Francis Ford Coppola And James Cameron Both Have Failed Projects With The Same Title

Francis Ford Coppola and James Cameron are two giants of Hollywood with eight Oscars and a whole bunch of classic movies between them. But for all their acclaim and box office success over the decades, nobody is impervious to the odd wobble and both filmmakers coincidentally have failed projects with the same title. And a pretty generic title it is, too: "Dark Angel."

Coppola was the first to have a stab and it represents one of his least successful ventures. Coming out of his production company, American Zoetrope, and with "The Godfather director acting as executive producer, "Dark Angel" was a 1996 made-for-TV movie starring Eric Roberts as Walter D'Arcangelo, a New Orleans detective on the trail of a serial killer. He's one of those gritty married-to-the-job types with his own maverick style of investigation, and he also becomes a suspect thanks to his unusual behavior and mysterious backstory. The murderer is an obsessive fiend with a deadly message, preying on adulterous women and leaving clues steeped in religious symbolism.

"Dark Angel" was intended as a pilot for a series and it probably seemed like a good idea at the time, premiering on Fox right in the middle of a fertile period for serial killer flicks — there are obvious shades of David Fincher's "Seven," which was such an influential hit a few years earlier. Unfortunately, Robert Iscove's efficient direction can't shake the cliched nature of John Romano's script, which hits just about every beat you'd expect for a moody mystery thriller set in the Big Easy. Roberts was generally praised for his performance but, despite his best efforts, "Dark Angel" only received a lukewarm response from critics and viewers, and the mooted TV show never got out of the starting gate.

In between the Oscar-winning triumph of "Titanic" and the CGI-fest "Avatar," James Cameron's "Dark Angel" also dropped on Fox in 2000. The idea was pretty sound; having already brought us butt-kicking female characters like Ellen Ripley in "Aliens" and Sarah Connor in "The Terminator" series, who better to create a TV show about a butt-kicking genetically modified super soldier starring Jessica Alba?

Taking his cue from "Battle Angel Alita," Cameron re-teamed with Charles Eglee, the producer and screenwriter he worked with on his flop debut "Piranha II: The Spawning." Together, they formed a production company and pumped $10 million into a two-hour pilot. Unlike Coppola's franchise non-starter, Cameron and Eglee's "Dark Angel" got the green light, presumably helped by Cameron's blockbusting influence and the fact that the show slotted nicely into the trend of action-based TV series centered around strong female protagonists like "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Set in the dystopian distant future of 2019, the first season was well received and even chalked up several awards. Nevertheless, the expense of the show (which Eglee confessed often ran over budget) caused concern for Fox and "Dark Angel" was only reluctantly given a second season. Hindered by competition from the similarly-titled "Buffy" spinoff "Angel," Fox changed its time slot and viewing figures started to flag, prompting Cameron to step in to helm the 90-minute cliffhanger finale in the hope of securing a third season. Even his star presence in his TV directing debut couldn't save "Dark Angel," however, and the show was canceled. These examples go to show that even great talent and immense Hollywood clout doesn't guarantee success — and it's always a good idea to think up a more original title.