Movie Productions That Were a Complete Disasters
Filmmaking does not always go as planned, but these productions pushed every limit, financial, physical, or creative. Accidents, bad decisions, and clashing egos made some of these shoots more dramatic than the films themselves. A few movies survived the chaos and found success anyway, but the path there left damage.
Heaven’s Gate
Credit: IMDb
Michael Cimino’s perfectionism didn’t just slow down Heaven’s Gate, but dismantled United Artists. After winning big with The Deer Hunter, Cimino was given full control. He used it to rebuild sets, shoot hundreds of hours of footage, and deliver a five-hour cut. The ballooning costs and production delays bankrupted the studio.
Fitzcarraldo
Credit: IMDb
Dragging a 320-ton ship up a hill sounds like something you’d fake with effects, but Werner Herzog actually did it. He refused to use miniatures or camera tricks while shooting Fitzcarraldo and insisted on real, physical effort. His decision turned the set into a series of disasters. Crew members were injured, one had his leg amputated after a snake bite, and the lead actor walked out.
The Abyss
Credit: IMDb
James Cameron underestimated how brutal underwater shoots can become, and The Abyss quickly turned into one of his most difficult shoots. The crew worked inside massive leaking tanks, and actors stayed submerged for hours in weighted gear, which made communication nearly impossible. Ed Harris even came close to drowning during a take.
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Credit: IMDb
Production on Twilight Zone: The Movie turned deadly when a helicopter crashed during a scene. Two children and actor Vic Morrow lost their lives instantly. Director John Landis had ignored warnings, used illegal child labor, and continued through risky conditions. The tragedy sparked public outrage and a high-profile trial.
The Island Of Dr. Moreau
Credit: IMDb
The 1996 remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau started to fall apart when the original director, Richard Stanley, was fired days into filming. Instead of leaving, he disguised himself as an extra and stayed on set. Meanwhile, Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando chose not to cooperate by often skipping work or rewriting scenes.
The Shining
Credit: IMDb
A famously gruelling production shaped The Shining behind the scenes and left the cast drained long before the movie wrapped. Stanley Kubrick pushed Shelley Duvall through more than 100 takes of a single moment, which triggered stress-related illness and visible exhaustion. Eventually, the shoot expanded far past its original timeline and ran for over a year.
Roar
Credit: IMDb
Filming with untrained lions and tigers placed Roar on dangerous ground. Noel Marshall brought his own family into the project, including Tippi Hedren and Melanie Griffith, and none of them had real protection on set. It wasn’t long before Griffith required facial surgery, and Marshall developed gangrene after repeated maulings.
The Wizard of Oz
Credit: IMDb
While The Wizard of Oz remains one of the most recognizable films ever made, its production was chaotic and often dangerous. Buddy Ebsen, the original Tin Man, was hospitalized after reacting to aluminum makeup and had to be replaced. On the other hand, Margaret Hamilton suffered severe burns during a fire stunt, and Judy Garland faced long hours and studio pressure to lose weight through prescription drugs.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
Credit: IMDb
What many people don’t know is that Terry Gilliam spent nearly 30 years trying to complete The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The original 2000 shoot fell apart due to injuries, flooding, and military interference. After legal disputes, Gilliam lost the rights and had to start over. He regained control years later but faced more delays, funding issues, and a lawsuit from a former producer.
Apocalypse Now
Credit: IMDb
With the project going two years over schedule, Apocalypse Now was filmed deep in the Philippines, where typhoons destroyed sets and halted progress. Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack on location and required his brother to fill in for certain shots. Marlon Brando arrived late, dismissed requests to learn his lines, and forced Coppola to rewrite entire sections of the script.