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So I’ve just had a quick game on my Project Café (gotta catch them all!) and now I’m rewatching Blue Harvest for the thousandth time (it’s the best in the saga) but what the hell am I talking about I hear you cry?! Well, these are working titles of course!

Forgive me for talking in code, but these names and what follows were used when some of our best loved projects were in production. I’m sure you knew already but check out some of these other crazy-assed code names you may not be familiar with:

MOVIES

STAR WARS

  • Blue Harvest – Star Wars – Return of the Jedi

Probably the most famously known working title in this list? Family Guy made a Star Wars-themed spoof special episode of the show and used the name to appease fans, no doubt.

BATMAN

  • Rory’s First Kiss – The Dark Knight

Rory being the name of Director Christopher Nolan’s son. He also wrote the screenplay; as per usual with his brother Jonathan Nolan.

  • Autumn Frost – Man of Steel

 

  • Group Hug – The Avengers

  • Corporate Headquarters – Star Trek

 

  • Oliver’s Arrow – Inception

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USmFvCa9pG8&t=3s

  • Changing Seasons – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Burly Man – The Matrix Sequels

At the time these were the most-anticipated film sequels of all-time. Then they were released to the public who were let down enormously, but hold no grudges. Honest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P9kqlVqei4

  • Bravo 14 – Suicide Squad

This is the alias for Sergeant Ames:

  • Incident on 57th Street – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The working title for the second Harry Potter film was taken from the Bruce Springsteen song “Incident on 57th Street,” which is a track on his second album…

VIDEO GAMES CONSOLES

  • PS-X – PlayStation

The console was actually code named PlayStation X. The media called it PS-X, especially in the UK. Even though the X was eventually dropped the name certainly stuck around. But not to be confused with the PSX!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPb_vKainBU

  • Project Reality – Nintendo 64

  • Dolphin – Nintendo GameCube

We have found the following evidence/inspired logo but things therefore could have been so different… More aqua-based environments for Mario and co to explore? It’s an interesting concept and one we would subsequently love to explore!

  • Revolution – Wii

  • Project Café – Wii U

MUSIC

Now it feels a little bit different for these alternative famous album titles, as the level of secrecy is not as high in terms of what might be required for a games console (fears a rival will learn the spec) or a new movie (spoilers for the film and hype for it’s release). For these are more working titles, most probably where the final decision did not have to be made until the process of recording it was complete. It’s a more organic process involving fewer people but you do wonder if these had been quite as successful with their original names…?

  • A Doll’s House by The Beatles – The White Album

  • Eclipse by Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon

  • Sheep by Nirvana – Nevermind

 

  • London by Blur – Parklife

  • I Can Smell the V.D. in the Club Tonight by Beck – Midnight Vultures

 

  • Snakes and Ladders by Radiohead – Hail to the Thief

  • Coco Beware by Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones

If you don’t know already this is the same name as a 1990’s WWF wrestler.  I for one am particularly happy this wasn’t the final title given the stick my Dad would give me over some of the names WWF wrestlers had in this period. Basically preferring to call him “Coco Be Brave”…

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