14 Films Trapped in Development Hell

Development hell is like the purgatory for unmade films. These films have creative teams behind them and a loyal fan base that want to see them made, but seem doomed to be unreleased. Here are some of the most famous cinematic casualties that may never get made.

1. The Dark Tower Series

To many, The Dark Tower series is Stephen King’s best work. Spanning eight novels, some nearly as thick as his thirteen-hundred page epic The Stand, The Dark Tower tells the story of Roland Decshain, the titular gunslinger of the first book, and his search for the Dark Tower and its emissary The Man in Black. To say this project is ambitious would be the equivalent of saying Stephen King is just a horror writer: obvious, but not the whole story. Director Ron Howard, and his producing partner Brian Glazer, are the men who have put it upon themselves to transfer this magnum opus from page to screen. For a while it looked as if it would happen with a deal that included both films and television miniseries and actors such as Russell Crowe and Javier Bardem rumoured to be playing the Gunslinger. Unfortunately, it is still too rich for the Hollywood money men’s blood and things have gone quiet again. You have to feel for King’s fans who have to deal with five Children of the Corn films and not even one Dark Tower film.