PHIL: THE GAPS

The Philip K Dick movies that never came to be

KING OF THE ELVES Dick’s 1953 short story sees a gas station attendant become the new leader of an elf army after inviting them in out of the rain. In 2008, Disney added a 3D animated movie to their 2012 slate. the project never came to fruition, but you can see concept art at animator Aaron Blaise’s website: www.bit.ly/kingelves.

A SCANNER DARKLY Dick’s 1977 novel centres on an undercover police agent who develops a split personality due to a hallucinatory drug. After The Fisher King’s success, terry gilliam tried to interest triStar Pictures. In 1997, Being John Malkovich’s Charlie Kaufman also wrote a script. Richard Linklater finally got the book to the screen in 2006.

UBIK the protagonist of this mind-bending 1969 tale works for an agency that stops telepaths invading people’s privacy. In 1974, JeanLuc godard collaborator Jean-Pierre gorin got Dick to pen a script, but funding fell through. In 2011, Michel gondry laboured on adapting it, eventually deciding, “It doesn’t have the dramatic structure to make a good film.”