Despite what the naysayers are trying to get everyone to believe, superhero movies are dominating the box office. Everyone keeps talking about the bubble bursting, but it hasn't happened yet and doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon. While some older directors may claim that they don't want to make superhero movies, they're actually the best place for young talent to build up their resume. Given the "shared universe" nature to these movies, the production process is more in line with television than the typical movie. This makes it easier for young, indie or otherwise inexperienced directors to step up to the plate and score a big hit.
That being said, working on these films doesn't always work out. Directors are used to having a certain amount of freedom during production. In a shared universe, however, everything has to be uniform in tone and style, and the story has to fit into a larger plot. More experienced or visionary directors don't always gel with this process. Over the last few decades, more than a few directors have walked away from superhero movies. Plenty have also been fired. Here are all the casualties of superhero filmmaking.
15 WALKED AWAY: DARREN ARONOFSKY ON THE WOLVERINE
Back in 2010, the X-Men film franchise was in a weird place. Both X-Men:The Last Stand (2006) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) made a lot of money, but were panned by both critics and audiences alike. Fox was determined to make another solo Wolverine film, but needed to regain fan's trust. So, Darren Aronofsky was brought on board to direct.
Aronofsky is known for award winning films like Requiem for a Dream (2000) and The Wrestler (2008).
Fans were excited to see the arthouse director step out of wheelhouse and make an action oriented superhero movie. Unfortunately, Aronofsky stepped away from the project in 2011, claiming that the production would keep him away from his family for too long. James Mangold replaced Aronofsky, and the result was one of the most forgettable entries in the X-Men franchise.
14 WALKED AWAY: BEN AFFLECK ON THE BATMAN
After the success of films like Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Town (2010) and Argo (2012), Ben Affleck had built up a fairly strong reputation as a director. So, when he signed on to play Bruce Wayne in Batman V Superman (2016), it only made sense that Warner Brothers would take advantage of Affleck's directing skills. Rumors started circulating in 2015, and they became official in early 2016: Ben Affleck would direct The Batman.
Then, the reviews for Batman V Superman started coming in, and they were less than positive. Suddenly, Affleck seemed less enthusiastic about his role in the DCEU. He slowly started distancing himself from the picture, saying he'd only direct if there was a great script. He officially stepped down from directing the film in early 2017, and it's not even clear if he still plans on starring in it at this point.
13 WALKED AWAY: BRYAN SINGER ON X-MEN 3
There was a time when nobody thought the X-Men could be turned into a successful live action movie. Then, Bryan Singer proved the doubters wrong with X-Men (2000). He came back for a sequel, and amazingly, it was better than the first. X2: X-Men United (2003) not only showed that the franchise had huge potential, but also set up the classic "Phoenix" storyline from the comics.
Clearly, Singer intended to return for a third entry.
While that may have been the original intent, that's not what happened. Singer was approached by Warner Brothers about a Superman movie, and the director couldn't turn down the opportunity. Fox made it clear they weren't willing to wait, however, and made him choose: X-Men or Superman. Singer chose Superman Returns (2006) and Brett Ratner eventually replaced Singer on X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). Neither movie was well received, so nobody won that stand off.
12 WALKED AWAY: MATTHEW VAUGHN ON X-MEN
Before Brett Ratner took over on X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Fox originally hired Matthew Vaughn to direct. Vaughn had recently directed Layer Cake (2004), a small but well received crime drama. He began developing the third X-Men movie, and even got as far as casting. Unfortunately, Fox was dead set on having the film released in May of 2006, and Vaughn stepped down claiming the studio wasn't giving him enough time to make the film the right way.
Fortunately, Vaughn got a second chance at the mutants and directed X-Men: First Class (2011). The film wasn't a huge hit, but was well received and successfully rebooted the franchise. Vaughn was set to return and direct Days of Future Past (2014). He dropped out, however, to direct Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), allowing Bryan Singer to return to the franchise he launched.
11 WALKED AWAY: SETH GRAHAME-SMITH ON THE FLASH
After the release and huge success of The Avengers (2012), Warner Brothers decided it had to ramp up its own comic book cinematic universe. While its recent Dark Knight series had wowed audiences, its realistic tone made it a bad fit for other superheroes. Feeling behind the ball, WB quickly announced that Man of Steel (2013) would be the launch of its franchise, and announced a full slate of connected films in 2014.
Included on the list was The Flash, set for a 2018 release date.
Seth Grahame-Smith was eventually hired to direct, and Ezra Miller was cast as the speedster. Grahame-Smith completed a script, but eventually dropped out due to "creative differences" with the studio. The film went on to have a troubled production, losing several more directors. It currently doesn't have a set release date.
10 WALKED AWAY: RUPERT WYATT ON GAMBIT
In a fairly surprising move, Fox announced in 2014 that it was developing Gambit starring Channing Tatum as the titular mutant. A popular member of the X-Men, Gambit typically wasn't a headline star. A movie starring him was definitely out of left field, and fans couldn't believe it was happening. Which, it turns out, was the right reaction.
Rupert Wyatt was hired to direct in 2015, with filming expected to begin by the end of that year. Unfortunately, Wyatt dropped out before the film was even cast. He claimed that it was a combination of schedule issues and creative differences with the studio. Fox had hoped that Gambit would replace Wolverine as the anchor of its X-franchise, but this would only be the start of the film's troubles.
9 WALKED AWAY: DOUG LIMAN ON GAMBIT, JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK
After losing Rupert Wyatt, Fox hoped to quickly replace the director and still keep Gambit's original release date (which was initially October 2016). The studio met with several directors, including Doug Liman. Apparently execs liked him, as he started meeting with Channing Tatum and the film's producers to work on the story.
Fox eventually delayed the film's release date so that Liman could develop a better script.
In mid 2016, Liman seemed to be pleased with the script and was getting ready to start filming. Then, he left the project, claiming the script wasn't as good as he wanted it to be. Liman was then hired to direct Dark Universe for the DCEU, based on a story developed by Guillermo del Toro. Liman then left that project too, leaving the world of superheroes behind seemingly for good.
8 FIRED: PATTY JENKINS ON THOR:THE DARK WORLD
Considering the extremely positive reaction to Wonder Woman (2017), and the exact opposite reaction to Thor: The Dark World (2013), Marvel probably regrets what went down with Patty Jenkins. The studio hired Jenkins, who was famous for directing the award winning Monster (2003), a biographical film about serial killer Aileen Wuornos. At the time, this would have made Patty Jenkins the first woman to direct a big budget superhero movie.
Then, in late 2011, it was announced that Jenkins was leaving the project. While it was described as an amicable parting at the time, rumors have persisted that Marvel fired her over creative differences. Natalie Portman, who starred as Jane Foster, was reportedly furious over the departure, lending credence to the firing rumors. Alan Taylor was brought on to replace Jenkins, and the final result was one of Marvel's least popular films.
7 FIRED: RICHARD DONNER ON SUPERMAN II
Despite delivering a massive success with Superman (1978), Richard Donner did not return to for the sequel. While this isn't exactly uncommon in Hollywood, Superman II (1980) was a special case. Production for the sequel actually began concurrently with the original film, and Donner had already filmed several scenes.
While the stories have changed over the years, Donner has at times claimed he was let go by the producers.
Richard Lester replaced Donner, and this is where things got complicated. Donner was reportedly popular among the cast, and some key players refused to return for reshoots. Unfortunately, Lester had to reshoot much of Donner's footage due to Directors Guild Rules. The film was still a hit, but the final result is a bit disjointed in tone and content.
6 FIRED: JOSH TRANK ON FAN4STIC
One of the biggest cinematic superhero disasters was Fox's 2015 reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. Tim Story directed the previous films in 2005 and 2007, and while they were financially successful, they weren't well received. Many complained that the tone was too light and overly family friendly. Josh Trank had impressed studio execs with the low budget Chronicle (2015), and he was brought on to make a more "mature" version of Marvel's first family.
The film's production was reportedly very troubled. The final result was panned by critics and became a failure at the box office. While Trank was never officially removed, it's heavily rumored that the studio took control away from him late in production. Producers reportedly came in and handled massive reshoots and editing. Trank blamed the film's failure on "studio interference," confirming at least some of the drama.
5 FIRED: EDGAR WRIGHT ON ANT-MAN
Before there was ever a Marvel Cinematic Universe, Edgar Wright wanted to make an Ant-Man film. In fact, he started working on it all the way back in 2003. Unfortunately, his passion for this project is probably what ultimately caused his downfall. After Marvel released The Avengers (2012), they wanted all of their movies to fit into the same continuity. Wright had begun working on his story before Avengers.
However, his script didn't necessarily fit with the world Marvel had built.
Still, Wright started officially developing Ant-Man for Marvel Studios, and the pint-sized hero was included in the studio's future line up in 2013. Things didn't work out, however, and Wright and Marvel parted ways in 2014. It was heavily rumored that Wright was fired over his vision for the film. Apparently, Wright wasn't as concerned with Ant-Man fitting into the MCU as Marvel was.
4 FIRED: BRYAN SINGER ON SUPERMAN RETURNS 2
As previously stated, Bryan Singer walked away from the lucrative X-men films in order to helm Superman Returns (2006). Singer developed a story that picked up from where Superman II (1980) left off (while ignoring the events of the third and fourth films). Before Superman Returns was even released, Warner Brothers signed Singer on to direct a sequel for the film.
Things turned sour a few months later when Warner Brothers was disappointed with the film's box office haul. It wasn't a bomb, but it didn't make as much money as Warner Brothers hoped. Despite Singer's enthusiasm for the franchise, he wasn't able to convince the studio to pull the plug on a sequel. Eventually, Warner Brothers decided to reboot the franchise, and Singer's sequel was officially put to bed.
3 FIRED: DARREN ARONOFSKY ON BATMAN YEAR ONE
The '90s was a rough decade for Batman. By the end of the decade, Batman and Robin (1997) had turned the franchise into a slapstick comedy, and audiences had seemingly abandoned the caped crusader. Warner Brothers didn't want to give up on the hero, and it was looking to reboot the franchise. Several ideas for a more mature film were discussed, and Darren Aronofsky actually came very close to making Batman Year One.
Technically based on the comic storyline, Aronofsky's film would be a radically different take on Batman.
Aronofsky began development of the film, and even approached Christian Bale about playing the lead role. Eventually, the studio abandoned this film and instead went with Christopher Nolan's grounded, yet more traditional, take with Batman Begins (2005).
2 FIRED (MAYBE): ZACK SNYDER ON THE DCEU
Warner Brothers clearly had high hopes following Man of Steel (2013), and planned to use the film as the launching point for its cinematic universe. The film's director, Zack Snyder, was hired not just to direct the sequel, but also a two part Justice League film. Not only that, Snyder was expected to play a key role in developing and producing the first wave of films from the DC Extended Universe.
Snyder remained involved until partway through the production of Justice League (2016). He stepped down as director, citing a family emergency. Joss Whedon finished the movie, handling reshoots and the edit. After Justice League underperformed at the box office, rumors began circulating that Snyder had actually been fired from the film. Also, Snyder is no longer confirmed to be directing a second Justice League movie, and seems to no longer be involved in the DCEU.
1 TOSS UP: TIM BURTON ON SUPERMAN LIVES
One of the most infamous unproduced comic book movies is Superman Lives. The brainchild of producer Jon Peters, it would adapt the Death and Return of Superman storyline from the comics. Kevin Smith was hired to write a script, and Tim Burton was eventually brought on as director.
This is where things get confusing.
The film was well into pre production when Warner Brothers got cold feet. The studio, reeling from a string of box office disappointments and unsure of Burton's style, decided to pull the plug. Peters was still willing to fight to get the movie, and possibly could have been successful, but Burton decided to walk away from the project completely and stopped returning Peters' calls. So, Tim Burton walked away from a project that had been killed.