Even when the pieces are in place for a film, nothing is set in stone until the finished
product enters theaters.
As a project makes the transition from page to screen, there can be several revisions
as the filmmakers try to get everything right.
Sometimes this just entails rewriting a few pages of the script, or it can be something
more drastic like replacing an actor before shooting.
Then there are instances where there has to be a change of director – occasionally when
the movie is already in principal photography.
It happens more often than you might thing.
Here are 10 movies that changed directors during production.
Ant-Man
Fans of Marvel and comedy films in general were excited when it was announced Edgar Wright
of Scott Pilgrim and Cornetto trilogy fame would be calling the shots on the first Ant-Man
film.
Wright had spent years developing the movie and even shot test footage that impressed
audiences at Comic-Con.
But just before it was time to start rolling the cameras, Wright chose to step down, citing
creative differences with the studio.
Peyton Reed stepped in on late notice, and delivered a solidly entertaining installment.
Wright still received credit for the screenplay, so at least part of his voice remained intact.
The Wizard of Oz
It’s one of the most beloved films of all-time now, but back when it was being made, The
Wizard of Oz was a nightmare behind the scenes.
The project had four directors come in at various points.
Richard Thorpe started but was replaced when the studio felt he was rushing the production.
George Cukor ironed things out for a while, and then passed the torch to Victor Fleming.
King Vidor had to take over for the final stages of production when Fleming was tasked
with aiding Gone With the Wind.
Despite what definitely should have been too many cooks in the kitchen, The Wizard of Oz
went on to earn widespread acclaim.
Gone With the Wind
Here’s another Hollywood classic that had several issues making its way to the big screen.
Originally, George Cukor was to helm it, but he left after disagreements over the pacing
and tone.
Victor Fleming took over the reigns, but had to leave shortly after due to exhaustion.
Sam Wood was the one who finished the job and ended up delivering one of the greatest
movies ever made.
It won 8 Oscars – including Fleming for Best Director – and is the highest-grossing
film of all-time when adjusted for inflation.
What could have been a doomed film became a masterpiece that many enjoyed.
The Hobbit
Peter Jackson made a name for himself by adapting the Lord of the Rings trilogy to film, but
he initially was not going to be the one calling the shots on The Hobbit.
That honor was to fall to Guillermo del Toro, who was coming off the hit Pan’s Labyrinth.
The fan-favorite director spent two years doing pre-production work before he stepped
away due to numerous delays.
Jackson was the one who took over, and while that sounded good at the time, his decision
to stretch The Hobbit from a two-part movie to three drew the ire of fans.
We’ll never know what del Toro’s version would have looked like, and it could have
been better.
Moneyball
This small-scale sports film encountered quite the drama behind the scenes that drastically
changed the format of the picture.
Original director Steven Soderbergh wanted to present Moneyball as a documentary style
film, even shooting interviews with real life athletes, which didn’t make executives happy.
Coming up with a new approach, they brought in Bennett Miller to handle the project as
a more straightforward narrative film.
Sony had to end up paying two directors and two screenwriters to get the product they
wanted, but it paid off, as Moneyball was one of 2011’s best-reviewed films.
Ratatouille
Brad Bird gave fans a wonderful superhero tale in The Incredibles, and it turns out
the director is something of a superhero himself.
When Pixar was developing Ratatouille, Jan Pinkava was originally on board to direct,
but the studio was concerned his version didn’t have a strong chance to be commercially successful.
Pinkava was removed from the project and replaced by Bird, who had just 18 months to completely
overhaul several aspects of the film.
Luckily, Bird cracked the winning formula, and the Ratatouille that was released became
his second massive hit for Pixar and won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Superman II
Long before the shared universe phenomenon, director Richard Donner was planning multiple
installments of his Superman series.
His plan was the shoot the first two films of the franchise at the same time, and he
made his way through 75% of the production on Superman II before he had to focus on post
for the first film.
Even though 1978’s Superman was a hit, Donner was kicked off the sequel due to budgetary
and tone concerns.
Richard Lester took over, with the intention of making the movie lighter and campier.
It was a controversial decision, and Gene Hackman refused to take part in the Lester
reshoots.
Superman II was successful, but the debate over which version is better will never end.
Spartacus
All legends get their start somewhere, and Stanley Kubrick had his big shot at fame thanks
to Kirk Douglas.
While filming Spartacus, Douglas, who was also executive producer on the film, felt
that original director Anthony Mann was overwhelmed by the scope of the project and unfit for
bringing it to the screen.
He made the decision to replace Mann with Kubrick, even though Spartacus would be Kubrick’s
most expansive production at the time.
Nevertheless, Douglas’ judgment proved correct and Kubrick helmed a standout entry in the
swords-and-sandles genre, launching a career full of ambitious and large ideas.
Layer Cake
Guy Ritchie’s calling card is the slick British crime film, and he could have had
another one under his belt if the original plan for Layer Cake stayed in place.
Ritchie was going to helm the film, but he had to step away as he was still dealing with
the aftermath of his flop Swept Away and trying to save his marriage to pop star Madonna.
Ritchie let his friend Matthew Vaughn take over, and Vaughn used the film to announce
himself as a filmmaking force.
He’s helmed such hits as X-Men: First Class and Kingsman in the years since, and star
Daniel Craig went on to headline four James Bond films following his performance.
The Legend of Tarzan
Veteran Harry Potter director David Yates remained on this reboot throughout production,
but troubles began once the film entered post.
According to reports last year, Yates had begun filming Fantastic Beasts and Where to
Find Them before Tarzan was complete.
Though Warner Bros. was concerned with the quality of Tarzan, they wouldn’t pull Yates
off of Fantastic Beasts since the Harry Potter spinoff is the greater priority to them.
The studio maintains all is well, but it’s certainly an unusual situation.
Typically directors will make sure one movie is in the bag before moving on to the next
one.
Hopefully both of Yates’ 2016 efforts are memorable.
These are just some of the films that had to change their director before it held its
premiere.
Are there any we missed?
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more fun videos like this one!