A number of directors considered taking on the first film before they settled on Gary Ross. David Slade's name was thrown into the mix after his success with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. But, more surprisingly, Sam Mendes, of American Beauty fame, was briefly slated to take on the franchise. It's hard to know exactly what a director like Mendes would do with a film aimed at teenagers, given that he tends to cover pretty adult topics (Revolutionary Road, anyone?). After months of rumours, Mendes chose to take on the new James Bond films instead (to mixed results, depending on your feelings about Spectre).