7 Times That Directors Stepped Out of Their Comfort Zones

You've likely seen it before — a director known for a certain set of trademarks, or for a certain genre, makes a film that no one ever expected them to make. Whenever and wherever this occurs, the results are sure to be eye-catching. In these cases, failures can be just as interesting as successes. For this list, we want to take a look at seven directors who stepped (or leaped) outside their comfort zones and produced films that were different — for better or for worse — from their previous work. Let's get started.

Updated November 27th, 2023: Cinephiles will be glad to hear that this list has been updated with more movies that stand out among the rest of a director's filmography.

10 David Lynch — Dune (1984)

Dune (1984)

Release Date

December 14, 1984

Director

David Lynch

Cast

Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Francesca Annis, Leonardo Cimino, Brad Dourif, Patrick Stewart

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Science Fiction

As strange, surreal, and unsettling as David Lynch's films tend to be, his 1984 adaptation of Dune is perhaps his oddest work to date. Based on Frank Herbert's novel of the same name, the movie tells the story of a far future where the entirety of the universe is under one ruler. In this world, a powerful spice named Melange is the most coveted commodity, and it is only found on the desert planet named Arakis. A duke's son helps the warriors of the desert and leads them to battle against the tyrannical rule of the emperor. The sci-fi space opera film has a cult following but did not do well at the box office at all.

Why It's Different

If his name was not included in the credits, and if you didn't recognize his favorite actors in the cast, you might have thought it was helmed by someone else entirely. This is partly because Lynch did not have final cut privileges for this film, and because he himself wishes he hadn't made it. Whether you like the film or not, Lynch was out of his element, directing such a grandiose, big-budget project as Dune. Sometimes, stepping outside your comfort zone can backfire.

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9 Quentin Tarantino — Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (2019)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Release Date

July 24, 2019

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Cast

Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Damon Herriman, Dakota Fanning, Sydney Sweeney

Rating

R

Main Genre

Crime

Tarantino strayed out of his pretty violent and gory comfort zone in his most recent work, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It's a comedy crime drama that tells the story of a fading Hollywood star, Rick Dalton, and his stunt double, Cliff Booth, in 1969, the golden age of Hollywood. With an A-list cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and Al Pacino, the movie received acclaim from critics for being ambitious and different from Tarantino's usual work, while also being an entertaining movie.

Why It's Different

Quentin Tarantino is a director mainly known for his love for overtly bloody violence, and that is what sets him apart from others. From Reservoir Dogs, to Pulp Fiction, his penchant for gore can be seen in most of his movies. While Once Upon A Time in Hollywood does have some violence, it only takes up screen time during the final sequence. Even though it is a great movie, it is quite a bit different from Tarantino's usual style.

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8 George Miller — Happy Feet (2006)

Happy Feet

Release Date

November 16, 2006

Director

George Miller, Warren Coleman, Judy Morris

Cast

Carlos Alazraqui, Lombardo Boyar, Jeffrey Garcia, Johnny A. Sanchez, Robin Williams, Elijah Wood

Rating

PG

Main Genre

Animation

Yes, the mastermind behind Mad Max, the high-octane dystopian action franchise, directed an animated film about a tap-dancing penguin. Happy Feet was released in 2006 to widespread critical acclaim, winning the award for Best Animated Feature at that year's Academy Awards; but that doesn't make it any less surprising that George Miller directed, produced, and co-wrote it. He even directed the film's successful sequel Happy Feet 2, which came out in 2011.

Why It's Different

Miller's fans who are used to his usual style would have a hard time believing that the director is behind this movie. Gone are the explosive live-action stunts of his previous films, replaced here with a relatively low-stakes, family-friendly musical adventure. Now, he had stepped out of his comfort zone once before this film by directing Babe: Pig in the City in 1998. But Happy Feet was by far the more successful project, and so we highlight it here to show how versatile George Miller is as a director.

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7 Takashi Miike — The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)

Shochiku

It might seem rather strange to say that a director as eccentric as Takashi Miike even has a comfort zone. But if he does, The Happiness of the Katakurisis the closest he's come to leaving it. While he typically traffics in grotesque horror and wildly bloody action, this is a musical comedy with some sprinklings of horror mixed in for good measure.

Why It's Different

Though difficult to classify under any one genre, The Happiness of the Katakuris stands apart from the rest of Miike's filmography. Unsuspecting viewers may be surprised when greeted with bizarre song-and-dance sequences and sporadic uses of claymation. The film is a surprising blend of musical comedy and horror, which does not deal with the grotesque and cartoonish violence that Takashi Miike is famous for.

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6 Taika Waititi — Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

thor ragnarok

Release Date

October 25, 2017

Director

Taika Waititi

Cast

Tessa Thompson, Idris Elba, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Superhero

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's decision to bring Taika Waititi in to direct the third Thor movie, Thor: Ragnarok, was a strange one, but it was also probably one of the best decisions they could have made. Known for making eccentric movies that feature quirky characters, superhero movies were a far cry from Waititi's comfort zone.

Why It's Different

Thor: Ragnarok is proof that the Thor franchise needed Taika to survive as much as Taika needed it to thrive out of his comfort zone. The film is very different from his usual eccentric stories and bizarre humor, and it was also Waititi's first time working on such a large-scale project. Even thoughThor: Ragnarok was different from what Waititi had ever made before, he absolutely knocked it out of the park by bringing his own brand of humor and eccentricity into this superhero movie, making it one of the most fun MCU movies to watch.

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5 Denis Villeneuve — Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Warner Bros.

Blade Runner 2049 was a massive undertaking for French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. You can imagine the stress of helming the sequel to the original 1982 Blade Runner, which is a masterpiece of science fiction and one of the most revered films ever made. Somehow, Villeneuve carried it off, setting the stage for his later success with his 2021 adaptation of Dune.

Why It's Different

One could argue that he had already stepped out of his comfort zone by making Arrival, an ambitious sci-fi drama that differed from his earlier, more grounded work. But Arrival pales in comparison to the massive scale and high stakes of Blade Runner 2049's production. It was the first time Denis undertook a massive project that was not his usual drama or thriller. Put simply, it was a step Villeneuve had to take to prove himself ready to bring the Dune franchise back to the silver screen. And what a step it must have been.

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4 Robert Eggers — The Northman (2022)

The Northman

Release Date

April 22, 2022

Cast

Bill Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgard, Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson

Rating

R

Genres

Action, Adventure, Drama

The Northman came after a series of small-scale, intimate films by acclaimed director Robert Eggers. His first two features, The VVitch and The Lighthouse, take place in one general location and span only a short amount of time. The Northman, in comparison, stands out as a sweeping epic, complete with generational conflicts, diverse locales, and visions of the coming future. It leaps across time, telling the lifelong revenge story of the legendary Viking Amleth, who — as he repeats to himself throughout the film — must avenge his father, save his mother, and kill the traitorous Fjölnir.

Why It's Different

Though a change of pace for Eggers, he made The Northman work — although it did not perform particularly well at the box office. Even though it's hard to discern a style when he has only directed two movies prior to this, it is good to see that Eggers is not getting too comfortable in one style and taking risks. The Northman was critically acclaimed as a grand revenge thriller with phenomenal acting and great storytelling.

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3 David Fincher — The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Release Date

December 25, 2008

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Faune A. Chambers, Elias Koteas, Donna DuPlantier, Jacob Tolano

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Drama

When asked about what their favorite David Fincher movie is, most people will mention films like Fight Club, Se7en, or Gone Girl. But the audience often forgets that Fincher stepped way out of his comfort zone of mysteries, thrillers, and neo-noir movies to make a fantasy romance movie called The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The movie shows us the unique life and love of a man named Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), who aged in reverse, being born as an old man, and getting younger as the years passed.

Why It's Different

Based loosely on F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story of the same name, the film is different in story and nature than anything Fincher has ever made before. Fincher is known for making mind-bending, psychological thrillers that keep the audience on the edge of their seats and come with a twist so sudden, it blows them away. On the contrary, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the weird life of a man who was born as an old man lived, and died. The film is sweet, heart-touching, and everything Fincher had never made before.

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2 Joel Coen — The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Release Date

December 25, 2021

Director

Joel Coen

Cast

Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Brendan Gleeson, Harry Melling, Brian Thompson, Ralph Ineson

Main Genre

Documentary

The Tragedy of Macbeth represents a change of pace for Joel Coen for two reasons. First, it's a rare instance of Joel directing a film without his brother Ethan (the two are known as a directorial duo, and have worked together throughout their careers). Second, it's a Shakespeare adaptation, played fairly straight, shot in black-and-white, and lacking the trademark comedy of his other work.

Why It's Different

The movie, with a cast rounded out by Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, and Brendan Gleeson, was bound to turn out well — and it did. Still, it's a surprising film for Joel Coen to make, one that proves him to be capable of directing films that don't quite fit within his wheelhouse. The audience is used to seeing him make movies with his brother, but this film was a testament to his personal abilities away from the influence of his previous works with themes of thriller and trademark dark comedy.

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1 Sam Raimi — Spider-Man (2002)

spider-man

Release Date

May 1, 2002

Cast

Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris

Rating

PG-13

Genres

Action, Fantasy

Director

Sam Raimi

Before taking on Spider-Man in the early 2000s, Sam Raimi was a master of cult horror. He was the father of the classic Evil Dead franchise and had dabbled in a number of other genres throughout the '80s and '90s. But even though he directed an ultraviolent superhero movie called Darkman in 1999, nothing could have prepared him for the mammoth task of bringing Marvel's Spider-Man to the big screen.

Why It's Different

Despite his modest origins, Raimi raised the franchise to new heights, and his Toby Maguire-led Spider-Man trilogy is still a favorite among comic book fans. There have been quite a few directors who have directed multiple Spider-Man movies, all with different flavors. But Raimi's work is still hailed as the OG Spider-Man movies for those in the franchise. It is safe to say that taking a step out of your comfort zone is an important step towards success.

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