⏱️ 6 min read
Did You Know? 12 Movies That Took Decades to Finish
The film industry is known for its tight production schedules and rapid turnarounds, but not every movie follows this conventional path. Some cinematic projects defy expectations, taking not just years but decades to complete. These extended production timelines often result from financial difficulties, creative challenges, technological limitations, or the sheer ambition of their creators. The following twelve films represent some of the most remarkable examples of persistence and dedication in cinema history, proving that good things sometimes come to those who wait—and wait, and wait.
1. Boyhood (2014)
Director Richard Linklater embarked on one of cinema’s most unique experiments when he began filming “Boyhood” in 2002. The film was shot incrementally over 12 years, following the same actors as they aged naturally on screen. This groundbreaking approach captured the authentic progression of childhood and adolescence, with Ellar Coltrane growing from age 6 to 18 before the camera. The result was a deeply moving portrait of American family life that earned critical acclaim and multiple Academy Award nominations.
2. The Thief and the Cobbler (1993)
Animation legend Richard Williams began work on “The Thief and the Cobbler” in 1964, pouring nearly three decades into what he envisioned as his masterpiece. The ambitious hand-drawn animation project suffered from perfectionism, funding issues, and repeated delays. Williams was ultimately removed from the project in 1992, and the film was completed and released by others in 1993, heavily edited from his original vision. Despite the troubled production, the existing footage showcases some of the most intricate animation ever created.
3. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)
Terry Gilliam’s passion project became infamous for its production troubles spanning nearly three decades. First attempted in 2000, the production collapsed after just six days due to flash floods, illness, and financial problems—documented in the film “Lost in La Mancha.” Gilliam made multiple attempts to resurrect the project over the years, facing legal battles and funding challenges. The film finally premiered at Cannes in 2018, 29 years after Gilliam first conceived it.
4. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
George Miller began developing the fourth Mad Max film in 1997, but the path to completion would take 18 years. Production delays resulted from the September 11 attacks, the Iraq War affecting desert filming locations, and extensive preparation for practical effects. When filming finally began in 2012, the elaborate action sequences and perfectionist approach to post-production added more time. The wait proved worthwhile, as the film became a critical and commercial success, winning six Academy Awards.
5. Apocalypse Now (1979)
While the actual filming occurred in a concentrated period, Francis Ford Coppola’s vision for “Apocalypse Now” began in the late 1960s when John Milius first wrote the screenplay. Coppola acquired the rights in 1969, but production didn’t begin until 1976. The notoriously difficult shoot in the Philippines lasted 238 days, with additional delays caused by typhoons, Martin Sheen’s heart attack, and Marlon Brando’s difficult behavior. From conception to release spanned roughly 12 years of development and production challenges.
6. Avatar (2009)
James Cameron wrote an 80-page treatment for “Avatar” in 1994, but recognized that the technology needed to realize his vision didn’t exist yet. He shelved the project for over a decade while waiting for motion capture and CGI technology to advance sufficiently. Production finally began in 2005, with extensive development of new filming techniques and technology. The 15-year journey from concept to screen resulted in a revolutionary visual effects breakthrough and the highest-grossing film of all time at that point.
7. Metropolis (1927/2010)
While Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece premiered in 1927, the complete version took 83 years to materialize. The original 153-minute cut was drastically edited by distributors to 90 minutes, with approximately 25% of the footage lost or destroyed. For decades, film historians searched for the missing scenes. In 2008, a nearly complete print was discovered in Argentina, and after extensive restoration, the most complete version premiered in 2010, finally allowing audiences to see Lang’s original vision.
8. It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
Independent animator Don Hertzfeldt worked on this experimental animated trilogy over the course of seven years, from 2005 to 2012. The three short films were eventually compiled into a feature-length work. Hertzfeldt’s painstaking frame-by-frame animation process, combined with his independent financing approach and philosophical depth, required an extended timeline. The resulting film became a cult favorite and was named one of the best animated films of the century by multiple critics.
9. The Other Side of the Wind (2018)
Orson Welles began filming this meta-narrative about a aging film director in 1970, but the project remained incomplete at his death in 1985. Legal disputes, funding problems, and the Iranian Revolution (which involved one of the film’s financiers) prevented completion. For over 40 years, the footage remained locked away. Finally, through the efforts of producers and Netflix, the film was completed using Welles’s notes and premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2018, 48 years after principal photography began.
10. Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy (1995-2013)
While each film was completed relatively quickly, Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy—”Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset,” and “Before Midnight”—spans 18 years and was intentionally designed to be shot at nine-year intervals. This allowed the characters and actors to age naturally, creating an authentic portrait of a relationship evolving over nearly two decades. The trilogy represents a unique approach to long-term storytelling in cinema.
11. Blade Runner (1982/2007)
Ridley Scott’s science fiction masterpiece went through seven different versions over 25 years. The original 1982 theatrical release was heavily compromised by studio interference, including a forced voiceover and happy ending. Scott released a Director’s Cut in 1992, but it wasn’t until 2007’s “The Final Cut” that he achieved complete creative control. This 25-year journey to realize his true vision demonstrates how a filmmaker’s relationship with their work can extend decades beyond initial release.
12. Ambiancé (Unreleased)
Swedish filmmaker Anders Weberg began work on “Ambiancé” in 2014 with plans to create a 720-hour (30-day) experimental film. He scheduled 20 years for production, with the planned release date of December 31, 2020, after which all copies would be destroyed. While technically not yet finished at the intended two-decade mark, this ambitious project represents perhaps cinema’s most extreme example of extended production planning. The project challenges conventional notions of film length, distribution, and permanence.
Conclusion
These twelve films demonstrate that creating cinema can be a marathon rather than a sprint. Whether due to technical limitations, financial constraints, artistic perfectionism, or intentional design, each project required extraordinary patience and persistence from their creators. From Richard Linklater’s real-time aging experiments to Terry Gilliam’s decades-long struggle to realize his vision, these productions remind us that some artistic visions simply cannot be rushed. The extended timelines often resulted in richer, more thoughtful works that pushed cinematic boundaries. While modern audiences are accustomed to annual blockbuster franchises and rapid streaming releases, these films prove that sometimes the most memorable cinema requires years—or even decades—of dedication, proving that true artistic vision knows no timeline.
