Development hell: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:49, 3 December 2023

Revision as of 14:41, 24 March 2024

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== Overview ==

=== Film ===

Film industry companies often buy the [[film rights]] to many popular novels, video games, and comic books, but it may take years for such properties to be successfully brought to the screen, and often with considerable changes to the plot, characters, and general tone. This pre-production process can last for months or years. More often than not, a project trapped in this state for a prolonged period of time will be abandoned by all interested parties or canceledcancelled outright. As [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] starts ten times as many projects as are released, many scripts will end up in this limbo state.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Spillman|first=Susan|title=Cover Story: Writers Paid for Movies Never Made|magazine=USA Today|___location=McLean, Virginia|language=en|publication-date=January 16, 1991|page=D1}}</ref> Less than two percent of all books which are [[Option (filmmaking)|optioned]] actually make it to the big screen.<ref name="Kean">{{cite news |last1=Kean |first1=Danuta |title=No room at the Oscars: The cinemas are full of turkeys yet that brilliant novel you read three years ago has never been made into a film. |work=The Independent on Sunday |page=1 |date=April 15, 2007}} Available via [[ProQuest]].</ref> David Hughes, the author of a book titled ''Tales From Development Hell'', states that once producers, directors, and actors are attached to the project, they may request script rewrites, which delays production.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hughes |first=David |title=Tales From Development Hell (New Updated Edition): The Greatest Movies Never Made? |publisher=Titan Books |date=2012}}</ref>

Development hell happens most often with projects that have multiple interpretations and reflect several points of view.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Mitchell|first=Kerrie|title=Dept. of Development Hell|magazine=Premiere|___location=New York|language=en|date=February 2005|volume=18|issue=5|page=40}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Warren|first=Patricia Nell|title=Books Into Movies: Part 2 (Best Selling Novel [[The Front Runner (novel)|The Front Runner]] has Spent Over 25 Years in Development Hell)|magazine=Lambda Book Report|___location=Washington|language=en|date=April 2008|volume=8|issue=9|page=9}}</ref> Development delays can also arise when a director and the film studio have a different vision about a film's casting, plot or budget; if a star withdraws from the project; due to the "[d]eath of a cast member or a significant member of the production team";<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nfi.edu/how-long-does-it-take-to-make-a-movie/ |title=How Long Does It Take To Make A Movie? Everything You Need To Know |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= February 16, 2022|website=www.nfi.edu |publisher=National Film Institute|access-date=29 March 2023|quote=}}</ref> strikes by writers, crew or cast;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nfi.edu/how-long-does-it-take-to-make-a-movie/ |title=How Long Does It Take To Make A Movie? Everything You Need To Know |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= February 16, 2022|website=www.nfi.edu |publisher=National Film Institute|access-date=29 March 2023|quote=}}</ref> "[p]roblems with rights agreements and contract disputes";<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nfi.edu/how-long-does-it-take-to-make-a-movie/ |title=How Long Does It Take To Make A Movie? Everything You Need To Know |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= February 16, 2022|website=www.nfi.edu |publisher=National Film Institute|access-date=29 March 2023|quote=}}</ref> or if there is turnover at the studio's executive level, and the new leaders have a different vision. Film projects can also be delayed if the film's topic becomes perceived as no longer marketable.<ref name="script">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2001/09/24/hollywood-reacts-crisis/|title=Hollywood reacts to the crisis|first1=Jeff|last1=Jensen|first2=Benjamin|last2=Svetkey|date=September 24, 2001|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=March 13, 2023|archive-date=March 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314062539/https://ew.com/article/2001/09/24/hollywood-reacts-crisis/|url-status=live}}</ref>