From Edgar Wright to Justin Lin: 10 famous directors who left famous films

Directing is not easy!

While some directors make their job look easy, it's important to remember how difficult the tasks they face are. In addition to trying to please audiences and critics, they also had to bow to studio expectations, which often resulted in drastic changes in their creative vision for the film.

However, in some cases, the director felt that their vision was no longer compatible with the studio, forcing the director to leave the project. Unfortunately, these situations seem to be happening more and more often, especially with big-budget blockbusters.

Edgar Wright - 'Ant-Man'

Back in 2006, two years before Robert Downey Jr. first created Metal Armor, Edgar Wright was hired by Marvel to write and direct Ant-Man. He worked on the project for nearly a decade, went on to cast Paul Rudd in the lead role, and finally, he and Marvel realized they were no longer on the same page.

Wright left the project in May 2014, and was soon replaced by Peyton Reed, who went on to direct the entire Ant-Man trilogy, including the highly anticipated Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever . Wright did not watch the film despite receiving screenwriting credit for the film, and many Fans still wish they'd seen his original intentions for the Micro character.

Matt Shakman - 'Star Trek 4'

After decades of working in television, and mastering his craft on shows like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Game of Thrones, and WandaVision, budding director Matt Shackman finally gets the chance to make his first feature Blockbuster Star Trek 4.

Unfortunately for everyone involved with the Star Trek franchise, Shakman's time at WandaVision apparently impressed the folks at Marvel, and Shakman has the opportunity to direct the upcoming Fantastic 4, Shakman quickly accepted the offer. Since leaving Star Trek 4, the film's release date has been removed from the calendar as the studio continues to search for a new director.

Danny Boyle - 'No Time to Die'

While you might think that the chance to direct a James Bond film would be a dream come true for the British director, for Danny Boyle, the opportunity quickly turned into a nightmare. After spending a year developing the project, the acclaimed director left the film for, you guessed it, creative opportunities.

But Boyle wasted no time; he soon signed on to direct "Yesterday," a charming British film about a struggling musician from Accidentally and realized he was the only one who remembered the Beatles.

Tim Miller - 'Deadpool 2'

After Deadpool became the surprise hit of 2016, earning nearly $800 million from an estimated $58 million budget, it seems safe to assume director Tim Miller will return to direct the sequel. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Miller left the project early in development, stating that he was unable to make the film he wanted to make because Ryan Reynolds wanted control of the franchise. Thankfully, Deadpool 2 is still a success, and there's plenty of excitement for a third installment, with Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine.

Justin Lin - 'Fast X'

Justin Yifu Lin was the director responsible for rescuing the Fast and the Furious franchise, first introducing new characters in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and then continuing the story of the original films in The Fast and the Furious. After directing five films in the franchise, Jeremy Lin shocked the industry by leaving just days after filming began on the upcoming Fast X.

Lin's departure was again blamed on creative differences, with Louis Leterer selected to take over directing duties, ensuring the film would not miss its 2023 release date.

Ben Affleck - 'The Batman'

Ben Affleck made an excellent impression on fans with his black and gray look of the Dark Knight in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, many were ecstatic when it was announced that the actor would also direct and produce a Batman solo movie. Unfortunately, however, this was not intended at all.

Patty Jenkins - 'Thor: The Dark World'

With the Wonder Woman franchise, Patty Jenkins proved herself to be one of the most exciting and versatile filmmakers currently working on the superhero genre, a genre she almost forayed years earlier. Jenkins originally signed on to direct Thor: The Dark World, but left when she and Marvel had very different ideas for the sequel.

Jenkins explained that she left because she didn't believe in the project, and that if the movie didn't do well, she represented female directors everywhere and they would all be negatively affected.

Bassam Tariq - 'Blade'

There has been excitement since it was announced that Blade would eventually star alongside Mahershala Ali. Director Bassam Tariq did a lot of work behind the scenes on the film, but after several changes in the film's production schedule, the exciting director left the project.

Tarek will remain as executive producer on the project, and Jan Endermange has been chosen to replace him. If all goes well, the film will begin filming in early 2023 before releasing in September 2024. Lives up to the previous Lord of the Rings films. Still, many fans are wondering what the series would have looked like if Guillermo del Toro hadn't dropped the project in pre-production.

Guillermo del Toro - 'The Hobbit'

The Oscar-winning director left the project after growing frustrated with the many production delays that took up his time and made it nearly impossible for him to focus on other projects he was working on at the time.

Matthew Vaughn breathed fresh life into the X-Men franchise by rebooting the series with X-Men: First Class, but he also came close to directing a third installment of the original series Movie "X-Men: The Last Stand". Vaughn was initially rumored to have left the project because he discovered The idea of ​​making a movie with such a big budget was daunting, but the director has since denied it.

Matthew Vaughn - 'X-Men: The Last Stand'

Instead, Vaughan explained that he left the project because he felt there wasn't enough time to make the film as good as the first two, and that he didn't want to be forever remembered as the director who ruined the X-Men franchise. All things considered, it appears that his decision was absolutely correct.

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