9 Movies That Changed Directors Mid-Production–For Better Or Worse

With just about any movie–even an indie darling like Clerks–you have dozens and dozens of people, if not hundreds, involved. At the center of all the chaos, though, is the director, the one person who is supposed to be managing all of that to make sure their vision ends up on the screen. It’s not surprising, then, that movies rarely switch up directors. But it happens, and it obviously will have tangible effects on the movie itself. In some cases, though, it can change the whole industry in some way.

Among the 10 movies listed here in which the director was changed, we have a few very good ones, a few more that were okay, and one that turned out pretty rough as a result. Some of them are massive blockbusters–and a surprising number are superhero movies, despite this list reaching all the way back to 1975. When a movie is to switch directors, Director’s Guild of America rules take effect. The new director has to film a certain amount of footage used in the end product to get that director’s credit. Further, there are rules about just who can and cannot be brought in when a director leaves a production, or is ousted for whatever reason; one of the movies on this list even helped to establish that rule after the star fired the director and took over the production.

These are not the only movies that have seen this scenario unfold, but these are ten notable productions that had to say goodbye to their original director for some reason, and saw production affected as a result.