“A Film-by-Film Tour Through Development Hell”
The Wrap gives this rundown of a number of high-profile movies in various stages of development hell. Here’s the list:
COMING SOON TO A THEATER NEAR YOU
The Tourist
Moneyball
Stretch Armstrong
SHOWING SIGNS OF LIFE
On the Road
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
STUCK IN PURGATORY
Sinatra Biopic
Confederacy of Dunces
Lincoln
Gears of War
DEAD
Arrested Development
Leni Riefenstahl Biopic
The Brazilian Job
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Some comments. First, it’s amazing how long some of these projects have been in development. For example, “The Confederacy of Dunces,” one of the best comic novels of all-time, has been kicking around Hollywood since 1982. Per Wikipedia:
There have been repeated attempts to turn the book into a film. In 1982, Harold Ramis was to write and direct an adaptation, starring John Belushi and Richard Pryor, but Belushi’s death would prevent this. Later, John Candy and Chris Farley were touted for the lead, both of whom died at an early age, leading many to ascribe a curse to the role.[5]
British performer and writer Stephen Fry was at one point commissioned to adapt Toole’s book for the screen.[6] He was sent to New Orleans by Paramount Studios in 1997 to get background for a screenplay adaptation.[7]
A version adapted by Steven Soderbergh and Scott Kramer, and slated to be directed by David Gordon Green, was scheduled for release in 2005. The film was to star Will Ferrell as Ignatius and Lily Tomlin as Ignatius’s mother. A staged reading of the script took place at the 8th Nantucket Film Festival, with Ferrell as Ignatius, Anne Meara as his mother, Paul Rudd as Officer Mancuso, Kristen Johnston as Lana Lee, Mos Def as Burma Jones, Rosie Perez as Darlene, Olympia Dukakis as Santa Battaglia and Miss Trixie, Natasha Lyonne as Myrna, Alan Cumming as Dorian Green, John Shea as Gonzales, Jesse Eisenberg as George, John Conlon as Claude Robichaux, Jace Alexander as Bartender Ben, Celia Weston as Miss Annie, Miss Inez & Mrs. Levy, and Dan Hedaya as Mr. Levy.[8]
Various reasons are cited as to why the movie has yet to be filmed. They include: disorganization and lack of interest at Paramount Pictures, the head of the Louisiana State Film Commission being murdered, and the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.[5] When asked why the film was never made, Will Ferrell has said it is a “mystery.” [9]
Now that is development hell!
Re Moneyball, I’ve been tracking that on GITS since last year — here, here, and here.
Heck, I’m personally connected to this list in that Burg & Myers wrote a draft of Stretch Armstrong — I believe back in 1995! At the time, it was at Disney and Joe Roth was attached as one of the producers.
But the kicker may be The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The writers who have taken a crack at that script reads like a Who’s Who of screenwriters. From DoneDealPro.com:
The project has been in development for a number of years at New Line and then Paramount Pictures. Babaloo Mandel & Lowell Ganz, Chuck Russell, Peter Tolan, Zach Helm, Richard LaGravanese, Jay Kogen, David Reynolds and Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Garant have all worked on adapting the story.
All that time. All that money. All that creative energy. And now this as of 4/22/10:
“The Pursuit of Happyness” screenwriter Steven Conrad has been hired by Fox to take on the screenplay for the studio’s long-gestating feature version of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” Conrad’s deal was for seven figures.
Hopefully Conrad can get the ‘ball’ out of development hell and into the end zone.
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