Plenty of Hollywood’s most famous films had troubles in phases of pre-production, actual production, and even during post-production. Severe cases of these travails generally encompass a state known as “Development Hell” in the industry. Most projects sent to development hell either stay put for eternity, or emerge as shells of their original premises.
But contrary to all expectations, the projects on this list are worth some level of note thanks to the qualities thereof. You should recognize most of the films on this list, with some being directed by massive names in Hollywood, and they all have star-studded casts, too. All that said, this is a ranking of the best movies that went through development hell and lived to tell the tale.
17The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
Only loosely based on Miguel de Cervantez’s novelDon Quixotefrom the seventeenth century,The Man Who Killed Don Quixote(2018) was the culmination of nearly thirty years’ worth of development for English director Terry Gilliam. He first started working on the project in 1989, but couldn’t secure funding until a decade down the line. Then, the project found its budget and entered the pre-production stage in 1998 with Jean Rochefort as Don Quixote and Johnny Depp as Toby Grummett.
The filming of that project is fairly infamous, withstories of a flooddamaging the set. It didn’t see the light of day. The eventual, final product appeared in May 2018, two decades after original filming began. It stars Jonathan Pryce as Quixote, with Adam Driver playing Toby. Not many film fans lined up at their local theater to seeThe Man Who Killed Don Quixote, but those who did were satisfied with the product. It ultimately kicks off the list.
16Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
There’s a reason it took so long for anyone to capitalize on the success ofTerminator 2: Judgment Day(1991). A sequel thereto was announced before the film even released, but soon experienced multiple issues that prevented the project from any serious development: starting with the bankruptcy of the second film’s production studio Carolco Pictures and continuing with James Cameron’s busy schedule aboardTitanic(1997).
The film was then shifted to another director in Jonathan Mostow, who finally sawTerminator 3: Rise of the Machines(2003) come into fruition with Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his famous, titular role. Critics were so-so on the overall product, and fans were even less enthused. But it raked in pretty impressive numbers at the worldwide box office, going down among the ten most successful films of its year. But it’d have been impossible to live up to the quality of its predecessors.
15Where the Wild Things Are
Based on Maurice Sendak’s children book of the same name, this fantasy adventure romp sawdirection under Spike Jonzefrom a script he co-wrote alongside Dave Eggers. But their version was released nearly three decades after initial development began, with the original project set to be an animated feature from Disney and directed by John Lassetter. Production then switched to Warner Bros. andWhere the Wild Things Are(2009) saw the live-action light of day.
Critics had positive things to say for the most part, but the film bombed at the box office, garnering $100.1 million on a $100 million budget. Those numbers must hurt to look at. The film gained decent popularity with audiences after its initial release in theaters, with a tandem video game, line of toys, and even a series of limited-edition skateboards and shoes all being released alongside the film. And its quality holds up decently well today.
14Treasure Planet
WithTreasure Planet(2002), the famous Walt Disney Feature Animation studio adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel of the same name from 1883. But Disney took the source material in a different direction and absolutely struck gold, as they turned the story on its head by rendering it part of the science fiction genre.
Arguably the biggest story regardingTreasure Planetis its status as the most expensive traditionally animated film of all time. Its budget totaled to $140 million, and accrued just over a hundred million. So, it wasn’t just expensive, but it was also considereda massive box-office bomb. But after success in the home video market,Treasure Planetholds decent name value today, boasting a proud cult following of film fans who were happy to see it climb out of development hell.
13The Simpsons Movie
Obviously, this is based on the famous American animated sitcomThe Simpsons, one of the longest-running shows in television history. The animated feature film counterpart was highly anticipated by audiences across the country, and in the end, it’s safe to say they weren’t disappointed.The Simpsons Movie(2007) released with the same, iconic voices that are featured in the show.
Its plot follows Homer Simpson has he accidentally pollutes the local Springfield lake, forcing the Environmental Protection Agency to take extreme measures as they trap the town within a giant, glass dome to contain the contaminated air. And it’s that premise that truly saved the project, as a feature Simpsons film had been attempted for several years before finally seeing the light of day. The dearth of a solid script kept producers from greenlighting the project, until the film at hand changed everything.
12Deadpool
Of course, Ryan Reynolds first portrayed the Merc with a Mouth inX-Men Origins: Wolverine(2009) to a fairly controversial and frankly low-quality degree. That wasn’t his fault, though. And little do some fans realize, Reynolds was actually attached to the character several years prior.
The first conceptualization for a Deadpool film dates back to the year 2000, with the announcement ofReynolds as the leadcoming in 2004. Alas, the film was banished by the comic book Gods to over fifteen years in development hell. Alas,Deadpool(2016) made waves across the critical and commercial boards once it eventually released, and even spawned a sequel with a third iteration in the works. You could say it was time well spent in hell.
With this animated feature from Disney, it’s a miracle that development hell ever froze over, as it technically spent seventy-three years in a constant state of limbo. Around 1940, the idea for an adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale —The Snow Queenfrom 1844 — was of course first developed by Walt Disney. U.S. involvement in World War II soon stifled what little progress had been made on the film, and it was sent to development hell.
Frozen(2013) almost saw the light of day during the Disney Renaissance in the 1990s, but of course, it wouldn’t actually release in theaters until well intothe twenty-first century. That’s quite the journey, and it paid off for everyone involved. Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, and Elsa, voiced by Idina Menzel, have both become staples of recent pop culture, as the film was a massive success both critically and commercially. It became the highest-grossing animated film at the time of release, overtakingToy Story 3(2010) and keeping the top spot untilThe Lion King(2019) was eventually remade. Pretty impressive.
Related:Frozen: Why Prince Hans Makes No Sense
10Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar(2009) andAvatar: The Way of Water(2022) have been the only movies made by James Cameron since the nineties. He didn’t even have to make the first one in terms of financial value, asTitanicbroke records for Cameron a decade prior. But nonetheless,Avatarwas made, and fans immediately wanted more. They were engrossed in its world, fascinated by the beauty of its cinematography, and completely in love with the property after just one entry that didn’t even make promises for a sequel.
But again,Avatar: The Way of Waterwas nonetheless sent into pre-production soon after the first film finished post. The sequels were first announced in 2010, a year after the original release, but soon began facing multiple setbacks with regard to production.The special effects teamtook longer than anticipated to innovate proper technology for underwater motion capture, while the COVID-19 pandemic halted things down the line. Of course,The Way of Watersaw life in movie theaters across the world, and to call it successful would be putting it lightly.
9Gangs of New York
This is the first of two films by Martin Scorsese to appear on the list, although he’s had even more projects than that spend time in development hell. In the eighties,The Last Temptation of Christ(1988) saw multiple setbacks before the light of day, and thirty years later,Silence(2016) experienced the same situation. And withGangs of New York(2002), Scorsese developed the idea for decades.
In the late seventies, he bought the film rights to a book of the same name about the criminal underworld in 19th century New York City, written by Herbert Asbury. And the adaptation thereof was a hit with critics just as much as audiences, picking up ten nominations at the Academy Awards and nearly doubling its $100 million budget at the worldwide box office. The latter number isn’t nearly as impressive as its accolades, but it still showcases the overall success ofGangs of New York. It ultimately lands here at number nine.
Directed by Zack Snyderfrom a screenplay by David Hayter and Alex Tse, it’s based on the DC Comics limited series of the same name by Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore. And although many elements of the film are faithfully adapted from its graphic novel counterpart, film fans across the country were up in arms regarding changes to the plot and inaccurate character designs. Critics mostly agreed, and the film failed to make waves in theaters.
ButWatchmen(2009) can easily be considered a cult classic in that regard, one of the most underrated superhero moviesever made. The crew experienced disastrous setbacks during pre-production, production, and post-production alike, and the middling reception was like the sugar-free icing on top of Snyder’s carrot cake.
