Summary
Some movies have been stuck in development hell for what seems like agesthat I know a lot of people would still like to see get made. With so manyunwanted upcoming sequels and remakes, I and many other people are wondering why Hollywood doesn’t spend its time on more promising sequels or original ideas, as well as book-to-movie adaptations that are practically guaranteed to be a success. Certain projects already have a particular director or lead actor attached to them, making people even more eager to see that movie come to fruition.
Some of the movies I would still like to see includeclassic book adaptations stuck in developmentandfantasy books with planned adaptations.If these movies are ever made, they could break the mold of current Hollywood trends,be the perfect combination of story and directorial vision, or just be plain fun. Movie fans are always frustrated by the concept of development hell when it inherently means that movies they would love to see are stuck in limbo, with no way of knowing if they will ever get off the ground.
The 10 Greatest Success Stories Of Movies Stuck In Development Hell, According To Reddit
Between several superhero movies, video game blockbusters, and even a Martin Scorsese-directed epic, these movies achieved the impossible.
10Shrek 5
Shrek’s Answer To Puss In Boots: The Last Wish
The latest news concerningShrek 5includes a 2026 summer release date and the return of Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz.This has allowedShrekfans (including me) to be cautiously optimistic about the movie’s progress,which had been in development for years before this announcement. The lastShrekmovie devolved into a very fanfiction-like alternate reality scenario, but it was ironically enjoyable. What has changed for the franchise since then is the advent of Puss in Boots.
Puss in the Boots: The Last Wishshook things up for theShrekuniverse with a new animation style and some fresh storytelling. The movie ends with Puss and his new friends arriving in Far Far Away, implying that he is about to reunite with Shrek and the rest.I am hoping thatShrekgoing forward will adopt stylized 3D animation,and I know everyone wants Antonio Banderas to also return. Hopefully,Shrek 5will happen soon and will live up to the latestPuss in Bootsmovie.
9The Cruel Prince
The Folk Of The Air Movie Could Kickstart More YA Fantasy Adaptations
In 2017,Deadlinereported that Universal Pictures had acquired the rights to Holly Black’sThe Cruel Princebefore the book itself was even released. With producer Michael De Luca attached to the project,the studio seemed fairly confident in the marketability of a movie based onThe Cruel Princegiven Black’s status as the co-author ofThe Spiderwick Chroniclesand the rise of the romantasy genre. However, nothing else has been reported about this movie since. At least there are now even better actors to join theCruel Princecast.
I am astounded that several studios and networks are letting their young adult fantasy properties languish in development when they could be extremely profitable.
The decent reception of the newSpiderwick ChroniclesTV show might convince Universalto pick up this project again. In general, I am astounded that several studios and networks are letting their young adult fantasy properties languish in development when they could be extremely profitable. Things likeThe Cruel Princeand theA Court of Thorns and RosesTV showdon’t seem to be moving forward when a dedicated fanbase already exists. I would also just love to see theSpiderwick-inspired aesthetics ofThe Cruel Princecome to life on screen.
8A Devil In The White City
Another Scorsese & Leo Crime Drama That Sounds Fantastic
A movie adaptation of Erik Larson’s bestselling non-fiction novelA Devil in the White Cityhas been in development since 2010,when Leonardo DiCaprio bought the rights with plans to star in the movie himself with Martin Scorsese directing (viaDeadline). DiCaprio and Scorsese were briefly working to develop it into a miniseries with Keanu Reeves starring, but these plans fell through. They could still take it in the direction of a movie or TV show — but given the recent success ofKillers of the Flower Moon, they are probably at least considering a movie.
Recent updates that the project is still on the table have left peoplerelieved thatA Devil in the White Cityis still happeningafter a decade and a half in development hell.A Devil in the White Cityrecounts the events at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago,following the fair’s architect Daniel Burnham, and serial killer H. H. Holmes, who used the fair as cover for murders. Scorsese and DiCaprio are always amazing together when it comes to crime dramas; I would also love to see them get Reeves back, with him and DiCaprio taking the two main roles.
7Luca Guadagnino’s Lord Of The Flies
Lord Of The Flies Is A Classic Novel That Could Use A New Adaptation
Luca Guadagnino’sLord of the Fliesremakewas first announced in 2019; the director has since kept busy with other projects.The most recent update forLord of the Fliescame in September 2023,in the form of a general reassurance that they are working on the script which will lean more into the story’s aspects of psychological horror. Especially in the wake of the similar story depicted inYellowjackets, I am eager to see what Guadagnino does with this classic novel.
Guadagnino understands how to press the psychological narratives of stressed characters in the most specific of scenarios, as seen with his recent movieChallengers. However, he hasn’t done anything major that focuses on children the wayLord of the Fliesdoes, making this movie an interesting challenge for him. Additionally,the 1990Lord of the Fliesreceived average reviews, and Guadagnino’s movie could be a chance for the themes to come across betterin a cinematic format.
6Crazy Rich Asians 2
Rachel & Nick’s Adventures In China Rich Girlfriend Are Even More Decadent
There is so much more in store for the characters inCrazy Rich Asiansthat haven’t yet made it to the big screen.FollowingCrazy Rich Asians’massive success, a swift sequel seemed like a given— yet theChina Rich Girlfriendadaptation has been stuck in development. ACrazy Rich Asiansspinoff following Astrid and Charlie— one of the biggest storylines to get cut from the first movie that could be done justice in a sequel — was also rumored. Now, aCrazy Rich AsiansTV showis said to be in the works.
However, nothing is known about the plot of the TV show, including whether it is supposed to replace the Astrid and Charlie movie or cover Rachel and Nick’s lives in the sequel books or both. Me personally —I would still love to see anotherCrazy Rich Asiansmovie.I’m all for TV shows being used to tell extensive stories, but I think these books can be effectively adapted into movies and the glitz and glamour is right at home in the theater setting. However, it’s not clear if they’ve completely written off all their old movie ideas.
8 Movie Sequels We Are Slowly Giving Up Will Ever Happen
Film sequels can often be stuck in development for many years before their eventual release, but some never make it out of limbo and remain unseen.
5Guillermo del Toro’s At The Mountains Of Madness
At The Mountains Of Madness Is The Fantasy-Horror Everyone Wants To See
Guillermo del Toro’s long fluctuatingAt the Mountains of Madnessproject has become a kind of martyr to those who are fans of the genre and the director. Pretty much everyone wants to see it happen, making it all the more strange that Hollywood won’t just give del Toro what he needs to do it.Del Toro has been trying to adapt H. P. Lovecraft’s sci-fi horror novella since 2006,when he and Matthew Robbins completed their screenplay. Since then, the movie has been rejected, ended up in debates over an R/PG-13 rating, and fallen into limbo again.
It’s a mystery why any studio wouldn’t just pick up this project when it will more than likely be spectacular.
Del Toro is a master of sci-fi and fantasy who has produced hugely successful R-rated movies in this genre, and again, people are clamoring forAt the Mountains of Madness. It’s a mystery why any studio wouldn’t just pick up this project when it will more than likely be spectacular.There has been no news on del Toro’sAt the Mountains of Madnessin recent years,but most refuse to completely give up on it.
4National Treasure 3
The National Treasure Franchise Can Still Make A Comeback
Back in the day,National Treasurefound itself a somewhat niche audience who would overlook the loose logic of the storyfor the pure entertainment of a detective-style adventure with kernels of real history. I also thoughtNational Treasure: Edge of Historyhad a lot going for it and wouldn’t mind if they brought back the show’s cast forNational Treasure 3. Despite this sequel having been in development for more than 15 years, screenwriter Ted Elliot recently teased new story details.
National Treasure: Book of Secretsset up the now infamous page 47 mysterythat was meant to be the basis of the sequel. Truthfully, I don’t expectNational Treasure 3to be an amazing feat of filmmaking. However, it could be incredibly satisfying to see this mystery resolved after so long in the real world and still result in an impactful movie if they build upon what the spinoff series started.
3Disney’s Rose-Red
The Intriguing Snow White Spinoff Has Been Dormant At Disney
Rose-Redseems to be aDisney Princess movie that will never see the light of day.The idea comes from the classic fairy tale “Snow-White and Rose-Red,“about a pair of sisters completely unrelated to “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” However, Disney discussed the idea of a spinoff where Rose-Red was made Snow White’s sister as early as the days followingSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs’release. Nothing ever came of it, butThe Hollywood Reporterreported in 2016 that Disney was once again working on the project.
A couple of years later,Yahoo!brought up the planned movie with Brie Larson reportedly attached to the lead role; nothing has been said about it since. In the age of so many Disney live-action remakes,Rose-Redcould revamp Disney’s lineup with a darker story based on a lesser-known fairy tale.However, I don’t think Larson is who they should cast to make this movie a creepier counterpart toSnow White— Cailee Spaeny or Jenna Ortega would be great.
Disney’s Upcoming Movie Releases - From 2025 To 2029
Between Pixar, the MCU, Star Wars, 20th Century Studios, and the famed animated studio, Disney has several exciting releases slated up to 2029.
2The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue
The Life & Times Of Addie LaRue Needs To Make It To The Big Screen
The last update for the movie adaptation of V. E. Schwab’sThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRuecame in October 2023, when the bestselling author said that before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the"script was being revised and well on its way to casting”(viaTODAY.com). Schwab’s corpus of popular fantasy novels also holds a lot of untapped potential for Hollywood, despite everyone looking for epic fantasy ready to be adapted nowadays.Addie LaRuewill be a challenging novel to turn into a movie,but with the right director, it could be the year’s biggest hit.
Following a young woman who makes a Faustian bargain for immortality but is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets,Addie LaRueleans into some surreal and abstract plot elements.However, I believe that it is possible for its profound themes to find a home in cinema. This could be an entrancing and bittersweet movie if done right and I hope Schwab is telling the truth, and we will soon hear some casting news.
1Mahershala Ali’s Blade
Blade Is Currently The Biggest Question Mark For The MCU
Mahershala Ali’sBlademovie’s future is as uncertainas ever following San Diego Comic-Con 2024.The MCU’s rendition of Blade has been in development since 2019,gaining and losing various actors and directors along the way, with the only consistent feature being that Ali is staring. At Comic-Con, Kevin Feige provided updates on almost every other known MCU movie in development — except forBlade, leaving people wondering if it is even happening. It is almost certainly not going to be done by its reported November 2025 release date.
However, I still hopeBladegets a lucky break and the MCU pulls this one together.Blade is one of the grimmest, most intriguing Marvel charactersand Ali is as amazing of a recast as the MCU could hope for. I want to see some vampires enter the MCU for a completely wild new story to break up the superhero fatigue. YetBladeis still stuck in development hell along with many other great movie ideas that Hollywood seems to be ignoring.
