Summary
Directors who successfully pivot to new genres and make fantastic films showcase their versatility and artistic ability to take risks.
Examples of directors who have successfully switched genres include George Miller with “Happy Feet,” Adam McKay with “The Big Short,” and David F. Sandberg with “Shazam!”
The success of these directors in new genres demonstrates their ability to explore new ideas and reinvent themselves, ultimately leading to the creation of great films.
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Even the most prolific directors tend to be known for a certain style or genre, but some have succeeded in entirely new territory. Some of the greatest filmmakers, like Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg, have reputations for their versatility, but even they can be primarily associated with a type of film. Scorsese is well regarded for his gritty crime films like Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and Casino, while Spielberg is known for great family/adventure movies like Jurassic Park and Jaws.
In rare cases, directors have pivoted to new genres and made fantastic films, offering their cinematic language to something entirely different. It’s a testament to a director’s ability to succeed in multiple genres. The exploration of new ideas and styles signifies a great artist willing to take risks, and many of the best filmmakers ever constantly sought to reinvent themselves with new methods. While there are many cases where directors failed in new genres, great films have come from directors succeeding in trying something new.
11 George Miller – Happy Feet
George Miller is a director best known for the dystopian action franchise Mad Max. He’s regarded as a great writer and director despite not having the most extensive filmography, primarily due to being able to make the classic iconic Mad Max saga and then repopularize the franchise decades later with Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s surprising and endearing that his main projects in between the gritty, post-apocalyptic action films were Babe and Happy Feet. The latter grossed nearly $400 million and is one of the best family films of its era.
RELATED: 10 Times Movie Directors Switched Genres & Failed
10 Adam McKay – The Big Short
Adam McKay redefined his career in the 2010s. Having previously been known for absurd comedy films like Anchorman and Step Brothers, McKay made a dramatic shift with The Big Short in 2015. The film depicts the 2007-2008 mortgage crisis and was celebrated for criticism of Wall Street and American corporate greed. McKay has since been known for exploring his political views in films like Vice and Don’t Look Up, but these ideas were present in his comedies. His films have always captured the absurdity of current world issues, but McKay is getting less subtle with his satire.
9 David F. Sandberg – Shazam!
Shazam! was the film set to establish a lighter tone for the DCEU following the bleak world established in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. That’s why David F. Sandberg was a strange choice to lead the project, as his previous credits were all horror films, including Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation, and several shorts he’d been making for over a decade. Shazam! offered a complete contrast to his usual work, regarded as a tender, family-friendly adventure movie. DC found similar success employing horror director James Wan to direct Aquaman.
8 Todd Phillips – Joker
Like Adam McKay, Todd Phillips was known for 2000s comedy films before shifting his career with Joker. Phillips’ comedies were known for their raunchy and dark material, with Old School and The Hangover films being his most notable work. Joker was both a critical and commercial success, earning several awards and grossing over $1 billion at the box office. Todd Phillips will continue exploring the character in Joker: Folie à Deux.
7 David Lynch – The Straight Story
David Lynch is one of the most iconic living filmmakers, known for cult classics like Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, and Eraserhead. Lynch is known for having surrealist qualities in his films, many of which can be classified as mystery or horror. His style, coined as ‘Lynchian,’ represents a darker and ominous aesthetic absent in his 1999 film The Straight Story. Made by Walt Disney Pictures, The Straight Story is a wholesome tale of a widower in his 70s traveling across America on a lawnmower to visit his estranged brother and make things right before it’s too late.
6 Steven Spielberg – Schindler’s List
In 2023, a serious Steven Spielberg historical drama doesn’t seem too shocking, as he’s since made films like Lincoln, The Post, and War Horse. However, in 1993, Schindler’s List was a deviation, especially considering it was released the same year as Jurassic Park. His most well-known films had been exciting tales like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jaws, and even his previous historical drama, Empire of the Sun, was told from the perspective of a child’s wonder and innocence. Schindler’s List is considered one of the best movies ever, exploring the cruelty of war and Anti-Semitism.
5 Greta Gerwig – Barbie
While Barbie explores similar themes to Greta Gerwig’s earlier work, it’s the first project the director has taken on such a large scale. Little Women and Lady Bird were excellent drama films with a more niche appeal. Barbie allowed Greta Gerwig to work with a budget over three times larger than her previous projects, and the comedy proved to have a widespread appeal, grossing over $1.4 billion at the box office.
4 Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow has been making films since the 1980s, but The Hurt Locker marked a turning point in her career of award success and mass critical acclaim. Set during the Iraq War, The Hurt Locker follows an army bomb squad and their psychological reactions to war and the chain of command. Previous films in her career, like Point Break and K-19: The Widowmaker, had been largely hit or miss, but The Hurt Locker was a complete success upon release, as was her follow-up film Zero Dark Thirty.
3 Ang Lee – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ang Lee has directed films in many genres, from the 2003 Hulk movie to the romantic drama Brokeback Mountain. One of Ang Lee’s best films was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which saw the director venturing into the martial arts genre. Despite his great success in creating one of the most iconic wuxia films, Ang Lee never returned to the genre, allowing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to remain a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
2 Spike Lee – Inside Man
Spike Lee is regarded as one of the best filmmakers of his generation, having directed massively influential works exploring social issues in America. After films like Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X, Inside Man seems like a strange choice as a crime thriller. Despite venturing into new territory, Inside Man is an exciting heist film that managed to be one of Spike Lee’s best movies. The director integrates his usual visual motifs like the double dolly shot into the project, and the film also stars his regular collaborator, Denzel Washington.
1 James Cameron – Titanic
James Cameron is one of the highest-grossing directors ever, with many of his films being sci-fi action/adventure works like Aliens, The Terminator, and Avatar. Titanic is James Cameron’s only historical film and managed to be one of the most successful movies of all time, capturing the fascination viewers had for the famous real-world event. Titanic is the fourth highest-grossing film ever, won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and is known as an iconic cinematic classic, proving Cameron could do more than just action.