10 Films That Could Soon Escape Development Hell

Last month there came some surprising news: Bad Boys 3 was finally a go. It was an unlikely prospect - the last Bad Boys movie was made 12 years ago, and since then blockbusters - not to mention director Michael Bay - have moved on from casual ultra-violence and buddy cop antiheroes to more family-friendly action. And yet, perhaps it's not wholly unexpected. Will Smith and, to a much greater extent, Martin Lawrence have become less bankable in recent years, and a sequel to one of their hits could just put the pair back on the map. Plus, maybe Michael Bay is in need of some change after four Transformers movies. So many films escape development hell this way: the actors and/or director needs a hit, and pushing a long-burning sequel out of the gate can be the way to put them back in favour. Other times, movies that flounder in development hell stick around because they're passion projects that have problems with finding funding; others still because there's a great concept on the table that, for whatever reason, creatives find difficulty in tackling. With that in mind, here are ten films that could still escape development hell very soon. 10) The Happytime Murders What is it? A Who Framed Roger Rabbit-esque dark comedy-noir, about a world in which humans and puppets co-exist. Created by the great Jim Henson (The Muppets), the plot concerns a pairing of detectives - one human, one puppet - investigating the murders of cast members of The Happytime Gang, an old kids' TV show. Why it could escape development hell: The Jim Henson Company formally announced that The Happytime Murders was in development back in 2008, but understandably, it's not been easy getting studios on board with an R-rated puppet movie that has aspirations to be the next LA Confidential. Things went quiet, until this year, when Jim Henson's son Brian Henson announced he was - fingers crossed - hoping to finally direct the film, with Red and Red 2 writers Erich and Jon Hoeber on writing duties. 9) Triplets What is it? A belated sequel to the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito vehicle Twins, the 1988 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman. This one will be produced and possibly directed by Reitman, star Schwarzenegger, DeVito and Eddie Murphy - as the long-lost brother of Julius and Vincent Benedict - and be written by Josh Gad. Why it could escape development hell: After all the critical and box office disasters he's had since returning from 'hiatus' (i.e. his stint as Governor of California), Arnold Schwarzenegger is in need of a hit. So naturally, he's going down the list and ticking off what successful movies he can return to from his past. Triplets has been in development since at least 2003, but now it seems the stars are at last aligning for it to get off the ground - according to Gad, the script is done, and Arnie has been talking the film up at any chance he can get. 8) Dredd 2 What is it? One of the great comic book pleasures of recent years came courtesy not of Marvel or DC, but the lesser-known Rebellion Developments. Pete Travis' Dredd, written by Sunshine and Ex Machina man Alex Garland, was the film to finally put Sylvester Stallone's Judge Dredd out of everyone's minds, as a gleefully pulpy and hyper-violent tribute made on a fraction of what you probably think it cost. Dredd 2 is, of course, the proposed sequel. Why it could escape development hell: Unfortunately, Dredd didn't make as much money as the studio hoped, and the sequel has been stuck in limbo since its release in 2012. Happily for those fans of Travis and Garland's cult item, studios have shown a willingness to give sequels to cult sci-fi/fantasy before, by revamping the Riddick franchise in 2013. Garland recently expressed doubts that Dredd 2 would ever get made, but only last year Dredd himself, Karl Urban, was talking potential stories for the sequel. Both Urban and producer Adi Shankar have an uphill struggle, it seems, but neither of them appear to be willing to back down yet. 7) Hellboy 3 What is it? A trilogy-capper for Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy series, following on from 2008's Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Like previous installments, Hellboy 3 will star Ron Perlman in the title role, and will presumably also feature Selma Blair and Doug Jones as Hellboy's crime-fighting associates Liz Sherman and Abe Sapien, respectively. Why it could escape development hell: Admittedly, the window for shooting is pretty small and becoming smaller - del Toro has a packed schedule, and Ron Perlman, at 65-years-old, has himself admitted there aren't many years left where he can physically do what's required for another Hellboy movie - but both del Toro and Perlman continue to tease that the movie will some day happen. Only this year, Perlman was talking about Hellboy 3, and since Hellboy II seven years ago, comic book movies have only become more popular; as has del Toro, someone who's proven he can get a sequel off the ground in no time at all, even when the previous effort grossed fairly low (see: Pacific Rim 2). 6) At the Mountains Of Madness What is it? Another del Toro project, At the Mountains of Madness would be an adaptation of HP Lovecraft's horror story of the same name. It involves a group of explorers discovering ancient ruins on an expedition to the Antarctic; there, they find alien beings, dubbed Elder Things, who begin to slaughter members of the explorer team. Why it could escape development hell: This one actually already got close to being made. Del Toro was directing, Tom Cruise was starring, and James Cameron was producing; concept art was drawn up, and filming was set to go in May 2011. Then, two months before the shoot was set to begin, Universal pulled the plug, apparently due to del Toro's refusal to make the movie PG-13. However, there is reason to think this one could soon be a go: del Toro announced he and Cruise were still attached in 2013, and last year announced he was looking to make it with Legendary, the studio behind del Toro's own Pacific Rim and Pacific Rim 2. 5) Cleopatra What is it? Sony's remake of 1963's Elizabeth Taylor-starring five-hour historical epic, which has taken a couple of wildly different forms over the years. First off, in 2008, it was revealed that Steven Soderbergh was pushing forward with a 3D musical version, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones as Cleopatra and Ray Winstone as Julius Caesar. The project ended up in turnaround, but Angelina Jolie eventually got hold of it and announced last year that she'd play the title role, with David Fincher directing. Then, Fincher dropped out. Why it could escape development hell: If you saw the Sony leaks emails, and in particular paid attention to the correspondence regarding Angelina Jolie, you'll know the actress is very serious about getting this film made, and that the money people behind the scenes - as much as they aren't fans of Brad Pitt's other half - felt that Jolie had the power to do it. The actress has said Cleopatra will be her last performance, so it's set to be an event that the film industry won't be likely to pass up. Fincher's exit doesn't mean all that much, either - he dropped out of Jobs, and that film ended up getting made just fine without him. 4) Halo What is it? 2004 - that's the year a Halo movie was first announced. Based on the popular video game, about a super soldier stranded on an alien world and doing battle with extraterrestrials, Halo originally had Peter Jackson on board as executive producer and District 9's Neill Blomkamp as director. When financing fell through, Blomkamp declared the movie "dead." Why it could escape development hell: No matter what, people have kept on trying to make the Halo movie, and it doesn't seem like they're going to stop trying. It also looks like they're getting closer all the time. The cinematic Halo game trailers Blomkamp made several years back proved the Halo universe could be realised in live-action, while only recently the makers behind the games have branched out into live-action web and TV series. 2012's Forward Unto Dawn was made as an apparent "stepping stone" to a feature, while only a couple of years back Blomkamp revealed he was still interested in making the movie. Ridley Scott was even involved with TV show Halo: Nightfall, which bodes well for the property's potential cinematic future. 3) Bill And Ted 3 What is it? A long-developing Bill & Ted threequel, following on from 1989's Excellent Adventure and 1991's Bogus Journey. Starring Keanu Reeves as Ted and Alex Winter as Bill, Bill & Ted 3 will focus on the characters in middle-age, and involves Bill and Ted facing up to the fact that they haven't changed the world. It will, according to Winter, involve multiple versions of the hapless duo, and will, of course, incorporate a time travel element. Why it could escape development hell: Like Arnie, Keanu could use a hit right about now - his last few films have either under-performed or tanked at the box office - and he'd have a much better bet of re-energizing his career by returning with a sequel to one of his successful past projects. And it seems Bill & Ted 3 really is very close to getting made, even if it's taken five years just to get the script right. There's no word yet on who will direct, but according to Winter, "producers are on, financiers are on, and we’re just working and reworking the script." 2) Rendezvous With Rama What is it? An adaptation of the influential Arthur C. Clarke novel of the same name, Rendezvous With Rama is a science fiction story set in the 22nd century. A giant, 16 kilometer-long cylinder of unknown origin passes through the Solar System, prompting Earth's greatest powers to send a team of astronauts and scientists out to investigate. Inside the alien craft is a whole living, breathing world to explore. David Fincher almost directed this at one point, but unfortunately had to drop out. Why it could escape development hell: Basically, because Morgan Freeman won't let it go. David Fincher getting attached to a project then dropping out is, as we know by now, par for the course (he was supposed to make a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea adaptation around the time he was attached to Rama, and this year he actually filmed half of a HBO series before the project fell through). Freeman was Fincher's star, and he remains the head honcho of the project, telling Neil deGrasse Tyson in 2012, "We ARE going to make that movie." Apparently it's just the right script we're waiting on now. 1) Akira What is it? A live-action adaptation of the seminal sci-fi anime Akira. The animated feature is about Kaneda, the leader of a motorcycle gang, and his friend Tetsuo, who develops superhuman powers. Together they navigate neo-Tokyo, built on the remains of the old Tokyo, ravaged by WWIII. The live-action feature is expected to be more of the same. Why it could escape development hell: Just about everybody in Hollywood has been attached to Akira in some capacity. That's an exaggeration, obviously, but that names like DiCaprio, Gary Oldman, Zac Efron, Michael Fassbender, Joaquin Phoenix, Andrew Garfield, James McAvoy, and Robert Pattinson have been circling at one point or another shows how serious producers behind this remake are. And the number of writers and directors that have been attached over the years is just as staggering. No one has managed to get Akira off the ground since Warner Bros. bought the rights in 2002, but they do keep getting closer each time they try. Seems it's only a matter of time for this one.