Ron Howard Explains Why He Turned Down Superhero Films, "Phantom Menace"

[CBR News]

"In the Heart of the Sea" director Ron Howard opened up on why he has never accepted an offer to direct a superhero film.


Full article here.

[Mjolnir]

So what Howard is saying is we have Zemeckis, Spielberg, and Ron Howard himself for how the prequels turned out. Because Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith would have been arguably much different and better films if either of those three directors had taken them on instead of Lucas himself. Oh, one can dream of the performances either of those three would have gotten out of the actors that there were in those three films. Instead we got Lucas having done what he did with Phantom Menace times three. Wow!

[kalorama]

Not sure I buy Howard's answer about "I'd be copycatting and not inventing." I wouldn't say that most of his movies are towering monuments to innovation.

[TOTALITY]

I'd always heard that Spielberg offered to direct Episode II and Lucas turned him down, wanting to see it through himself. Never heard the part about Lucas originally offering Episode I to other directors... Spielberg on that one is the ultimate "what could have been".. Imagine what an improvement there could have been on the kid acting front alone. On the other hand I'm not sure Zemeckis would have made the movie any less cold, and I doubt he'd have matched Lucas' visual compositions so it might not have been a huge improvement. Howard has a good point about intuition in these movies; Star Wars and Empire were clearly running on some high grade intuition.. so I can respect that he recognizes when he has it or not.

[AJBopp]

Oh, one can dream of the performances either of those three would have gotten out of the actors that there were in those three films.

One can presume that a different director would have made different casting choices to begin with.

[kalorama]

One can presume that a different director would have made different casting choices to begin with.

Maybe, maybe not. As producer (and as the guy who hired the director), Lucas still would have had a major say in the casting.

[daniel]

I never thought I'd say this, ever, but that film would've been much better if Ron Howard had directed it.

My whole body hurts from typing that. I need to lie down for a minute.

[AJBopp]

Maybe, maybe not. As producer (and as the guy who hired the director), Lucas still would have had a major say in the casting.

The producer almost never has a say in the casting, or least almost never inserts him- or her- self that deeply into it, other than to try to get a big name in a lead role. But that, too, largely happens on the force of the director's skill. A director is hired precisely to make this sort of decision.

[kalorama]

The producer almost never has a say in the casting, or least almost never inserts him- or her- self that deeply into it, other than to try to get a big name in a lead role. But that, too, largely happens on the force of the director's skill. A director is hired precisely to make this sort of decision.

That's not true. Producers (and studios) can and do have input into casting. How much input can vary depending on the nature of the project (esp. the profile of the project and the budget) and the clout/power of the individuals in each role. And in this particular instance, most of the clout would have sat squarely in Lucas' lap, as the guy who created and owned the franchise and the studio that was producing the movies. In modern Hollywood, the idea of the director as sole determining voice rarely holds true when talking about big budget studio blockbusters. Such movies are almost always the result of collaborative decision making from many stakeholders.

Would Lucas have forced Howard, Zemeckis, or Spielberg to cast actors they didn't want? Probably not. But would they have simply ignored his recommendations? Not likely, esp. given that (A) based on their track records at the time--pretty much all of the actors Lucas chose for the key roles were solid gets and (B) the 3 directors listed are all friends of Lucas. So, like I said, it could have gone either way. But it most likely would have been the result of some collaborative brainstorming between all parties.

[Sighphi]

So all this hate on Lucas about the prequels and the dude was actually trying to do a proper job on them?
He actually asked directors to direct.

[Patrick Gerard]

Not sure I buy Howard's answer about "I'd be copycatting and not inventing." I wouldn't say that most of his movies are towering monuments to innovation.

I think I get what he's saying, though. He'd be doing something according to a template. However original or unoriginal you see his movies, they come from a place inside his head. To the extent he is copying, he's recreating the stuff that made an impact on him, stylistically.

I don't know I'd want him to do a shared universe super-hero movie. I think he probably could do a decent movie in the style of Raimi's Spider-man or Donner's Superman or MAYBE the first Cap film. "This is a genre film. This is self-contained. The guy in the costume is just treated as a realistic element in a love story."

Those movies, particularly the Donner films, arguably have more in common with Splash. I could see Howard doing THAT kind of super-hero film. I could see him doing Shazam with the right treatment. Maybe a Tim Bird or John August screenplay. But I think basically it has to be the kind of film where super-heroes punching stuff aren't the money shot moments.

[Thennary Nak]

I guess that would explain why he's only co-producing the Hollywood adaption of the Tiger & Bunny anime series, which is about super heroes.

[AJBopp]

That's not true. Producers (and studios) can and do have input into casting.

It absolutely is true. Any producer that tried to inject himself that closely into the casting process would find himself never working with his chosen director again, perhaps not even on the current project. Plus he would find himself in serious trouble with the directors' guild. That's simply not the producer's job.

[fumetti]

Sometimes, the best career decision is in what you turn down.

Don't do it if you're not "all in." I don't want any Star Wars or superhero movies made by people who don't absolutely LOVE and RESPECT the content.

[t hedge coke]

It absolutely is true. Any producer that tried to inject himself that closely into the casting process would find himself never working with his chosen director again, perhaps not even on the current project. Plus he would find himself in serious trouble with the directors' guild. That's simply not the producer's job.

Um...

No.

Certainly, not in Hollywood.