Directors Who Made A Classic Indie Then Directed A Blockbuster For Their Next Movie

Flashback to the summer of 1975, when a little-known director changed the very foundation of the film industry with a mechanical shark, a revolutionary marketing campaign, and a personal dream. Two years later, another young and sprite newcomer, coming off the success of "American Graffiti," took a leap of faith with his original idea for a space opera film when no one else believed in his vision. Together, Steven Speilberg's "Jaws" and George Lucas' "Star Wars" created a new movement in the industry known as the blockbuster era, where high-concept, big-budget pictures reigned supreme.

Today, this cultural phenomenon is the norm, with many up-and-coming directors being nabbed to direct the next big summer blockbuster. But before a director can be trusted to lead larger-scale productions with generous budgets, they must first prove themselves — usually by directing an independent film. Typically, indie films are identified by their smaller budgets, limited-release campaigns, and author-driven approach. Some consider indie films to have more artistic integrity compared to blockbusters backed by money-driven major studios, preferring their tendencies to take risks with original stories and stylistic choices. So when the following directors made the transition from classic indie to blockbuster, their jarring career shifts generated quite the buzz.

One of the most notable voices in the independent film landscape is director Chloé Zhao — known for her critically acclaimed features "Songs My Brothers Taught Me" and "The Rider." However, it was her third feature, "Nomadland," that took her career to the next level. But before the best picture winner even hit theaters, Marvel Studios sensed Zhao's potential. During the development of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Zhao reached out to the studio with a desire to make a Marvel movie. "I have been a fan of the MCU for the last decade," Zhao revealed to fellow filmmaker Barry Jenkins during an interview with Variety. "I just wanted to work with that team. Again, back to world-building. It is my favorite thing. That's why I love 'Star Wars.' There is a world that is so rich. I wanted to enter it and see what I can do." Impressed with Zhao's work and enthusiasm, the studio hired Zhao as director for the adaptation of the Marvel Comics series "Eternals."

Unfortunately, Zhao's direction — which was praised for its ambition and authenticity — wasn't able to save "Eternals" from mixed reviews. When reflecting on the reception of her first blockbuster, Zhao told Empire Magazine, "I have been on the receiving end of somewhat consensus, and divisiveness about my work. Neither of them has any real influence on me as an artist, because every time I'm lucky enough to create, I learn from the process." Safe to say Zhao won't let the negativity deter her from future artistic endeavors.

It's not every day that an indie feature from a debut director becomes an award-winning sleeper hit. Premiering at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Marc Webb's romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer" was praised for its unconventional storytelling and earnest charm. It was a remarkable start to Webb's filmmaking career, but surely not even he could've predicted that he'd be directing the multimillion-dollar "Spider-Man" reboot for his next movie.

In 2010 it was announced Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 4" would not be moving forward, replaced with a reboot of the franchise that became known as "The Amazing Spider-Man." But besides a coincidently perfect last name, why did Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios choose a fresh-faced rom-com director like Webb to reboot one of their most successful superhero franchises? "The key for us as we sought a new director was to identify filmmakers who could give sharp focus to Peter Parker's life ... We believe Marc Webb is the perfect choice to bring us on that journey," Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, announced during a press release. Ultimately, both of Webb's Spider-Man films were successful at the box office, and they certainly didn't mark the end of big blockbuster projects for the director.

Lexi Alexander's extensive background in martial arts and kickboxing have arguably helped jumpstart her career as a director. A close relationship with martial artist and actor Chuck Norris inspired Alexander to pursue stunt work in Hollywood, which then led to her directorial debut with the Academy Award-nominated short film "Johnny Flynton." Soon after, she directed her first feature, "Green Street" — an indie crime drama about the subculture of football hooliganism in the United Kingdom — which screened at the South by Southwest festival, where it won both the Jury Award and Audience Award. So when "The Punisher" sequel, "Punisher: War Zone," was in the works, Alexander shocked the world when she stepped up to the challenge, becoming the first woman to direct a Marvel film outside of Marvel Studios' MCU.

Alexander's initiation into the male-dominated genre caused skepticism among some small-minded viewers, who may not have thought a woman could take on the action film. Initially, "Punisher: War Zone" was panned by critics, which Alexander attributes to budgeting and marketing issues as well as creative conflicts, but in the years since its release, the movie has developed a substantial cult following. Unfortunately, at this point in her career, Alexander seems pigeonholed with projects fueled by violence and action. She's directed episodes for notable TV shows since, but a more than decade-long dry spell has left Alexander out of the feature-length director's chair for now.

The popularity of "Twilight" has resulted in a number of cultural occurrences, from the resurgence of vampire obsession to the advancement of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's careers. But absolutely no one could've predicted how an erotic "Twilight" fanfiction written by an amateur writer would evolve into its own sexy franchise of books and movies. The "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy topped every major bestseller's list, so there was no wasting time when it came to developing the story for the screen.

Conceptual artist and photographer turned director Sam Taylor-Johnson had an award-nominated indie about the teenhood of John Lennon titled "Nowhere Boy" under her belt when she signed on to direct "Fifty Shades of Grey." The decision was announced in a press release, with producer Mike De Luca saying, "Sam's unique ability to gracefully showcase complex relationships dealing with love, emotion and sexual chemistry make her the ideal director to bring Christian and Anastasia's relationship to life." Taylor-Johnson proved to be a great fit when the controversial movie dominated the box office. However, she didn't continue with the rest of the series due to conflicts with the author and moved on to her next project, "A Million Little Pieces," a few years later.

Years of directing web series and shorts led Jordan Vogt-Robert to direct his first narrative feature, "The Kings of Summer," which screened in 2013 at film festivals and was later released in theaters when CBS Films acquired the rights. The coming-of-age dramedy was charming enough for Vogt-Robert's name to be added to the pool of potential directors for the 2017 King Kong reboot, "Kong: Skull Island." Initially, the plan was for the project to be a direct sequel to Peter Jackson's 2005 remake "King Kong." However, after some reworking, Legendary Pictures decided to go a different route, creating a King Kong and Godzilla crossover instead. Jackson and his first pick director Adam Wingard were out, but Vogt-Robert was in.

Although it was only his second feature film, Vogt-Robert overcame the challenges and created a box office hit. When discussing the movie with Fandango, Vogt-Robert said, "I'm proud that when you watch the climactic battle, and when you watch many of these action sequences, they very much have my stamp on them. You can go, oh, so that's what happens when we give Jordan Vogt-Roberts millions of dollars and geniuses at ILM to play with."

Between releasing her classic indie "Monster" in 2003 and signing with Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films in 2015, Patty Jenkins spent her time working in television on series such as "Arrested Development" and "The Killing." She finally got her big break a couple of years after plans for her to direct Marvel's Thor sequel fell through. It was then that Warner Bros. knew they needed her for their long-awaited "Wonder Woman" film. "Interestingly, I had been talking to Warner Bros. before I ever got involved with Thor, and that's how the Thor guys knew that I was interested. I was putting out there that there was a kind of superhero film that I would love to do," Jenkins told Empire Magazine. "I'm so happy I got my shot now."

"Wonder Woman" was an immense success, making Jenkins the record holder for the biggest domestic opening for a female director. She then became the highest-paid woman director when she returned for the sequel "Wonder Woman 1984." However, due to the state of theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, "Wonder Woman 1984" failed miserably at the box office. Unfortunately, as we've seen with woman directors like Alexander, Jenkins may be paying the price for this uncontrollable misstep as we await Jenkins' next feature-length project.