5 Films That Took Way Too Long To Make

Chinese Democracy

Terminator 2 theme tune composers Guns N Roses have finally released their follow-up to Use Your Illusion I and II, Chinese Democracy, after a 17-year wait filled with much myth-making and intrigue.

It’s the Holy Grail of metal albums, it's ace and surprisingly now-feeling and it’s got us thinking about some movies that took years to get from script to screen, and whether they were worth the bother.

Click through to find out our picks of the long shoot pops and what they’ve got in common with Axl Rose’s epic return.

8 years - The Simpsons Movie

What took so long?
Matt Groening and his chums originally wanted to make a Simpsons flick in 1993, but it took them eight years to come up with a story that felt right.

Was it worth the wait?
No. The Simpsons Movie feels more like an extended episode than a film in its own right. It should have taken five minutes to string four episodes together, not eight years.

What’s it got in common with Chinese Democracy?
Axl Rose is a bit of a cartoon character.

10 years - Then She Found Me

What took so long?
According to Helen Hunt, writing her mawkish midlife crisis movie “took an embarrassingly long period of time, and then it took forever to finance it.

“And there were a couple of years that I acted in a lot of films. But this movie just walked along next to me and kept my attention.” We hate it when films do that.

Was it worth the wait?
No. If Then She Found Me had been released during the height of Helen Hunt’s popularity – say, ten years ago – it might have found an audience. As it stands, it faded without a trace.

What’s it got in common with Chinese Democracy?
It was made by someone old enough to know better. Also, it's about a midlife crisis.

15 years - Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

What took so long?
According to Harrison Ford: "We started talking about it 15 years ago and over that period of time, three scripts have been produced.

“It took three of us, George, Steven and me to commit to the course and none of us was fully satisfied with what was produced and then we were all doing different things."

Was it worth the wait?
No. Crystal Skull is by far the worst Indy and, as this feature proves (opens in new tab) , one of the earlier scripts was much better.

What’s it got in common with Chinese Democracy?
Fans don’t like it as much as the last one.

20 years The Thin Red Line

What took so long?
It was directed by Terrence Malick, a man who likes to take his time.

Malick was first approached to direct The Thin Red Line in 1978. In 1989, he handed in a 300-page script. Filming finally began in 1997. That's a lot of pre-production time.

One million feet of film later, The Thin Red Line was eventually released in 1999, after Malick's initial 6 hour cut was edited down to 170 minutes.

Was it worth the wait?
No. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a transcendent movie. But after all that waiting, we would have preferred to see the original six hour cut.

What’s it got in common with Chinese Democracy?
Malick had to put up with studio interference, Rose had to put up with label interference – both were major factors in their delays.

22 years When We Were Kings

What took so long?
Documentary moviemaker Leon Gast returned from filming Muhammad Ali’s iconic fight with George Forman in Zaire in 1974. In 1996, he attended the premiere of the finished film.

The reason for the delay? A complete collapse of funding, and the fact that Gast and his 40-strong crew had brought back 300,000 feet of film and 100,000 feet of audio tape to edit.

Was it worth the wait?
Actually, yes. If the flick had been released in 1975, it wouldn’t have had the modern-era interviews with Ali and Foreman that added so much resonance to the archive footage. Without those, we’re not sure if it would have bagged its eventual Oscar.

What’s it got in common with Chinese Democracy?
It rocks.