8 Directors Who Reinvented Themselves After Doing The Same Movie For Too Long

Countless film directors are known for repeatedly making similar movies, although some manage to reinvent themselves with something new. It may be a filmmaker who got pigeonholed in the action genre who later went entirely against audience expectations to release an epic romance that defines the rest of their career and has an incredible impact on cinema. Other directors are known for catering primarily to a male audience, who then show a new dimension to themselves with a highly feminist story that embraces female empowerment.

Many of the best directors of all time were categorized by their longevity and their ability to reinvent themselves as the years went on. From household names like James Cameron and Steven Spielberg, truly creative artists often find the need to break away from audience expectations and produce a movie that’s unlike anything else in their acclaimed filmographies. Reinvention is one of the most interesting things a filmmaker can do, and these directors transformed their styles after years of making the same kind of movie.

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8 Steven Spielberg

Reinvented himself with Schindler’s List (1993)

While it’s true that Steven Spielberg is one of the most famous film directors who ever lived, over the course of his career, he built up a reputation for producing family-friendly movies and box office smashes. While Spielberg’s career really took off with the release of the intense seaside thriller Jaws in 1975, throughout the 1980s and 1990s, his output was mostly aimed at viewers of all ages. From E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to Indiana Jones right through to Jurassic Park, Spielberg’s bread and butter for this period of his career were all mainstream crowd-pleasers.

However, with the release of Schindler’s List in 1993, Spielberg showcased a new side to his cinematic skillset with an epic WWII historical drama. As the recipient of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Schindler’s List reestablished Spielberg as a major cinematic voice in mature adult cinema. Following this, Spielberg balanced his more family-friendly output with challenging releases like Saving Private Ryan, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies, and even the autobiographical story The Fablemans, proving his skills across any genre he tries his hand at.

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Schindler’s List is a historical drama directed by Steven Spielberg, chronicling the efforts of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved over a thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust. Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes, the film vividly portrays the atrocities committed during World War II while highlighting Schindler’s transformation from a profit-driven industrialist to a humanitarian savior.

Director Steven Spielberg Release Date December 15, 1993 Studio(s) Amblin Entertainment Writers Thomas Keneally , Steven Zaillian Cast Liam Neeson , Ben Kingsley , Ralph Fiennes , Caroline Goodall , Jonathan Sagall Runtime 195 Minutes Budget 22000000.0 Main Genre Drama Expand

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7 David Fincher

Reinvented himself with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

David Fincher is among the greatest filmmakers, and every entry in his filmography has something interesting to say. While Fincher got off to a rocky start with his directional debut Alien 3, following the release of Se7en he continued his success with a hot streak of fantastic psychological thrillers, including The Game, Fight Club, and Panic Room. With a talent for directing truly compelling stories with sinister undertones, after making the criminally underrated mystery thriller Zodiac, Fincher shifted gears and reinvented himself.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an interesting oddity in Fincher’s career as it switched up his usual formula to tell the thematic rich story of a man (Brad Pitt) who ages in reverse. With elements of fantasy, this adaptation of a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald showcased a different side to Fincher and proved he was far from a one-trick pony. Although Fincher has since returned to more thriller-style releases such as Gone Girl and The Killer, subsequent movies like the biographical dramas The Social Network and Mank highlight his talents for reinvention and taking artistic risks.

6 Ridley Scott

Reinvented himself with Thelma & Louise (1991)

Ridley Scott gained widespread recognition for directing legendary sci-fi movies like Alien and Blade Running, two releases that solidified his place among the best filmmakers of the 20th century. With a reputation for making large-scale action movies primarily aimed at a male audience, taking a deeper look at Scott’s career, it’s actually far more nuanced than that. A prime example of Scott’s incredible versatility was the way he reinvented his style with Thelma & Louise, a feminist road trip story that addresses chauvinist male behavior and embraces female empowerment.

As a landmark film in feminist cinema, Thelma & Louise is just one of several times that Scott reinvented himself and proved his talents across different styles. From the rom-com appeal of A Good Year with Russell Crowe to the Scorsese-like crime epic American Gangster, Scott is no stranger to reinvention and taking chances. However, despite Scott’s willingness to try new things he’s also just as comfortable embracing his legacy, as seen from his Alien prequel movies like Prometheus to the upcoming legacy sequel Gladiator II.

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*Availability in US Director Ridley Scott Release Date May 24, 1991 Writers Callie Khouri Cast Susan Sarandon , Geena Davis , Harvey Keitel , Michael Madsen , Christopher McDonald , Stephen Tobolowsky Main Genre Adventure

5 Woody Allen

Reinvented himself with Interiors (1978)

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Woody Allen carved out a unique persona for himself during the 1970s, as his cinematic style involved a neurotic everyman dealing with the complexities and challenges of everyday existence. This was seen when he wrote and directed himself in comedies like Sleeper, Love & Death, and the Best Picture winner Annie Hall. As Allen’s comedic skill improved throughout the decades, he gained further acclaim and, following this major Oscar win, would have been expected to continue his filmmaking career in the same comedic vein.

However, after Annie Hall, Allen changed tact entirely and reinvented his style with the intense family drama Interiors, a film he wrote and directed but did not appear in. With far more in common with the work of Ingmar Bergman than anybody in the world of comedy, Interiors played into Allen’s more intellectual side as he highlighted his interest in dramatic, non-comedic works. While Allen never again made a drama as intensely serious as Interiors, the after-effects of this film are clear in later releases like Crimes and Misdemeanors or Blue Jasmine.

4 George Miller

Reinvented himself with Babe (1995)

Australian director George Miller burst onto the filmmaking scene with his directional debut Mad Max in 1979, a movie that not only acted as the inception point for the long-running franchise but also Mel Gibson’s breakout role. As a revolutionary action movie made on a shoestring budget, its sequel, Mad Max 2, expanded on its dystopian apocalyptic worldbuilding, and Miller cemented himself as a brave new voice in contemporary cinema. While Miller did broaden his horizons with other releases like the supernatural comedy The Witches of Eastwick and the drama Lorenzo’s Oil, in 1995, he reinvented himself for an entirely new audience.

With the release of Babe, a kids’ friendly film co-written by Miller, he opened the door to children’s entertainment and even directed the sequel Babe: Pig in the Big City in 1998. Despite Miller’s reputation as the director of the gritty, punk rock, violent Mad Max franchise, he further confounded audience expectations by making two Happy Feet movies, a light-hearted series about a tap-dancing penguin. Although Miller has since returned to his Mad Max roots, much of his filmography now comprises child-friendly family entertainment.

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Gentle farmer Arthur Hoggett wins a piglet Babe at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner, Babe bonds with motherly border collie Fly and discovers that he too can herd sheep. But will the other animals accept him?

Director Chris Noonan Release Date July 18, 1995 Writers Dick King-Smith , George Miller , Chris Noonan Cast Christine Cavanaugh , Miriam Margolyes , Danny Mann , Hugo Weaving , Miriam Flynn , Russi Taylor Runtime 89 minutes Main Genre Adventure Expand

3 Adam McKay

Reinvented himself with The Big Short (2015)

Adam McKay started his career as a writer for Saturday Night Live during the 1990s and used this experience to become a major comedy director, making films collaborating with the show’s alumni, such as Will Ferrell. With Ferrell, McKay directed Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, and The Other Guys and was at the forefront of comedy movies during the 2000s. These beloved films were hugely successful, but they typecast McKay as a director of just one particular movie style. That was until he reinvented himself with the release of The Big Short in 2015.

While The Big Short was still a comedy, it was a far different beast from anything McKay had previously made, and its biting satire of the 2008 global recession proved that he had the skills needed to create highly relevant social commentaries. As a Best Picture nominee at the Academy Awards, the release of The Big Short signaled the dawning of a new, more satirical, and socially aware phase of McKay’s career. This new style extended into all of McKay’s subsequent feature films, including the Dick Cheany biopic Vice and the climate change satire Don’t Look Up.

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A fictionalized depiction of the events surrounding the financial crisis of 2007-2008, The Big Short employs narrative techniques such as fourth-wall breaks to succinctly explain financial concepts to its audience, using Michael Lewis’s 2010 book as a template. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt. 

Director Adam McKay Release Date December 23, 2015 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Writers Adam McKay , Charles Randolph Cast Brad Pitt , Melissa Leo , Ryan Gosling , Marisa Tomei , Steve Carell , Christian Bale Runtime 130minutes Budget $50 million Expand

2 James Wan

Reinvented himself with Furious 7 (2015)

The Australian filmmaker James Wan has made a name for himself as a major voice in the world of horror. As the co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises and the creator of The Conjuring Universe, Wan was responsible for some of the most successful horror movies of the 21st century. As a director, writer, and producer, Wan has been involved in dozens of horror films, although he still found the time to reinvent himself and prove his action movie credentials with the excellent Fast & Furious installment Furious 7 in 2015.

Despite being a major change of pace for Wan, Furious 7 is still one of the best movies in the entire Fast & Furious franchise, as it continues to up the stakes and become increasingly outrageous with each subsequent movie. From the director of low-budget horror movies to the man behind a major action blockbuster, Wan’s first big-budget movie allowed him to direct more movies outside of the horror genre. This was seen with his subsequent superhero movies Aquaman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

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The seventh film in the Fast & Furious franchise, Furious 7 follows Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), and their found family of street racing criminals as they’re enlisted by the mysterious Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) to help save the world. When a cyberterrorist (Djimon Hounsou) threatens to steal the powerful hacking program known as God’s Eye, the Fast Family race into action in a high-octane thrill ride in order to stop him. 

Director James Wan Release Date April 3, 2015 Studio(s) Universal Pictures Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers Chris Morgan Cast Tyrese Gibson , Jason Statham , Vin Diesel , Paul Walker , Luke Hobbs , Dwayne Johnson , Dominic Toretto Runtime 2h 20m Franchise(s) Fast and Furious Sequel(s) F9: The Fast Saga1 , The Fate of the Furious prequel(s) Fast 5 , The Fast And The Furious , 2 Fast 2 Furious , The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift , Fast & Furious 6 Budget 190–250 million Expand

1 James Cameron

Reinvented himself with Titanic (1997)

While James Cameron may now be primarily focused on his Avatar franchise, the first installment of which is the highest-grossing movie of all time, the early days of his career were filled with several classic releases. As the man behind The Terminator, Aliens, and True Lies, Cameron was primarily an action filmmaker in the 1980s and early 1990s. However, with the release of Titanic, he reinvented himself as a titan of cinema who consistently broke major box office records and only worked on projects he was entirely passionate about, no matter how long they took.

Titanic was a significant change of pace for Cameron. Its epic historical romance, set around the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, was the most expensive movie ever released. Titanic also became the highest-grossing movie of all time until Cameron’s own Avatar surpassed it. The unprecedented success of Titanic meant that Cameron never had to work again if he didn’t want to. This allowed Cameron to reinvent himself and focus on refining visual and technical aspects, and it would be 12 years before his follow-up film Avatar was released and another 13 years before its sequel came out.

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Titanic is the 1997 blockbuster romantic/disaster epic based on the events surrounding the sinking of the legendary “unsinkable” vessel. Flashing back to the past and forward to the present, the film primarily follows the stories of the well-to-do and somewhat timid Rose and the poor but lively Jack, star-crossed lovers who meet aboard the doomed ship. In addition, the film tells true and fictionalized accounts of the passengers of the RMS Titanic, with an older Rose recounting her tale to the crew of a research ship. 

Director James Cameron Release Date December 19, 1997 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures , 20th Century Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures , 20th Century Writers James Cameron Cast David Warner , Kathy Bates , Billy Zane , Bill Paxton , Bernard Hill , Kate Winslet , Leonardo DiCaprio , Gloria Stuart , Frances Fisher , Victor Garber Runtime 3h 14m Budget 200 million Expand

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