10 Films That Were Stuck In Development Hell For Years

10. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)

Roald Dahl finished writing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory way back in 1964. It didn't take long for a film adaptation to come out, but the English author was very unhappy with 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

After such a sour experience, Dahl took a dim view of film adaptations in general and refused many deals. In 1991, just a year after the author died, Warner Bros. got in touch with his estate with a view to buying the rights for a new Charlie film.

Seven years later, an agreement was reached, but the movie would have to wait another while to hit cinemas. A few directors, including Martin Scorsese, came and went from the project, and the list of actors considered for the part of Willy Wonka is simply incredible. Everyone from Will Smith to Adam Sandler was up for the job, with the likes of Robert De Niro and Nicolas Cage also on the list.

Eventually, Tim Burton took charge of the project and knew he wanted Johnny Depp in the leading role, although he oddly also had Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson on stand-by in case Depp couldn't do it. Once Burton came on board, production finally picked up some pace and the film was released just two years later.