<PAGE>   1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                      MITCHELL ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT CORP.
               (Exact Name of Issuer as Specified in its Charter)


                   TEXAS                                     74-1032912
      (State or other Jurisdiction                        (I.R.S. Employer
    of Incorporation or Organization)                    Identification No.)

                             2001 Timberloch Place
                           The Woodlands, Texas 77380
                    Address of Principal Executive Offices)

             -----------------------------------------------------


           MITCHELL ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT CORP. 1999 STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                THOMAS P. BATTLE
            Senior Vice President - Legal and Governmental Affairs,
                         General Counsel and Secretary
                      Mitchell Energy & Development Corp.
                             2002 Timberloch Place
                           The Woodlands, Texas 77380
                    (Name and Address of Agent for Service)
                                 (713) 377-5500
         (Telephone Number, including Area Code, of agent for Service)

                      ------------------------------------


                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Title of Securities              Amount          Proposed                Proposed                 Amount of
to be Registered                  to be          Maximum                 Minimum                  Registration
                             Registered (1)      Offering                Aggregate                Fee
                                                 Price Per               Offering
                                                 Share (2)               Price (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                          <C>                 <C>                     <C>                      <C>
Class B Common Stock,
par value $.10 per share,
of Mitchell Energy &
Development Corp.            1,750,000           $19.65625               $34,398,437.50           $9,563.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>


(1) Number of shares necessary to cover the maximum number of shares of Class B
Common Stock of Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. which could be purchased
and issued under the 1999 Stock Option Plan.

(2) Estimated pursuant to Rule 457 solely for the purpose of calculating the
Registration Fee. Reflects the average of the high and low prices reported on
the New York Stock Exchange composite tape on September 8, 1999 for 1,750,000
shares.



<PAGE>   2
                                    PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

         The following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") are incorporated herein by reference:

         (a) the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
January 31, 1999;

         (b) the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
April 30, 1999; and

         (c) the Company's registration statement on Form 8-A dated June 3,
1992 registering its Class B Common Stock under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.

         All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Company
pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which
indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which
deregisters all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated
by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such
reports and documents.

Item 6.           Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

         The Company's Bylaws contain provisions that provide for
indemnification of certain persons (including officers and directors).
Reference is made to the full text of the Bylaws, filed on Exhibit 4.4 hereof.

         Article Ten of the Company's Restated Articles of Incorporation
provides that a director of the corporation shall not be liable to the
corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for an act or omission in
the director's capacity as a director, subject to certain limitations.

         Article 2.02-1 B. of the Texas Business Corporation Act provides that,
subject to certain limitations, "a corporation may indemnify a person who was,
is or is threatened to be made a named defendant or respondent in a proceeding
because the person is or was a director only if it is determined in accordance
with Section F of this article that the person: (1) conducted himself in good
faith; (2) reasonably believed: (a) in the case of conduct in his official
capacity as a director of the corporation, that his conduct was in the
corporation's best interests; and (b) in all other cases, that his conduct was
at least not opposed to the corporation's best interests; and (3) in the case
of any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was
unlawful."



                                       2

<PAGE>   3
         The Company also maintains directors' and officers' liability
insurance.

Item 8. Exhibits.

         4.1      Specimen certificate representing Class B Common Stock of the
                  Company is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1 of the
                  Company's Form 8-A Registration Statement dated June 3, 1992.

         4.2      Restated Articles of Incorporation of Mitchell Energy &
                  Development Corp, as amended through July 2, 1990 are
                  incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(a) of the Company's
                  annual report on Form 10-K dated January 31, 1992 (File No.
                  1-6959).

         4.3      Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation dated
                  June 24, 1992 is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3 of
                  the Company's quarterly report on Form 10- Q for the quarter
                  ended July 31, 1992 (File No. 1-6959).

         4.4      The Bylaws of Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. are
                  incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(b) of the Company's
                  annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January
                  31, 1996 (File No. 1-6959).

         5        Opinion of Deborah W. Leiber, as to the legality of
                  securities being registered.

         23.1     Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP.

         23.2     Consent of Deborah W. Leiber (contained in the opinion filed
                  as Exhibit 5 hereto).

Item 9. Undertakings.

A. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

         (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                  (i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
         the Securities Act of 1933;

                  (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
         after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most
         recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
         aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
         in the registration statement;



                                       3

<PAGE>   4
                  (iii) to include any material information with respect to the
         plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
         statement or any material change to such information in the
         registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (A)(1)(i) and (A)(1)(ii) do not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

         (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to
be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and
the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide offering thereof.

         (3) To remove by registration by means of a post-effective amendment
any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination
of the offering.

B. The undesigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission
such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred
or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the
matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is
against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.



                                       4

<PAGE>   5


                                   SIGNATURES

         The Registrant. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of
1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that
it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused
this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned
thereunto duly authorized in the City of The Woodlands, State of Texas on
September 14, 1999.

                                      MITCHELL ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT CORP.


                                      By: /s/ George P. Mitchell
                                          ------------------------------------
                                          George P. Mitchell
                                          Chairman of the Board and Chief
                                          Executive Officer

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933,
this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities indicated on September 14, 1999.


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
       Signature                                   Capacity
       ---------                                   --------
<S>                                   <C>
/s/ George P. Mitchell                Director, Chairman of the Board and Chief
---------------------------           Executive Officer
George P. Mitchell

/s/ W. D. Stevens                     Director, President and Chief Operating
---------------------------           Officer
W. D. Stevens

/s/ Bernard F. Clark                  Director, Vice Chairman of the Board
---------------------------
Bernard F. Clark

/s/ Robert W. Baldwin                 Director
---------------------------
Robert W. Baldwin

/s/ William D. Eberle                 Director
---------------------------
William D. Eberle

/s/ Shaker A. Khayatt                 Director
---------------------------
Shaker A. Khayatt
</TABLE>

                                       5

<PAGE>   6

<TABLE>
<S>                               <C>
/s/ Ben F. Love                   Director
---------------------------
Ben F. Love

/s/ Walter A. Lubanko             Director
---------------------------
Walter A. Lubanko

/s/ J. Todd Mitchell              Director
---------------------------
J. Todd Mitchell

/s/ M. Kent Mitchell              Director
---------------------------
M. Kent Mitchell

/s/ Philip S. Smith               Senior Vice President - Administration and
---------------------------       Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting
Philip S. Smith                   Officer)
</TABLE>


                                       6

<PAGE>   7


                               INDEX TO EXHIBITS

<TABLE>
<S>      <C>
5        Opinion of Deborah W. Leiber, Counsel for the Company.

23.1     Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP.

23.2     Consent of Deborah W. Leiber, Counsel for the Company (contained in
         the opinion filed as Exhibit 5 hereto).
</TABLE>
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{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "MITCHELL ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT CORP", "cik": "0000311995", "assigned-sic": "1311", "irs-number": "741032912", "state-of-incorporation": "TX", "fiscal-year-end": "0131"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-87047", "film-number": "99710837"}, "business-address": {"street1": "2001 TIMBERLOCH PL", "city": "THE WOODLANDS", "state": "TX", "zip": "77380", "phone": "7133775500"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "P.O. BOX 4000", "city": "THE WOODLANDS", "state": "TX", "zip": "77387-4000"}}
1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                      MITCHELL ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT CORP.
               (Exact Name of Issuer as Specified in its Charter)

                   TEXAS                                     74-1032912
      (State or other Jurisdiction                        (I.R.S. Employer
    of Incorporation or Organization)                    Identification No.)

                             2001 Timberloch Place
                           The Woodlands, Texas 77380
                    Address of Principal Executive Offices)

             -----------------------------------------------------

           MITCHELL ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT CORP. 1999 STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                THOMAS P. BATTLE
            Senior Vice President - Legal and Governmental Affairs,
                         General Counsel and Secretary
                      Mitchell Energy & Development Corp.
                             2002 Timberloch Place
                           The Woodlands, Texas 77380
                    (Name and Address of Agent for Service)
                                 (713) 377-5500
         (Telephone Number, including Area Code, of agent for Service)

                      ------------------------------------

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title of Securities              Amount          Proposed                Proposed                 Amount of
to be Registered                  to be          Maximum                 Minimum                  Registration
                             Registered (1)      Offering                Aggregate                Fee
                                                 Price Per               Offering
                                                 Share (2)               Price (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class B Common Stock,
par value $.10 per share,
of Mitchell Energy &
Development Corp.            1,750,000           $19.65625               $34,398,437.50           $9,563.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Number of shares necessary to cover the maximum number of shares of Class B
Common Stock of Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. which could be purchased
and issued under the 1999 Stock Option Plan.

(2) Estimated pursuant to Rule 457 solely for the purpose of calculating the
Registration Fee. Reflects the average of the high and low prices reported on
the New York Stock Exchange composite tape on September 8, 1999 for 1,750,000
shares.
2
                                    PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

         The following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") are incorporated herein by reference:

         (a) the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
January 31, 1999;

         (b) the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
April 30, 1999; and

         (c) the Company's registration statement on Form 8-A dated June 3,
1992 registering its Class B Common Stock under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.

         All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Company
pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which
indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which
deregisters all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated
by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such
reports and documents.

Item 6.           Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

         The Company's Bylaws contain provisions that provide for
indemnification of certain persons (including officers and directors).
Reference is made to the full text of the Bylaws, filed on Exhibit 4.4 hereof.

         Article Ten of the Company's Restated Articles of Incorporation
provides that a director of the corporation shall not be liable to the
corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for an act or omission in
the director's capacity as a director, subject to certain limitations.

         Article 2.02-1 B. of the Texas Business Corporation Act provides that,
subject to certain limitations, "a corporation may indemnify a person who was,
is or is threatened to be made a named defendant or respondent in a proceeding
because the person is or was a director only if it is determined in accordance
with Section F of this article that the person: (1) conducted himself in good
faith; (2) reasonably believed: (a) in the case of conduct in his official
capacity as a director of the corporation, that his conduct was in the
corporation's best interests; and (b) in all other cases, that his conduct was
at least not opposed to the corporation's best interests; and (3) in the case
of any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was
unlawful."

                                       2
3
         The Company also maintains directors' and officers' liability
insurance.

Item 8. Exhibits.

         4.1      Specimen certificate representing Class B Common Stock of the
                  Company is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1 of the
                  Company's Form 8-A Registration Statement dated June 3, 1992.

         4.2      Restated Articles of Incorporation of Mitchell Energy &
                  Development Corp, as amended through July 2, 1990 are
                  incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(a) of the Company's
                  annual report on Form 10-K dated January 31, 1992 (File No.
                  1-6959).

         4.3      Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation dated
                  June 24, 1992 is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3 of
                  the Company's quarterly report on Form 10- Q for the quarter
                  ended July 31, 1992 (File No. 1-6959).

         4.4      The Bylaws of Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. are
                  incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(b) of the Company's
                  annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January
                  31, 1996 (File No. 1-6959).

         5        Opinion of Deborah W. Leiber, as to the legality of
                  securities being registered.

         23.1     Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP.

         23.2     Consent of Deborah W. Leiber (contained in the opinion filed
                  as Exhibit 5 hereto).

Item 9. Undertakings.

A. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

         (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                  (i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
         the Securities Act of 1933;

                  (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
         after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most
         recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
         aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
         in the registration statement;

                                       3
4
                  (iii) to include any material information with respect to the
         plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
         statement or any material change to such information in the
         registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (A)(1)(i) and (A)(1)(ii) do not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

         (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to
be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and
the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide offering thereof.

         (3) To remove by registration by means of a post-effective amendment
any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination
of the offering.

B. The undesigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission
such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred
or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the
matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is
against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.

                                       4
5

                                   SIGNATURES

         The Registrant. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of
1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that
it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused
this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned
thereunto duly authorized in the City of The Woodlands, State of Texas on
September 14, 1999.

                                      MITCHELL ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT CORP.

                                      By: /s/ George P. Mitchell
                                          ------------------------------------
                                          George P. Mitchell
                                          Chairman of the Board and Chief
                                          Executive Officer

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933,
this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities indicated on September 14, 1999.
Signature                                   Capacity
       ---------                                   --------
/s/ George P. Mitchell                Director, Chairman of the Board and Chief
---------------------------           Executive Officer
George P. Mitchell

/s/ W. D. Stevens                     Director, President and Chief Operating
---------------------------           Officer
W. D. Stevens

/s/ Bernard F. Clark                  Director, Vice Chairman of the Board
---------------------------
Bernard F. Clark

/s/ Robert W. Baldwin                 Director
---------------------------
Robert W. Baldwin

/s/ William D. Eberle                 Director
---------------------------
William D. Eberle

/s/ Shaker A. Khayatt                 Director
---------------------------
Shaker A. Khayatt
5
6
/s/ Ben F. Love                   Director
---------------------------
Ben F. Love

/s/ Walter A. Lubanko             Director
---------------------------
Walter A. Lubanko

/s/ J. Todd Mitchell              Director
---------------------------
J. Todd Mitchell

/s/ M. Kent Mitchell              Director
---------------------------
M. Kent Mitchell

/s/ Philip S. Smith               Senior Vice President - Administration and
---------------------------       Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting
Philip S. Smith                   Officer)
6
7

                               INDEX TO EXHIBITS
5        Opinion of Deborah W. Leiber, Counsel for the Company.

23.1     Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP.

23.2     Consent of Deborah W. Leiber, Counsel for the Company (contained in
         the opinion filed as Exhibit 5 hereto).