While a production period 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 instances, directors have spent decades developing projects, and financial issues or other concerns have meant that highly anticipated movies lay in development hell for extended periods before they, at last, see the light of day. Other times, filmmakers have even passed away before they could complete their projects, and years later, the movie’s completion gets overseen by other directors or production companies.
Some ofthe best directors everhave taken extended periods of time to finally release long-awaited movies. While it’s rarely the intention to have a production stretch out across several decades, the fact that these movies were all eventually released showcased the firm commitment of filmmakers and creatives to their art and work. Whilenot every long-gestating film turned out to be a masterpiece, all of these movies have something special to offer and have gained a place in the complex history of cinema.
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 ordinary way.EraserheadwasLynch’s feature-length directional debut that signaled his transition from a painter into a fully-fledged filmmaker, and right out the gate, he had already formed his distinctive surrealist style of moviemaking. However, the production ofEraserheadwas not straightforward, and due to budgetary issues, the film was delayed for many years (viaAFI.)
Eraserheadwas produced with the assistance of the American Film Institute, although with just a twenty-page script, the institute assumed they had green-lit a short film and not the 89-minute avant-garde experimentation it became. Lynch’s frequent collaborator Jack Nance was cast as the lead in 1971, meaning he had to maintain Henry Spencer’s signature outrageous haircut for several years. However, despite taking so long to be completed, Lynch was just 31 years old when production wrapped and had plenty more time to continuedeveloping his strange and idiosyncratic style.
Eraserhead
Cast
David Lynch’s Eraserhead is a surrealist horror movie where Henry Spencer, played by Jack Nance, deals with the terrifying challenges of fatherhood, including caring for his deformed child. Released in 1977, the black-and-white film has sparked many discussions about its meaning and themes.
9Boyhood (2014)
Boyhood took 12 years to make
While there’s nothing unusual about movies that take place across long stretches of time, it’s practically unheard of to actually wait for the actors to age so that this 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 inBoyhood. Instead,Ellar Coltrane was cast in the lead role when he was just a child, and the film was shot for a few weeks every summer for 12 years (viaBBC).
Boyhoodwas a major success that showcased adolescence in a way never previously depicted on screen. As viewers watched Mason age in real-time, the emotional impact ofBoyhood’snarrative became even grander as he struggled with the consequences of his parents’ divorce, an abusive stepfather, and the challenges of growing up.Boyhoodwas a deeply compelling movie that worked so well thanks to the intense commitment of everyone involved in it.
Boyhood
Directed by Richard Linklater, Boyhood depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr., a young man from Texas whose coming-of-age during the mid-2000s is the main focus of the film. Linklater shot the film over the course of 12 years, chronicling Mason’s childhood in time with the growth of his actor, Ellar Coltrane. Besides Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Lorelei Linklater also star.
8Avatar (2009)
Avatar took 15 years to make
James Cameron first began working onAvatarin 1994 and planned to start filming the movie after he wrapped production onTitanicin 1997. However, things didn’t quite pan out this way astechnology had not reached a point to fully express Cameron’s vision, and he decided that he would wait until the movie could be fully realized before officially starting production. This provided more time to develop the Na’vi language and ensure that Pandora’s sci-fi story was as rich and fleshed out as possible.
It was not until 2006 thatAvatarstarted to look like a real possibility, and actors like Sigourney Weaver were cast. By 2007, 13 years after Cameron first wrote the treatment forAvatar, the technology had caught up with his intentions, and filming at last began. Then, whenAvatarwas finally released in 2009, it became a worldwide sensation, a box office smash, and the highest-grossing film of all time.
Avatar
Avatar is a 2009 science fiction film directed by James Cameron. Set in the 22nd century, it follows a paraplegic Marine sent to the moon Pandora on a mission. He becomes conflicted between his orders and defending the indigenous Na’vi civilization.
7The Thief And The Cobbler (1993)
The Thief and the Cobbler took 29 years to make
The Canadian animator Richard Williams intended forThe Thief and the Cobblerto be a major new milestone in the world of animation. Although this ambitious project was first devised in 1964, it took Williams nearly three decades to bring his passion project to fruition. This meant that Williams spent those years also working on other movies, and it was only after the incredible success ofWho Framed Roger Rabbitthat Warner Bros agreed to finance and distribute the film (viaCulture Cartel.)
Williams developed his script and the characters forThe Thief and the Cobblerthroughout the 1970s and, during the 1980s, was gathering finances for the movie. With early footage that impressed Steven Spielberg,the early versions ofThe Thiefled to Williams working onRoger Rabbitwith Robert Zemeckis. Sadly,The Thiefwent over budget and fell behind schedule, leading to Williams being pushed out of his own production, and a disappointing unfinished version was released to negative reviews in 1993.
6A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence took 24 years to make
The legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick first considered adapting the 1969 short story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” by Brian Aldiss back in 1977. Reportedly, Kubrick sawStar Warsand, although he didn’t care for the film, recognized its commercial potential (viaThe Ringer) and sought to make something that could be just as successful. Conceived as a “picaresque robot version of Pinocchio,” the movie becameA.I. Artificial Intelligencewas Kubrick’s long-term goal, although he was unable to complete it before his death in 1999.
A.I. Artificial Intelligencehad already entered pre-production by 1994, although it was put on hold for Kubrick to finish his filmEyes Wide Shut. Following Kubrick’s death, Steven Spielberg took over the production, andA.I.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 sensibilities would influence his unmade version became one of the great what-ifs of Hollywood.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become “real” so that he can regain the love of his human mother.
GeorgeMiller first came up with the idea forMad Max: Fury Roadin 1987, but it would be 28 years before the film was finally released. Originally intended as a direct sequel toMad Max Beyond Thunderdome, had things gone according to plan, Mel Gibson would have reprised his role as the title character he had already played in three movies. It was 1998 before Miller further developed his idea, and it was not until the early 2000s that it was set to enter production.
However, the production stalled following the attacks on June 21, 2025 (viaTime Out), and by the time Miller returned to the project, Gibson’s career had become highly controversial, and he needed to be recast. Miller then started developing aMad Maxprequel subtitledFuriosa, which, at one point, he considered filming back-to-back, which further delayed the production. Finally, by 2012, Tom Hardy had been cast in the lead role, and filming commenced, yet it still took three years for post-production to finally be completed, andFury Roadwas released to widespread acclaim.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic film set in a desolate desert landscape where society has collapsed. Released in 2015, the story follows two rebels, Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, as they attempt to survive and bring balance to a world torn by chaos and strife.
4The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote took 29 years to make
Movie lovers were delighted when Terry Gilliam’s long-gestation filmThe Man Who Killed Don Quixotewas 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 funding needed, and shooting began in 2000. However, the story does not end there. Gilliam’s narrative about a 21st-century film producer thrown back in time would be halted due to flooding (viaBFI), insurance issues, and significant financial difficulties.
With actors Jean Rochefort and Johnny Depp originally cast in leading roles,The Man Who Killed Don Quixoteattempted to restart production throughout the 2000sbut continued to undergo significant changes. It looked like this project would never be made as it lingered in development hell for decades, with Gilliam speaking in 2016 about needing a 16 million euro budget to finish it (viaLibération.) 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.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote took just shy of three decades to make, with writer and director Terry Gilliam first starting work on the project in 1989. It tells the story of a film director named Toby, whose student short has a profound impact on an old Spanish cobbler and leads to the pair embarking on many epic adventures throughout history.
3Gangs of New York (2002)
Gangs of New York took 32 years to make
WhileMartin Scorsese has plenty of unfinished projects,Gangs of New Yorkwas a decades-long gestating film that eventually saw the light of day.Based on Herbert Asbury’s bookThe Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld, Scorsese first considered an adaptation as far back as 1970, but as a young director at the start of his career, he did not have the clout needed to get it financed. Instead, Scorsese spent the 1970s making some of that era’s best movies, likeMean StreetsandTaxi Driver.
Scorsese managed to secure the screen rights to Asbury’s book in 1979, but it was still another 20 years before there was any significant movement on the project (viaIndependent.) In 1999, Scorsese partnered with Miramax and gained the approximately $100 million budget he needed (viaThe Numbers) and actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis were cast. Finally,Gangs of New Yorkwas released in 2002 to critical and audience acclaim, even gaining a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York, directed by Martin Scorsese, is a historical drama that explores the violent rivalries between immigrant groups in 19th-century New York City. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Amsterdam Vallon, who returns to the Five Points area seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, played by Daniel Day-Lewis. The film dramatizes the socio-political unrest in America during that era, highlighting issues like gang warfare and ethnic tension.
2Megalopolis (2024)
Megalopolis took 47 years to make
Although director Francis Ford Coppola was known for making some of the greatest movies of all time, likeThe GodfatherandApocalypse Now, the later part of his career was less impressive. With embarrassing releases, likeJack, or box office failures, such as his last filmTwixt, Coppola took a step back from filmmaking in recent years only to reemerge in 2019 with plans to finally makeMegalopolis, a passion project that he first conceived as far back as 1977 (viaRomberger.)
This ambitious, big-budget feature in an imagined modern United States where a visionary architect aimed to rebuild the metropolis of New Rome after a devastating disaster.Coppola self-fundedMegalopolishimself with a staggering budget of $120 millionfor a controversial and experimental production categorized by improvisation and last-minute changes to the script. WhileMegalopoliswas intended as Coppola’s swansong and masterpiece, reviews have been polarizing as viewers struggled to make sense of this hugely divisive film.
Megalopolis
Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a visionary 2024 film exploring the ambitious dream of reconstructing New York City into a utopia, following a devastating disaster. The narrative delves into the clash between the architect’s utopian vision and the political and personal turmoil that ensues. With a star-studded cast, the film examines themes of ambition, power, and the human spirit’s resilience against the backdrop of a futuristic metropolis.
1The Other Side Of The Wind (2018)
The Other Side of the Wind took 48 years to make
Orson Welles first started filmingThe Other Side of the Windin 1970, and it was intended to be his directional comeback as he attempted to prove his relevance amid the burgeoning New Hollywood movement. While filming took place on and off for six years,it would actually take 48 years forThe Other Side of the Windto see the light of day(viaCollider.) This troubled production was plagued by financial, legal, and political complications, which meant it remained unfinished by the time of Welles’ death in 1985.
However, the story doesn’t end there, as many attempts were made to finish this 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 releaseThe Other Side of the Windand a documentary about its troubled history (viaNew York Times.) At last, the movie was released in 2018 to widespread acclaim, with many considering it to be Welles’ lost masterpiece.
