Other Projects that have taken as long as CD

[NickNasty]

What other projects in any type of media (music, film, tv, books) have had taken as long and have had the twists and turns that Chinese Democracy has had?

Here's My offering: the new Superman film

--Originally Slated for Release in 1991, the film has gone through at least 4 directors, 4 or 5 scripts, and has had been a lightening rod for rumors and misinformation (everything from a gay Jimmy Olsen to Beyonce' as Lois Lane)

--Closest it's been to release: "Teaser" posters for the film appeared in movie theaters in 1997 for a 1998 release which never happened.

--Estimated cost: in the double millions ( I'd like to say around $40 mil, but that might be too low)

--Current Status: Apparently, a production crew and director have been found, and test screenings have begun for the next Superman, the movie is now scheduled to be released in 2006.

What else can people think of that has been as hyped as CD without any results?

[younggunner]

It depends how you look at the whole gnr situation. Its been 13 yrs since GNR as a band has released any original material. And 10 yrs since TSI.

Regarding CD. Well the process really didnt begin until 98/99. So from 91/94- 98 is really lost time from GNR. Lawsuits and band attempting to workshit out or move on...

So CD really began in 09/99...thats 6 yrs. Still a long time but add 2 more albums to that. 3 albums in 6 years isnt too bad. ANd from what everyone has said, these arent ordinary albums...they are albums that are attempting to make a dent. WIll they...time will tell...but the intentions are there....

[bill213]

Terminator 3 took a while...........
The exorcist prequel has taken a while, been through two directors and two different scripts.....one was filmed and then scrapped.  It's been like a 5 or 6 years in the works.
Michael Jackson's invincible also took millions upon millions of dollars and time and flopped upon its release.
Fiona Apple is another one who's lastest album has taken quite some time.

[Eeebs]

Brian Wilson's "Smile" instantly comes to mind.

I also recall projects by NIN, Beastie Boys, George Michael and Prince have taken several years (as in more than 5) to see the light of day as well.

Can't rush a masterpiece  We'll see...  

[Timothy]

Freddy vs. Jason took a long fucking time before it was ever made .The fantastic Four shit that was made then apparently it really sucked so it was never released  now their making another one that supposed to start filming in August.

[SINSHINE]

Ahem...how 'bout these gems.

Star Wars Prequel Triliogy...released 16 years after Return of the Jedi...love it or hate it, The Phantom Menace was one of the most (if not THE MOST) anticipated films of all time.

Hannibal, Thomas Harris' follow up to his novel, The Silence of the Lambs, took eleven years to come out. Apparently he's contracted for another two books, but no word on when we'll ever hear from Hannibal "The Cannibal" again (unless you count the Red Dragon prequel movie in the works...which supposedly is being done independently of Thomas Harris).

Also, the fourth installment of Indiana Jones series has been "in the works" for some time now (rumors began circulating about the project 5 or 6 years ago). With several scripts rejected by Lucas and scheduling conflicts with director Speilberg and actor Harrison Ford, it looks like it's been shelved again for at least another 2 years. By the time they get their act together, the only adventure Indiana Jones will be physically able to endure would be the search for the soiled depends  

[matt88]

Honestly a thread like this just puts it into people's heads that axl isn't really doing bad with his process.


He's a very selfish person who ccancelled their comeback without no apology or anything and hasn't given any information on the albums progress. I mean what the fuck is so hard in keeping your fans informed on the process.

To be honest he's done a terrible fucken job

[Izzy]

So CD really began in 09/99...thats 6 yrs. Still a long time but add 2 more albums to that. 3 albums in 6 years isnt too bad.

For Gawds sake

U STILL believe that

There's barely one album - there is no 2nd album and a third album?  

Projects that took forever.....

Thunderbirds the Movie - thats been 'in production' for decades - work started on it 4-5 years ago and then they scrapped the whole thing only to try again

Duke Nukem Forever is the Chinese Democracy of computer games - i don't think anyone knows how longs its been - maybe 7 years? It has been finished, scrapped and restarted 3-4 times

'Goldeneye' - the 17th Bond film took 6 years to complete due to legal problems and needed a new actor for James Bond

Aliens was 7 years in coming

The Rolling Stones last album of 'new' material was 7 years ago

If GNR are the king of delays then Metallica are the princes - it was 5 years between 'Black' and 'Load', 4 years between S&M and St Anger and following 'Reload' it took them 7 years to release another album of new material....

Def Leppard took 5 years to follow up 'Hysteria' with 1992's 'Adrenalize', Michael Jackson takes 4-5 years per album too

The reality is while efforts on Chinese Democracy began in 1994 it wasn't untill 1999 that work can really be said to have began with the arrival of Buckethead and a stable line up - so 5 years ish, not that bad i suppose, and with Buckethead leaving it looks like this is another lost year

[WalrusOct9]

Brian Wilson began work on Smile in 1966.  It's finally coming out later this year.  

OK, so he did a lot of stuff in the meantime, but still...

[gnrgoblue]

I think this thread was intended to ask about projects that took a long time to complete despite continual work on them. Most of the movies you people have mentioned (Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Superman, etc) were projects that, at some time or another, were merely rumored or announced, but never made any headway beyond just the inception. There were no actors, so stages, no cameras, etc. At best, just some paper with some signatures. Metallica wasn't in the studio at all between the black album and "Load," other than the few months before the album came out. The band just wasn't making music at the time. None of these projects are anything like "Chinese Democracy" because, if you're going to believe Axl, he's actually working on the album.

What makes this similar to "Duke Nukem Forever," "Smile" and my entry to this list, J.D. Salinger's "Hapworth 16, 1924" is that the creators claim to be actively working on these projects (although that's still unclear in the case of the last example, particularly since it, or a portion of it, anyway, was published in the mid-1960s in a magazine).

So can anyone think of any other projects that took forever and were regularly worked on (at least, claimed to be worked on)?

By the way, if anyone's interested, I heard several minutes of "Smile" recently. It's wild, wild stuff. Extremely good.

[ktucker450]

Boston - Third Stage, Boston - Walk On, Boston - Corporate America...THEY ALL took 8 years or longer to make and they all suck...

[Fuckin' Gunner]

The only thing I know is that picture (in portuguese is called "O Julgamento Final", something like "The Final Judge"?) by Michelangelo or da Vinci or somebody like this...

It took 8 years...

[eraser]

how about tapeworm...

side project with reznor and keenan

we heard about that in 1996 i think...

here in 2001 they say the album will be out soon
http://www.nme.com/news/17206.htm

about 2 years ago tool sang vacant, an unreleased tapeworm song..

then last month reznor said that tapeworm is dead...

so... 8 years... no album... 1 song... band dead...

well i hop gnr isn't dead at least!

[Fuckin' Gunner]

So is fact... Trent Reznor influenced Axl more than we can imagine...

The only diference is: Chinese Democracy will be out some day and will destroy everything...

[Reinaldo]

The new batman movie, "Batman Begins" should be called "Batman Forever" if the third movie wasn't named that way: It?s been 7 years since the terrible and childish "Batman & Robin".

Already in 1997 we heard that the pathetic director Joel Schumacher was out of the next project, and the movie would be based in some specific batman comic book story. Clint Eastwood (!!!!) would be an older batman and the villains would be the Joker again (how???he died!!) and scarecrow.
Now, with another actor and story, seems it will actually see the light of day next year:
www.batmanbegins.com

Hopefully, CD will do the same... but still on 2004!

 

[jarmo]

The new Prodigy album has taken a while.

They released a single in 2002 and played at the Leeds festival with GN'R in August 2002. Their new album is supposed to be released in August.

The Prodigy haven't made a studio album since 1997's "The Fat Of The Land".



/jarmo

[triple]

there isnt one, this album delay has become a fucking joke

[NickNasty]

Honestly a thread like this just puts it into people's heads that axl isn't really doing bad with his process.


He's a very selfish person who ccancelled their comeback without no apology or anything and hasn't given any information on the albums progress. I mean what the fuck is so hard in keeping your fans informed on the process.

To be honest he's done a terrible fucken job

This thread isn't a pro-or anti-Axl thread...as someone else mentioned I'm just trying to think of things which have parallels to the CD saga, not necessarily good or bad.

Here's Another: the "Catwoman" movie was optioned out right after the second Batman and is just being released now (and it looks bad).

[BUCKETHEAD]

haha except all the ones people just named

[tp4ever84]

half life 2 and doom 3.  Both have been in works forever, several release dates scheduled, both kept in secrecy, and both being considered masterpieces by people who've seen it and what has been seen proves it like madagascar, the blues, and chinese democracy proves CD is a masterpiece.  

GNR for fucking ever.