While a production time of a few years can be expected for a feature film, some movies have taken a shockingly long time to finally be released. In some cases, directors have spent decades developing projects, and financial issues or other concerns have meant that highly anticipated movies lie in development hell for extended periods before finally seeing the light of day. Other times, filmmakers even passed before they could complete their projects, and years later, the completion of the movie was overseen by other directors or production companies.
Some of the best directors ever took extended time to finally release long-awaited movies. Although it is rarely the intention to have a production stretch over several decades, the fact that these movies were all eventually released shows the firm commitment of filmmakers and creatives to their art and work. While Not every long-running film was a masterpieceAll of these movies have something special to offer and have earned a place in the complex history of cinema.
10
Eraserhead (1977)
Eraserhead took six years to make
While most low-budget first-time directors will shoot their debut movie over the course of a couple of weeks, David Lynch never did things the usual way. Makerhead was Lynch's feature-length directorial debut, which signaled his transition from painter to full-fledged filmmakerAnd right out of the gate, he had already formed his distinctive surrealist style of filmmaking. However, the production of Makerhead was not immediate, and due to budgetary issues, the film was delayed for many years (by AFI.)
Makerhead was produced with the help of the American Film Institute, although with only a script of twenty pages, the institute assumed that they had green-lit a short film and not the 89-minute avant-garde experiment that it became. Lynch's frequent collaborator Jack Nance was cast as the lead in 1971, meaning he had to keep Henry Spencer's signature outrageous haircut for several years. However, even though it took so long to complete, Lynch was only 31 years old when production wrapped and had much more time to continue developing his quirky and idiosyncratic style.
9
Boyhood (2014)
It took 12 years to have children
While there is nothing unusual about movies taking place over long stretches of time, it is practically unheard of to actually wait for the actors to age so that it can be filmed. However, director Richard Linklater didn't let silly restrictions like the passage of time stop him from telling the story of Mason Evans Jr.'s journey from six years old to adulthood in Boy. instead, Ellar Coltrane was cast in the lead role when he was just a childAnd the film was shot for several weeks every summer for 12 years (by BBC).
Boy was a huge success that showed youth in a way never before depicted on screen. As viewers watched Mason age in real-time, the emotional impact of The children The story became even grander as he struggled with the consequences of his parents' divorce, an abusive stepfather, and the challenges of growing up. Boy was a deeply compelling movie that worked so well thanks to the deep commitment of everyone involved in it.
8
Avatar (2009)
Avatar took 15 years to make
James Cameron first started working on Avatar In 1994 and planned to start filming the movie after he wrapped production Titanic In 1997. However, things did not quite pan out this way Technology has not reached a point to fully express Cameron's visionAnd he decided that he would wait until the movie could be fully realized before officially starting production. This provided more time to develop the Navi language and ensure that Pandora's sci-fi story was as rich and meaty as possible.
It wasn't until 2006 that Avatar Began to look like a real possibility, and actors like Sigourney Weaver were cast. In 2007, 13 years after Cameron first wrote the treatment for AvatarThe technology caught up with his intentions, and filming finally began. Then, when Avatar Finally released in 2009, it became a worldwide sensation, a box office smash, and the highest-grossing film of all time.
7
The Thief and the Shoemaker (1993)
The Thief and the Cobbler took 29 years to make
Canadian animator Richard Williams intended for The thief and the shoemaker To be a major new milestone in the world of animation. Although this ambitious project was first conceived in 1964, it took Williams nearly three decades to bring his passion project to fruition. This meant that Williams spent the years also working on other movies, and it was only after the incredible success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit That Warner Bros. agreed to finance and distribute the film (through Culture cartel.)
Williams developed his script and characters for The thief and the shoemaker Throughout the 1970s and, during the 1980s, was gathering finance for the movie. With early footage that impressed Steven Spielberg, The early versions of The thief Led to Williams working on Roger Rabbit With Robert Zemeckis. sad, The thief went over budget and fell behind schedule, which led to Williams being pushed out of his own production, and a disappointing unfinished version was released to negative reviews in 1993.
6
AI Artificial Intelligence (2001)
AI artificial intelligence took 24 years to make
Legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick first considered adapting Brian Aldiss' 1969 short story "Supertoe Last All Summer Long" back in 1977. Star Wars And although he didn't care for the film, he recognized its commercial potential (via The ringer) and sought to create something that could be just as successful. considered as a "Picaresque robot version of Pinocchio", the movie became AI Artificial Intelligence was Kubrick's long-term goal, although he was unable to complete it before his death in 1999.
AI Artificial Intelligence had already entered pre-production in 1994, although it was put on hold for Kubrick to finish his film Eyes wide shut. After Kubrick's death, Steven Spielberg took over the production, and Ai was released to critical acclaim in 2001. While Spielberg's version was a powerful and heartwarming story, the idea of how Kubrick's darker and far less sentimental sensibility would influence his unmade version became one of Hollywood's great what-ifs.
5
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road took 28 years to make
George Miller first came up with the idea for Mad Max: Fury Road in 1987But it would be 28 years before the film was finally released. Originally intended as a direct sequel to Mad Max Beyond ThunderdomeIf things had gone according to plan, Mel Gibson would have reprized his role as the title character he has already played in three movies. It was 1998 before Miller further developed his idea, and it wasn't until the early 2000s that it was set to enter production.
However, the production stalled after the attacks on September 11, 2001 (by Time Out), and when Miller returned to the project, Gibson's career became highly controversial, and he had to be recast. Miller then began to develop a Mad Max Prequel subtitle FuriosaWhich, at one point, he kept filming back-to-back, which further delayed the production. Finally, in 2012, Tom Hardy was cast in the lead role, and filming began, but it still took three years for the post-production to finally be completed, and fury way was released for wide distribution.
4
The Man Who Kills Don Quixote (2018)
The man who killed Don Quixote took 29 years to make
Movie lovers are delighted when Terry Gilliam's long-gestation film The man who killed Don Quixote was at least released in 2018. Gilliam first started working on the film as far back as 1989, but it took almost ten years for him to secure the necessary funding, and shooting began in 2000. But the story does not end there. There. Gilliam's story about a 21st-century film producer thrown back in time would be halted due to flooding ( via BFI), insurance issues, and significant financial difficulties.
With actors Jean Rochefort and Johnny Depp originally cast in leading roles, The man who killed Don Quixote Tried to restart production throughout the 2000s But continued to make significant changes. It looked like the project would never be made, as it took decades in development hell, with Gilliam speaking in 2016 about needing a 16 million euro budget to finish it (via. Liberation.) However, the stars eventually aligned as Paulo Branco came on board as producer, Adam Driver was cast as the lead, and the long-awaited film was released in 2018.
3
Gangs of New York (2002)
Gangs of New York took 32 years to make
While Martin Sorcese has many unfinished projects, Gangs of New York was a decades-long gestating film that eventually saw the light of day. Based on Herbert Asbury's book The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the UnderworldScorsese first considered an adaptation in 1970, but as a young director at the beginning of his career, he did not have the strength to get it financed. Instead, Scorsese spent the 1970s making some of the best movies of the era, such as Mean streets And Taxi driver.
Scorsese managed to secure the screen rights to Asbury's book in 1979, but it was another 20 years before there was any significant movement on the project (via independent.) In 1999, Scorsese partnered with Miramax and earned the roughly $100 million budget he needed (via The numbers) and actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis were cast. finally, Gangs of New York was released in 2002 to critical and audience acclaim, even winning a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
2
Megalopolis (2024)
It took 47 years to make Megalopolis
Although director Francis Ford Coppola was known for making some of the greatest movies of all time, viz The God And Apocalypse nowThe later part of his career was less impressive. With embarrassing releases, vi JackOr box office failures, such as his last film tweakedCoppola took a step back from filming in recent years only to reemerge in 2019 with plans to finally make MegalopolisA passion project that he first conceived until 1977 (by Ramberger.)
This ambitious, big-budget feature in an imagined modern United States, where a visionary architect aims to rebuild the metropolis of New Rome after a devastating disaster. Coppola self-funded Megalopolis With a staggering budget of $120 million For a controversial and experimental production categorized by improvisation and last minute changes to the script. While Megalopolis Was intended as Coppola's swansong and masterpiece, reviews have been polarizing as viewers struggled to make sense of this very divisive film.
1
The Other Side of the Wind (2018)
The Other Side of the Wind took 48 years to make
Orson Welles first started filming The other side of the wind In 1970, it was intended to be his directional comeback as he tried to prove his relevance among the burgeoning New Hollywood movement. While filming was on and off for six years, It would actually take 48 years for The other side of the wind To see the light of day (via Collider.) This troubled production was plagued with financial, legal and political complications, which meant that it remained unfinished at the time of Welles' death in 1985.
However, the story does not end there, as many attempts have been made to finish the long-awaited movie that utilized a film-within-a-film structure to tell the story of an aging director (John Huston.) Finally , in 2016, it was announced that Netflix had negotiated a deal to release The other side of the wind and a documentary about his troubled history (by New York Times.) Finally, the movie was released in 2018 to widespread acclaim, with many considering it Welles' lost masterpiece.
Sources: AFI, BBC, Culture cartel, The ringer, Time Out, BFI, Liberation, independent, The numbers, Ramberger, Collider, New York Times