Taika Waititi has a strong film resume under her belt, but the acclaimed director’s most recent project, Thor: Love and Thunder, garnered far worse reviews than many expected. There’s no doubt that Waititi will bounce back and move on, but not all directors are so lucky.
While projects often need stars to get the movie started, the film industry is also famous for big-name directors who seem to make everything they touch work. However, while fans can often forgive a bad project, some directors see their careers nearly ruined by a poorly received film.
11 Michael Powell – Peeping Tom (1960)
In his day, Michael Powell was one of the most famous British directors in the industry. He directed classics such as black narcissus and The Red Shoes and influence many films that followed it. That being the case, it may come as a surprise that his classic slasher, Voyeurwas so reviled upon its release that it damaged its reputation around the world.
A deleted Reddit account reports what happened, saying, “Critics ripped a new one, but luckily time treated the film and all of its work very well. But, yeah, it barely worked after making this movie.” The film is now considered one of the best horror films of the 60s.
ten Michael Cimino – Heaven’s Gate (1980)
Another deleted Reddit account pointed to a huge example of a movie ruining a director’s career, opining that “The ultimate example is Michael Cimino and The Gate of Paradise.” Cimino was on a roll after two successful films in Thunderbolt and Lightfootand one of the greatest war films ever made in The deer hunter.
As a result, United Artist gave him a huge budget and full creative control for his next film, Heavens Gate. It bombed, costing the studio over 30 million and putting it out of business, and although the film is more highly regarded now, Cimino’s career and reputation never recovered.
9 Martin Brest-Gigli (2003)
Before directing a film considered one of the worst ever made, Brest was a highly regarded director. Directing films such as Beverly Hills Cop and The scent of a woman, Brest has shown that it has the ability to make films in several genres and always release them very well. After GigliBrest fell off the map, never making another film.
A deleted Reddit account highlighted how underrated Brest were and how upset they were. face of the earth.”
8 Martin Campbell – Green Lantern (2011)
Campbell helped establish not one but two james bond actors with their debut. He directed Pierce Bronson in golden eye and managed Craig in his early days Casino Royale. With an impressive resume like that, it’s quite shocking to learn that he also directed Ryan Reynolds’ misguided adaptation of the The Green Lanterna film that was not well received by audiences or critics.
Reddit user Averagejoe1990 had this to say about this film and 2010’s Edge of Darkness: “Unfortunately, Green Lantern and Edge of Darkness suffered from action cinema’s worst sin. They were dull and boring.” Campbell still found work but hasn’t been able to reach those Bond-level heights since.
seven Kevin Costner – The Postman (1997)
The 90s were a great time to be Kevin Costner. Not only was he one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but he also successfully transitioned into directing. dance with wolvesone of the best directorial debuts, became one of the biggest critical and commercial successes of its time, and propelled Costner’s career to new heights.
Her second time behind the camera was not so successful. User MrBrianWeldon pointed out that was it, not water world, a film he starred in two years earlier, “which killed Costner’s career”. Costner only realized one sense of the movie, something unthinkable when he won all those Oscars for his debut.
6 John Singleton – Abduction (2011)
The late John Singleton was perhaps one of the most important voices in cinema during his lifetime. He was responsible for films such as Boyz in the hood and poetic justice, often using his own experiences as fuel to make deeply personal and moving films. So it may be strange to know that his last film was a poorly received film starring Duskit’s Taylor Lautner.
The poorly received film, which did not fit the audience of either the director or the star, hurt both men’s careers. Sirjackiechiles simply said: “Removal killed John Singleton (RIP) and the careers of Taylor Lautner.” Singleton died in 2019 at the age of 51.
5 Josh Trank – Fantastic Four (2014)
Trank done the Chronicle, a very interesting and original found footage superhero film that quickly made him a promising up-and-coming director. For this reason he received one of the most famous superhero groups of all time, the The Fantastic Four, and has been asked to make a new film for the legendary franchise. Whether it was because of the studio or Trank himself, the film bombed and Trank was soon fired from an ultimately unproduced Boba Fett film.
Reddit user Shadesmctuba blames the studio but acknowledges that the film absolutely hurt Trank’s career, expressing that “Now he doesn’t really do anything, which is sad. Such potential ruined by leaders without creativity thinking they know best.” Nor has Trank’s career in superhero movies been helped by his bizarre, now-deleted Twitter tirades against the MCU.
4 Richard Kelly – Southland Tales (2006)
Although better received now, Southern Tales was a career killer at the time for Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly. A film with too much ambition for its own good, it bombarded commercially and critically upon its initial release.
A since-deleted account said that even though Southern Tales had potential, Kelly got in her own way with the photo. They think there was probably a good movie out there somewhere and that “…Southland Tales has so many elements that I think they could have been so cool in more capable hands.”
3 Rob Reiner – North (1994)
There are few directors who had as much reach as Rob Reiner. Comedies like When Harry Met Sallyfancy like The princess to be marriedto horror as MiseryReiner could do it all and made some big movies in his top 10. However, 1994’s north marked the beginning of the end when it came to Reiner classics.
User Aqquila89 points out that while Reiner still had some good movies, like The American President, he did not reach the heights of his early films. They think it’s richly deserved, too, because “All of Reiner’s subsequent films have been forgettable, whereas before he was doing almost nothing but classics.”
2 Ron Underwood – The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
Eddie Murphy made questionable career choices in the 2000s, no more than The Adventures of Pluto Nash, a movie that made $7 million on a $100 million budget (per Box Office Mojo). It was directed by Ron Underwood, who had previously directed films like Tremors and city dwellers.
A Reddit user by the name of Givemeyourfingernails pointed out how this movie completely changed Underwood’s career, saying, “Pluto Nash came along and he hasn’t done a feature since. Lots of TV work , but I doubt that’s where he saw his career.” While Pluto Nash may have disappointed, it’s sad that such an accomplished director couldn’t embark on a big-budget project again.
1 Frank Capra – It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
One of Hollywood’s greatest saw his film career hurt by his greatest achievement. When he first came out, It’s a wonderful life bombed, hurting the careers of Capra and Jimmy Stewart. The heartwarming film’s eventual popularity did neither of them any favors, and Capra’s career never really recovered.
Reddit user Neurotic_Marauder had this to say when discussing the film’s impact on Capra’s career: “It was a financial failure when it came out and Capra himself said it was ‘fatal’ to his career. Capra would only direct TV or low-budget films after Wonderful Life’s release and he never directed another big-budget film again.” It’s hard to imagine a film considered a Christmas classic having so actively damaged the career of the man who directed it.
