Summary
The studio executives of Hollywood have occasionally hired a particular director to helm a movie which, at the time, seemed like a strange choice. However, in some cases, the risk massively paid off when the movie then debuted to wild critical acclaim and box office profits.Hiring a director who has had success with movies of a similar genre is the safest approach,but a lesser-known name or someone with completely contrasting experience might still have the unique vision and narrative ideas that will make the movie an even bigger hit.
It is always a point of pride to be able to bet on someone no one else would have and watch them defy everyone’s expectations. Additionally, hiring someone who has made too many similar movies before can be a bad thing; it runs the risk of the final product being a generic carbon copy of dozens of movies that came before it. Finally,many unexpected director choices are associated with beloved movie franchises,where their task was even more difficult due to audience expectations.
20 Best Directors Of All Time, Ranked
As one of the oldest of the most popular entertainment mediums, the film industry has built an impressive catalog of legendary directors.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Cast
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first film in Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy. The movie follows Frodo Baggins (Elijah Woods) as he is tasked with destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom after he inherits the ring.
Previous attempts to capture the scale ofThe Lord of the Ringson-screen had proved to be unsuccessfulwhen New Line Cinema took a chance on a little-known horror director to lead what would become the biggest fantasy movie franchise ever seen. Peter Jackson’s experience in horror doubtlessly benefited the depiction of themonsters inLord of the Rings, including the Nazgûl, Shelob, and Gollum. However, the studio executives ultimately lucked out when it came to choosing a director who was organized and had the best vision for the epic fantasy.
Few directors at the time had the experience of filming a movie with as big of a production asLord of the Rings, because few, if any, movies that came before it were as big.Jackson had the perfect sense of the fantasy setting he was working with,as well as when to call something good enough and when to keep revising it. As the director, Jackson would have overseen the finalized versions of groundbreaking CGI or encouraged the VFX artists to keep working to make it better.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire follows Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as they embark on a Victor’s Tour after winning the 74th Hunger Games. With unrest brewing in the districts, President Snow orchestrates the Quarter Quell, the 75th games that threaten to alter the future of Panem.
TheHunger Gamesmovie franchise started things off under the command of Gary Ross, who directed a strong flagship movie that captured the visuals and themes of its source material. Many would have expected Ross to stick with the role of director — butthe next movie, and every subsequentHunger Gamesinstallment, would be directed by Francis Lawrence.At the time, Lawrence had extensive experience directing music videos, while his biggest Hollywood titles were the average dramaWater for Elephantsand thedivisive blockbusterI Am Legend.
If Ross were no longer interested,The Hunger Gameswould likely have attracted several massively successful directorsdue to being the pop culture phenomenon of the moment. Lawrence was a somewhat underwhelming choice. However, he proved that he had the best understanding of theHunger Gamesbooks and how to adapt them, and became the regular director the franchise needed to have a consistent tone.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
A decade after a deadly virus decimates humanity, a burgeoning society of intelligent apes, led by Caesar, finds its peaceful existence threatened by a group of human survivors who stumble upon their sanctuary. As both sides grapple with fear and mistrust, Caesar works to broker peace despite growing hostilities. The tension escalates, leading to a dramatic clash that will determine the future of both species.
Like withThe Hunger Games,the new series ofPlanet of the Apesmovies was initiated by a director who did not stick around for the sequel.Rupert Wyatt was also an underdog director who did the impossible. With little mainstream experience, he revitalized a franchise that had been struggling for some time. However, with many of theworstPlanet of the Apesmoviescoming right beforeRise of the Planet of the Apes, it is not impossible to believe that studios were willing to take a chance on a little-known director when the more acclaimed ones would likely have turned down the project.
On the other hand,Matt Reeves was put in charge of a franchise that had recently made a massive comebackand tasked with maintaining quality in the sequel. At the time, Reeves had directed numerous TV episodes and one vampire action movie. However, he demonstrated with his twoPlanet of the Apesmovies his talent for gritty action blockbusters with serious themes, leading to him working onThe BatmanandThe Batman Part II.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Four siblings travel through a wardrobe to the magical land of Narnia, which they are destined to save from the evil White Witch.
To direct Hollywood’s next epic fantasy series — one characterized by being the longtime peer and rival ofLord of the Rings —Disney opted for Andrew Adamson, whose filmography at the time wasShrekandShrek 2.Shrekshowcases an entirely different type of fantasy thanThe Chronicles of Narnia,one which is ironic and deconstructs childhood fairy tales rather than romanticizing them with a nostalgic fondness.Shrekalso would have posed an entirely different set of technical challenges, primarily concerning the then-very new use of 3D animation.
This announcement would have left audiences wondering if Adamson could handle a large-scale live-action production. The answer turned out to be“yes,”andThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobeis still considered thebestNarniamovie. While Adamson’s only otherNarniamovie,Prince Caspian, features some divisive writing choices, it still upholds the grandeur and production qualityof its predecessor.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol follows Ethan Hunt and his team as they are disavowed after being falsely accused of bombing the Kremlin. In a race against time, they pursue a terrorist named Hendricks, who threatens global security with stolen Russian nuclear launch codes, leading them on a global chase.
After making an understated entry into Hollywood withThe Iron Giant,Brad Bird cemented his place in the industry as one of the names at the forefront of Pixar.He is the creative mind behind some ofPixar’s best movies, includingThe IncrediblesandRatatouille. WhileThe Incrediblesdemonstrates the influences of classic espionage thrillers such as James Bond andMission: Impossible, most people would not have assumed this made Bird qualified to direct aMission: Impossiblemovie himself.
Bird was surprisingly named the director ofMission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,which came to be considered as one of the bestMission: Impossiblemovies. This was Bird’s live-action debut, for which he oversaw some of Tom Cruise’s most insane stunts that would become characteristic of the franchise. The only other live-action movie Bird has directed since isTomorrowland, but it would be interesting to see what else he could do with blockbusters of this genre.
10 Directors Who Mastered Both Animation And Live-Action
Animation and live-action movies require two different sets of skills from filmmakers, so there aren’t many directors who can master both.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: In Harry’s third year at Hogwarts, he faces more complex magical challenges and encounters fear-inducing Dementors. The escape of the notorious wizard Sirius Black from Azkaban casts a shadow over the school year, presenting new threats and mysteries for Harry and his friends to unravel.
At the time ofHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’sproduction,Alfonso Cuarón’s most recent movie was the road-trip dramaAnd Your Mother Too.The small-time director had spent his career so far alternating between Spanish and English-language movies, with his most well-known title at that point likely beingA Little Princess. He was doubtlessly a strange choice to inheritHarry Potterfrom the legendary Chris Columbus. However, Cuarón’s take onHarry Potteris the most stylized movie of the franchise that still stands out as a short-lived highlight decades later.
Prisoner of Azkabanfeatures several of Cuarón’s signature long takes and a recurring clock motif that emphasizes the book’s theme of time running out for the main characters.Cuarón is credited with multiple additions to theHarry Pottermovies that give the world texture,including the Hogwarts student choir and the more casual versions of the school uniforms. This movie proved that Cuarón’s aptitude for tense, eloquent storytelling translated well into fantasy and sci-fi, possibly leading to movies likeGravityandChildren of Men— however, he is still known for several slice-of-life dramas.
Hugo
Based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Hugo follows the titular character, a young boy living alone in a train station in Paris. While working to restore an automaton found by his late father, Hugo becomes involved in a mystery surrounding the automaton and filmmaker Georges Méliès. Asa Butterfield stars as Hugo, with Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Jude Law as part of the main cast.
Martin Scorsese was well established as one of the penultimate directors of a generation by the 2010s for his lengthy crime epics that form a cynical compendium of American history. He is a director that few people would bet against — but his taking on the movie adaptation of Brian Selznick’sThe Invention of Hugo Cabret was still startling.Hugo’stone is more whimsical and family-friendly than anything else Scorsese has done,and a stark departure from his usual expeditions into American history, substituted with the Parisian setting and history of French cinema.
No fans of Hugo Cabret need have worried, as Scorsese produced a visually stunning movie that conveyed a similar grandiose feel,despite the drastically different story.Hugodid not break Scorsese’s streak at the Oscars, securing a Best Picture nominee. After this abrupt genre change, Scorsese returned to his crime dramas withThe Wolf of Wall Street,The Irishman, andKillers of the Flower Moon.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Based on the Roald Dahl children’s book, Fantastic Mr. Fox tells the story of the titular fox, his thieving spree, and the three farmers who seek revenge on him for the thefts.
While his most famous movies were still in the future, Wes Anderson was still a praised indie director by the mid-2000s. Following the 2005 live-action adaptation ofCharlie and the Chocolate Factory,those in possession of the rights to Roald Dahl’s works at the time opted for a different approach with an animatedFantastic Mr. Foxdirected by Anderson.Whatever doubts audiences and Roald Dahl fans may have had, Anderson’s sharp humor and colorful, off-beat vision turned out to be perfect for this story.
TheFantastic Mr. Foxmovie is characterized by elements of absurdity and randomness that aren’t present in the book, making it a near-flawless adaptation that stands out in its own right. While Anderson would go on to direct movies likeMoonrise KingdomandThe French Dispatch,Hollywood realized the chord they had struck with the director’s aptitude for animation.Anderson’s filmography now also notably includes the Oscar-nominatedIsle of Dogs.
Skyfall
Skyfall is the twenty-third James Bond film, featuring Daniel Craig as 007. Released in 2012, the film follows Bond as he investigates an attack on MI6, guided by M, portrayed by Judi Dench, while contending with internal pressures and a new authority figure, Gareth Mallory, played by Ralph Fiennes.
Sam Mendes was also already a highly acclaimed director when he got the foremost job forSkyfall. He won the Oscar for Best Director for the Best Picture-winningAmerican Beauty; a decade after this, he made a strong return with another Oscar contender,Revolutionary Road. Despite relatively few major projects in a long period,Mendes was a reliable director — for smaller-scale personal dramas, leaving people surprised when he was tapped for the next James Bond movie.
This was coupled with Mendes being responsible for the follow-up toQuantum of Solace, one of the worst-reviewed titles of the Daniel Craig era. Not unlike Peter Jackson,Mendes luckily turned out to be capable of handling a bigger production,with a good eye for action and effects, using his previous experience with thematically complicated movies to elevateSkyfall’sstory.Skyfallis one of the best Craig Bond movies, while Mendes has been hired for other big-budget pictures, such as1917.
10 Directors We’d Love To See Working On The Next Star Wars Movies
Star Wars is always looking to branch out with its directors for the franchise’s upcoming movies. These directors are the best overall choices.
Barbie
Barbie is a film adaptation of the generational iconic toy directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach. The film centers on Margot Robbie’s Barbie who is expelled from Barbieland and travels with Ken (Ryan Gosling) to the real world in search of happiness. The film also stars Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, and several other famous celebrities in cameo roles.
TheBarbiemovie was in development for some time before Warner Bros. acquired the rights to it, and they landed the rising directorial star Greta Gerwig. Gerwig broke into Hollywood starring in her partner Noah Baumbach’sFrances Haand established herself as a director with the Oscar-nominatedLady Bird.Her taking on the newLittle Womenmovie was not too far a leap from her preceding modern dramaand proved to be equally successful.
However,Gerwig then made the startling transition to the surrealistBarbiemoviethat was primarily legitimized in the eyes of prospective audiences by Gerwig’s involvement. Barbie could have been a bogged-down IP movie, but people were sure it would disrupt the industry and Gerwig’s career because of the director’s reputation for compelling stories about womanhood. Its success represents one of the biggest payoffs in recent movie history. It has also changed the direction of Gerwig’s career, who is now taking on another fantasy project withNetflix’sChronicles of Narniareboot.
