10 Directors Who Took Insane Breaks Between Movies

Stanley Kubrick is well known for his penchant for intricate detail, and many actors have claimed him to be a brutal director. There are stories of him demanding actors redo a scene hundreds of times before he was satisfied with a take, and while his methods were dictatorial, his work speaks for itself.

Kubrick filmed Full Metal Jacket in 1987, which came following a seven-year break in directing after he completed The Shining. That was barely a blip in the director's timeline though, as it would be 12 years between Full Metal Jacket and his next project, Eyes Wide Shut, which was released in 1999.

The filming of Eyes Wide Shut took 15-months and is renowned for being one of the longest and most exhausting film shoots in history. That project began development in the 1960s, and after more than 30 years of work, he finally completed it, though sadly, it would be his last as the director passed away the same year.

Eyes Wide Shut premiered soon after the director's death but had he survived, it's likely he would have worked on another project for a considerable amount of time seeing as that was simply his modus operandi. Throughout his career, in addition to the 12-year break, he took numerous 2-3 year breaks, one five-year break, and one seven-year break.