In the film industry, the term development hell — also known as development purgatory and development limbo — refers to projects or concepts that take an unusual amount of time progressing to phases of production. Hollywood execs typically start many more projects than are released. This results in a state of stagnancy for the majority of scripts out there.

Many intriguing stories have come to light by the fires of development hell. A recent story comes with the Uncharted (2022) movie, an adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name. Mark Wahlberg played the character of Victor “Sully” Sullivan, the mentor counterpart to the franchise’s main character. Played by Tom Holland in the film, Nathan Drake was actually supposed to be Wahlberg’s role when the movie was initially sent into production. However, after undergoing setbacks, Wahlberg surpassed the necessary age limit to portray the lead role. That’s how long it was in development.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

It of course varies how long a project stays unfinished. One thing is generally true, though: if they don’t get the ball rolling within the first couple of years, the film is likely to burn up in flames.

What Causes Development Hell?

     Image Credit: Universal

Typically, this occurs when the extent of an ambitious project is underestimated during the designing phases of a film. It can also be triggered by generally poor planning, and a paucity of time management skills. And of course, different scenarios lead to different resolutions regarding development.

This means the project can shift between crews, scripts, or studios before it actually moves forward. Often times, though, it’s the lack of a lead thespian that halts development for a given film. A relatively famous example of this was with Christoph Waltz’s role as S.S. Colonel Hans Landa from Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 War film, Inglourious Basterds. The filmmaker feared the role was unplayable due to the number of languages Landa spoke in the movie — then, he found the perfect polyglot in Waltz.

That’s just one example of many, though. This has been an ongoing occurrence in the film industry for the last several decades. Some of the most popular films in recent memory have been brought to life from the depths of development hell, and they each have their own story thereof.

Historical Examples of Development Hell in Film

     Image Credit: Warner Bros

A recent case was with Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015. Budget issues, scheduling conflicts with Miller’s 2006 animated outing Happy Feet, and struggles to cast the titular role all generated significant delays. Thankfully, they eventually found Tom Hardy, broke through budget barricades and got the film made.

And while Tom Hardy saved the film, sometimes a change in directors can cause development issues as well. An example is Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002), as it was almost directed by James Cameron. That was back in the mid-90s, too, several years before the film’s eventual release. After confusion with production companies — switching from Fox to Sony — Cameron moved on to make Titanic, and Spider-Man was forced into limbo.

This happened with The Princess Bride (1987), as well. Before Rob Reiner signed on to direct, names like Robert Redford and François Truffaut were in consideration. These are pretty simple issues to overcome — both Spider-Man and The Princess Bride were greenlit once Sam Raimi and Rob Reiner (respectively) hopped on board. Sometimes, though, the escape from development hell can be much deeper, longer, and far more agonizing for crews and casts.

How Films Can Eventually Climb Their Way Out

     Elsa, Anna and Kristoff From Frozen

Just under a decade ago, when Disney released their seminal animated title of the 21st century, it seemed development hell had finally Frozen (2013) over. After being in limbo for more than fifty years, the Disney hit — previously titled The Ice Queen — overcame a myriad of development roadblocks on its path to the big screen.

While Fury Road needed an actor and Spider-Man searched for a director, the primary concern with Frozen traced back to its script — particularly with the feasibility and development of Elsa’s character. She was even the main villain in several of the film’s earlier drafts, indicating just how disparate the plot at one point was. Once they got the story details in line, though, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee signed on to direct, and the rest is Hollywood history.

Some studios may use outside assistance to kick their project into gear. Others may issue a turnaround deal, handing the project off to the highest bidder. A particularly famous instance of this was with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. Columbia Pictures stopped production on it with doubts of commercial success. Then, Universal Studios scooped up the project and rendered it the second-biggest success of the century — monetarily speaking, of course. That was until Titanic in 1997.

Whether they’re related to cast members, people behind-the-camera, issues with the script, or even production conflicts, there are endless stories out there re: escaping development hell. Though it’s any screenwriter’s worst nightmare, it’s unfortunately part of the industry. Let’s just be glad some of them actually made it out.