List of media notable for being in development hell

This article lists notable examples of media that were or have been in development for at least ten years after their first public announcement before release without being officially cancelled.

Films

• Akira: Warner Bros. acquired the rights to make a live-action American adaptation of the anime film and its manga of the same name in 2002, and have made a number of attempts to film it. Directors attached to the project since 2002 have included James Cameron, Stephen Norrington, Ruairí Robinson, the Hughes brothers, George Miller, Christopher Nolan and Jaume Collet-Serra. It was announced in 2019 that filming would be done later that year, in a production produced by Andrew Lazar and Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Taika Waititi. The filming was delayed in August 2019 owing to Waititi's commitment to direct the Marvel Studios film Thor: Love and Thunder.
• Alien vs. Predator: Alien vs. Predator was first planned shortly after the 1990 release of Predator 2, to be released sometime in 1993. It was halted for more than a decade, with constant actor changes, restarts, and failed promotions of the film until it was finally released in 2004.
• Alita: Battle Angel: James Cameron's live-action adaptation of Yukito Kishiro's manga series Battle Angel Alita was in development hell starting in the early 2000s. The project was finally completed under the direction of Robert Rodriguez, and released in 2019.
• Astro Boy: An film adaptation based on the anime of the same name, which was originally created by Osamu Tezuka, was in development since 1997 when Sony Pictures bought film rights of the character from Tezuka Productions. Upon undergoing many outside studios like Jim Henson Productions and Orphanage Animation Studios and even hiring directors like Genndy Tartakovsky (the creator of Samurai Jack and Dexter's Laboratory), the film would end up being bought by Imagi Animation Studios as a turnaround with Warner Bros. originally set to distribute, and eventually David Bowers, fresh off of DreamWorks Animation's Flushed Away, to direct. Distribution rights were sold to Summit Entertainment by 2008, and the film would be released on October 23, 2009, having received mixed reviews and being a box office bomb, even resulting Imagi to shut down. However, the film had over time maintained a cult following after being a stronger success on home media.
• Atlas Shrugged: Film and later television adaptations of Ayn Rand's novel were in development hell for nearly 40 years before the novel was finally brought to screen in the first part of a trilogy in 2011. Part II appeared in 2012, and Part III was released in September 2014.
• Atuk: A film adaptation of the novel The Incomparable Atuk. Norman Jewison first purchased the film rights in 1971, and since then there have been several attempts to produce it. One Hollywood legend holds that the project is cursed, because of the premature deaths of various actors who expressed an interest in the lead role: John Belushi, Sam Kinison, Michael O'Donoghue, John Candy, Phil Hartman and Chris Farley. These celebrity deaths coinciding film attempts would have been rumored as the "Atuk" cursed, which was debunked by February 1999. Many other actors such as Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, John Goodman, Ben Stiller, Nicolas Cage, Mike Myers, Will Ferrell, Matthew Broderick, Adam Sandler, John Cleese, Chris Rock, Jack Black, Steve Carell, Rowan Atkinson, James Franco, Sacha Baron Cohen, John C. Reilly, Seth Rogen, and Josh Mostel, as well as Jonathan Winters, Harold Ramis and Robin Williams would have expressed interests with the roles, the latter three especially until their tragic passings in April 2013 and both January and August 2014, respectively (though some might claim the "curse" indirectly led to the premature death of Winters, Ramis and Williams).
• Avatar sequels: These films were first announced in 2010, aiming for a release of the second installment by 2014. The timeline has been pushed back a total of 8 times.
• Bajirao Mastani: The film was conceived in the 1990s and was finally announced in 2003 but was shelved indefinitely owing to its ever-changing cast. The film was finally revived in 2014 and went immediately in production and was released in December 2015.
• Batman 5: When Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever was released in 1995, it was met with mixed results from critics and fans alike, but was still a box office success, proving to be more profitable than its predecessor, Batman Returns. Because of this, Warner Bros. was excited to greenlit Batman & Robin and a fifth film (as well as a proposed Catwoman spinoff). During production of Batman & Robin, writer Akiva Goldsman (who previously worked on Forever and Robin) turned down as Warner Bros. and Schumacher penned Mark Protosevich to write the script for a fifth Batman film. Los Angeles Times described their film as "continuing in the same vein with multiple villains and more silliness". Schumacher, however, later claimed that the film would have been darker and closer in tone to the first two films in the series. Titled Batman Unchained but often incorrectly referred to as Batman Triumphant, Protosevich's script had the Scarecrow as the main villain and the Joker would return as a hallucination in Batman's mind caused by the Scarecrow's fear toxin. Harley Quinn appeared as a supporting character, written as the Joker's daughter trying to kill Batman to avenge her father's death. The film would have depicted the Scarecrow and Harley Quinn teaming up to drive Batman insane and have him committed to Arkham Asylum. After their defeat, the film would have ended with Bruce Wayne traveling to Bali and entering a cave, where he allows himself to be swarmed by bats to symbolize that he has conquered fear. Clooney, O'Donnell, and Silverstone were set to reprise the roles of Batman, Robin, and Batgirl. Schumacher had also approached Nicolas Cage for the role of Scarecrow in Batman & Robin as a cameo appearance to set up an appearance in Batman Unchained, before ultimately casting Coolio. A fifth film would likely have appeared 18 months to two years after the fourth. When Batman & Robin received negative reviews and failed to outgross any of its predecessors, and a $150 million Superman film was cancelled three months before shooting began, Warner Bros. became unsure of its plans for the fifth film. The studio decided it was best to consider a live-action Batman Beyond film and an adaptation of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. Warner Bros. would then greenlight whichever idea suited them the most. Schumacher felt he "owe[d] the Batman culture a real Batman movie. I would go back to the basics and make a dark portrayal of the Dark Knight." He approached Warner Bros. to do Batman: Year One in mid-1998. Despite Warner Bros. and Schumacher's interest with Year One, Lee Shapiro, a comic book fan, and Stephen Wise pitched the studio with a script titled Batman: DarKnight in mid-1998. DarKnight, which was largely inspired by The Dark Knight Returns, had Bruce Wayne giving up his crime fighting career after becoming disillusioned with his alias's inability to inspire fear and mystique in his enemies, and Dick Grayson attending Gotham University. Dr. Jonathan Crane uses his position as professor of psychology at Gotham University and as head psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum to conduct his fear experiments (this element would later appear in Batman Begins). During a vengeful confrontation with a colleague, Dr. Kirk Langstrom, Crane unknowingly initiates Kirk's transformation into the creature known as Man-Bat. Citizens of Gotham believe Man-Bat's nightly activities to be Batman's "bloodthirsty" return. Bruce once again becomes Batman "to clear his name," and solve the mystery of Man-Bat. Kirk struggles with his "man-vs.-monster" syndrome, as he longs to both reunite with his wife and get revenge on Crane, while Crane exacts revenge on those responsible for his dismissal from both Arkham and the university while encountering truths about his past. As with Schumacher's idea for Batman Unchained, the film would have had a darker tone. Warner Bros. Pictures formally decided not to move forward with the project in 2001, and passed on Batman: DarKnight in favor of other projects. In 2015, the screenplay was released on Amazon. After many failed attempts of retooling the caped crusader, Christopher Nolan would end up rebooting the film series with Batman Begins in part of his own trilogy which lasted until 2012.
• Beetlejuice 2: In 1990, Tim Burton commissioned a sequel to Beetlejuice called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, written by Jonathan Gems. After multiple studio rewrites, in 1997 Gems stated that the film will never be made. In 2011, Warner Bros. hired Seth Grahame-Smith to write and produce a sequel. In 2013, Winona Ryder expressed her interest in the sequel saying, "I'm kind of sworn to secrecy but it sounds like it might be happening. It's 27 years later." In January 2015, writer Grahame-Smith said the script was finished and that he and Burton intended to start filming by the end of the year, and that both Keaton and Ryder would return in their respective roles. In April 2019, Warner Bros. stated the sequel had been shelved.
• Bill & Ted Face the Music: An attempt to revive Bill & Ted came to fruition in August 2010 when franchise star Keanu Reeves indicated that a script for a third film was being worked on despite the fact that the character Rufus would not return, because original actor (George Carlin) had died two years prior. Dean Parisot was attached to direct by August 2012. In March 2013 at the SXSW Film Festival, Alex Winter confirmed progress on the film was still being made. In April 2016, Winter told Forbes that they had a script, a director, and a studio, and that they were planning to film by early 2017. Reeves gave an update on the film in February 2017 during an interview on The Graham Norton Show, saying the story was written, and discussing the plot of the film: "Basically, they're supposed to write a song to save the world, and they haven't done that. The pressure of having to save the world, their marriages are falling apart, their kids are kind of mad at them, and then someone comes from the future and tells them if they don't write the song it's just not the world, it's the universe. So they have to save the universe because time is breaking apart". During the New York City Comic Convention, Reeves revealed that the title will be Bill & Ted Face the Music. The film was released on August 28, 2020.
• Blair Witch 3: A third film in the Blair Witch franchise was in talks since the October 2000 release of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. Despite rumors, development did not begin until September 2009 when creators Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez announced a third film in the works from Lionsgate, retconning any events from Book of Shadows. After several scripts be tossed around, Simon Barrett's script was pitched with Adam Wingard announced as director in 2013 under its working title, The Woods. The film—simply under its name, Blair Witch—was released on September 16, 2016 with polarizing reactions from critics and audiences, and was a disappointment at the box office.
• Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: During the release of the first Borat in November 2006, co-writer and actor of Borat Sagdiyev, Sacha Baron Cohen, stated that a sequel will be made. However, it was put on hold once he retired the character thus focusing on two similar projects, Bruno and The Dictator. The sequel was eventually made, having to be filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic and was released by Amazon Studios on October 23, 2020.
• Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie: A Captain Underpants movie was in development for DreamWorks Animation since 1997, even though original author Dav Pilkey did not want to sell it. It would take until October 2011 to have his representatives consider him ready for the film to be made, thus DreamWorks winning the auction. The film was released on June 2, 2017 following a May 21, 2017 premiere. A Netflix television series, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants was released on July 13, 2018.
• Chaos Walking: In October 2011, Lionsgate purchased upcoming film rights for the Patrick Ness novel of the same in hopes of making it into a film trilogy. Charlie Kauffman was hired to write the first draft in 2012, but left afterwards. That same draft would be reworked by Jamie Linden, Lindsey Beer, Gary Spinelli, John Lee Hancock, Christopher Ford and Ness himself. With Robert Zemeckis originally set to direct, he would eventually sign up as producer with Doug Liman announced as director in June 2016. Two months later, Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland confirmed that they have signed on as main stars. Originally scheduled for a potential March 1, 2019 release, it was then pulled by Lionsgate due to lukewarm test screening results causing reshoots to schedule around late-2018, but Ridley and Holland were unavailable due to their respective schedule conflicts with Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker and Spider-Man: Far from Home. Fede Álvarez would end up reshooting the film from April to May 2019, with the release date scheduled to January 22, 2021. However, by November 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was pushed to a month and a half and is currently scheduled for a March 5, 2021 release.
• Chicken Run 2: A sequel to the 2000 film, Chicken Run was in the cards since its release from Aardman Animations themselves. It was delayed after partnership with DreamWorks Animation ended in 2006. However, production for a sequel was confirmed 12 years later on April 12, 2018 with Sam Fell attached to direct, Paul Kewley and Nick Park producing, and original writers Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell to return. By 2020, Netflix made acquired rights from both Aardman and StudioCanal. Though the studio announced one of the stars, Mel Gibson will not reprise the role and neither will Julia Sawalha (original voice of Ginger), with the latter stating she would sound older and further commented "I have officially been plucked, stuffed & roasted". That said, principal photography is set to begin in 2021.
• A Confederacy of Dunces: The Pulitzer Prize winning novel, has had a motion picture adaptation announced at least seven times, with some of the attempts even making it to a full script being written and most of the major characters of the novel cast, only to always stall and be abandoned.
• Dallas Buyers Club: The screenplay was written in September 1992 by Craig Borten. Throughout the 1990s, he wrote 10 different scripts, hoping for it to be picked up. It was unable to secure financial backing, going through three different directors, finally being released in 2013, with Jean-Marc Vallée directing.
• The Dark Tower: An adaptation of The Dark Tower had been in development since February 2007. Originally, J.J. Abrams was set to direct and Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, who co-created Lost with Abrams, was set to write the screenplay. Ron Howard would eventually be attached as director for Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. with Akiva Goldsman set to produce. By 2015 however, rights were acquired by Sony Pictures with Nikolaj Arcel attached as director, though Goldsman was still attached as producer. The film was eventually released on August 4, 2017, and it received negative reviews from critics and audiences, with criticism aimed at its compression of its source material of multiple novels into a single film.
• The Day the Earth Stood Still: A 2008 remake of the 1951 original was in development since 1994 for 20th Century Fox with Erwin Stoff as producer fresh off the success of the Keanu Reeves blockbuster, Speed. Interests of a remake wouldn't take up until 11 years later when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans as well as noting the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as influences to create a remake for a modern-day audience. The film was released on December 12, 2008 after being delayed from a May 9, 2008 release. Critically, reviews were mostly negative; typically noting it to be "heavy on special effects, but without a coherent story at its base."
• Deadpool: Deadpool was in development hell for more than 15 years. In May 2000, Artisan Entertainment announced a deal with Marvel Entertainment to coproduce, finance and distribute a film based on American comic books publisher Marvel Comics character Deadpool. In February 2004, New Line Cinema attempted to produce a Deadpool film with writer/director David S. Goyer working on the spin-off and actor Ryan Reynolds in the title role; Reynolds himself became interested in the character after finding out that in Cable & Deadpool, Deadpool refers to his own scarred appearance as "Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei". By August, Goyer lost interest in favor of other projects. In March 2005, after New Line put Deadpool in turnaround, 20th Century Fox became interested in moving forward on production for the project. Fox considered a Deadpool spin-off early in the development of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which had Reynolds cast in the role, and after the opening weekend success of that film announced that it was lending Deadpool out to writers, with Lauren Shuler Donner acting as a producer. Donner wanted the film to reboot the character of Deadpool, ignoring the version in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and including attributes that the character has in the comics, such as breaking the fourth wall. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were hired to write the script in January 2010, and Robert Rodriguez was sent an early draft of the screenplay that June. After negotiations with Rodriguez fell through, Adam Berg emerged as a top contender to direct. In April 2011, visual effects specialist Tim Miller was hired as director, making the film his directorial debut. In September 2014, Fox gave the film a release date of February 12, 2016. The film was released on that date to positive reviews and became the ninth highest-grossing film of 2016 worldwide, as well as beating The Mask as the most profitable comic book film of all time and The Passion of the Christ as the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, until both records were surpassed by Joker in 2019.
• Death Note: This 2017 neo-noir supernatural teen horror film, loosely based on the Japanese manga and anime of the same names respectively, was in development since August 2007. The American production company Vertigo Entertainment was originally set to develop the remake, with Charley and Vlas Parlapanides as screenwriters and Roy Lee, Doug Davison, Dan Lin, and Brian Witten as producers. On April 30, 2009, Variety reported that Warner Bros., the distributors for the original Japanese live-action films, had acquired the rights for an American remake, with the original screenwriters and producers still attached. In 2009, Zac Efron responded to rumors that he would be playing the film's lead role by stating that the project was "not on the front burner". On January 13, 2011, it was announced that Shane Black had been hired to direct the film, with the script being written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry. Warner's studios planned to change the background story of Light Yagami into one of vengeance instead of justice and to remove Shinigami from the story. Black opposed this change, and it had not been green-lit. Black confirmed in a 2013 interview with Bleeding Cool that he was still working on the film. In July 2014, it was rumored that Gus Van Sant would replace Black as the film's new director, with Dan Lin, Doug Davison, Roy Lee and Brian Witten producing through Vertigo Entertainment, Witten Pictures and Lin Pictures. The film was eventually directed by Adam Wingard and was distributed by Netflix for an August 2017 release and received mostly negative reviews from critics and fans alike.
• Die Hard 4: A fourth installment in the Die Hard franchise was in the works since 1998 with David Marconi, screenwriter of the film Enemy of the State, penning under its working title, WW3.com and using John Carlin's Wired magazine article entitled "A Farewell to Arms", Marconi crafted a screenplay about a cyber-terrorist attack on the United States. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the project was stalled, only to be resurrected several years later and rewritten into Live Free or Die Hard by Doug Richardson and eventually by Mark Bomback. Willis said in 2005 that the film would be called Die Hard 4.0, as it revolves around computers and cyber-terrorism. IGN later reported the film was to be called Die Hard: Reset instead. 20th Century Fox later announced the title as Live Free or Die Hard and set a release date of June 29, 2007 with filming to begin in September 2006. The film was the only film in the franchise to receive a PG-13 rating. Although it was a moderate box office hit, it received positive reviews from critics and audiences as with the first three films.
• Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time: The fourth and final installment of in the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy, based on the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion was announced alongside Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo as the final part of the Rebuild tetralogy under its working title Evangelion: Final. Originally scheduled for a release in 2020, it was removed due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic thus later being rescheduled for January 23, 2021 until January 14, 2021, when the film was removed from the release calendar again.
• The Family Guy Movie: A theatrical film based on the hit Fox series, Family Guy, was announced since July 2007 over two years after the series was revived from cancellation, however series creator Seth MacFarlane declared it as "nothing official" at that time. In a July 18, 2008 interview on TV Week, MacFarlane confirmed plans to produce a theatrically released Family Guy feature film for 20th Century Fox sometime "within the next year." He came up with an idea for the story, "something that you could not do on the show, which [to him] is the only reason to do a movie." He later went on to say he imagines the film to be "an old-style musical with dialogue" similar to The Sound of Music, saying that he would "really be trying to capture, musically, that feel." On October 13, 2011, Seth MacFarlane confirmed that a deal for a Family Guy film had been made, and that it would be written by himself and series co-producer Ricky Blitt. On November 30, 2012, MacFarlane confirmed plans to produce a Family Guy film. Half a year later, MacFarlane also had announced a potential theatrical film adaptation on his other series, American Dad!, but both projects were put on hold in favor of Ted 2. However, on August 10, 2018, 20th Century Fox announced that a live-action/animated film based on the series is still in development. In July 2019, Seth MacFarlane confirmed that there will be a Family Guy movie.
• Foodfight!: In 2004, the CGI film Foodfight was announced. Described as "Toy Story in a supermarket", the film promised to bring together over 80 famous advertising characters with voice talent including Charlie Sheen, Christopher Lloyd, Eva Longoria, Hilary and Haylie Duff, and Wayne Brady. Director Lawrence Kasanoff expected it to be a commercial hit and merchandise for the movie appeared on store shelves before the film had a release date. However, the film ran into many problems. In late 2002/early 2003, Kasanoff reported that hard drives containing unfinished assets from the film had been stolen in what he called an act of "industrial espionage". After several years, a trailer was finally shown at AHM in 2011, a company bought the DVD distribution rights for the film in Europe, and a quiet video-on-demand American release came in 2012.
• Hannibal: The 1988 novel by Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs, was turned into a full-length film three years later which was critically acclaimed, was a box office hit, and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture—the first horror film to receive its achievement. With Harris spending time developing a sequel, director Jonathan Demme expressed interest in developing a film adaptation with Anthony Hopkins wishing to reprise the role as Hannibal Lecter once the novel was complete. Rights for the Lecter character were purchased by couple Dino De Laurentiis and Martha De Laurentiis. After producing the first Lecter film, Manhunter, in 1986, they allowed Orion Pictures to produce The Silence of Lambs free without their involvement. When The Silence of the Lambs became a success, the couple became eager for a new Lecter novel they could adapt. By 1999, De Laurentiis purchased film rights for a record $10 million. At the same time, Harris completed the sequel with Hopkins reprising his role with his additional $15 million salary. Demme declined the offer, so he was replaced with Ridley Scott in the process while De Laurentiis was on set bbehind the scenes of Gladiator. Julianne Moore would also replace Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling also due to disagreements. The film was released on February 9, 2001 and received mixed to negative reviews, being inferior to the predecessor. Regardless, it was a box office success, grossing $351.6 million worldwide becoming the highest grossing horror movie until 2017's It, the highest-grossing psychological thriller until 2019's Joker, and the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time until The Passion of the Christ.
• ID Forever Part I and II: The sequels to Independence Day were in development hell from 1997 until 2009, when director Roland Emmerich announced the pre-production of the films, which were planned to be shot back-to-back. However, ID Forever would end up being a single-film sequel instead of its planned two-parter sequel and was renamed to Independence Day: Resurgence for its release on June 24, 2016, being a critical and commercial failure.
• The Irishman: The film had been in development since 2007. It went on to have its world premiere at the 57th New York Film Festival on September 27, 2019 and received a limited theatrical release on November 1, 2019, followed by digital streaming on November 27, 2019 by Netflix.
• Jurassic Park IV: The fourth film of the Jurassic Park series was in development hell ever since the release of Jurassic Park III in 2001 when it was first announced. After scheduling and release conflicts, the fourth film was eventually retooled as a soft reboot known as Jurassic World, released theatrically on June 12, 2015 as a huge box office success despite its mixed critical reception, with two sequels following up in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
• London Fields: Development for a film adaptation of the book based on author Martin Amis' same namesake originated in 2001 when David Cronenberg was announced to direct. However, he would leave the project in favor of A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Other directors attached to it include David Mackenzie and Michael Winterbottom. The project would later resurrect in 2013 under Mathew Cullen as director. Originally scheduled for a 2016 release, a legal dispute broke down between distributor Lionsgate Films, which acquired the rights during its screening at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, causing the studio to drop the film. In addition, another dispute was filed from the producers suing with one of its actors Amber Heard for $10 million, though she claimed the producers violated a nudity clause in her contract. Leading to the release, the producers reached a settlement with Heard. The film was initially released in Russia on September 20, 2018 following a wide US release by GVN Releasing on October 26, 2018. It was a critical and commercial failure, having to earn a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $168,575 in its wide US release under its $8 million budget, making it the second worst US box office opening for a wide release film of all time, behind the 2008 film Proud American.
• Mad Max: Fury Road: In 1995, George Miller re-acquired the rights to future Mad Max films from Warner Bros. The idea for a fourth instalment occurred to Miller in August 1998 when he was walking in an intersection in Los Angeles. About a year later, while travelling from Los Angeles to Australia, the idea coalesced. Miller conceived a story where "violent marauders were fighting, not for oil or for material goods, but for human beings." The film was set to shoot in 2001 through 20th Century Fox, but was postponed because of the September 11 attacks that same year. "The American dollar collapsed against the Australian dollar, and our budget ballooned", Miller said, adding that he "had to move on to Happy Feet because there was a small window when that was ready". Mel Gibson, who starred in the original three previous films, would not return to his role as the lead character. Miller ended up re-casting the role because of controversies surrounding Gibson and because he wanted Max to remain at a younger age, as the "same contemporary warrior". Miller announced in 2003 that a script had been written for a fourth film, and that pre-production was in the early stages. The project was given the green light to begin filming in the Australian desert in May 2003 with a budget of US$100 million, but the location was ruined by rainfall. Mad Max 4 entered then a hiatus in light of security concerns related to its Namibian shoot because of tightened travel and shipping restrictions at the onset of the Iraq War. By 2007, after focusing on the animated musical-comedy Happy Feet, Miller decided to pursue the project again. He briefly considered producing Fury Road as a computer-animated film but abandoned it in favor of live-action. In 2009, Miller announced that filming would begin in early 2011. Tom Hardy was cast as the title character in June 2010, with production planned to begin that November. Principal photography was delayed several more times before beginning in July 2012. The film wrapped in December 2012, although additional footage was shot in November 2013. The film was finally released on May 15, 2015 with critical acclaim although after the release of the film in question, there have been results of ongoing pay dispute between Warner Bros. and Miller as to producing sequels to the film over the years.
• The Man Who Killed Don Quixote: A loose adaptation of the Don Quixote tale co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam. Production originally started in 1998, but during the shooting in 2000, a significant number of difficulties such as set and equipment destroyed by flooding, the departure of the film's lead owing to illness, problems obtaining insurance for the production, and other financial difficulties, led to a sudden suspension of the production and its subsequent cancellation. Part of the development hell is shown in documentary Lost in La Mancha. Gilliam made several additional attempts to revive the project until filming finally completed in 2017 and the finished film was released the following year.
• The Mask 2: A sequel to the The Mask starring Jim Carrey was announced after the film's release. During a Nintendo Power article with Carrey, a sequel has been confirmed in which the magazine held a contest where the first prize would be awarded a walk-on role in the film. With more interest, Chuck Russell was set to return as director during his director's commentary from the film's 1996 laserdisc. He was hoping Carrey would come back as the title character, along with Amy Yasbeck, who played reporter Peggy Brandt in the original. Russell decided to cut scenes when Peggy dies and leave the character open for the sequel, which became this film. In addition, Carrey revealed that he was offered $10 million to star in The Mask II, but turned it down, because his experiences on Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls convinced him that reprising a character he'd previously played offered him no challenges as an actor. However, in 2001, the project for a sequel was resurrected once New Line Cinema approved Lance Khazei's script for the sequel entitled, Son of the Mask. Only Ben Stein reprised his role from the first film as Dr. Arthur Neuman as Jamie Kennedy would end up playing the role as a new character, Tim Avery. Addressing the differences between the sequel and the original film, director Lawrence Guterman compared it to the differences between Alien and Aliens, stating that, "Son of the Mask is a completely different story." Filming commenced in August 2003 at Fox Studios Australia. Originally slated for a tentative 2004 release, the film was released on February 11, 2005 in the United Kingdom and a week later on February 18 in the United States. Unlike its predecessor, the film was a critical and commercial failure, holding a 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of January 2021 and grossing under $60 million under its estimated $100 million budget. In 2012, seven years after the film's release, Nintendo Power issued an apology in their final issue and revealing that the winner of the failed contest was given $5,000 and other prizes.
• Mortal Kombat 3: A third film installment based on the Mortal Kombat franchise was scheduled to following up Annihilation as part of a contracted deal with Threshold Entertainment. Following the poor performance of Annihilation, however, a third film was stalled, with several failed attempts to revive production. In addition, the late-August 2005 Hurricane Katrina that destroyed New Orleans greatly affected one of the film's planned shooting locations. In June 2009, a bankruptcy court lawsuit saw Lawrence Kasanoff suing Midway Games while mentioning that a third film was in the works. Warner Bros. (which became the parent of its film distributor New Line Cinema in 2008, after over a decade of both operating as separate divisions of then-owner Time Warner) ended up purchasing most of Midway's assets, including Mortal Kombat, which would confirmed a film reboot of the franchise in the works. After several more failed attempts, James Wan would sign on as film producer on the reboot in August 2015 with Simon McQuoid to sign on as director and Greg Russo as screenwriter in November 2016. Originally set for a release on March 5, 2021, the film was pushed forward for a January 15, 2021 release, but is scheduled for an April 16, 2021 release.
• Mr. Bean's Holiday: The first Mr. Bean theatrical film starring Rowan Atkinson reprising his role as the titular character was released in 1997. Originally, it was set to close off the series, but Atkinson had ideas of a sequel. He hinted it behind the scenes during production of both Rat Race and Scooby-Doo that his character would return with him going to Australia entitled, "Bean Down Under", though it was put on hold due to his commitment with Johnny English at that time. The sequel was retooled in 2005 from the idea of to Australia to Paris, as its sequel was filmed the next year in 2006 and was released to theatres on March 23, 2007 in the United Kingdom and August 24, 2007 in the United States.
• Pinocchio: A darker stop-motion animated adaption of the Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio was conceived by Guillermo del Toro in 2008. On February 17, 2011, it was announced that Gris Grimly and Mark Gustafson would co-direct the film written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins. On May 17, 2012, del Toro took over for Grimly. The movie was initially scheduled to be released in 2014, but the project was in development hell and no further informations were made for years since that. In January 2017, Patrick McHale was announced to co-write the script. On August 31, 2017, del Toro told that the film need a budget increase of $35 million. In November 2017, del Toro reported that the project was cancelled, because no studios were willing to finance it. However, on October 22, 2018, it was announced that the film had been revived, with Netflix acquiring it for a 2021 release.
• The Postman: Author David Brin described the ten-year effort to get his novel produced as a film. Production began in 1987, but the final film was not released until 1997. In the process, the screenplay went through so many revisions that the shooting script only loosely resembled the book, and later writers "borrowed" elements from the book to improve the film. The film was a box-office bomb and was negatively reviewed.
• Sangam (Hindi for "Union"): is an Indian film that was kept in development hell for at least 15 years. It was under the original title "Gharoanda" (Hindi for "nest", literally "house of twigs") but was kept of by company R.K. Films, owned by actor Raj Kapoor, for a couple of reasons. Then, in 1963, it would be remade as Sangam, and would star Raj Kapoor, Vyjayanthimala, Rajendra Kumar, and more. It was released in 1964 with a duration of about 4 hours, being the first Hindi film with two intervals. It did commercially well at the box office.
• Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: A sequel to the 2005 film Sin City was announced shortly after that film was released. Director Robert Rodriguez and creator Frank Miller planned for the film to be based on A Dame to Kill For. with latter stating that it would be a prequel and a sequel and promises that the script would be done by 2006 and production would begin later that same year. However, Rodriguez had also said that official casting would not start until the script was finalized and in the studio's hands. In March 2012, Rodriguez announced that production on Sin City 2 would begin in mid-2012. He also mentioned that the cast would be "of the same caliber and eclecticism" as that of the previous film. It was also announced the film would be released in 3D. On April 13, 2012, the film was confirmed, in addition to the new title, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. The film was expected to go into production in the summer of 2012, but principal photography began near the end of October 2012. On June 17, 2013, the film's release date was pushed back from October 4, 2013, to August 22, 2014. Rodriguez later explained that the film was always intended for release in 2014 and that they were merely holding the October date for Machete Kills. Unlike its predecessor, the film was a critical and commercial failure, but would gain a cult following on its home and digital release later on.
• The Smurfs: A film adaptation of the original Peyo comic series was in development since 1997 once Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies acquired film rights along with film producer Jordan Kerner. After a successful script pitch of the 2006 live-action remake of Charlotte's Web from Karey Kirkpatrick, he pitched his version as a combination of Lord of the Rings and Shrek, and being faithful to its source material. Although both Paramount and Nickelodeon initially loved the script, there were constant arguments and demands about merchandising. Because of this, film rights went on a turnaround by 2008 from other studios such as Universal Pictures, MGM, Warner Bros., and Sony Pictures. The latter studio would win film rights with Sony Pictures Animation having to make a live-actgion/animated hybrid in 2011 from director Raja Gosnell based on one of Kirkpatrick's pitches. Despite negative reviews, the film was a box office success, earning a sequel in 2013, followed by a fully-animated reboot in 2017.
• Sonic the Hedgehog: The film based on Sega's own flagship video game character was in development hell going as back as 1994 when studios such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and DreamWorks dropped the script for a Sonic film. It was until in 2013, Sony Pictures announced that its Columbia Pictures brand and Original Film acquired the rights to the video game series and would be a joint venture with Sega's owned Marza Animation Planet and Blur Studio. But in October 2017, Paramount Pictures announced that they had acquired the rights after Sony's Columbia Pictures put the film into turnaround. In February 2018, it was announced that the film would be released on November 15, 2019. However, after negative reactions from the first trailer, the studio changed its official theatrical release date to February 14, 2020 for more retooling by Moving Picture Company. The film was a box office success but received mixed reviews from critics.
• Space Jam: A New Legacy: A sequel to the 1996 live-action/animated hybrid Space Jam was in the works in 1997, with Joe Pytka from the first film to direct, Bob Camp to design an all-new character, Berserk-O! and his henchmen, and Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone signing on as the animation supervisors. The potential sequel reentered development as Spy Jam and was to star Jackie Chan in a different script. The studio was also planning a film titled Race Jam which would have starred Jeff Gordon. Additionally, Pytka revealed that following the first film's success, he had been pitched a story for a sequel that would have starred professional golfer Tiger Woods, with Jordan in a smaller role. Pytka explained how the idea came from an out of studio script conference, with people who worked on the original film allegedly involved. Another idea for a Space Jam sequel entitled Skate Jam was in early development with Tony Hawk in the starring role. Plans were underway for production to begin immediately following the release of Looney Tunes: Back in Action, but it was cancelled given that film's poor box office performance despite otherwise improved critical reception from Space Jam. Over 10 years later however, talks for a sequel were resurrected with LeBron James as the main star. Filming began from June 25 to September 26, 2019 with Malcolm D. Lee helming as director. In addition, in March 2020, photos during the shooting were leaked as Warner Bros. characters aside from the Looney Tunes would also appear in the film, such as Superman, Batman, Pennywise, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, Harry Potter, Joker, Gollum, Bane, Scorpion and Sub-Zero, Agent Smith, Mad Max, Finn and Jake, The Mask, the Gremlins, Tom and Jerry, Austin Powers, King Leonidas, George the Gorilla, Dr. Manhattan, Harold and Kumar, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, among others. The film, currently known as Space Jam: A New Legacy, is scheduled for a July 16, 2021 release.
• Speed Racer: A live-action Speed Racer film was in the works since 1992 when Warner Bros. opted the rights to make a film version of it in co-junction with Silver Pictures. In October 1994, singer Henry Rollins was offered the role of Racer X. In June 1995, Johnny Depp was cast into the lead role for Speed Racer, with production slated to begin the coming October, In September 2000, Warner Bros. and producer Lauren Shuler Donner hired writer-director Hype Williams to take the helm of the project. In June 2004, Vince Vaughn spearheaded a revival of the project by presenting a take for the film that would develop the characters more strongly. Vaughn was cast as Racer X and was also attached to the project as an executive producer. With production never becoming active, Vaughn was eventually detached from the project. However, The Wachowskis were brought on board by the studio to write and direct the film in October 2006. The film was released on May 9, 2008. Although critics gave it mixed reviews and was a box office bomb, it was received positively by fans.
• The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 2: After the release of the first SpongeBob movie back in November 2004, producer Julia Pistor stated that a sequel film was unlikely despite its successful box office performance, and that original SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg would have no involvement having to exit as showrunner by the beginning of the fourth season. It was until five years later when one of the writers, showrunners, and executive producers at the time, Paul Tibbitt expressed interest in the 2009 Digital Spy interview. In 2010, Nickelodeon was reportedly approaching the crews of the show to make another film adaptation to help in with show's struggling ratings at the time in hopes that its partner, Paramount Pictures would release it and make it another smash hit with audiences. With the success of Rango in 2011, Paramount would form its built-in animation studio and had officially greenlit a second film followed by the departure of DreamWorks Animation upon completion of its distribution contract in 2012. Production began in 2013 under its working title sequel name. On July 25, 2014, the film was retitled, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and was originally slated for a 2014 release hoping to cash in on the 15th anniversary of the series and the 10th anniversary of the first film. The film was released on February 6, 2015 and received positive reviews from critics and audiences and was a box office success.
• Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: When the 1994 film version of the video game franchise hit theatres, it was a critical and commercial failure, yet still spawned an animated TV series, and two video games, one being the arcade, and the other being the home port video game. Originally set to have a follow-up sequel, what came of it was a standalone reboot involving Chun-Li, announced in 2006 for a potential 2008 release at that time, by the time film producer Ashok Amritraj purchased the rights from Capcom for 20th Century Fox. The film was eventually released on February 27, 2009 and received negative reviews from critics and fans and was a box office disaster, even more so than the 1994 film.
• Superman Lives: The name given to a project begun by producer Jon Peters in 1993 as Superman Reborn. The proposed film would have followed the comic story line known as The Death of Superman. Jonathan Lemkin was hired to write the initial script, but Peters brought on a series of additional screenwriters to overhaul the script, including Gregory Poirier in 1995 and Kevin Smith in 1996. Director Tim Burton became attached to the film, with Nicolas Cage cast as the Man of Steel, and several more screenwriters were brought on board for several more rewrites. Burton backed out in late 1998 citing differences with producer Peters and the studios, opting instead to direct Sleepy Hollow. Additional writers and directors were attached to the project at various times over the next few years. Peters' project went through several more permutations before evolving into Superman Returns, released in 2006, 13 years after initial development began. The film's journey through development hell was later explored by a documentary on the topic, The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?, released in 2015.
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines A third installment in the Terminator franchise was announced even before Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released. In July 1991, while the sequel was in its theatrical run, Cameron said that if the film were successful then "there may be some economic pressure" to do a sequel. In 1995 when Carolco Pictures, the production company behind the second film, filed for bankruptcy, director James Cameron was hired to come back and direct the third film for 20th Century Fox. A year later, when Cameron's 3D film ride, Terminator 2 3-D: Battle Across Time, would open, the project team reunited the main cast of the second film and prompted Cameron to begin writing a script for a Terminator 3 film, despite him being too busy working on Titanic for 20th Century Fox during that time. Eventually, former Carolco founders Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna founded C2 Pictures and rights for the third film were backed by German and Japanese investors by 1999, Jonathan Mostow directed, and Arnold Schwarzenegger returned by 2000, despite his focus on running in the 2002 California gubernatorial elections two years later during filming. The film was released on July 2, 2003 and was met with mixed reception with critics, fans, and the general public, but nevertheless was a box office success.
• Tomb Raider 3: A third film based on the same name was set to be made, but once Cradle of Life hit theatres on July 25, 2003 with polarizing results with critics and audiences, Paramount Pictures cancelled it and therefore put the blame on then current game, Angel of Darkness for hurting the Lara Croft name. In addition, the actress behind Croft, Angelina Jolie, did not sign up as a result of the third film's cancellation. However, Paramount still held film rights until 2007, when film rights were purchased in a turnaround by Warner Bros., and eventually also Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 2009 as additional financing, with a reboot of the franchise being announced by producer Graham King. Stars like Olivia Wilde, Kristen Stewart and Megan Fox were originally slated to audition the role as Lara Croft. It was announced in 2015 during the release of 20th Century Fox's Hitman: Agent 47, Adrian Askarieh, producer of the Hitman films, stated that he hoped to oversee a shared universe of Square Enix films with Just Cause, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief, but admitted that he does not have the rights to Tomb Raider. In May 2017, the Game Central reporters at Metro UK suggested that the shared universe was unlikely, pointing out that no progress had been made on any Just Cause, Deus Ex nor Thief films. Deadline Hollywood had previously reported that Daisy Ridley was considered for the role, though she later stated in an interview with Vogue that it was just the "craziest rumor" she had ever heard about herself. Eventually the role was given to Alicia Vikander as the titular character and the film was released on March 16, 2018 with mixed reception from critics. A sequel, with MGM being the sole distributor, was scheduled to be released on March 19, 2021 until September, when it was delayed to an unknown release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Tom & Jerry: Plans for a theatrical film based on the Tom and Jerry property was planned as a live-action/CGI film back in 2009, responding to the success of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Six years later, Warner Bros. renewed focus on animation from its theatrical animation studio and plans changed from a full-on live-action film to a full-on animated film. Plans have officially been finalized as a live-action/animated hybrid that began to film in 2019, originally planned to be released on April 16, 2021. The movie has had a lot of time put through as it was then pushed back for a December 23, 2020 release. The film is currently scheduled for a February 26, 2021 release.
• Uncharted: A film based on Naughty Dog's Uncharted games was in development since 2008 when film producer Avi Arad stated that he was working with a division of Sony to develop the film adaptation of Uncharted. The film was at first to be written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, produced by Arad, Charles Roven, and Alex Gartner, and directed by David O. Russell. On November 24, 2010, an interview with Mark Wahlberg was published by MTV with the actor discussing his involvement in the film adaptation of the popular franchise. He stated that David O. Russell was currently writing the script and was excited for what he had in store, hoping to shoot in the middle of 2011: "I'm obviously in whatever David wants to do but the idea of it is so off the charts: De Niro being my father, Pesci being my uncle. It's not going to be the watered-down version, that's for sure." On May 26, 2011, it was reported that David O. Russell had dropped out from directing the video game film, with a new screenwriter being sought by Columbia Pictures. In May 2017, Tom Holland was cast as a young Nathan Drake, with the film serving as a prequel to the games. TV writer Rafe Judkins was brought on to rework the script. On December 19, 2018, it was announced that Levy had stepped down from directing the movie. On January 14, 2019, Variety reported that Dan Trachtenberg had signed on to direct the film. On August 22, 2019, Deadline reported that Dan Trachtenberg had exited the film, with the film scheduled to go into production in early 2020. The film will become the first feature production of Sony PlayStation Productions. On September 27, 2019, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Travis Knight will direct the film. On November 13, 2019, Variety reported that Mark Wahlberg was in final talks to co-star in the film as Victor “Sully” Sullivan. In December 2019, Knight left the project because of scheduling conflicts with Holland. Deadline reported in January 2020 that Sony has delayed the film from a December 11, 2020 release to a March 5, 2021 release. In March, Antonio Banderas, Sophia Taylor Ali and Tati Gabrielle were added to the cast, with a new script from Iron Man writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Principal photography began on March 16, 2020, with Ruben Fleischer directing, shooting in Berlin, but was shut down in mid-March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was believed filming had resumed on July 15, 2020, however Sony Pictures clarified, while production has not yet resumed, they were undergoing preparations with the hope to start production soon. Production resumed on July 20, shooting in areas around Germany, with proper social distancing and mask requirements being implemented on and off the set. On September 16, 2020, filming moved to Berlin, with set photos being released online. Filming wrapped on October 29, 2020. Owing to the pandemic, the film's release date was delayed to October 8, 2021. The film was moved up to July 16, 2021, taking the original release date of Spider-Man: No Way Home, before moving to February 11, 2022.
• Venom: A film adaptation for Venom was in development since 1997 when David S. Goyer pitched a script for New Line Cinema in hopes of Dolph Lundgren to star. The project didn't move forward, as rights would be purchased to Sony once the Eddie Brock character storyline would be incorporated to the story for Spider-Man 3. Two months after that film's release, producer Avi Arad announced a spin-off film focused on Venom. By the next year in 2008, Sony was also hoping to add him and the Spiderman property in the X-Men film universe for 20th Century Fox, but the studio chose to seek out new writers for a different approach from that draft. Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese were hired to pen the new script in September 2008. In December 2013, Sony revealed plans to use The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to establish their own expanded universe based on the Marvel properties the studio had the film rights to, including Venom. During that development stage, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Ed Solomon were set to write the screenplay under its name, Venom Carnage. However, in February 2015, the project would be cancelled after failed attempts. But in 2016, Sony would reseruect it once again under its own cinematic universe following the success of Deadpool, with Tom Hardy being casted as the main role and Ruben Fleischer as director. The film was finally released on October 4, 2018 and was massive success at the box office scoring over $770 million worldwide, but received mixed reviews from critics.
• Warcraft: A live-action adaptation of the Warcraft series was first announced in 2006. The film spent several years in development hell before the project advanced. It was scheduled for a 2016 release. The film was released on June 10, 2016 worldwide following after a Paris premiere weeks prior in May.
• Watchmen: The 2009 film based on the Alan Moore graphic novel from DC Comics had undergone much various production problems; such as penning the script from four different studios and directors and attaching different screenwriters for the project; thus halted the adaptation's development through twenty years. That was until 2006, when Zack Snyder, fresh out of production of then soon to be released 300, was hired as director for the film. It was eventually released on March 6, 2009 with mixed reactions from critics and was a moderate success worldwide at the box office; but received more acclaim from fans gaining more of a cult following over the years.
• Where the Wild Things Are: The film adaptation to a children's book of the same name was in development since the early-1980s, with its origins being as an animated film for Disney, with Glen Keane, Eric Goldberg, and John Lasseter (the latter of Pixar) have pitched a proof of concept idea to see if the company was interested in an animated feature-length film for its in-house studio. Universal Pictures would then purchase the film rights by the '90s with Goldberg taking its rights along with, this time penning himself as director. Another proof-of-concept trailer was attached in November 2000 during theatrical screenings of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in hopes that a film would be made. However, Warner Bros. purchased film rights in an act of a turnaround agreement by 2003, and Spike Jonze replaced Goldberg as director by 2005. Filming began in 2006 with a potential 2008 release, but eventually the film was released on October 16, 2009.
• The X-Files: I Want to Believe: The sequel to the 1998 film based on the TV series was announced since the first film came out, but was not confirmed until November 2001 when the original creators of the series Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz finally pursued the idea after the series' production was about to close. The film was expected for a Summer 2003 or '04 release and even had Rob Bowman, the director of most of the episodes and the 1998 film to come back, with the latter having great interest, as creators want this film as more of a return to form with the original series' monster of the week roots. However, in May 2006, Spotnitz had blamed the film's delay due to legal issues between Carter and 20th Century Fox and anticipated that the film will be out "once the legal issues are over with." The following October, the studio officially announced the production of the sequel film, whose premise would be kept under wraps. Filming finally began in December 2007 and closed in April 2008 with a release on July 25. The film was not as successful, having to compete against The Dark Knight during that time, and the film received mixed reviews.

Music

• Chinese Democracy: Rock band Guns N' Roses began work on this album in the late 1990s. In the time between its conception and release, nearly the entire lineup of the band had changed numerous times. It was once dubbed by The New York Times "The Most Expensive Album Never Made". Recorded in 14 separate studios with reported production costs of $13 million, Chinese Democracy was eventually released in November 2008.
• Detox: A studio album by American hip hop recording artist Dr. Dre, slated to be his swan song album, was originally slated for release between 2011 and 2012 due to be released through Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Production for Detox began in 2000, but has been delayed several times as Dr. Dre wanted to concentrate on producing for artists that were on his Aftermath record label. Work for the upcoming album dates back to 2001, where its first version was called "the most advanced rap album ever," by producer Scott Storch. Even at the beginning of Detox's production, it was announced that it would be Dr. Dre's final studio album, which has been confirmed at different points throughout the album's 10-year production process. Because Dr. Dre had stated he was tired of rapping about marijuana use and stereotypical gangster lifestyle, he planned to make Detox a hip-hop musical telling the story of a professional hitman and his family, with an intended summer 2003 release date. Initially announced in 2000 after the release of Dr. Dre's previous album 2001 (1999), Detox has gone through many renditions during its 11-year production period, failing to have a confirmed release date, due to Dr. Dre believing the project "wasn't good enough". However the album spawned two official singles, "Kush" and "I Need a Doctor". In January 2004, co-producer Scott Storch listed guest appearances such as 50 Cent, Eminem, Game, and Snoop Dogg. Keri Hilson told Rap-Up that she had recorded material for the album but was unsure if the tracks would make the final cut. J. Cole stated that he recorded with Dre but refused to explain. The album's production was eventually cancelled on August 1, 2015, with Dr. Dre instead releasing a brand-new album, Compton, inspired by the concurrent production of the film Straight Outta Compton, a week later on August 7.
• Fear Inoculum: Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan announced at the 50th Grammy Awards in February 2008 that the band would start working on a follow up to their 2006 album 10,000 Days "right away". However, a number of creative, personal, and legal issues delayed the writing and recording of the album, which was eventually released at the end of August 2019.
• I/O: The hypothetical tenth studio album from British art pop musician Peter Gabriel, I/O began production in April 1995 following the conclusion of Gabriel's Secret World tour, concurrently with his seventh studio album, Up (itself not released until 2002). Gabriel originally stated that the album would be released in 2004, only for extensive touring in support of Up to delay these plans considerably. Gabriel repeatedly gave vague updates on the album's production over the following years, first stating in 2008 that he was "shifting focus" towards both I/O and his cover album Scratch My Back (which saw release in 2010) before later claiming in 2011 that I/O was still just a number of unfinished "song ideas" that he had yet to elaborate upon. Gabriel would continue to post about the album's production during the remainder of the 2010s, ultimately stating on BBC Radio in April 2019 that he was planning on finishing songwriting for I/O by the end of the year. Despite his plans to "get a record out" by early 2020, the album still remains unreleased as of 2021, with no release date set.
• The Smile Sessions: Archival recordings of the Beach Boys unfinished album Smile took nearly 45 years to compile for a dedicated release. Numerous complications contributed to its excessively protracted delay, including bandleader Brian Wilson's irrational fear of the album. Brother and bandmate Carl Wilson compared the album's structuring to editing a film, as compiler Alan Boyd explains, "I think he was right about that. The kind of editing that the project required seemed more like the process of putting a film together than a pop record."
• Songs from the Black Hole: Planned as the second album from Weezer as a followup to the band's debut self-tiled album, this was intended to be a space rock rock opera that expressed songwriter Rivers Cuomo's mixed feelings about rock-and-roll success. Its characters were to be voiced by members of Weezer, plus guest vocalists Rachel Haden (of That Dog and the Rentals) and Joan Wasser (of the Dambuilders). The album was set to have tracks that segued seamlessly, ending with a coda that revisited the album's major musical themes. Cuomo recorded demos for Songs from the Black Hole on an 8-track recorder at his family home in Connecticut over Christmas 1994. Most of the songs already existed and were rewritten to fit the Songs for the Black Hole concept. While Weezer was on tour in Europe later that month, Sharp returned to America due to a family emergency, leaving the band stranded in Hamburg for a week. In March 1995, Cuomo, who was born with one leg shorter than the other, had extensive surgery to lengthen his leg followed by months of painful physiotherapy. This affected his songwriting, as he would spend long periods hospitalized under the influence of painkillers. Recording began in August 1995 in New York City's Electric Lady Studios, where Weezer had recorded their debut album, but the sessions were not productive. Further sessions were held in September and October, and Weezer recorded versions of "Blast Off!", "Longtime Sunshine", "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams", "Tired of Sex" and "Getchoo". Weezer had not yet abandoned Songs from the Black Hole, but the songs were recorded, according to Koch, with "no story, no theatrics, no characters". At the end of 1995, wanting to "escape the limelight", Cuomo enrolled at Harvard University to study classical composition. Still recovering from surgery, Cuomo became isolated and his songwriting became darker. Koch described it as "more visceral and exposed, less playful". In January 1996, Weezer restarted recording in Los Angeles at Sound City Studios with new material. The Songs from the Black Hole tracks "Superfriend", "She's Had a Girl" and "Dude, We're Finally Landing" were recorded, but shelved. By May 1996, Cuomo had settled on a new direction for Weezer's second album, expressing his loneliness and frustration at Harvard, and Songs from the Black Hole was abandoned. The decision was influenced by that year's release of Return of the Rentals, the debut album by Sharp's band the Rentals, as Cuomo felt it shared many musical and lyrical themes. Weezer's second album became Pinkerton, released on September 24, 1996. It includes "Tired of Sex", "Getchoo" and "No Other One": songs written before Songs from the Black Hole was conceived, rewritten to fit the Black Hole concept, and finally rewritten again for Pinkerton. In June 1996, after Pinkerton's completion, Weezer recorded the Songs from the Black Hole tracks "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" (with Haden on vocals) and "Devotion" as B-sides for the singles "El Scorcho" and "The Good Life" respectively.
• Stampede of the Disco Elephants: This would be the sixth album from American nu metal band Limp Bizkit. The first single "Lightz (City of Angels)" was released on October 26, 2012. After many delays, the second single for the album, "Ready to Go", featuring label mate Lil Wayne was released on April 16, 2013, to positive reviews. The band officially left their previous label Cash Money Records on October 26, 2014. In February 2016, Metal Injection reported that the band was still in the studio recording the new album. As of February 2021, the album is still unreleased, with no release date set.

Video games

• Aliens: Colonial Marines: First announced in 2001, Aliens: Colonial Marines spent over 12 years in development hell. The original game which was announced in 2001 to be in development by Check Six Games, was cancelled. The video game rights for the Alien franchise were sold in December 2006 to Sega. Gearbox Software subsequently announced that it would take over development of Colonial Marines, intending it to be a direct follow-up to Aliens. The game would spend another 7 years in development, during which Gearbox's resources were also being consumed by other projects, such as Duke Nukem Forever, as well as its own franchise Borderlands, resulting in much of the game's development being outsourced to other studios. The game was released in 2013, where it was criticized for having various bugs and gameplay issues, low-quality graphics, as well as a lack of consistent continuity with the Alien film franchise. Further controversy emerged when it was found that Gearbox and Sega had presented demos of the game at conventions that had a noticeably higher graphics quality than the final product.
• Beyond Good and Evil 2: An upcoming sequel to the 2003 video game, Beyond Good & Evil. The original was released in 2003, was critically praised and gained a cult following, but was considered a commercial failure. Its director said in a May 2008 interview with the French magazine Jeuxvideo.fr that a Beyond Good & Evil sequel had been in pre-production for a year, but was yet to be approved by Ubisoft. Ubisoft officially announced a sequel in 2016. Ubisoft showed the first new trailer for Beyond Good and Evil 2 during their E3 2017 conference and it was announced as a prequel to the first game.
• Diablo III: Development began in 2000 by Blizzard North, and continued until the studio closed in 2005. An entirely new development began in 2006, and the game was released in 2012.
• Duke Nukem Forever: The sequel to the 1996 game Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem Forever, was in development hell for 14 years: from 1997 to its release date in 2011. The long development time was caused by numerous factors, including a switch from the Quake II engine to the Unreal Engine, having a relatively small development staff by modern standards (3D Realms' co-owners George Broussard and Scott Miller infamously maintained that the game would be released "when it's done"), conflicts between 3D Realms and its publisher, Take-Two Interactive, over how it had been handling the constant delays, and the eventual bankruptcy of 3D Realms. In 2009, the rights to the Duke Nukem franchise were sold to Gearbox Software, who eventually completed the game and released it in 2011. The game was ultimately a critical disappointment, with most of the criticism directed towards the game's clunky controls, long loading times, offensive humor, and overall aged and dated design. The game eventually proved to be profitable, according to a statement by Take-Two during its earnings call in August 2011.
• Final Fantasy XV: Originally titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII, it was announced in 2006 as a spinoff of Final Fantasy XIII exclusively for PlayStation 3. Following a long period with little news on the game, it was re-announced as the next mainline installment of the series on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One which underwent large changes in direction such as making the game a self-contained story and replacing the main heroine. The game was released worldwide on November 29, 2016, more than 10 years after it was initially announced. Additional story content was released post-launch in the form of episodic DLC.
• Mother 3: A sequel to the 1994 Super Nintendo RPG Mother 2 (released as EarthBound in 1995 in North America). The game was initially intended to be released on the Super Famicom like its predecessor, starting development shortly after the latter's release, before shifting focus to the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive. Following the failure of the Disk Drive, the game was shifted to the standard Nintendo 64, before the development team's inexperience with 3D-oriented video game creation and a large series of delays led to the game being quietly cancelled in 2000. Eventually, assets from the cancelled project were collected and converted to a 2D format, and the project restarted development on the Game Boy Advance. Twelve years after its conception, Mother 3 was finally released on the Game Boy Advance in 2006, but only in Japan.
• Six Days in Fallujah: A tactical shooter and video game adaptation of the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004, was developed by Atomic Games and was ready to be released around 2010. However, the game's intended publisher, Konami, refused to release the game due to the controversy surrounding it. Since then, no publisher has come forward to pick up the game, and aside from multiple assurances from Atomic Games' president that the game was not canceled, no significant word was heard about whether or when Fallujah would ever be released at all for many years until Highwire Games announced that it will finally release the game sometime in 2021 on PC and undetermined console platforms.

See also

• Development hell
• Turnaround
• Vaporware