Movies that sat on the shelf a long time.

[Jay G.]

The AVClub just published an article about long delayed movies:

Not coming soon: 16 movies released after long stays on the shelf
http://www.avclub.com/articles/not-c...ng-stay,52080/

That got me thinking, what other movies have had long delays (2 years or more)? What film sat on the shelf the longest before release? What films are still sitting on the shelf?


I think, in terms of films that have yet to be released, 1972's The Day the Clown Cried may hold the record for being on the shelf the longest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Clown_Cried


Of course, most films that sat for a long time on the shelf turn out to be terrible, or at least exceedingly mediocre. What's the best film that sat on the shelf for a while?

[mwbmis]

I've never seen it, but Jessica Lange won an Oscar for Blue Sky, and it sat around for four years.

[Groucho]

Originally Posted by mwbmis

I've never seen it, but Jessica Lange won an Oscar for Blue Sky, and it sat around for four years.

To be fair, that's only because there wasn't room on her mantle.

[obscurelabel]

Jet Pilot: finished filming in 1953, released in 1957.

[Jaymole]

The Plot Against Harry

Made in 1969 but sat on the shelf for 20 years before it was released in the theaters...and it turned out to be a critical hit.

[calhoun07]

Pluto Nash. I forget the exact time it sat on the shelf in development hell, but it was a long time, and time did not help it when it finally came out.

[SethDLH]

Trick 'R Treat sat around on the shelf for 2 or 3 years and now many (myself included) think it is one of the best horror movies of recent years.

[Kmical]

Originally Posted by calhoun07

Pluto Nash. I forget the exact time it sat on the shelf in development hell, but it was a long time, and time did not help it when it finally came out.

It should have sat on the shelf longer ... maybe a lot longer.

Perhaps released far in the future when post-48 Hours Eddie Murphy is believed to be funny.

[Mondo Kane]

Originally Posted by Jay G.

What's the best film that sat on the shelf for a while?

For 23 years:

And I do perfer the Kidnapped cut over the Rabid Dogs cut.


As for the article, I had wondered why Take me home tonight was being released now instead of a few years earlier (When 80's nostalgia was at it's peak)

[JJE-187]

Probally trying to be this year's Hot Tub Time Machine.

[Dr Mabuse]

'11:14'. Shelved, and then unceremoniously dumped to video IIRC.

Which sucks as it's actually a fun film. It's still 100% on RT, but with only a few reviews as most don't even know it exists.

[Jay G.]

Originally Posted by calhoun07

Pluto Nash. I forget the exact time it sat on the shelf in development hell, but it was a long time, and time did not help it when it finally came out.

It sat on the shelf for two years after completion, according to wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adv...on_and_history

BTW, I view "development hell" and "on the shelf" as two distinctly different states. Development hell typically refers to a film that is in development for a very long time before finally getting green-lit and goes into production. Once it's being produced, it's not in development hell anymore. On the other side, once a film has completely production (and typically post production too), it then "sits on the shelf" until release. Almost all films sit for a short period between completion and a scheduled release date, but when it's been sitting for two years or more, that's an abnormally long time, and there's typically a reason for it (although not necessarily because the film is bad),

[rw2516]

Because of fights with the censors, Howard Hughes shelved The Outlaw for a couple years. Hughes hyped it as too sexy for the public. When he released it, too record breaking crowds, he hyped it as what the censors wouldn't let you see.

[Yeti4623]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and Return to Sleepaway Camp are up there.

I wonder if Carnivore holds the record? Wasn't it filmed in 1990 or 1991, and released in 2000?

[SethDLH]

Originally Posted by Yeti4623

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and Return to Sleepaway Camp are up there.

How long was Return to Sleepaway Camp on the shelf for? I know they started production on a part 4 in 92 or 93 and it never got finished.

[Yeti4623]

Originally Posted by SethDLH

How long was Return to Sleepaway Camp on the shelf for?

Filmed in 2003, released in 2008.

[Jay G.]

Originally Posted by Yeti4623

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and Return to Sleepaway Camp are up there.

TCM:TNG went 4 years between completion and limited theatrical release, or 5 years until home video:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_C...elease_history

Return to Sleepaway Camp spent about 5 years in post-production:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Sleepaway_Camp

I wonder if Carnivore holds the record? Wasn't it filmed in 1990 or 1991, and released in 2000?

I can't find info on Carnivore being shelved.

[SethDLH]

Originally Posted by Yeti4623

Filmed in 2003, released in 2008.

Originally Posted by Jay G.

Return to Sleepaway Camp spent about 5 years in post-production:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Sleepaway_Camp

Wow, had no idea it took that long to get released.

[Quatermass]

Brooke Shields' Brenda Starr sat for at least 3 years before it came out in 1989. I remember her talking being on talk shows saying, "I'm working on a movie version of the comic strip Brenda Starr" for many years, so there may have been some development hell before the production actually started. IMDB says it was filmed in 1986 and released in 1989. I'm not sure it ever got a theatrical release.

Also, the release date of Winona Ryder's Lost Souls got pushed back a couple of times. IMDB says from 1999 to 2000 but I seem to recall people saying it had been filmed in 97 or 98.

[calhoun07]

What about movies still not out yet? "5/25/77" or aka "'77" still hasn't seen a release date so it's certainly in the running.

[Jay G.]

Originally Posted by Quatermass

Brooke Shields' Brenda Starr sat for at least 3 years before it came out in 1989. I remember her talking being on talk shows saying, "I'm working on a movie version of the comic strip Brenda Starr" for many years, so there may have been some development hell before the production actually started. IMDB says it was filmed in 1986 and released in 1989. I'm not sure it ever got a theatrical release.

Wikipedia says it got a US theatrical release in 1992, which would be almost 6 years "on the shelf," although it was released overseas in 1989:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_...on_.26_release

Also, the release date of Winona Ryder's Lost Souls got pushed back a couple of times. IMDB says from 1999 to 2000 but I seem to recall people saying it had been filmed in 97 or 98.

Wikipedia says it was filmed sometime in 1998, with the original release date scheduled for fall of 1999. This was then bumped back a year to fall of 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Souls_%28film%29

This article mentions that the script pitch was accepted in 1997, and the project went through some development where Meg Ryan dropped out of the lead role to do City of Angels, and Winona Ryder signed on.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,85627,00.html

[Bob_Bobbson]

Death Bed: The Bed that Eats was completed in 1977 but wasn't officially released until 2003

[Jay G.]

Originally Posted by Bob_Bobbson

Death Bed: The Bed that Eats was completed in 1977 but wasn't officially released until 2003

And of course, inspired a stand up bit from Patton Oswald:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01l1WIC9mBo

[LosingMyMind]

Originally Posted by calhoun07

What about movies still not out yet? "5/25/77" or aka "'77" still hasn't seen a release date so it's certainly in the running.

wtf with that one. I've been waiting forever to see it.

[Rockmjd23]

Though not technically on the shelf, it took The Thief and the Cobbler 30 years to finish and release.