A compulsively readable journey into the area of movie-making where all writers, directors and stars fear to tread: Development Hell, the place where scripts are written, actors hired and sets designed... but the movies rarely actually get made!
Whatever happened to Darren Aronofsky's Batman movie starring Clint Eastwood? Why were there so many scripts written over the years for Steven Spielberg and George Lucas's fourth Indiana Jones movie? Why was Lara Croft's journey to the big screen so tortuous, and what prevented Paul Verhoeven from filming what he calls "one of the greatest scripts ever written"? Why did Ridley Scott's Crisis in the Hot Zone collapse days away from filming, and were the Beatles really set to star in Lord of the Rings? What does Neil Gaiman think of the attempts to adapt his comic book series The Sandman?
All these lost projects, and more, are covered in this major book, which features many exclusive interviews with the writers and directors involved.
is equal parts fascinating and frustrating. Why frustrating? Because you may just find yourself wanting to punch a wall after reading about some of the projects which never found their way onto the big screen. Take for example the various iterations both
Planet of the Apes and
Tomb Raider went through before we were lumbered with the critically panned (yet commercially successful) efforts from Tim Burton and Simon West respectively. To read about what could have been, and how various rewrites and often downright idiotic studio decision making resulted in audiences being left with such awful films, is shocking. It does however make for a real page turner. Indeed, some of these stories are more thrilling than any novel. Writer David Hughes opens the book with a two page explanation of what "development" is supposed to be and how in reality it's more akin to, you guessed it, "Development Hell" - this sets the tone for what comes next perfectly.
One draft for
Tomb Raider saw Lara Croft tied to a post while centipedes crawl up her body. How does she counteract this? By crushing them with her breasts. Really. Darren Aronofsky tried to reach a deal with Warner Bros. which would have seen him direct a hardcore R-rated flick featuring "The Bat-Man" and a Bruce Wayne who is found on the streets by mechanic 'Big Al'.
The Lord of the Rings was stuck in Development Hell for nearly 40 years before finally being made. These are just a few tiny facts from a myriad of fascinating accounts. Other films include James Cameron's
Fantastic Voyage, the unproduced
Total Recall sequel, the problematic development of
Indiana Jones IV,
Planet of the Apes,
Crusade,
Sandman and many, many more. Of course, you may be thinking to yourselves, "Can't I just find all this information online?" Well, no! The book is packed full of exclusive interviews with directors, writers and producers; while it also features numerous reports and quotes from as far back as the 1950's and 60's in places.
Hughes has complied a massive amount of information and structured it in a way which never sees it get bogged down or over complicated. Instead, it's incredibly accessible. Film buffs will love this fascinating insight into the world of Development Hell, while there's no reason that everyone else can't just enjoy it for what it is - a revealing and insightful look into a world we rarely get to see the true face of. The last chapter actually features the authors own tales of Development Hell (one of which included a big screen re-imagining of
T.J. Hooker) and it serves as a poignant reminder of how many screenwriters see their often fantastic pieces of work brushed aside for the films which are quite clearly inferior. As I said, the
Tales From Development Hell will fascinate you as much as it will leave you cursing the movie Gods at just how much silly studio decisions rob of us potential classics. Then again, I think we can all be grateful that the world never had a version of
The Lord of the Rings starring The Beatles inflicted upon it...
Tales From Development Hell is a must-read. David Hughes has put a lot of work into a book which will submerge you into the world of Development Hell. and by the last page, you'll be left wanting even more. Amazing.
Tales From Development Hell goes on sale in the US on February 28th (Pre-Order it
HERE) and on February 24th in the UK (Pre-Order it
HERE). Click
HERE to read my exclusive interview with David Hughes.