Hollywood regularly sees new directors debut films that win over critics and audiences alike. When this happens, the pressure is on the director to follow up their first film with something even better. While a lot of new directors manage to one-up their debut films, in some instances, their second films are either not up to scratch, or completely atrocious.
When a director debuts with an amazing film, the hype that then surrounds them can cause the director to tread warily when choosing their next project, with the expectation on them to succeed. While many do, there is a small number that, whether it be due to studio meddling or simply poor decision making, do not live up to the hype and go on to produce a second film with an unfavorable result.
Couldn’t: Josh Trank - Fantastic Four (2015)
In 2012, Josh Trank released his found-footage take on the superhero genre with Chronicle. The film followed three high school friends, who after making an unbelievable discovery in an underground tunnel, are gifted with superhuman powers. Their powers get the better of them, however, and they’re forced to confront the darker elements of their newfound gifts as well as their friendship. The film was a unique take on the genre and was a hit with fans and critics while catapulting its stars, Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan into the spotlight.
Trank was considered the next big thing after that film and was given the job to direct the new reboot of Fantastic Four, based on Marvel’s popular superhero family. Some poor creative decisions and drama behind the scenes of the production led to the release of a film that was universally hated, damaging Trank’s reputation as a Hollywood prospect.
Did: Jennifer Kent - The Nightingale (2018)
Australian director Jennifer Kent shook the horror world with her 2014 film, The Babadook, about a mother and her young son who are haunted by a monster found in the pages of a children’s book, known as the Babadook. The film was critically lauded for its intelligent themes that touched on grief and mental illness, making it a thought-provoking horror that hit the mark.
With such acclaim for Kent following her debut film, everyone was wondering what she would do next. She didn’t disappoint with her follow-up, The Nightingale, which was set in colonial-era Australia and followed the story of a woman seeking revenge on a group of soldiers that wronged her. Another film with powerful themes, The Nightingale may not have been seen by as many people as her first film but was equally as good.
Couldn’t: Richard Kelly - Southland Tales (2006)
Richard Kelly gave the world the trippy Donnie Darko in 2001, a film about a teenager (Jake Gyllenhaal) with an imaginary friend in the form of a man in a large rabbit suit. The rabbit incites the teen to make some questionable decisions as he tries to decipher what’s real and what isn’t. Donnie Darko went on to become a cult-classic with a narrative that’s still being deconstructed to this day.
His next film, Southland Tales, would receive much less recognition from the critics and fans as its execution failed to match its ambition. Set in a future Los Angeles where society is on the brink of collapse, the film featured three unique characters whose stories intertwine in a manner that was too complex to be coherent. While it had some interesting ideas, the film failed to deliver to expectation.
Did: Jordan Peele - Us (2019)
Actor-comedian Jordan Peele tried his hand at directing in 2017 with the film Get Out. It was adored by everyone and was a critical and financial success. Get Out follows the story of a young Black man who visits his caucasian girlfriend’s parents at their house in the woods for the very first time. All seems to go well in the beginning, but as the days pass, he begins to uncover a sinister secret.
Get Out was a unique and clever horror film that felt like it was directed by someone with a wealth of experience as opposed to someone making their debut, and consequently, audiences began clamoring for Peele’s next movie. He delivered successfully with 2019’s Us, a film that saw a family being terrorized by their violent doppelgangers. It was an unsettling horror film and even more thematically inclined than Get Out, much to the delight of the fans.
Couldn’t: Neill Blomkamp - Elysium (2013)
South African director Neill Blomkamp caught the attention of moviegoers in 2009 with his highly acclaimed science-fiction film District 9. Its themes on refugee treatment under the guise of an alien race that’s landed on Earth hit home with audiences, making it one of the more thought-provoking sci-fi films to come out in recent times.
His follow-up film in 2013, Elysium, starring Matt Damon would not garner the same amount of adoration. It banked on its themes of class division to get audiences invested, but they wouldn’t be swayed, and it earned a mixed reception. This somewhat underrated sci-fi could have gone down as a classic had Blomkamp been able to find the right balance between all the elements that make for a good sci-fi film.
Did: Ari Aster - Midsommar (2019)
Breakout director Ari Aster hit it big with 2018’s Hereditary, which saw a family going through the grieving process begin to dabble in the supernatural with terrifying consequences. Hereditary was one of the most loved horror films of 2018, and of the decade, and it would put the spotlight on Aster to follow it up with something even greater.
He did just that in 2019 with the unnerving Midsommar. With grief being at the thematic forefront yet again, Midsommer told the story of a young woman who attends a midsummer festival in Sweden with her boyfriend and his friends. There they encounter a pagan cult with some traditions that are not for the faint of heart. Fans wanted a more disturbing follow-up to Hereditary, and they found it in Midsommar.
Couldn’t: Tim Miller - Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Marvel’s Deadpool was a huge success, breaking records upon its release in 2016. The film’s director, Tim Miller, used the film’s R rating to his advantage, delivering a film that was violent, inappropriate and hilarious all at the same time, with Ryan Reynolds the perfect casting choice to play the Merc with a Mouth.
Miller would be tasked to bring the fledgling Terminator franchise back to life in 2019, with the film Terminator: Dark Fate. While it improved upon its predecessor, Terminator: Genisys, it didn’t bring any originality to the series. It was mostly shunned by fans and critics, and not even the reunion between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton could save it.
Did: Ryan Coogler - Creed (2015)
Ryan Coogler gave rising star Michael B. Jordan his first headlining role in 2013’s Fruitvale Station, a timely, grounded film that saw Jordan play a young man on a path to becoming a better person following a crisis of conscience. Things go well for him over the course of a day, until a run-in with law enforcement causes some shocking developments.
Fruitvale Station was a critical success and paved the way for Coogler and Jordan to go onto bigger and better things. Jordan went on to star in Creed under the direction of Coogler again, which was the next chapter in the beloved Rocky franchise. The film was well-received, sending the beloved franchise in a new direction and spawning a sequel.
Couldn’t: Zack Snyder - 300 (2006)
Zack Snyder is well-known as the mastermind behind the current direction the DCEU films have taken, but his first film, the remake of George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead remains an underrated gem. Snyder kept the spirit of Romero’s seminal film alive with his remake while adding his own modern twist.
Snyder followed that up with the overrated 300, a film based on the classic tale of 300 Spartans that go up against the mighty Persian army in 480 B.C. The film has earned cult status amongst fans, but it was essentially a showcase for fancy visual effects with a paper-thin plot that lacked depth.
Did: Alex Garland - Annihilation (2018)
Alex Garland gave audiences a thoughtful sci-fi drama called Ex Machina in 2014, in which a young programmer wins an opportunity to spend a week at the private resort of a reclusive tech genius, where he has to interact with an advanced artificial intelligence and report back on his findings. The film’s story dives deep into the theme of man’s relationship with A.I. and the profound effect a machine’s thought process can have on a supposed rational being.
He followed that with another clever sci-fi film in 2018 with the Natalie Portman-starring Annihilation, that sees her play a biologist who, along with a team of scientists, enters a mysterious environmental disaster zone where the laws of nature do not apply. Garland attempted to go bigger and bolder with Annihilation, both in its production value and themes and succeeded on both fronts.
