So close, yet so far! The Aussie TV dramas that never made it to air – including Margot Robbie’s Shakespeare miniseries and Russell Crowe’s bloodthirsty high seas drama

A miniseries of Shakespeare's greatest plays, starring a homegrown Hollywood superstar?

Russell Crowe in a blood-soaked sea adventure?

And a reboot of an '80s fan favorite about an heiress who seeks revenge on her enemies after surviving a crocodile attack?

This is evident from a new study by the industry blog Television tonightthese were some of the best drama ideas from Australian producers of the past decade.

And none of them were ever made because they were all canceled before filming started.

We take a look at some of the most anticipated TV dramas that never aired.

Margot Robbie'Shakespeare miniseries

Today she is the homegrown Hollywood superstar best known for the billion-dollar hit Barbie.

But in 2018 the glamorous blonde Queenslander, 33, announced she would be producing a series of Shakespeare adaptations for the ABC.

There was much buzz about the beauty that would appear in the series, which would offer 'reimagined' versions of the Bard's classic plays including Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth The Tempest and Twelfth Night.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Margot is said to have collaborated with production company Hoodlum Entertainment on the project.

The series never came to fruition, perhaps due to timing.

Margot's career quickly skyrocketed into the stratosphere, especially thanks to her Oscar nod for her title role in the hit 2017 black comedy I, Tonya.

Russell Crowe's Batavia

Gladiator star Russell Crowe planned to return to the small screen in 2016 with a big-budget version of a gruesome, real-life tale of a 17th century mutiny.

Based on the 1966 book Islands of Angry Ghosts, the story focused on the wreck of the Batavia, which occurred off the coast of Western Australia in 1629.

It wasn't clear whether Crowe, 59, planned to play the evil leader of the rebels or the hero who ultimately defeated him… but it appears the Beautiful Mind actor has shelved the project after encountering difficulties in raising production funds.

Crowe's project came after Channel 10 abandoned their own version in 2014, this time based on the book Batavia by Peter FitzSimons.

Return to Eden. Reboot

Return to Eden debuted as a miniseries on Channel 10 in 1983 and was an instant fan favorite.

Starring Rebecca Gilling as a wronged heiress bent on revenge after surviving a crocodile attack, the show has been dubbed an Australian version of the American big-budget soap opera Dynasty.

It was later revived as a full-fledged series, starring James Reyne, Wendy Hughes and Peta Toppano, alongside Rebecca Gilling, who became household names.

In 2013, excited Channel Nine executives announced they would be bringing the campy classic back for a reboot.

But the six-episode miniseries was canned. Speculation at the time suggested that the show fell victim to cost-cutting within the network, as Nine was negotiating an expensive broadcast deal for international cricket at the time.

Channel Seven's Famtime

This sitcom about a dysfunctional family, starring The Letdown funnyman Duncan Fellows, was actually filmed in 2020.

But Seven appears to have shelved the show indefinitely, after originally announcing it would be scheduled for a 2021 release.

The show also starred Spicks and Specs and Would I Lie to You regular Michala Banas alongside Cleverman star Benson Jack Anthony.

Goodwood by Claudia Karvan

Based on the novel by singer and author Holly Throsby, Goodwood was announced in 2019.

The ABC coming of age drama, produced by Bump star Claudia Karvan, and Alison Bell and Sarah Scheller (The Letdown), was announced with a lot of hype… but never came to fruition.