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T here’s no denying that making a film is difficult. Not only does getting a story from script to screen cost millions (at least, those with well-known actors do ), but it also requires both cast and crew to devote years to a singular project. Despite filmmaking being a labour of love, there are still occasions when a director – the person who arguably spends the most amount of time working on a film – can dislike the final results.

The majority of cases stem from studio interference: when filmmakers have to make changes to their work due to creative differences with the financiers. Other common causes for dissatisfaction are when directors are rushed into a project (mainly sequels), when they regret an early artistic decision, or – in Steven Soderbergh’s case – when they knew 15 minutes in there was a problem but continued anyway. Below are 20 directors who dislike their own films , including David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and a few Marvel directors.



David O’Russell – Accidental Love David O Russell began working on Nailed in 2008. Envisioning the film as a romantic comedy with political undertones, the director cast Jessica Biel and Jake Gyllenhaal in leading roles, and was awarded $2m (£2m) to make it – and still, the entire filming process was a mess. The set was shutdown a reported 14 times after cast and crew complained about not being paid.

Eventually, after key scenes failed to be filmed during production, the entire thing was abandoned. After Russell.

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