Chinatown (1974)/The Two Jakes (1990) – 16 years

Roman Polanski’s 1974 noir classic Chinatown is one of the most memorable films of its era, and was the first of a planned trilogy by writer Robert Towne. However, production on The Two Jakes was marred by issues stemming from conflict between writer Robert Towne and producer Robert Evans. Towne, who had been in line to direct the sequel, fired Evans from the role of Jake Berman, believing he wasn’t strong enough an actor. Evans took issue, resulting in delays that saw sets torn down and the film ultimately falling apart. Lawsuits commenced, and the film was only completed due to the efforts of Jack Nicholson, who stepped in to direct. However, the end result was a mixed bag of a sequel that came out 16 years after the original, and its reception killed any plans for the third entry in the trilogy.