As early as 1914, Edward Stratemeyer proposed making a Tom Swift film, but no film was made.[37] A Tom Swift radio series was proposed in 1946. Two scripts were written, but, for unknown reasons, the series was never produced.[37] A television pilot for a series to be called The Adventures of Tom Swift was filmed in 1958, starring Gary Vinson. However, legal problems prevented the pilot's distribution, and it was never aired; no copies of the pilot are known to exist, though the pilot script is available.[37] Twentieth Century Fox planned a Tom Swift feature film in 1968, to be directed by Gene Kelly. A script was written and approved, and filming was to have begun in 1969. However, the project was canceled owing to the poor reception of Doctor Dolittle and Star!;[2] a $500,000 airship that had been built as a prop was sold to an amusement park.[37] Yet another film was planned in 1974, but, again, was cancelled.[37] Scripts were also written for a proposed television series involving both Tom Swift Jr. and his father, the hero of the original book series. Glen A. Larson wrote an unproduced television pilot entitled "TS, I Love You: The Further Adventures of Tom Swift" in 1977, as well.[38]

A Tom Swift media project finally came to fruition in 1983 when Willie Aames appeared as Tom Swift along with Lori Loughlin as Linda Craig in a television special, The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour, which aired on July 3. It failed to capture the spirit of Tom Swift and was a ratings failure.[37] In 2007, digital studio Worldwide Biggies, founded by Nickelodeon and Spike TV executive Albie Hecht, acquired film rights to Tom Swift.[39] Following the model of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, the company has announced plans to release a feature film and video game, followed by a television series. According to Hecht, the film will likely be produced in a combination of live action and CGI, or motion capture; the character will be set in the present day, with Tom Swift working for leading green company Swift Enterprises.