10 Directors Who Bailed On Their Own Movie Franchises (But Should Have Stuck Around)

5. Gore Verbinski - Pirates of the Caribbean

Johnny-Depp-and-Gore-Verbinski

Gore Verbinski directed the excellent first entry into the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and when the offer came around to direct two more follow-ups, how could he resist (a dump truck full of money being offered his way probably didn't hurt)?

Even though the scripts were inferior to the first film, Verbinski still proved his directing chops as far as the action sequences were concerned, so when Chicago director Rob Marshall was roped in to direct the fourth film, On Stranger Tides, many were instantly nervous that a guy rarely acquainted with action direction could deliver this sort of film.

Truly, Marshall's film lacks energy, a combination of a poor script and dull direction, making us yearn for Verbinski to return and liven things up a bit. Even if Verbinski himself is partial to a flat-out failure - his latest, The Lone Ranger, was a colossal box office dud and critical flop - he knows what he's doing when the script is right and there's a flash set-piece to shoot.

The fifth Pirates film is being directed by Kon-Tik filmmakers Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, a left-field choice that is nevertheless pretty risky; why not lure Verbinski back and guarantee box office dynamite?

Contributor
Contributor

Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.