Naturally, McG is just the latest possible director for this film. The previous director and writer was Joss Whedon who left the project for unspecified script disagreements. Now Joss Whedon's choice was obvious. Aside from his reputation for strong female figures in the action-adventure genre, Whedon possesses a cult celebrity which would counteract most negative associations with the character. I'm guessing McG's appointment had more to do with his ability to sell sex and action.
Now, anyone who knows anything about film knows that the most important role in a film is the director. The director is the captain of the ship. (Of course, the script is the hull of the ship, but if the plot holes are small enough, they can keep it afloat enough to create another Titanic.)
Knowing that superhero films are Hollywood's new cash cow, how do you determine the appropriate director? Here are some examples of the best and worst directors for superhero films.
Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2, Superman Returns)
The first real coup for comic book films was with popular director Bryan Singer whose success was mainly with the classic The Usual Suspects which introduced Kevin Spacey as a prolific leading man. Somewhat less well known is Singer's follow-up film, Apt Pupil, about a boy who blackmails his neighbor, a former Nazi concentration camp commander, to learn the truth behind the Holocaust.According to Wikipedia, Singer was offered the position of X-Men director due to his experience with The Usual Suspects directing a large, ensemble cast. He turned down the offer three times believing comic books to be unintelligent literature before reading the comics and watching the cartoons, at which point he accepted.
Well, there is your red flag. First, directing an ensemble cast is not the same as directing an "action team." In The Usual Suspects, most of the direction involves a bunch of people sitting in a room yelling at each other. In the X-Men, it is more about choreographing action from multiple figures each with their own unique abilities. This is an entirely different animal. Second, never pressure anyone who doesn't respect the source material. They may learn to respect it, but the learning curve from disrespect to being able to extract the essential elements and reproduce them faithfully is just way too long.
Yet the films sold extremely well. Even at the time, I was really happy with both films... but even then, something was nagging at me. Was it Halle Berry's atrocious acting? Or Cyclops' uncharacteristic macho posturing? Or the cartoonish plot to turn the world's leaders into mutants thereby changing the status quo overnight? Or was it just the dull black and silver tone that made everything feel a bit bland and uninteresting? Naturally, it was all of the above, which was probably a result of a familiarity of the source material without a love for it.
On the other hand, Singer lobbied for the opportunity to direct Superman Returns, although, again he shows no love for the comics, but rather the Richard Donner film of 1978 and it's immediate sequel.Presumably due to the success of the X-Men films, his offer was accepted (interestingly, McG was the director associated with the film immediately preceding Singer).
To Singer (a homosexual), Superman's duel identity served as a metaphor for homosexuality and coming out of the closet. The character was also imbued with Christ-like parallels detailing an apparent death and rebirth at the end of the film.
At the risk of sounding homophobic, Singer eroticized the role particularly for the young Brandon Routh who played the title role. Rather than attempt to set up a sense of personal identification with the protagonist, the film takes a more voyeuristic position watching both Superman's acts of grandure and his torment with a reverential distance that I found... well, boring. One gets the sense that the original Superman movies (and Christopher Reeves in particular) were highly influential in the director's budding sexuality, but excuse me if I don't care to endulge his romantic fantasies in this 154 minute, tepid love story.
In the end, Singer's superhero films don't work for me because not only is he not a fan, he doesn't try to be. He doesn't have respect for the medium and he doesn't really try to understand it. He just does his own thing... which is fine unless it isn't your thing... which superheroes aren't.
Sam Raimi (Spider-Man 1-3)
It's hard to describe what it was like to find out Sam Raimi was going to direct Spider-Man. Of course, I was cautious. Superhero movies, at that point, were still typically awful and Spider-Man, with all of his web-swinging, was arguably one of the hardest to make visually effective.But Sam Raimi turned out to be the perfect choice and here is why. First, he lobbied for the role. Raimi, unlike Singer, is a huge fan of the comic books and knew instinctively what the character and world was all about. He was also an accomplished and innovative film director (Singer, for all his cred, has rarely been accused of being innovative) whose cult status was cemented with the humor/horror series The Evil Dead. This blend of action and humor perfectly demonstrated qualities needed for a successful Spider-Man film. Of course, this talent waned by the third film, but I'm still hopeful for a strong Spider-Man 4. Still plenty of villains to play with.
Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight)
And then came Christopher Nolan. Like Raimi, Nolan had a reputation as an innovator due to his hit film, Memento, which reversed the narrative to replicate the effects of a neurological disorder.When I found out Nolan was directing, I had no doubt the film would work and there is one reason why: Nolan is a psychological director and Batman is a psychological concept.
Nolan's credits (in addition to Memento) included his independent hit Following (about a man whose habit of following random people turns into stalking one person in particular) and Insomnia, which explored this condition. In all films, Nolan tried to convey the particular neuroses of the protagonists not only through the film's text, but through his unique directorial style.
Had Nolan approached this film as "just another superhero movie," it would never have achieved the same success because Nolan recognized the obsession and guilt central to the character of Batman that forms this wonderfully complex character. Batman is, in essence, an opera about a young prince who witnesses the murder of his parents and, unable to have revenge on the murderer, takes revenge on all "evil doers" while dressing as a primal, animal warrior. Nolan imparts this storytelling tradition by featuring an opera immediately before Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered.
The Rest
Jon Favreau (Iron Man) - Although a well-known comic fan, I think Favreau's accomplishment surprised everyone to some degree, but his youthful, laissez faire, indiewood reputation no doubt helped to convey the swinging, hedonistic protagonist in a modern context.
Tim Story (Fantastic Four, FF2) - Lord knows where this idea came from. Tim Story had Barbershop and the Queen Latifah/Jimmy Fallon vehicle Taxi on his resume before he was invited to do Fantastic Four. ... Seriously, any idea what they were thinking because I'm stuck?
Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil, Elektra, Ghost Rider) - Grumpy Old Men, Grumpier Old Men, Big Bully (with Tom Arnold and Rick Moranis), Simon Birch, and Jack Frost... then he suddenly directs three dark superhero properties that all bomb to increasing degrees. This is another one that baffles me.
Jonathan Hensleigh (Punisher) - With absolutely no directing experience, I can only imagine he got this job because his wife, Gale Anne Hurd, was one of the producers. Granted, the budget was cut drastically and shooting time was cut down, but I doubt even the best conditions could have saved this stinker which butchered the script from Garth Ennis' brilliant Welcome Home, Frank and combined it with awkward western elements ripped straight from Once Upon A Time In The West.
Frank Miller (The Spirit) - Well-respected comic book artist turned hot Hollywood newcomer, Frank Miller is also a good friend of The Spirit creator Will Eisner. On the surface, this seems like the perfect recipe for success... if all comics are the same... which is, naturally, what Hollywood thinks. In actuality, Eisner and Miller's styles are about as different as Frank Capra and Stanley Kubrick. I'll hold judgment until I see it, but if the trailers are any indication... well, it doesn't matter. The movie going public has never heard of Will Eisner and has no respect for the man who is a legend in the comic book community.
Zak Penn (Watchmen) - Directed 300. ... Has absolutely no resemblence to Watchmen in any way other than the fact that they are both comics. I'm morbidly curious about this film. 300 was such a neo-con fantasy that I can't help but wonder if any of the theme about abusive of power and authority will make it through. But I don't hold much hope for the comic that Terry Gilliam and Alan Moore deemed unfilmable.
Ang Lee (Hulk) - Undeniably tapped due to the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, this movie is generally regarded as a bomb. Personally, I think that aside from a few missteps (the revised origin and the "Wha-?" ending), it did very well. Lee obviously took his source material seriously by encorporating elements of paternal abuse which were introduced in Peter David's run on the title. I think Lee's auteurist diversity in content not only helped him get the job, but helped him to work in a genre he wasn't particularly familiar with.
Kenneth Branagh (Thor) - This one I'm curious about. A famous Shakespearean actor/director directing a famous (and confusingly) Shakespearean superhero. This is one of those superhero films that I have no idea how they are going to do it. Thor never made much sense to me in the comics except as the Avengers resident god. If they use the official Marvel origin, a skinny, limping doctor named Donald Blake will discover a walking stick that turns him into Thor when he hits it against the ground... then he goes and fights crime. Nonetheless, I could see an invasion from Norse mythology in the modern day as being very cool, if handled properly.
Joe Johnston (Captain America) - This one I'm actually looking forward to. His credits include the Disney superhero movie The Rocketeer (based on an indie comic), October Sky, Jurassic Park III, Hidalgo, The Wolf Man (upcoming), and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. It's an interesting blend of action/adventure, drama, family film, and period piece experience that should all lend itself nicely to the intended World War II superhero adventure.
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