Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
08-03-14, 06:24 PM
#1
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
We had a thread about up and coming actors who never become stars, but who were the up and coming directors who fizzled out? I would say:
Eli Roth: Got great buzz with Cabin Fever, had a hit with Hostel, then Hostel 2 underperformed and he basically walked away from directing until recently. He never became the next great horror director like some thought.
Troy Duffy: Got some acclaim after Boondock Saints and then didn't do another movie for a decade.
M. Night Shyamalan: The no brainer answer. He was huge with three hit movies. People were calling him the next Spielberg. Then he did The Village. No one ever took him seriously after that and his name became mud in audience and critics eyes.
Eli Roth: Got great buzz with Cabin Fever, had a hit with Hostel, then Hostel 2 underperformed and he basically walked away from directing until recently. He never became the next great horror director like some thought.
Troy Duffy: Got some acclaim after Boondock Saints and then didn't do another movie for a decade.
M. Night Shyamalan: The no brainer answer. He was huge with three hit movies. People were calling him the next Spielberg. Then he did The Village. No one ever took him seriously after that and his name became mud in audience and critics eyes.
08-03-14, 06:31 PM
#2
Moderator
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Michael Cimino -- Deer Hunter was a masterpiece, and allowed him to get a blank check to do whatever he wanted. He decided to follow it up with Heaven's Gate, which bombed hard and ruined his career.
Orson Welles -- knocked it out of the park with Citizen Kane but studio interference kept him from ever reaching those heights again (although Touch of Evil comes close).
Orson Welles -- knocked it out of the park with Citizen Kane but studio interference kept him from ever reaching those heights again (although Touch of Evil comes close).
08-03-14, 07:30 PM
#4
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Troy Duffy: Got some acclaim after Boondock Saints and then didn't do another movie for a decade.
Cuz the jagoff screwed himself over.
08-03-14, 07:50 PM
#6
DVD Talk God
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Hype Williams
He was considered an A list Hip Hop & R&B music video director in the 90s. His style was considered ground breaking and I recall he was being touted as the next big director. Unfortunately it never materialized. He made 1 movie called Belly and it was a flop from what I recall.
He was considered an A list Hip Hop & R&B music video director in the 90s. His style was considered ground breaking and I recall he was being touted as the next big director. Unfortunately it never materialized. He made 1 movie called Belly and it was a flop from what I recall.
08-03-14, 07:51 PM
#7
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Richard Kelly
Roger Avary
Roger Avary
08-03-14, 07:58 PM
#8
DVD Talk God
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Does Tarsem Singh count? He's made only 4 movies in 14 years and I recall his first movie The Cell was considered groundbreaking in its style even though it sucked. Either his agent sucks ass or he rubbed someone the wrong way if he's not getting calls, even to direct TV.
08-03-14, 08:08 PM
#9
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Was going to chime in with John Singleton. He made one massively overpraised movie in 1991 (alongside five other hood flicks that were just as crappy) and became PC Hollywood's Golden Negro of the Year. Then he followed that up with endless craptacular movie-making. Say what you want about Spike Lee, but the fucker knew how to make good movies. Mostly.
Whatever happened to Alejandro Amenabar? Tesis, Abre Los Ojos, The Others, Mar Adentro... then he slinked off to the shadows
Whatever happened to Alejandro Amenabar? Tesis, Abre Los Ojos, The Others, Mar Adentro... then he slinked off to the shadows
08-03-14, 08:12 PM
#10
DVD Talk God
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
John Singleton should just forget his movie career. I see his last movie was that Taylor Lautner stinker and he has 2 movies supposedly in development. I'm guessing he's pretty well off financially, but I bet he could get a lot more work in TV unless he's just lazy since TV's filming schedules are more grueling.
08-03-14, 08:20 PM
#11
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Noel Black just died. He had a cult hit in 1968 with PRETTY POISON but his two subsequent features barely got released and he wound up directing series television.
Robert Downey Sr. had one hit in his career, PUTNEY SWOPE (1969), but his follow-ups, POUND and GREASER'S PALACE, didn't quite set the world on fire and his directing career was pretty much over by the late '70s.
Robert Downey Sr. had one hit in his career, PUTNEY SWOPE (1969), but his follow-ups, POUND and GREASER'S PALACE, didn't quite set the world on fire and his directing career was pretty much over by the late '70s.
08-03-14, 08:32 PM
#12
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Does Tarsem Singh count? He's made only 4 movies in 14 years and I recall his first movie The Cell was considered groundbreaking in its style even though it sucked. Either his agent sucks ass or he rubbed someone the wrong way if he's not getting calls, even to direct TV.
08-03-14, 08:37 PM
#13
DVD Talk Special Edition
08-03-14, 09:37 PM
#14
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
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Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Check out the 2003 documentary Overnight for insight into what a colossal douchebag Troy Duffy is. He actually had me siding with the Weinsteins - something I never thought I'd do.
08-03-14, 09:43 PM
#15
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Yeah, seek out an old Adam Carolla podcast with Troy Duffy. Carolla is a huge fan of Overnight and Duffy came on to defend himself and tried to say he was painted in a negative light...
he failed at making his case. He came off as a colossal douchebag and just reinforced everything in Overnight.
I'll nominate the two guys that did Blair Witch Project.
he failed at making his case. He came off as a colossal douchebag and just reinforced everything in Overnight.
I'll nominate the two guys that did Blair Witch Project.
08-03-14, 10:10 PM
#16
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Were they up and coming though? They had lightning in a bottle with Blair Witch, but I don't recall them ever having a buzz that followed them.
My first thought, Mimi Leder as a big screen director. She definitely has the TV cred, but she had two huge profile jobs in her first two studio jobs, but then fizzled.
It's funny, cause this same thread several years ago would have rightfully included Kathryn Bigelow, so lets not count anyone out!
My first thought, Mimi Leder as a big screen director. She definitely has the TV cred, but she had two huge profile jobs in her first two studio jobs, but then fizzled.
It's funny, cause this same thread several years ago would have rightfully included Kathryn Bigelow, so lets not count anyone out!
08-03-14, 10:58 PM
#20
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
08-03-14, 11:01 PM
#21
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
Lucky McKee. Lots of buzz and praise for his film May (2002). He seemed to be the next big thing in horror, but all his movies afterwards were kind of meh.
08-03-14, 11:09 PM
#22
Re: Who were the up and coming directors who never materialized?
08-03-14, 11:16 PM
#23
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Even lesser Welles films have something to recommend them. It's really pretty extraordinary how well he holds up at his best, he was amazingly forward-thinking as a filmmaker. But the studio hack jobs did prevent him from ever reaching the heights he deserved.
