Every year, a handful of already-shot, sometimes even fully completed films vanish into thin air. Some had 2022 or even 2023 release targets. Others finished principal photography two years ago but haven’t made so much as a whisper since. No festival berths. No marketing. Just eerie silence.
The obvious champ is Terrence Malick’s “The Way of the Wind.” It’s been seven years since Malick shot this one, and he’s been editing it ever since. It could very well be his last film, which is maybe why he’s not in a rush to complete it.
Then there’s David Sandberg’s “Kung Fury 2,” also shot in 2019, with a $35M budget, and with Michael Fassbender, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and David Hasselhoff. It still hasn’t seen the light of day, and remains in a state of limbo due to lawsuits between the film’s investors.
Maybe this is the year we’ll finally get to see Jody Hill’s “Famous”— Shot in October 2024 — which currently resides at A24. From the “Observe and Report” and “The Righteous Gemstone” filmmaker, and starring Zac Efron. No locked release date yet, but who knows, maybe we get to see it this fall.
We should add “The Onania Club,” a completed film by Tom Six (“The Human Centipede) that has been stuck in distribution limbo since 2017. After private market screenings, it reportedly failed to secure a distributor, with industry accounts pointing to a combination of controversial subject matter, no commercial appeal, and disputes over licensing. We may never see it.
Now let’s zero in on this one. Based on my previous reporting, David Michôd’s “Wizards!” has become one of the more prominent recent examples a film stuck in extended post-production limbo. The film was shot in Australia in 2022 and assembled under A24, with a cast that includes Pete Davidson, Franz Rogowski, Naomi Scott, Sean Harris, and Orlando Bloom, and a story credit from Joel Edgerton.
“Wizards!” test screened in 2023, internal responses were mixed to negative, with descriptions suggesting tonal instability and an unusual blend of stoner comedy, crime elements, and absurdist character work. Supposedly, and I ain’t kidding here, there’s a sh*t-eating scene that will have many people headed straight to the aisles.
Following those early reactions, the film is said to have entered extended post-production reworking, including ongoing editing adjustments aimed at reshaping tone and structure. In 2023, Michod confirmed he was attempting to assemble a version that satisfied him, and again last year he said he was still editing.
It’s gotten to the point where Michôd already shot another film, “Christy,” starring Sydney Sweeney as boxer Christy Martin, which was released last fall. In late 2025, I asked a source involved with the film about a potential release date, and they told me that 2026 would finally be the year we’d get to see “Wizards!” That same person is now saying that a late-2026 release is possible, but that 2027 is more likely.
Rogowski, who has a supporting role in “Wizards!” told IndieWire: that the film was being re-edited, again, and that Michôd was still trying to find the right version for his film.
As far as I know, they had a version, and now they are editing a new version. They’re still looking for the right tone.
“Wizards!” (exclamation mark included) follows Pete Davidson and Rogowski as two pothead beach-bar operators who find a bag of stolen money. Their attempts to keep the money a secret start to unravel as the plot gets knottier. None other than actor Joel Edgerton gets a story credit here.
I gathered a few reactions in 2023, the consensus from the test screening seemed to be split. Here’s one of the them:
What I saw was absolutely the most pointless film of the year. Two loser friends who bought an island resort accidentally find a duffel bag full of cash after a guest disappears mysteriously and leaves clues to an island where it’s buried. Sean Harris comes along and starts asking about any information as they try to keep it a secret, his psychotic tendencies start testing them and there is a moment where they are forced to eat shit, literal shit, a 5 minute moment of Rogowski eating a solid turd and Davidson eating liquid shit. It’s trying to be something in the vein of “The Beach Bum” and “Smiley Face” but there isn’t enough weed to save it.
“Wizards” could surface this year, who knows, though I bet it won’t. Michôd is currently working on another project at the moment.
And what about David Michôd, who broke out in a big way with his Australian stunner “Animal Kingdom” and went on to helm films such as “The Rover,” “War Machine,” and “The King”? He can’t keep this film hidden forever. At some point, “Wizards!” will have to be shown to the public—or is the plan simply never to release it?
Scratch the 50/50. It's more like 70% mixed-to-negative from what I've seen, but it's got a few defenders, which leaves me very curious.