Francis Ford Coppola’slong-awaitedMegalopolisfinally premiered at last month’s Cannes Film Festival, more than 40 years after work commenced on its script, and finally has anofficial US release date. It’s all too common for auteurs to fight long, uphill battles to get their passion projects made in a way that is true to their vision: take, for instance,Martin Scorsese’sThe Last Temptation of Christ,which sat in limbo for years before it finally got the green light.
The process of filmmaking is never easy.Productions can stall out for many reasons, sometimes delaying the end product by months, years, and even, in the case of the following films, decades. These are some of the longest productions in live-action cinematic history, ranked by how many years it took them to travel from conceptualization to the theater. Documentary, anthology, and animated films will not be included.
10’Boyhood' (2014)
Production Time: 12 years
Rather than the result of studio interference or artistic difficulties,Boyhood’s extended production was also its main selling point.Richard Linklaterhad already explored thequintessential coming-of-age storyinDazed and Confused, but he took a far more radical approach withBoyhood, filming the same actorsover the course of twelve years. By allowing the natural progression of time to play a key role in the story, Linklater can capture the true feeling of growing up, complete with aging and bodily changes. The movie was actively written and revised as the years went on, with adjustments made to reflect the development of each actor, and the cast was also encouraged to contribute their own personal lived experiences to their characters.
While filming technically lasted from May 2002 to August 2013, theBoyhoodcrew only shot for 45 days total (roughly three to five days a year). As such, while production was certainly lengthy, it was significantly less troubled than other long-lasting shoots, and didn’t suffer any stop-and-start studio difficulties.
9’Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022)
When the originalAvatarwas released in 2009, it quickly became the highest-grossing movie of all time. It came as little surprise when Fox andJames Cameronquickly announced a pair of Pandora-based sequels (soon thereafter expanded to four), and the legendaryTerminatordirector began working on the second film almost immediately. Avatar 2 and 3were initially slated for release in December 2014 and 2015, respectively, but werepushed back multiple times, eventually settling on 2022 and 2024.
While fans of the Na’vi were certainly disappointed by the repeated setbacks, the reasoning behind Cameron’s postponements was plenty admirable: he simply wanted to take his time with the sequels and make sure they were as well-made as could be. TheAvatarfranchise is Cameron’s baby, andhe made the executive decision to chase quality over quantityduring an era of cinema where that choice is becoming more and more infrequent. Clearly, it was the right decision: upon its release in 2022,Avatar: The Way of Watergrossed $2.32 billion, making it thethird highest-grossing movie of all time.
Avatar: The Way of Water
Production Time: 15 years
In 1987, after the success of 1981’sMad Max: The Road Warriorand 1985’sMad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, directorGeorge Millerhad a brilliant idea for the next entry in his seminal post-apocalyptic series: aMad Maxfilm that would be one continuous chase from start to finish. However,production was far from smooth: Miller decided to take a break from directing throughout the end of the ‘80s and most of the ‘90s. All the while, he was cooking up ideas forMad Max: Fury Road,working with storyboard artists and fleshing out virtually the entire story.Production was finally scheduled to commencein 2001, but was derailed by 9/11, which significantly raised the cost and difficulty of moving production gear from Hollywood to Australia, where significant portions of theMad Maxmovies are filmed (not to mention Miller’s home).
By the mid-2000s, it became clear that series star Mel Gibson wouldn’t be able to appear in the film, both due to his age and hiscontroversial statements. Heath Ledger spoke extensively with Miller about stepping into the dust-covered boots of Max, until his tragic and untimely demise. Finally, Tom Hardy was cast in the role, and filming began in July 2012. It was worth the wait:Mad Max: Fury Roadis considered by many to beone of the finest action movies of all time, and was nominated for 10 awards at the 2016 Academy Awards (at the time the most ever for any Australian production).
Mad Max: Fury Road
7’Black Adam' (2022)
Before the establishment of the MCU, the renaissance of the superhero movie, and even 2008’sIron Man,Dwayne Johnsonwas cast as DC’s Black Adam. Days before the release ofBlack Adam,Johnsonposted a throwbackof the original 2007 press release announcing his casting as the titular anti-hero. According to Johnson,he had been drawn to Teth-Adam since he was a young boy, stating: “[h]e was a hero of color. That mattered to me then. As it matters to me now.” Allegedly,Johnson turned down multiple other superpowered rolesover the years, with his heart set of playing theCaptain Marvel/Shazam rival.
The movie stalled out for years, with Johnson continuing to advocate for its production. The script was finally finished in 2018, with shooting scheduled to begin in 2020. However, the COVID pandemic pushed the film back again, and things finally got underway in 2021. Unfortunately,Black Adam’s final 2022 release date coincided with a verydifficult era for box office numbers, andthe film failed to break even on its budget. Mere days later,James GunnandPeter Safranwere announced as the new co-presidents of DC Studios,beginning a new erafor the iconic brand and leaving the future of Johnson’s Black Adam, along with all other pre-Gunn DC heroes, up in the air at best.
Black Adam
6’Alita: Battle Angel' (2019)
Production Time: ~16 years
Although it would end up in the hands ofSin City’sRobert Rodriguez,Alita: Battle Angelwas originally yet another high-tech passion project of James Cameron. All the way back in 2003, Cameron announced his intentions to adapt Yukito Kishiro’s cyberpunk mangaGunnm(known outside of Japan asBattle Angel Alita) to the big screen. Unfortunately forAlita,Cameron got distracted with a little film calledAvatar,and dedicated the rest of the decade to his Pandora-related endeavors. OnceAvatarmade billions, and (as previously mentioned) Cameron found himself booked solid with the next installments in the franchise,he decided to hand offAlitato fellow VFX aficionado Rodriguez, remaining on the project as a writer.
Filming began in 2016 and, as one would expect from such an effects-heavy film,post-production onAlitalasted for years. It finally hit theaters in 2019, receiving mixed reviews but succeeding in becoming Rodriguez’s highest-grossing film. Fortunately for fans, both Cameron, Rodriguez, and producerJon Landauhave spoken optimisticallyabout the potential for anAlita: Battle Angelsequel in the years since, although no official announcements have been made.
Alita: Battle Angel
5'5-25-77' (2022)
Production Time: 18 years
A semi-autobiographical film,5-25-77tells the tale of a young aspiring filmmaker (played byFreaks and Geeks’John Francis Daley) obsessed with special effects who manages to finagle his way into an early screening ofStar Wars,becoming one of the world’s first true die-hardSWfans. The film’s title, naturally, is a reference toStar Wars’release date,5-25-77is a true love letter to lovers of both special effects and a galaxy far, far away.
As with most things semi-autobiographical,5-25-77was a true labor of love for writer/director Patrick Read Johnson,who spent the better part of two decades fine-tuning and tweaking the film. While initial filming occurred from 2004 to 2006, Johnson collected additional shots and special effects from 2015 to 2021. By the time of the movie’sofficial announcement and releasein 2022, some viewers were surprised by the youthful features of Daley, to the point where theyspeculated on the usage of de-aging software. Johnson, a true filmmaker’s filmmaker, has been very transparent about the trials and tribulations experienced throughout production on several podcasts.
4’Tiefland' (1954)
Production Time: 20 years
Tiefland(“Lowlands”), based on the 1903 eponymous opera byEugen d’Albert, tells the tale of a love triangle between a shepherd, a landowner, and a “beggar dancer” in the Catalan lowlands of northeastern Spain.Leni Riefenstahlcuts a very controversial figurein the history of cinema, best known for her work creating Nazi propaganda films throughout the ‘30s. Riefenstahl became Hitler’s favorite filmmaker via her works likeTriumph of the Will, and the German director was an integral part of their propaganda machine.Despite the beyond controversial nature of her subject matter, Riefenstahl is widely considered a pioneerof many cinema techniques and a technical master of the artform. Disturbed by attrocities she witnessed after the onset of World War II, Riefenstahl used her influence with Hitler to move away from propaganda and back to her own artistic endeavors.
Riefenstahl had begun work onTieflandin 1934 before stepping away to contribute to the Nazis, andreturned to the film during the latter years of the war, with filming occurring from 1940-44.The film was still in production on D-Day, and was put on the back burner throughout the post-war years. Finally released on June 03, 2025,Tieflandwas considered the film with the longest production time in many years.
3’The Meg' (2018)
Production Time: 22 years
Based onSteve Alten’s 1997 book,Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, thisJason Statham-helmed megalodon action flick went through asurprisingly fraught series of production delays and shake-upsbefore it finally hit theaters. The rights to the film were picked up by Disney Hollywood pictures in 1996 before Alten had even finished writing the book, but executive-level shakeups at the studio and the competing release of 1998’sDeep Blue SealeftThe Megjust about dead in the water.
Over the next couple of decades,the script forThe Megchanged hands several times, ending up on the desks of bothGuillermo Del Toro(Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth),Jan de Bont(Speed, Twister),andEli Roth(Cabin Fever, The Green Inferno). No one, it seemed, was a perfect match for the epic aquatic tale, and in 2007 Altenposted onlinethat the film was “extinct at New Line” (who then held the rights). However, the 2016 arrival ofNational Treasure’sJon Turtletaubwas just what was needed to take things to the finish line.The Megoverperformed expectations upon release in 2018, grossing $530 million worldwide and spawninga successful 2023 sequel.
2’A.I.: Artificial Intelligence' (2001)
Production Time: ~25 years
Yet another film that began as the brainchild of one visionary director and ended up in the filmography of another,A.I.: Artificial Intelligencewas originally developed byStanley Kubrickall the way back in the 1970s, based onBrian Aldiss’ 1969 short storySupertoys Last All Summer Long. The film was a classic example of development hell,stuck on the drawing room table for years, in no small part becauseKubrick believed that CGI and VFX technology were not advanced enoughto accurately create the character of David (he also believed a child actor would not be convincing in the role; it eventually went toThe Sixth Sense’sHaley Joel Osment).
Kubrick’s frustrations with the project continued into the ‘90s, when he tried to pass the film off toSteven Spielberg. Spielberg initially convinced Kubrick to continue working onA.I., but it was once again put on ice whileEyes Wide Shutwas in production. Following Kubrick’s death in 1999, his wifeChristianeconvinced Spielberg to take on the project again, at which point it finally went into production. With Spielberg at the helm, things went much quicker, with the film finally coming out in 2001; Spielberg dedicated the film to the memory of his close friend Kubrick.
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David.
1’The Other Side of the Wind' (2022)
Production Time: 48 years
The official current record holder for the longest production time in history,The Other Side of the Windwas so difficult to make that there’s anentire documentarydedicated just to its production. Intended byOrson Wellesto be his big directorial comeback,the film was plagued with significant issues from early onin its creation, with stop-and-start filming taking place through the 1970s and into the ‘80s. Even before Welles’ death in 1985, the production faced legal, financial, and even political issues. Welles hadrelied on funding fromMehdi Boushehri, the brother of the Shah of Iran, and had difficulty maintaining his finances once the Shah was overthrown in 1979. Complicating matters further, the regime ofAyatollah Khomeiniclaimed the film as an asset of the overthrown government. Eventually, Showtime acquired the rights to the film in the late ’90s, and were promptly sued by Welles’ daughter Beatrice, who held the rights to his estate. In the 2000s, Boushehri came back into the fold, eager to see a return on his initial investment, and reclaimed ownership of the film.
A total nightmare of legal action and crisscrossing interests, to be sure, but by the 2010s thefilm was finally on track to be released. In 2014,Peter Bogdanovich(who also starred in the film) and producerFrank Marshalloversaw the completion of the film, and in 2018The Other Side of the Windpremiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival.As experimental and unique as one would expect from the director ofCitizen Kane,TOSOTW’s found footage stylings would’ve likely been much more impactful in the 1970s before the proliferation of the format in modern times, but the vaguely autobiographical themes and Welles’ unparalleled eye make this film a must-watch for all fans of cinema.
