10 Genius Times Studios Beat The Film Director

Dredd was directed by Pete Travis and written by Alex Garland, but during post-production, Travis found himself bristling up against producers and studio executives over the final cut of the film.

Travis' decision to trim down prominent action beats created friction with the studio, who eventually resorted to locking Travis out of the editing room entirely and instead bringing in Garland to complete an edit that reinstated much of the action.

Ultimately Garland's post-production work was considered significant enough that he could seek a co-director credit, though he chose not to.

Once word got out about the behind-the-scenes issues, Travis and Garland issued a joint statement insisting their work was an "unorthodox collaboration."

And though Dredd sadly flopped at the box office - surely unaided by lackluster marketing selling it with the gimmicky title "Dredd 3D" - it received strong reviews from critics and quickly became a cult hit, going to become a strong seller on home video.

Given that the gorgeous action sequences remain one of Dredd's most-lauded aspects, the studio was smart to appreciate Garland's instincts as a filmmaker before he'd even actually directed anything himself.

And all the same, Travis still got to take credit for the movie's positive reception given that he shot all of the footage and, at the end of the day, is the only credited director.