32 Movies That Took A Long Time To Come Out After They Were Completed

Some movies get stuck in development for years and years before a single frame gets shot. However, what is even more disappointing is when a movie is shot, edited, and pretty much ready to go, but it takes years and years before a soul gets to see a single frame. The following are some of the most noted examples of movies that took a while to get to the big screen (or even just the small screen) after they were already finished.

Red Dawn (2012)

Principal photography on director Dan Bradley's remake of the classic '80s movie Red Dawn, starring Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, and others as teens stepping up to defend their town from invading terrorists, took place in 2009. However, according to the LA Times, financial troubles at MGM and an effort to change its antagonistic country from China to North Korea in post-production led to its delay before FilmDistrict bought the distribution rights.

A Thousand Words (2012)

A Thousand Words is a fantasy comedy starring Eddie Murphy as a literary agent who must keep silent to keep a mysterious tree (and himself) alive. SlashFilm recalls that it was filmed in 2008 and early 2009 but was shelved for years as a result of DreamWorks Pictures' separation from Paramount Pictures and Viacom and also underwent reshoots in 2011 before securing its 2012 theatrical release.

The Other Side Of The Wind (2018)

The final film by writer and director Orson Welles, which follows the events leading up to the death of a jaded Hollywood director (played by John Huston), took six years to film in the early 1970s, as Bright Wall/Dark Room recalls. Unfortunately, The Other Side of Wind would not see the light of day until 33 years after the Citizen Kane creator passed away in 1985, when producers secured distribution through Netflix.

Night Of The Ghouls (1984)

Ed Wood was the mastermind behind some of the most infamous B-movies of all time – one of which he never lived long enough to see properly released. Night of the Ghouls was shot in 1958, but a lack of funding prevented the horror movie from receiving theatrical distribution. As recalled in Gary D. Rhodes and Tom Weaver's book, Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster, it would be made available to the public for the very first time on VHS in 1984 by a wealthy fan of the filmmaker named Wade Williams.

Roar (2015)

In 2015, the marketing for the infamous creature feature, Roar, relished in the fact that several cast and crew members suffered injuries by the 150 wild animals on set. However, the reason it took 34 years to secure a North American release actually had to do with the distributors wanting to claim the profit shares promised to the lions and because most of the crew was non-union, as recalled by Scene Stealers.

Blue Sky (1994)

Jessica Lange earned her second Academy Award for playing the wife of a military officer (played by Tommy Lee Jones) embroiled in a nuclear testing cover-up in Blue Sky in 1994. However, according to BFI, director Tony Richardson's final film was shot in mid-1990 but suffered a delay when Orion Pictures faced bankruptcy.

Chaos Walking (2021)

Doug Liman's adaptation of author Patrick Ness' sci-fi trilogy was initially shot in 2017 and, a year later, was scheduled for reshoots that could not begin until late 2019 after Daisy Ridley was done filming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Tom Holland completed Spider-Man: Far From Home, according to THR. In 2021, Deadline reported that Chaos Walking finally secured a March release date that year, following a worldwide movie theater shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Margaret (2011)

Anna Paquin leads an all-star cast as a high school student inadvertently involved in a fatal bus accident in Margaret, which was filmed in 2005. However, the drama was delayed for six years as writer and director Kenneth Lonergan struggled to settle on a favorable edit, which led to a series of lawsuits that went on until 2014, according to THR.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1997)

One of the most reviled installments in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is subtitled The Next Generation (known for starring a young Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellwegger), but it premiered as The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre at SXSW in March 1995 before securing a limited release later that year. That October, Columbia TriStar Pictures bought the home video rights with plans for a wider theatrical distribution under a new title and with a new edit. However, according to Film Vault, the studio delayed the release until after Zellwegger's Jerry McGuire role made her a household name.

The Cabin In The Woods (2012)

Chris Hemsworth auditioned for 2011's Thor when he was still filming the horror-comedy favorite The Cabin in the Woods, in 2009, which was also the year it was initially set to hit theaters. Collider reported that co-writer and director Drew Goddard's clever genre deconstruction went through several delays (due to its conversion to 3D and financial troubles at MGM) before setting a 2012 release date under Lionsgate.

Trick 'R Treat (2009)

There has never been a publicly stated explanation as to why Michael Dougherty's cult favorite horror anthology movie Trick 'r Treat was pulled from Warner Bros.'s 2007 theatrical release schedule and distributed straight-to-DVD two years later. Possible reasons, as collected by ScreenRant, include the studio wanting to avoid competition with Saw IV or not knowing how to market a horror movie in which children die.

'Salem's Lot (2024)

Writer and director Gary Dauberman's 'Salem's Lot was supposed to be the first theatrical adaptation of Stephen King's vampire story and was initially set for a September 2022 release after wrapping the previous November. However, it was delayed several months and then indefinitely shelved (much to the author's chagrin), before being distributed exclusively with a Max subscription in October 2024.

Take Me Home Tonight (2011)

Not long after his That '70s Show cast tenure, in 2007, Topher Grace shot a comedy movie set in the 1980s that was released with the title Take Me Home Tonight... four years later. The Film Stage reports that Relativity Media was hesitant to release a movie featuring young people using certain illicit drugs that were popular in the Reagan Era, which would explain why it was shelved for so long.

Case 39 (2010)

Case 39 director Christian Alvart explained to EW that his thriller – about a social worker (played by Renée Zellweger) discovering a seemingly abused child is a kid you don't want to mess with, to say the least – was shleved for three years after wrapped in early 2007 because it was a low priority project for Paramount. One might assume that releasing the film after star Bradley Cooper had achieved A-list status might have helped its chances at the box office, but it only made a worldwide profit of a little more than $2 million.

Accidental Love (2015)

Originally titled Nailed (referencing the freak accident that Jessica Biel's character suffers at the beginning), Accidental Love went through various production setbacks, from cast and crew member walkouts to financing issues, leading director David O. Russell to quit the project two years into production in 2010. EW reported that when the dark rom-com was set to release five years later, Russell requested to be credited as "Stephen Greene."

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (2013)

Amber Heard stars in the title role of All the Boys Love Mandy Lane – a slasher movie that premiered at TIFF in 2006, not long after it completed filming. However, poor test screenings and the disappointing box office returns of Grindhouse the following year convinced The Weinstein Company to sell distribution rights to a German company called Senator, which did release it overseas. According to the LA Times, it was not until the studio bought back the rights that the movie was finally released in the U.S. in 2013 under its subsidary, Radius-TWC.

Jet Pilot (1957)

Vivien Leigh and John Wayne are the stars in Jet Pilot, a Cold War-era romance that was filmed between 1949 and 1953. However, producer Howard Hughes' tinkering kept it out of theaters for another few years, finally being released in 1957.

Rampage (1992)

Not to be confused with a video game movie from 2017, Rampage is a drama starring Michael Biehn as a DA pursuing a notorious serial killer played by Alex McArthur. According to The Sun Sentinel, the film played at festivals and had an overseas theatrical release in 1987, but when De Laurentiis Entertainment Group went bankrupt, it was left shelved for five years. During that time, director William Friedkin changed the ending before Miramax became the new distributor.

Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986)

The brutal, fact-based crime drama, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, was initially given an X rating after it premiered in 1986, which led Atlantic Entertainment Group to back out of its distribution deal with the film. As detailed in Shaun Kimber's book about the controversies surrounding the movie, the MPA refused to accept any attempts to cut it down to secure an R rating. Roger Ebert's review is often credited with helping it land theatrical distribution through Greycoat Films, who released the film unrated in 1990.

Shortcut To Happiness (2007)

Alec Baldwin's directorial debut, Shortcut to Happiness – in which he also stars as a struggling writer who finds success after a run-in with the Devil (Jennifer Love Hewitt) – was shot in 2001. However, as reported by Variety, it was plagued by several financial woes and did not find distribution until 2006, at which point Baldwin disowned the project, feeling it was no longer the story he intended to tell.

Shanghai (2015)

In Shanghai, John Cusack stars as an American who uncovers the mysteries surrounding his friend's death in China months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Deadline reported in 2015 that The Weinstein Company set the noir thriller for a 2008 U.S. release date before pushing it to the following year and, later, removing it from the schedule completely for another six years.

Car 54, Where Are You? (1994)

Director Bill FIshman's cinematic adaptation of the 1960s cop comedy series, Car 54, Where Are You?, starring the late David Johansen, was one of several films produced around 1990 that was delayed due to Orion's financial struggles at the time. Star John C. McGinley told The AV Club that it was initially filmed as a musical-comedy, but most of the numbers were edited out.

The Plot Against Harry (1990)

Writer and director Michael Roemer's The Plot Against Harry stars Martin Priest as a Jewish mobster seeking redemption after he is released from prison. An article from The New Yorker explains that the film was shot in 1969 but failed to find distribution until 21 years later and was released commercially to wide critical praise.

Eye See You (2002)

Sylvester Stallone stars in Eye See You as an FBI agent who discovers the elusive killer he has been tracking has followed him to a rehab facility that specializes in treating law enforcement officials. According to Ain't It Cool News, the thriller, which was originally shot under the title Detox in 1999, was shelved by Universal until 2002 due to poor test screenings, multiple reshoots, and additional title changes.

Collateral Damage (2002)

The largely overlooked Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Collateral Damage stars the Austrian actor as a man seeking revenge on the terrorists who caused the death of his wife and child. IGN mentions in an article about Hollywood's reaction to the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, that the film was originally slated for October of that year. It would eventually come out in late 2002.

The New Mutants (2020)

Director Josh Boone insisted to EW that, despite rumblings of reshoots, his X-Men-adjacent, YA Marvel movie, The New Mutants, boasts the exact vision he had intended. Disney's acquisition of Fox was among the reasons the comic book movie experienced several release date pushbacks before it finally hit theaters three years after principal photography had been completed.

A Sound Of Thunder (2005)

Ray Bradbury's acclaimed short sci-fi story, A Sound of Thunder, was adapted into a feature film that was completed in 2003 but held back until 2005 due to its bankrupt production company, director and actor changes, script issues, and a Hollywood strike at the time. IGN reported that these issues also affected the release of Nintendo's tie-in video game.

The Lovers On The Bridge (1999)

The Lovers on the Bridge is a French drama following the romance between an addicted aspiring circus performer (played by Denis Lavant) and a nearly non-seeing young painter (played by Juliette Binoche). Budgeting issues forced the production to last four years, but, as reflected in an article by The Nation, it took another eight years for it find American distribution.

White Dog (2008)

White Dog is the story of a young woman (played by Kristy McNichol) who discovers her new pet has been trained by his former white supremacist owner to attack people of color unprovoked. Despite an enthusiastically positive reception at the festival circuit, Paramount was hesitant to give the film an official theatrical release in the United States due to its sensitive subject matter. It was made available for home viewing in the U.S. for the first time 27 years after it was filmed, thanks to The Criterion Collection.

Prozac Nation (2005)

Based on Elizabeth Wurtzel's 1994 memoir, Prozac Nation – starring Christina Ricci as a woman struggling with her mental health while attending Harvard – premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2001. However, according to Variety, after a series of test screenings and subsequent re-edits, it was finally released to the public on Starz! in March 2005 before coming out on DVD three months later.

Romance And Cigarettes (2007)

The star-studded dramedy Romance and Cigarettes premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2005 and was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland and other European countries the following year. However, it would not be shown in American theaters until writer and director John Turturro distributed it independently in 2007 due to Sony Pictures and MGM's merger, according to Playbill.

Camp Hell (2010)

Camp Hell – which depicts a devilish encounter at a spiritual retreat for Christian youths – was shot in 2007 and released straight-to-DVD in 2010 with Jesse Eisenberg's face and name featured prominently on the cover. As reported by THR, Eisenberg, having recently received an Oscar nomination for The Social Network, filed a lawsuit against Lionsgate for promoting the horror movie with him as the star despite mere minutes of screen time.