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Tales From Development Hell: The Greatest Movies Never Made?
by
David Hughes
A compulsively readable journey into the area of movie-making where all writers, directors and stars fear totread: Development Hell, the place where scripts are written, actors hired and sets designed... but the moviesrarely actually get made!
Whatever happened to Darren Aronofsky's Batman movie starring Clint Eastwood? Why were there so manyscripts written over the years f...more
Whatever happened to Darren Aronofsky's Batman movie starring Clint Eastwood? Why were there so manyscripts written over the years f...more
Paperback, Updated, 272 pages
Published
February 28th 2012
by Titan Books
(first published May 1st 2004)
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TALES FROM DEVELOPMENT HELL: An Insider’s Look at Follywood!
Remember the rumor about Sandra Bullock starring in the next INDIANA JONES movie? Or how about the one when Kevin Costner was cast to play Indiana Jones’s brother? Or how about the one where Indiana Jones’s next adventure was going to have him discovering the lost island of Atlantis? If so, then TALES FROM DEVELOPMENT HELL: THE GREAT MOVIES NEVER MADE? is precisely the book you’re looking for.
(And, if you don’t remember the rumors, then...more
Remember the rumor about Sandra Bullock starring in the next INDIANA JONES movie? Or how about the one when Kevin Costner was cast to play Indiana Jones’s brother? Or how about the one where Indiana Jones’s next adventure was going to have him discovering the lost island of Atlantis? If so, then TALES FROM DEVELOPMENT HELL: THE GREAT MOVIES NEVER MADE? is precisely the book you’re looking for.
(And, if you don’t remember the rumors, then...more
I have a wierd fascination for Hollywood insider stories, and for disaster stories, so Hollywood disaster stories seem right up my alley. Unfortunately, this book is written in a very straightforward narrative style--this happened, then this happened, then this happened--with little interpretation or sense of characterization or drama. Yes, it's non-fiction, but the notion of Development Hell suggests something a little more juicy than, "There was a script, but the director was committed elsewhe...more
Originally posted on Misprinted Pages.
In his newly updated book, David Hughes gives more than a tourist’s definition of the dreaded “Development Hell.” Like Bilbo Baggins, he’s been there and back again, and his difficulty in slaying the dragon—getting a movie made and in theaters—is a problem that plagues amateur and seasoned writers, producers, and directors alike. Tales from Development Hell: The Greatest Movies Never Made? is a insider’s guide to Hollywood’s rejects, flops, and almost-weren’...more
In his newly updated book, David Hughes gives more than a tourist’s definition of the dreaded “Development Hell.” Like Bilbo Baggins, he’s been there and back again, and his difficulty in slaying the dragon—getting a movie made and in theaters—is a problem that plagues amateur and seasoned writers, producers, and directors alike. Tales from Development Hell: The Greatest Movies Never Made? is a insider’s guide to Hollywood’s rejects, flops, and almost-weren’...more
In the end, a solid "meh." When it was on, it was on. When it wasn't, it wasn't bad - just forgettable.
The first chapter is about a script called Smoke & MIrrors, about a retired French magician who's enlisted by the government to stop an Algerian resistance by proving that their leader is not a mystical figure, but is in fact performing simple illusions. It was the hottest script in Hollywood for a minute, and 20 years later has yet to be produced. The ups and downs of failed attempts to ge...more
The first chapter is about a script called Smoke & MIrrors, about a retired French magician who's enlisted by the government to stop an Algerian resistance by proving that their leader is not a mystical figure, but is in fact performing simple illusions. It was the hottest script in Hollywood for a minute, and 20 years later has yet to be produced. The ups and downs of failed attempts to ge...more
It contains some interesting stories, but as other reviewers have noted, "Tales from Development Hell" falls into a repetitive pattern pretty early on. It isn't Hughes' fault, necessarily, but unless you're interested in the particular film he's talking about in any given chapter, you're probably going to find it hard to keep from skimming.
Really enjoyable book about the blood, sweat and tears -- and YEARS of frustration -- that goes into trying to get a Hollywood movie made. Reading this, it's a wonder anything makes it to the screen at all. But next time you leave the cinema feeling less than impressed, you'll remember that somewhere, a screenwriter is clutching his original, better script for it, trying not to cry about what might have been...
I was especially disappointed to read about how OUTBREAK, a decidedly mediocre film a...more
I was especially disappointed to read about how OUTBREAK, a decidedly mediocre film a...more
While some of the stories of each movie that wasn't made are mildly interesting, sometimes it felt like reading a list of names of people involved with a project (and some projects were connected to others, people involved). So, sometimes you get a little lost and aren't able to keep things straight. Some of the chapters were skippable and you don't miss anything if a particular movie didn't interest you. It's an interesting read into the process (or lack thereof) in Hollywood these days. In the...more
If you're a movie fan, this book makes for some light, entertaining reading. The author selects a number of famous films that had torturous paths to the silver screen, plus a number of less-famous but once-promising films that never made it, and tells their stories, one-per-chapter.
If you're curious about the politics and power plays behind Hollywood movies, or why hotly anticipated tent-pole releases sometimes turn out to be piles of crap thrown at the screen, these stories will be revealing....more
If you're curious about the politics and power plays behind Hollywood movies, or why hotly anticipated tent-pole releases sometimes turn out to be piles of crap thrown at the screen, these stories will be revealing....more
Based on reading this book, it is a small miracle that any movies ever get made in Hollywood. The process of going from script to screen is described as an agonising experience, with studio bosses, stars and agents all determined to have some kind of input, irrespective of whether the input will improve the finished product. Stand out chapters included the discussion of films that did get made, such as Indiana Jones 4 (why George Lucas, why?!) and Tomb Raider, and films that never did see the li...more
This is a non-fiction book about the development of movies - specifically from the initial idea through when it begins to actually be filmed, and all the drama and changing that goes on for scripts. There are some interesting stories behind some of my favorite (or at least nostalgic) movies from Lord of the Rings to Total Recall. I always thought the movie industry - like the industry portion - might be a very interesting place to work with the convergence of true creativity with practical logis...more
If you're a fan of the business side of film, this book is for you. The movers, the shakers, the bean-counters and the red-tape dispensers are all accounted for in grueling detail, which makes for an eye-opening account of the frustrating realities behind Hollywood. If you don't have such a passion for the insider's view of movie making, you'll get the point after the first couple of chapters. Okay. Hollywood takes brilliant raw talent and filters it repeatedly through a funnel of imagination-ch...more
I'm one of those people who like seeing how the sausage is made. (Figuratively speaking. I've seen how actual sausage is made and I could have done without that.) This is the type of book made for people like me: the ones who watch DVD commentaries and making-ofs and read IMDB trivia pages and just love knowing what goes into making--and sometimes, not making--the things I watch.
In some cases it's extremely frustrating to see the interference that went on with scripts, or how timing and audience
...more
Great book.
I love movies, watching, writing and talking about them. This book has the guts on a dozen movies that struggled to get made for all the wrong reasons, some that still live in that Pit called Development Hell and some that will languish there forever.
Great line from the book, and one i've heard mentioned a million times : Great Story! Now who can we get to rewrite it!.
Great book. Have a go if you like the background to some of your favourite movies.
I love movies, watching, writing and talking about them. This book has the guts on a dozen movies that struggled to get made for all the wrong reasons, some that still live in that Pit called Development Hell and some that will languish there forever.
Great line from the book, and one i've heard mentioned a million times : Great Story! Now who can we get to rewrite it!.
Great book. Have a go if you like the background to some of your favourite movies.
I like reading Hollywood insider stories, and picked this one up after hearing a few firsthand from people who either have had work optioned by Hollywood or who have tried to break into screenwriting. It's amazing to know how many movies wind up in this "development hell" and either experience long delays or are never made. While the stories had promise, the execution was okay. A good read if you're into Hollywood stories and research.
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Undeniably fun to read, and I probably "enjoyed" this more than books to which I've given higher ratings.
The fun part, of course, is delighting in the stupidity of Hollywood execs, who throw millions at writers to develop stories and scripts, then destroy them with market research and hubris. Read "Tales from Development Hell" and marvel at how any movie, ever, gets made.
The reason for my low(ish) rating is I feel like I've heard the stories before. Anyone who regularly follows film sites is pro...more
The fun part, of course, is delighting in the stupidity of Hollywood execs, who throw millions at writers to develop stories and scripts, then destroy them with market research and hubris. Read "Tales from Development Hell" and marvel at how any movie, ever, gets made.
The reason for my low(ish) rating is I feel like I've heard the stories before. Anyone who regularly follows film sites is pro...more
This book is a fun insider look at the bizarre, sometimes incomprehensible decisions that Hollywood makes all the time, from movies that could be incredible but are never made to movies that could have been incredible but were made into crap. It's enlightening, often entertaining, and in the end makes you long for a few films that probably would have been great, had only they made it to the screen.
I liked this fun exploration of failed movie projects until the last chapter almost soured me on the experience. The author writes about his own failed projects, which is fine, but the lengths he goes into singing his own praises about how awesome his screenplays are just rang kind of meh to me.
A great screenwriting book, focusing on the ridiculous twists and turns that many scripts take before getting made ( or not, as in the case of the Sandman). The chapters on Indiana Jones 4, Outbreak and The Aviator were particularly interesting, and I can't believe the Beatles circled doing a version of Lord of the rigs for a few year! A nice fun read for screenwriting buffs.
A throwaway book. Fun to read about the Hollywood insanity. Continues to drive home Goldman's axiom that no one knows anything in Hollywood. What's worse is that most don't know they know nothing and a few know they don't and are hiding the fact.
I enjoy Hollywood lore, with a special fixation on things that were never made. I actually become quite obsessed during TV pilot season with the ones that won't go to series and finding them. So, this was right in my comfort zone.
Would have been a 5-on-5 if not for unsubtle and off-putting prejudice against a few real-life people (here's looking at you, Jon Peters). Delightful and depressing, often within the same paragraph.
This is an inside view of how movies get (or don't get made)--with case studies of how a great novel can pass through a dozen screenwriters, get tweaked by the studio, mauled by an actor's ego, under-financed, leaned on by the marketing department and eventually emerge as total crap, or fall apart at any stage of the game. Hughes details dueling plague movies Outbreak vs. Hot Zone, why Sandman has never been filmed, a Beatles-centered attempt to film Lord of the Rings, James Cameron's fascinatio...more
3 out of 3 thumbs up for this one. Loved the background details on some of my favorite movies and the stuff about movies that were never made was great too.
A fun book with lots of incredible stories about how movie projects went wrong. Anyone interested in movies should get a kick out of this.
A fascinating insight in to why some of the most promising movies never got made, and why those big, expensive, blockbuster movies can be so bad.
Fairly interesting, if somewhat depressing, stories of how Hollywood doesn't work. The failures get a bit repetitive after a while.
Really interesting. I say check out the movies included before-hand, since if you don't like the movies it gets to be a little tedious.
I enjoyed this book for what it was about. Could have been edited a bit better. Fun stories about movies in development hell. Interesting to read how many different incarnations a movie will go through before heading to the theater. Good for those who love movies.
A lot of Internet copy-paste and nothing really new for informed fans.
I expected more unknown details regarding the production of all those productions that never reached the silver screen, but it was actually frustrated that I was aware of almost 80% of the facts based on my usual reading from movies and geek websites....although I really enjoyed to read about the writers battle to try to make their script go further. It can be a really amusing reading if you're not aware of the Movie industry backstage or if you starting on getting to know about it right now.
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