10 Times Directors Hated The Films They Made

In 1981, David Lynch, who would later go on to make Twin Peaks, was offered a few different directorial jobs. One of them was Dune, another was Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Looking back, Lynch probably wishes he'd gone with the latter.

The film rights to Dune, a Frank Herbert novel from 1965, were close to expiration and the studio needed a movie to be made. Lynch was given the job and wrote a screenplay, despite not having read the original story and having little interest in sci-fi in general. Some writers left the project due to creative differences, and Lynch's final rough cut came in at over three hours in length. Universal Studios wanted Dune to last around two hours, so major cuts had to be made.

Many scenes were deleted, while more simplistic versions of older scenes were added to shorten the running time. Lynch later claimed that executive interference and pressures had hampered his control over the project, resulting in a film that didn't reflect his true vision. He disowned the film, having his name replaced with Alan Smithee or Judas Booth in various versions.