For better or worse, the director is often seen as the author of any given movie. As a result, their name is also often featured in much of the publicity and, more often than not, becomes key to how the movie is seen in the years after its release.
However, it is also important to point out that Hollywood history is full of instances in which a director was fired or left a movie during the production, necessitating someone else stepping in and taking over, and this phenomenon raises fascinating questions about the nature of movie authorship.
Justice League (2017) - Streaming On HBO Max
Though the DC Extended Universe hasn’t become quite as successful as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it still has many strong movies to its name. One of the lesser lights is Justice League, which was notable for the drama surrounding its production. Though Zack Snyder was originally slated to direct, he had to leave the production when his daughter passed away, and control shifted to Joss Whedon. The final movie was significantly different from Snyder’s original vision, and Snyder’s vision was ultimately released on its own.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) - Streaming On Disney+
There are few media franchises quite as popular and successful as Star Wars, but that doesn’t mean that every one of its movies has been a success. That was certainly true of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was one of the less successful entries in the series.
Though Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were originally supposed to direct, they were ultimately fired for very ill-defined reasons (“creative differences” was the official explanation), and they were ultimately replaced by Ron Howard, who was seen as a competent, if not truly notable, directorial hand.
The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Streaming On HBO Max
The Wizard of Oz is arguably one of the best movies of all time, and it remains an iconic example of classic Hollywood filmmaking. However, true fans know that it faced some difficulties during its production, most of which surrounded its director. Its two main directors were Victor Fleming and King Vidor, both of whom were known for working with MGM. The latter replaced the former when Fleming was called away to start work on the epic movie Gone with the Wind (even though the movie was largely finished by that time).
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) - Streaming on HBO Max
The Outlaw Josey Wales is one of the most iconic and famous westerns ever made, and it is also widely regarded as one of Clint Eastwood’s best roles. What is perhaps less well-known about the movie is that it endured its fair share of production difficulties, particularly as there was strife between Eastwood and original director Philip Kaufman. The latter paid meticulous attention to detail, which did not sit well with Eastwood, who ultimately pressured the studio to fire the original director, a role that he later took over for himself.
Ratatouille (2007) - Streaming on Disney+
Ratatouille is usually seen as one of the best movies produced by Pixar, and it’s easy to see why, with its evocative vision of Paris and its very funny story about a rat who yearns to be a chef. Its success is all the more remarkable given that it changed directors during production, when the studio executives decided that they did not have a great deal of faith in Bob Peterson’s vision and instead turned it over to Bob Bird, who would turn the movie into the success that it became.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) - Not Currently Streaming
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a perfect example of a cult classic, as it wasn’t particularly successful in its original release but ultimately became very popular among certain audiences. Like many other movies, however, it had its fair share of production difficulties, particularly given the notoriously prickly author of the original book, Hunter S. Thompson.
Though Alex Cox was originally signed on to direct, he was fired by the studio and replaced by Terry Gilliam, who essentially re-created it from the ground up.
Gone with the Wind (1939) - Streaming On HBO Max
Gone with the Wind is arguably one of the most important movies ever made, and it is a testament to the skills of classical Hollywood. As famous as it is, however, it wasn’t without its fair share of production difficulties, particularly surrounding who would sit in the director’s chair. While it was originally assigned to George Cukor, he was very quickly replaced by Victor Fleming. There are many supposed reasons for this change, ranging from differences between producer David O. Selznick and Cukor and strife between Cukor and star Clark Gable.
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) - Streaming On FubuTV
Bohemian Rhapsody has come to be regarded as one of the best musical biography movies, and a lot of that stems from Rami Malek’s inspired performance as Freddie Mercury. However, the movie had some hiccups when it came to its production, especially given that its original director, Bryan Singer, had earned an unpleasant reputation for his behavior on the set. When he was fired, he was replaced by Dexter Fletcher, though Singer continued to receive the credit.
Spartacus (1960) - Not Currently Streaming
There have been many great movies set in ancient Rome, but Spartacus remains one of the most powerful and enduring. Focusing on the title character and his fight against the tyrannical power of Rome, it remains a testament to the power of movies and to the skill of Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick, however, wasn’t the original director. He replaced Anthony Mann, who had had many disputes and clashes with Kirk Douglas, who was both the star and the producer of the movie. In fact, Mann had only been on the set for a very brief time before he was fired, and the movie would prove key to Kubrick’s career.
Superman II (1980) - Streaming On HBO Max
Superman remains one of the best superheroes to have appeared in the movies. While most of his big-screen appearances have been successful, several of them have endured no small amount of trouble. In the case of Superman II, this centered around Richard Donner and his relationship with other creative powers, which became ever more difficult as production advanced. He was ultimately replaced with Richard Lester, a decision that proved to be controversial with many of those who had worked on the first movie.