Perhaps you’ve just heard about a new movie in the works with your favorite director– you immediately make a mental note of excitement, quietly counting down the days until it hits theaters, but then a year almost passes and… there’s no movie to be found. What happened? Where’d the movie go? And was there even going to be a movie in the first place?
This is an experience often described as, “development hell,” a nebulous purgatory that happens to projects that have been announced but may or may not have actually been pushed into production. It’s a process that often includes both TV/Film projects as well as highly-anticipated video games. So, what is “development hell” and how does a creative avoid it? This article will not only define the term but dig deeper into the details. Let’s dive in.
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WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT HELL
First, let’s define development hell
“Development Hell” can mean multiple things, depending on the project and the medium. Before we dive into the nuances of the process, let’s first define the term.
DEVELOPMENT HELL DEFINITION
What is development hell?
“Development hell” refers to the stage of the film, TV, or video game pre-production process where the studio, production company, or other rights-holding distributor has chosen to “pause” or “shelve” the project from proceeding to the next stage of the development process, often due to technical, legal, or artistic challenges. In many cases, these projects can already be announced in the media to be “in the works,” but that doesn’t legally protect them from being pushed into “development hell.” Though it is rare for these projects to continue onto the next stage of production, there have been many examples of movies that have been “saved” from this creative purgatory.
Famous Examples of Saved "Development Hell" Movies:
- Alita: Battle Angel
- Deadpool
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Watchmen
DEV HELL 101
How do we end up in development hell?
There’s many reasons why a project could end up in “development hell,” but let’s start with the most common: money. In TV, a common “development hell” push can come from a TV studio going through a corporate merger.
Picture it: you’re a young TV writer who’s just sold their first show and you have a whole team of studio execs you sold it to who are guiding you through the pre-production process with notes. Then the network’s purchased by a mega-corporation and all of your execs are suddenly laid-off.
Though, you’ll probably “inherit” whoever’s replacing your previous team, it’s very common that they’ll push your project into “development hell” due to their own work agenda or simply because they don’t resonate with your show the way the previous guard did.
Netflix’s “Narnia” series is an example of a TV production in development hell
In the feature-making business, a similar process can unfold. Perhaps you’re a screenwriter who sold your first screenplay to an independent production company who doesn’t have the full budget required to execute your film’s vision. But they feel confident they can raise the money through investors or other producers. If they fail in doing that, your project will often be pushed into “development hell” until they figure out a way to get the money for the budget.
MoJo breaks down movies in development hell
In video games, the process can be even simpler: perhaps you’re a script writer working on a sequel to a popular video game, but a series of creative notes from the higher-ups have forced your animation and developer team to re-do a lot of work. This could cause the game’s overall budget to balloon out, leaving very little to proceeding to the next production stage. Cue “development hell.”
YouTuber Scott the Woz breaks down the process of game development hell
The answer could also be incredibly simple: maybe another show or movie or video game was either announced or premiered and the studio doesn’t want to face the competition.
In some cases, a studio will want to “hold” on their similar project, forcing it into an extended delay until it either feels appropriate to proceed or until the project has changed enough that audiences won’t compare the two.
For more on writing and developing a TV show, check out our video series.
StudioBinder breaks down what it’s like to go through TV and Film Development • Subscribe on YouTube
HOW TO AVOID DEV HELL
Projects that escaped development hell
“Development hell” or “production hell” is a purgatory, which means that it’s never intended to be a project’s final stage.
Though it’s less likely that a project will be “resurrected” in the way the creators originally envisioned, it does happen and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds is a great example of that.
For Inglourious, Tarantino was given a full greenlight from the studio, but struggled to find the right actor to portray Col. Hans Landa, the film’s lead villain. Tarantino was resolute about finding an actor who was a bit of a “Swiss Army Knife”: multi-lingual, German origins, and of course demonstrating the acting chops required to fill out the role.
The search for this hyper-specific actor forced the film’s production to slow completely to a standstill, and if it weren’t for Tarantino’s track record and bankability with his studio that allowed him to take all the time he needed, the film would most likely still be in “development hell” today.
Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourius Basterds” is an example of a project in movie development hell
A similar process may occur when it comes to getting games out of “development hell.” It was 1996 when 3D Realms announced Duke Nukem Forever, but would take another 15 years for the game to finally hit shelves.
Over the course of that almost 2-decade span, 3D Realms went out of business and the future of the game seemed bleak. Fortunately, the IP rights were transferred to games company Gearbox Software, who saw the potential in the release and invested time, money, and production to make sure the game crossed the finish line.
This style of “IP musical chairs” can be very common within the gaming industry due to the fluctuations of the market matched with the typical years-long process required to produce a new game.
“Duke Nukem Forever” is a great example of game development hell
UP NEXT
TV Upfronts: Definition and Examples
Now that you’re up to speed with the pre-production process, let’s dive into the other side of the business, particularly within the TV industry. TV Upfronts are an essential post-production stage that occurs after your show has been shot, edited, but is not quite ready for the world.
Up Next: TV Upfronts →
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