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.
17 The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
Only loosely based on Miguel de Cervantez’s novel Don Quixote from 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, with stories of a flood damaging 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 see The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, but those who did were satisfied with the product. It ultimately kicks off the list.
16 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
There’s a reason it took so long for anyone to capitalize on the success of Terminator 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 aboard Titanic (1997).
The film was then shifted to another director in Jonathan Mostow, who finally saw Terminator 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.
15 Where the Wild Things Are
Based on Maurice Sendak’s children book of the same name, this fantasy adventure romp saw direction under Spike Jonze from 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. and Where 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.
14 Treasure Planet
With Treasure 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 regarding Treasure Planet is 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 considered a massive box-office bomb. But after success in the home video market, Treasure Planet holds decent name value today, boasting a proud cult following of film fans who were happy to see it climb out of development hell.
13 The Simpsons Movie
Obviously, this is based on the famous American animated sitcom The 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.
12 Deadpool
Of course, Ryan Reynolds first portrayed the Merc with a Mouth in X-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 of Reynolds as the lead coming 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.
11 Frozen
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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 Queen from 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 into the 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, overtaking Toy Story 3 (2010) and keeping the top spot until The Lion King (2019) was eventually remade. Pretty impressive.
10 Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar (2009) and Avatar: 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, as Titanic broke records for Cameron a decade prior. But nonetheless, Avatar was 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 Water was 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 team took 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 Water saw life in movie theaters across the world, and to call it successful would be putting it lightly.
9 Gangs 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 with Gangs 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 of Gangs of New York. It ultimately lands here at number nine.
8 Watchmen
Directed by Zack Snyder from 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.
But Watchmen (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.
7 Spider-Man
Marvel first began negotiating with production studios to bring their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to the big screen back in the 1980s. And fans of the first cinematic iteration by Sam Raimi likely recall that it didn’t see the light of movie theaters across the world until the early 2000s. The rights were passed around throughout the years, with multiple scripts and treatments being submitted.
But there were also various creators set to direct such as James Cameron signing up and then immediately dropping off to make Titanic. And several famous actors were originally set to play characters that ultimately went to other performers, like John Cusack as Peter and Katharine Hepburn as Aunt May. That would’ve been quite the spectacle. But of course, Spider-Man (2002) ended up featuring among its cast the likes of Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Willem Dafoe, and J.K. Simmons. Those choices worked out for the best.
6 Dallas Buyers Club
Screenwriter Craig Borten first penned the script in September 1992, with multiple revisions occurring throughout that decade as various directors signed onto the project. Eventually, Dallas Buyers Club (2013) was released by Jean-Marc Vallée to widespread critical acclaim.
It chronicles an electrician from Texas who’s told he has cancer, with only thirty days left to live. And aside from its brilliant script, Dallas Buyers Club features career-defining performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, for which they both won the Academy Award in their respective category: Best Actor for McConaughey and Best Supporting Actor for Leto. It’s easily among the best movies to escape development hell.
5 The Irishman
As of late, films stuck in development hell have been seeing pretty great success once they find their way out. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, The Way of Water, even Dallas Buyers Club and Deadpool. With The Irishman (2019) by Martin Scorsese, it’s perhaps the most revered in terms critical reception and accolades at award ceremonies. But it languished in development hell since 2007.
It of course stars Robert De Niro as a truck driver named Frank Sheeran, who enlists as a hitman for a mob boss named Russell Bufalino. And in his first ever Scorsese film, Al Pacino shows up as Teamster Jimmy Hoffa. The cast excited fans more than anything, as De Niro and Pesci hadn’t teamed up with Scorsese in over two decades at that point, since Casino (1995). And The Irishman undoubtedly hits home, if you can get through its lengthy runtime.
4 Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
First announced in 2008, Spanish filmmaker Guillermo del Toro revealed he would be releasing a project revolving around Pinnochio, and that he actually had been expanding upon the idea since around 2003. That’s nearly two decades of development. And considering Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) released to widespread acclaim, most would agree that its time in purgatory actually worked out for the best.
The stop-motion musical fantasy at hand received a golden statuette for Best Animated Feature at the 95th Academy Awards. It’s set during the interwar period between the two World Wars, and takes place in Fascist Italy. Del Toro Has a profound love for the Disney character Pinocchio in general, and took great care of this movie from the start. It definitely bore fruit in the final product.
3 Dune
This most recent, critically acclaimed iteration was directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Eric Roth. Although it was considered to be an adaptation impossible to get right on screen, the team prevailed with Dune (2021), starring Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Idris Elba, and many notable others. It was a massive success, with praise given to nearly every fathomable facet of filmmaking. Particularly, Roth and Villeneuve received positive reviews from fans and critics alike for its faithfulness to the novel from Frank Herbert.
It was such a massive success that its sequel is among the most anticipated projects of 2023. But it of course wasn’t an easy path to the top of the box office, as Dune spent plenty of time in limbo. David Lynch attempted an adaptation a few decades prior, but that version of Dune (1984) failed on all accounts to meet expectations. Luckily for Herbert fans, the stars finally aligned at the hands of Villeneuve.
2 The Princess Bride
The oldest film on the list, The Princess Bride (1987) was based on William Goldman’s novel of the same name from 1973. That author also wrote the screenplays to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) along with Marathon Man (1976) and All the President’s Men (1976). So it should come as no surprise that Goldman himself attempted to get an adaptation up and running for over a decade. But he couldn’t secure financial support until director Rob Reiner came on board.
Several other notable directors were in talks to adapt the book at one point or another, such as François Truffaut, Norman Jewison, and Robert Redford. Those are massive names, but there’s no denying that Reiner was the proper fit for the project. He led The Princess Bride wonderfully, with fans still adoring the piece to this day. It goes down as a classic of the fantasy genre, and in the end lands here at number two.
1 Mad Max: Fury Road
Fans of the franchise weren’t sure what to expect with Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and those unfamiliar with prior entries in the series likely thought it was a new property entirely. But Fury Road shocked the world at the hands of director George Miller, who saved the project after a rough, sixteen-year hiatus of development.
Starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, the final, high-octane product was a hit across the board of success. It raked in over $400 million at the worldwide box office, received rave reviews from critics, and picked up ten nominations at the Academy Awards, the second-most from that year’s ceremony. Fury Road even won multiple golden statuettes, like Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design, and Best Film Editing. All of its accolades were justifiably doled out. Its spectacle of a setting with convincing performances and the most thrilling action scenes you’re ever likely to witness renders Fury Road a clear pick to come out on top.
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