10 Movies That Spent Decades In Development Hell (And Still Lived Up To The Hype)

Films get delayed for a number of reasons: a lack of funding, inability to proceed with ideas or that it's just not the right time to name a few. It's doubly difficult for filmmakers if you're conjuring up a sequel to long-dormant franchise with a massive fanbase attached to it. They run the risk of wrecking what made their predecessors so memorable.

You can work to continue the story in the best way you can, or simply provide a flick that honours the spirit of the originals. With the right creative vision behind the camera, follow-ups have the potential to reignite their franchises. That just made it all the more satisfying when they finally arrived and did an excellent job of following up on their respective reputations years or even decades later.

The following ten films were able to find great success with audiences and critics alike thanks to the great talent of those behind the camera and on-screen. Some are sequels to beloved franchises while others are standalone productions that took ages to come out for their own reasons. Let's take a look...

As one of the most critically acclaimed British films of all time, Trainspotting's electrifying mix of black comedy and the truly disturbing consequences of heroin addiction made it an instant classic. It spoke greatly to the culture and society of the late nineties. When it came to a follow-up however, fans would find themselves waiting a full two decades.

At first, plans were made to make a direct adaptation of Irvine Welsh's second novel, "Porno", but Danny Boyle and his crew took things in a different direction. With so many years having passed since the 1996 classic, the director saw an opportunity to go a different, more sombre direction.

While not as energised or funny as the first, Trainspotting 2 makes full use of its twenty-year time gap to place its characters in a darker, more cynical place. The cast of characters are trapped in a meaningless mid-life crisis, their friendships and personal health decaying. T2 uses these plot threads to fuel its themes and tone.

Just as the original Trainspotting spoke to the delinquent youths of the nineties, so too does it address them twenty years later. The reflections it casts on aging and its deteriorating effect made Trainspotting 2 a highly unique sequel that successfully honoured the first.