When it comes to the silver screen, the director usually reigns supreme, steering the story, the performances, and the visual style toward a cohesive, compelling masterpiece. Yet even the most celebrated auteurs can find themselves out of a chair when egos clash, budgets explode, or creative visions diverge. In this top 10 famous roundup, we dive into the dramatic exits of ten legendary directors whose careers were briefly derailed by an unexpected dismissal.
Why These Top 10 Famous Directors Got the Ax
10 Peter Godfrey and Joseph von Sternberg
Because both men helmed different portions of the same picture and were both shown the door by the same mogul, we treat them as a single entry.
Howard Hughes had assembled a glittering cast—Janet Leigh and John Wayne—along with a high‑stakes espionage tale: a Soviet spy defects, flies to Alaska, meets a handler, marries her, and together they flee back to Russia only to escape a deadly chase. Hughes was prepared to bankroll the whole enterprise himself, but he still needed a director to bring it to life.
He first tapped Warner Bros. veteran Peter Godfrey, only to fire him within days and replace him with the enigmatic Josef von Sternberg. Sternberg’s brusque manner quickly alienated both leads, and he, too, was dismissed after a brief rehiring stint. Though Sternberg kept the directorial credit, it was actually Jules Furthman—who co‑wrote the script with Hughes—who finished the film seventeen months after shooting began. Hughes, unimpressed with the final product, shelved the movie until the technology featured in it became outdated, causing the picture to “lose millions” and bruising Hughes’s pride.
Godfrey, an actor‑turned‑director, had previously guided stars such as Barbara Stanwyck, Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, Ida Lupino, and Mickey Rooney. Sternberg’s résumé boasted collaborations with Marlene Dietrich (including the iconic The Blue Angel, 1930) and work with Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, and Cesar Romero.
The only one lacking a substantial directing pedigree was Furthman, primarily a screenwriter. Yet even his involvement couldn’t satisfy Hughes, just as the billionaire’s own ill‑fated 1957 aviation epic Jet Pilot failed to win over critics or audiences.
9 Anthony Mann
When the producers of Spartacus (1960) began hunting for a director, the first choice fell through, prompting a frantic search. Kirk Douglas, who also produced, leaned on his confidant Lew Wasserman, head of MCA, to locate a reliable helmer. Delmer Daves was sidelined by heart problems, Peter Glenville was occupied with a Broadway production, and even the legendary Stanley Kubrick was earmarked for One‑Eyed Jacks (1961). David Lean turned the offer down.
Douglas initially favored Joe Mankiewicz, but Wasserman vetoed him, insisting the massive budget required a “technician they could manage” rather than an artist. Mann, known primarily for his Westerns, was reluctantly approached despite Douglas’s own admission that he had “no interest in doing a ‘shoot ’em up’ with spears.” When no other viable candidates emerged, Mann was hired and production began.
Accounts of Mann’s exit differ. Mann claims he wanted to tell the story visually, whereas Douglas pushed for a dialogue‑driven approach. Douglas attributes the dismissal to studio executives, while Mann and producer Edward Lewis argue that Mann voluntarily walked away, aided by the pressure of juggling four additional directors and screenwriters. Lewis says Mann left of his own accord, but that he was nudged toward the decision by the overwhelming workload.
Another perspective, voiced by Douglas biographer Michael Munn, suggests that the film was fundamentally Douglas’s vision, prompting him to label himself executive producer to keep control. Tony Curtis, who portrayed the slave Antoninus, recalls that Douglas wanted the focus on both the love story and the slaves’ rebellion, and that disagreements over this core concept led to Mann’s firing just two weeks into shooting.
8 Alex Cox
After a series of false starts, Alex Cox built a solid reputation with cult hits like Repo Man (1984), Sid and Nancy (1986), and El Patrullero (1991). When the chance to adapt Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) arrived, Cox was initially appointed director, only to be replaced by Terry Gilliam shortly thereafter.
The primary catalyst for Cox’s removal appears to have been a heated clash with Thompson himself. Their conflict became fodder for the documentary Breakfast with Hunter (2003), which captured the tension between the director and the gonzo journalist whose book was being adapted.
It also seems that Cox’s fiercely independent, punk‑rock ethos and his outspoken political stance made him a target for mainstream Hollywood powers. His refusal to compromise alienated studio executives, leading to his marginalization and a gradual shift toward European productions rather than Hollywood features.
7 John Avildsen
John Avildsen, who earned an Academy Award for directing Rocky (1976) and had previously helmed Save the Tiger (1973), arrived at Saturday Night Fever (1977) with an impressive résumé. However, clashes with producer Robert Stigwood over creative direction resulted in his removal from the set.
Stigwood complained that Avildsen kept “changing the script,” insisting on turning Saturday Night Fever into another Rocky‑style triumph. When associate producer Milt Felsen raised Stigwood’s concerns, Avildsen defended his desire for “a few changes” to give the film a more upbeat ending. Felsen warned Avildsen to back off, but he persisted, leading Stigwood to fire him.
Being canned wasn’t new to Avildsen. He had previously been dismissed from The Stoolie (1972) and Serpico (1973), and later faced similar ousters on Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Space Camp (1986), and Gone Fishing (1996). Even Kit Culkin, the father of Macaulay Culkin, refused to work with him on Richie Rich (1994). Avildsen’s steadfast independence often came at a steep price.
6 Philip Kaufman
Philip Kaufman earned early acclaim with Goldstein (1964), snagging the New Critics Prize at Cannes and praise from the legendary François Truffaut. He later directed Jon Voight in Fearless Frank (1967) and Robert Duvall in The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972). His big break came when Clint Eastwood tapped him to direct The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976).
In revising the script, Kaufman altered the original premise by keeping the antagonists relentlessly pursuing Wales, a change that impressed Eastwood and secured Kaufman the director’s chair. However, concerns soon emerged among the crew. Kaufman’s perceived indecisiveness clashed with Eastwood’s impatience, and Kaufman filmed an attack on Wales’s wife before Eastwood arrived on location. Producer Bob Daley and Eastwood both criticized the footage, with Daley labeling it “milquetoast.”
Additional issues—Kaufman’s alleged inefficiency and worries about staying on schedule and budget—prompted Eastwood to make the difficult decision to fire him. Eastwood later admitted it was “the hardest thing I ever did in my life,” taking over directing duties himself. This incident led the Directors Guild to prohibit replacing its members with non‑guild personnel on a production after a dismissal.
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5 Kevin Jarre
Kevin Jarre, a young director, faced a career setback when he was dismissed from Tombstone (1993), starring Kurt Russell. The film suffered from budget overruns, scheduling delays, and a chaotic production environment. Actors complained about Jarre’s direction, feeling he was overly prescriptive about movement and line delivery.
Jarre struggled with shot sequencing and scene coherence, leading to unsatisfactory daily footage (dailies). The movie’s length ballooned, necessitating the cutting of over thirty scenes. Co‑star Val Kilmer recounted confronting Jarre, urging him to adopt a collaborative approach and listen to veteran actor Russell, who had been performing in the industry since childhood.
Ultimately, Kilmer and Russell warned Jarre that his stubbornness would likely result in termination. Producer Andrew Vajna eventually fired him, leaving Jarre “incredibly crushed,” according to fellow cast member Powers Booth.
4 Richard Thorpe
The Wizard of Oz (1939) remains a beloved classic, yet Richard Thorpe’s two‑week stint as its director was far from magical. After the first week of shooting, producer Mervyn LeRoy convened a meeting, during which lead actor Buddy Ebsen, who had to quit the Tin Man role due to an allergic reaction, described the footage as “terrible,” “utter confusion,” and “berating” to the cast.
LeRoy later admitted that Thorpe’s style didn’t suit the fantasy genre, noting that while Thorpe was a capable filmmaker, he failed to capture the emotional warmth required for a fairy‑tale. Victor Fleming, who replaced Thorpe, brought the childlike vision needed, and the film went on to earn six Academy Award nominations, winning three, though none for Best Director.
3 Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks wore many hats—screenwriter, producer, and director—working with icons such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Paul Muni, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Cary Grant, and Katharine Hepburn. His impressive filmography includes The Dawn Patrol (1930), Scarface (1932), Today We Live (1933), Barbary Coast (1935), Ceiling Zero (1936), Bringing Up Baby (1938), and Sergeant York (1941).
Surprisingly, Hawks was dismissed from The Outlaw (1943), starring Jane Russell and Walter Huston, by billionaire Howard Hughes, who is credited as the film’s director. After completing Sergeant York, Hughes grew frustrated with Hawks’s meticulous attention to detail and his habit of walking off set, leading Hughes to replace him. Notably, Hughes designed the revealing bra worn by Russell in the film.
2 George Cukor
George Cukor, a revered Hollywood director, was removed from the epic Gone with the Wind (1939). Rumor has it that producer David O. Selznick fired him after star Clark Gable expressed discomfort with Cukor’s homosexuality, despite their prior collaboration on Manhattan (1933).
While Gable’s alleged bias may have contributed, Selznick also cited creative differences: he felt Cukor couldn’t grasp the film’s expansive scope and was overly focused on intimate scenes and female characters, prompting the decision to replace him.
1 Stanley Kubrick
By 1976, Stanley Kubrick’s résumé boasted monumental hits such as Spartacus (1960), Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and A Clockwork Orange (1971). Yet even this titan was fired from the production of One‑Eyed Jacks (1976).
Initially, Kubrick pursued an adaptation of Paths of Glory, a 1935 novel about French soldiers executed for mutiny, but MGM declined to finance it. The studio had recently released the anti‑war film The Red Badge of Courage (1951), making the project a risky proposition.
When Marlon Brando approached Kubrick to direct The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones—a story about Sheriff Pat Garrett and outlaw Billy the Kid—creative clashes erupted. Their disagreements grew so intense that Brando resorted to striking a gong to restore order. Ultimately, Brando dismissed Kubrick, retitled the film One‑Eyed Jacks, and assumed directing responsibilities himself.
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