A director new to the blockbuster budget is going to have far less power in making directorial choices. The producers and studio executives, who have certainly been involved in multiple blockbusters, are going to have yes/no power in pretty much every creative decision. There’s also definitely a dangerous leap from the Sundance indie aesthetic to blockbuster ambition. As a screenwriter, after the relative success of Smoke Signals, I was a writer for hire on a few movies that would’ve had blockbuster budgets had they been made. I love giant films (and Sundance indies) so why not try to write a blockbuster? But I was just a lowly screenwriter who’d never be blamed for a blockbuster’s failure (unless I was also the director). Whenever I read the news about an indie director leaping to blockbuster budget, I worry for them. On their first indie films, they were the dictators of a small country. On a blockbuster, they are a U.S. Representative from Missouri.
I sent it to my friend at the Ankler. Your stories are so good (and I love anything that is contrarian that is backed up with facts.). Who knows, maybe you can sell one or many of your pieces to The Ankler, Variety, The Free Press? It's just so good!
Oh thanks so much! That means a lot! I’m used to selling movies and tv stuff but have never tried with these kinds of pieces. I’ll have to look into it!
Choosing DaCosta looks downright crazy from this point of view. At 34 years old, she was not only the youngest director ever handed a budget at this level, she had the second worst total earnings, after only DuVernay (#5 biggest leap).
DaCosta is the extreme version of the problem. Her previous feature was a ~$22m horror movie. Her next was a roughly $270 million Marvel tentpole—nearly eleven times the budget. She had never banked a blockbuster, never directed a $100 million movie, and had never made anything remotely close to this scale.
Interesting, beyond the numbers is the question "why?" Why is such pressure put on a young director? Is there no middle ground? What was the real motive of the studio to thrust someone like Nia from A-Ball to the major leagues overnight, only to see her flame out?
Might be interesting to see this applied to the tech world/startups.
You mentioned it was wild that 7 directors had no history before getting a blockbuster budget, but this is not surprising to anyone who has followed VC/Investment/Tech Startups. And we're seeing it with AI investing too... Could be interesting to compare/contrast industries.
A director new to the blockbuster budget is going to have far less power in making directorial choices. The producers and studio executives, who have certainly been involved in multiple blockbusters, are going to have yes/no power in pretty much every creative decision. There’s also definitely a dangerous leap from the Sundance indie aesthetic to blockbuster ambition. As a screenwriter, after the relative success of Smoke Signals, I was a writer for hire on a few movies that would’ve had blockbuster budgets had they been made. I love giant films (and Sundance indies) so why not try to write a blockbuster? But I was just a lowly screenwriter who’d never be blamed for a blockbuster’s failure (unless I was also the director). Whenever I read the news about an indie director leaping to blockbuster budget, I worry for them. On their first indie films, they were the dictators of a small country. On a blockbuster, they are a U.S. Representative from Missouri.
I totally agree!
the depth of your research and writing is incredible.
Thank you! That means so much!
I sent it to my friend at the Ankler. Your stories are so good (and I love anything that is contrarian that is backed up with facts.). Who knows, maybe you can sell one or many of your pieces to The Ankler, Variety, The Free Press? It's just so good!
Oh thanks so much! That means a lot! I’m used to selling movies and tv stuff but have never tried with these kinds of pieces. I’ll have to look into it!
Choosing DaCosta looks downright crazy from this point of view. At 34 years old, she was not only the youngest director ever handed a budget at this level, she had the second worst total earnings, after only DuVernay (#5 biggest leap).
DaCosta is the extreme version of the problem. Her previous feature was a ~$22m horror movie. Her next was a roughly $270 million Marvel tentpole—nearly eleven times the budget. She had never banked a blockbuster, never directed a $100 million movie, and had never made anything remotely close to this scale.
Interesting, beyond the numbers is the question "why?" Why is such pressure put on a young director? Is there no middle ground? What was the real motive of the studio to thrust someone like Nia from A-Ball to the major leagues overnight, only to see her flame out?
Great research and analysis!
Might be interesting to see this applied to the tech world/startups.
You mentioned it was wild that 7 directors had no history before getting a blockbuster budget, but this is not surprising to anyone who has followed VC/Investment/Tech Startups. And we're seeing it with AI investing too... Could be interesting to compare/contrast industries.
Thanks! That’s very interesting, I’ll keep that in mind! I do think there’s a lot of crossover.