From Spartacus to Beethoven, films sometimes change director, even though production has begun.
For many reasons, too…
Its a long job directing a movie.
Its like the synopsis forThe ExpendaBelles, just 20 years too early.
Tamra Davis was sacked, andUnlawful Entrydirector Jonathan Kaplan got the call.
He started from scratch, with a hasty script rewrite adding Cynda Williams character.
One of the biggest issues is well known.
Stanley Kubrick went on to directSpartacus, but he wasnt the original choice.
Instead, when filming first began, it was Anthony Mann who was in charge.
Mann was a technician.
By week three of production,Spartacuswas over budget and running late.
Douglas took a call from Universal production boss Ed Muhl.
Mann got the bullet on Friday February 13th 1959, with Kirk Douglas insisting he pick the next director.
The film was well into production when Mann suffered a heart attack and died, in August 1967.
He was 60 years old.
Mann was given sole credit at the time of the films 1968 release.
Stanley did get back on set, though, sneaking in disguised as one of the extras.
He got to witness just how badly things ended up going first hand.
It was not pleasant viewing.
But the original, non-Michael MannHeat?
It burned through six of them according to its writer, William Goldman.
Even though we dont know who all six of them are.
Burt Reynolds headlined the movie, and originally, the late Robert Altman was to direct.
He left after one day of shooting.
In came Dick Richards, who eventually took final credit.
Jerry Jameson took on the job for a while, before Dick Richards was lured back.
Jerry Jameson, meanwhile, took credit for 31%.
Lawsuits continued for many, many years afterwards.
But he could have had one more.
He was the original director of the much-loved 80s movieWarGames, starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy.
But when the first dailies started coming through, the studio wasnt impressed.
That nobody in the film looked like they were having sufficient amounts of fun.
That Brest had somehow got the tone and feel of the piece wrong.
Why would anyone be downbeat given the threat of nuclear destruction anyway?
John Badham came in and had to get down to work quickly.
In this instance, though, some bits of Martin Brests material did make it into the final cut.
But it remains mainly regarded as a John Badham film.
One thats being remade….
Rumor Has It
A fairly well known one this.
12 days into shooting of the movie, however, Warner Bros fired Griffin from the directors chair.
He made casting changes, bringing in Kathy Bates for instance, and reworked part of the script.
Its believed that none of Griffins footage made it into the cut of the ultimately not-very-good film.
But both in front of and behind the camera, there were changes once production had begun.
By that stage, though, thered already been a change of director.
But he lasted three days, before he was replaced, for reasons unknown.
Tony Bill took over, and steered the movie to completion.
But Levant came in as a late replacement on the project, after filming had begun.
But for reasons never revealed, he departed the project, and Levant got his chance.
Instead, Philip Kaufman who had co-written the script with Sonia Chernus was the named director.
However, shortly into production, its clear there was a problem.
Yet what was clear was that Eastwood wanted Kaufman replaced.
The star got his wish, and he took over directing the film.
Not without consequences, though.
Er, the metaphorical Defcon setting, we should note.
The Wizard Of Oz, then.
The 1939 classic was eventually credited to Victor Fleming, and yet he was far from the first.
When cameras started rolling on the film, Norman Taurog was directing, but he quickly left the production.
You wont find his material in the final cut of the movie, though.
George Cukor held the fort until Victor Fleming came in, and the bulk of the film is his.
But it had taken quite an effort to get them, and disagreements behind the scenes sealed his fate.
He had to leave the project however, and he would sadly pass on shortly afterwards.
Paul Schrader, instead, jumped aboard, and he shot the movie, delivering a cut.
The thing is, the producers really werent happy with it.
Its reception was more positive, with critics warming more to its cerebral, rather than blunt approach.
However, Don Siegel was reinstated in the end, after Hunt had been working on the movie.
Because Burt Reynolds lobbied hard for his return.
Rough Cutwould be his penultimate movie, before his death in 1991.
Superman II
Ah,Superman.
The original plan, as ordered by the Salkind brothers, was to shoot the first twoSupermanmovies together.
And thats just what director Richard Donner basically did.
Of which there were many.
They wanted theirSupermanfilm to have a lighter feel, and thus Donner never got the call back.
Gene Hackman, for one, sided with Donner, and refused to come back for further photography.
The late Christopher Reeve was a little more cautious.
But of course Ill miss Dick Donner.
He was wonderful to work with.
Superman IIis credited, therefore, to Richard Lester, who also supervised the edit.
But eventually, after much fan pressure, a Richard Donner Cut was put together.
This was done without Donners hands-on involvement, yet it effectively shaped the film as Donner had intended.
That said, its no finished production, so the alternate cut is a little rough and ready.
But lets focus onBrave.
The film had been conceived by Brenda Chapman, previously co-director of DreamWorksThe Prince Of Egypt.
Creative differences were cited, and Mark Andrews took over full time directingBrave, seeing it through to release.
Yet she got her feature debut having directed TV beforehand on the Whoopi Goldberg-headlinedJumpin JackFlash.
However, roughly six weeks into production, Marshall got the call asking her to take the job on.
As she told theChicago Tribuneback in 1986, it was hell it was insane.
It was quite an experience, an amazing learning experience.
I had a lot to learn and this was one way to do it!
Marshall had originally been slated to helmPeggy Sue Got Marriedbefore Francis Ford Coppola took over.
But as she conceded in the interview with the Tribune,Jumpin Jack Flashfitted her better.
Incidentally, do check out Marshalls book,My Mother Was Nuts.
Its well worth a read.
A subsequent statement from Garland and Travis insisted the director hadnt been fired at all.
TryChasing Mavericks, which was to be the new movie fromL.A.
He received co-director credit.
