Five classic movies that changed director mid-shoot
Although creating a film requires a team effort, a unit consisting of hundreds of staff taking care of every minute element of the production, things don’t always go to plan. The interaction between people with different creative visions, and different levels of power and input, can cause tension and on-set difficulties.
Many directors have been sacked by studio executives over creative differences or unruly behaviour. Others, meanwhile, have removed themselves from their movie, unhappy with the direction of a project potentially hindered by the demands of higher Hollywood powers.
In certain instances, directors have been forced to leave a project for personal reasons, such as Zack Synder, who left the production of Justice League after the tragic death of his daughter. The film was finished with Joss Whedon directing, resulting in an unusual mix of inconsistent tones. Luckily for Synder, he was able to release a director’s cut of the film a few years later, which has been considered a stronger effort than Whedon’s version.
However, some films have fared well with a change of director, and you’d never be able to tell that such a significant shift had occurred mid-way through production. From Jaws to The Wizard of Oz, here are five classics that changed directors mid-shoot.
Five movies that changed director mid-shoot:
Spartacus (Stanley Kubrick, 1960)
When Stanley Kubrick was in the infancy of his career, yet to direct 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, or even Lolita, he was employed to replace Anthony Mann on the set of Spartacus. Mann was fired by producer and leading actor Kirk Douglas, who believed the director feared working on such a large-scale production. In his autobiography, Douglas wrote: “He seemed scared of the scope of the picture.”
Therefore, Kubrick’s hiring was odd since he had never worked on such a big project before, and his previous film, Paths of Glory, had been banned and censored in several countries. Yet, Douglas’ choice paid off, and Spartacus became the highest-grossing film of 1960.
Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
When Jaws was released in June 1975, Steven Spielberg became a household name, credited with making the first summer blockbuster. Until the release of Star Wars two years later, Jaws was the highest-grossing movie of all time. The film’s influence on cinema was enormous, as was its effect on the public – that summer, beach attendance was significantly less than average.
However, the film could’ve looked very different. Producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown had initially hired Dick Richards to direct the thriller, yet his constant mislabelling of the shark as a whale led to his dismissal. Instead, the 26-year-old Spielberg, who had released his feature film directorial debut, The Sugarland Express, the previous year, was hired, subsequently launching his hugely successful career.
Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007)
It’s been 16 years since Disney Pixar’s Ratatouille was released, one of the most critically-acclaimed animated children’s films. It also became one of the most nominated animated films in Oscar history and took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The quirky children’s picture was the brainchild of Jan Pinkava, who created the original storyline, characters, design and sets. However, by 2004, Pixar had employed Bob Peterson to co-direct, giving him exclusive control of the story.
The pair were quickly dropped by Pixar, who lacked confidence in the story’s development. Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles, was employed instead, drawn to the film due to its odd concept. Bird rewrote the story, giving more screen time to characters such as Skinner and Collette.
The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s children’s fantasy book of the same name, MGM’s Technicolour musical The Wizard of Oz, was a landmark piece of cinema, which, according to the US Library of Congress, is the most-watched movie of all time. The film won two Academy Awards and was highly praised by critics, inspiring filmmakers across the globe, with Joel Coen going as far as to say: “Every movie ever made is an attempt to remake The Wizard of Oz.”
Yet the film’s production was rocky, going through four different directors: Richard Thorpe, George Cukor, Victor Fleming, and King Vidor. Thorpe was accused of rushing production, leading Cukor to take over (although he didn’t shoot any scenes) before Fleming was brought in to film most of the movie. Yet, Fleming had to leave the production to save another film, Gone With The Wind, resulting in Vidor finishing up direction.
Gone With The Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
Despite holding the title of the highest-grossing film for 25 years, Gone With The Wind was fraught with production issues. George Cukor spent two years attached to the project before being fired three weeks into shooting due to creative disagreements. Actors Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland were not impressed and continued to receive coaching from Cukor regardless of his replacement.
Studio executives chose Victor Fleming to finish production, despite the fact he was already directing The Wizard of Oz. He undertook 93 days of filming, whereas Cukor had completed 18. However, Fleming had to take a few weeks off due to exhaustion, leading Sam Wood to take over, who filmed for 24 days.