story revision came in 1854, by which point the name of the piece was Snow White.
