There are many great directors who sometimes spend a few years without making a film and, as fans, we can only hope that they start working on a new project soon.
With that in mind, here is a selection of 10 great filmmakers who haven’t made a movie in awhile. With projects in pre-production or not having anything on the horizon, here are 10 directors who have not released any feature films in recent years.
As always, many things interfere in the choice of the names that figure on this list, but the main factors are memory and personal preferences. If you think any other directors who did not make a movie for some time should be on this list, please leave their names as a recommendation in the comments section below.
So, here are 10 great directors who haven’t made a movie in awhile:
10. Milos Forman
Director Milos Forman is a filmmaker responsible for amazing movies such as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975), “Hair” (1979) and “Amadeus” (1984).
Now at 85 years old, the filmmaker, who was born in Czechoslovakia on February 18, 1932, started his film career in his country, being one of the most outstanding directors of the Czechoslovak New Wave.
In the U.S., Forman directed great films in the 70s, 80s and 90s, such as the aforementioned “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Hair” and “Amadeus,” and others such as “The People vs. Larry Flynt” (1996), “Man on the Moon” (1999) and “Goya’s Ghosts” (2006).
Through the years, with amazing films, Forman has won Academy Awards, Golden Globes, a Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Also, Forman is one of the most important directors of both the Czechoslovak New Wave and the New Hollywood Wave, for the movies he did during the 70s in the U.S.
Despite his amazing career, Forman hasn’t made a film since 2009, where he co-directed with Petr Forman the musical “A Walk Worthwhile.” Now, we can only hope to see more of his films.
Milos Forman movies you should:
– Taking Off (1971)
– One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
– Hair (1979)
– Amadeus (1984)
– The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
9. David Fincher
David Fincher is one of the best American filmmakers who started their careers in the 90s, and is truly one of the best directors working today. From his bad experience with “Alien 3” (1992) to his latest feature film “Gone Girl” (2014), he became a filmmaker with a very solid career and also with some acclaimed television projects in shows such as “House of Cards” and “Mindhunter.”
It has been announced that Fincher will be helming the sequel to the film “World War Z 2” starring Brad Pitt, but there’s no date set for the release of the movie yet.
With solid work in film and television, Fincher deserves to be considered among the best filmmakers of his generation and a director from whom we truly hope to see more movies soon.
David Fincher movies you should watch:
– Seven (1995)
– The Game (1997)
– Zodiac (2007)
– The Social Network (2010)
8. John Carpenter
Master of horror John Carpenter is without a doubt one of the most underrated filmmakers in the history of American movies.
Being most famous for his films made in the 70s and 80s, John Carpenter’s latest film, “The Ward,” was released in 2010 and he hasn’t directed a feature film since. Despite that fact, he has collaborated on soundtracks for TV series such as “Stranger Things” and for movies such as “Love” (2015; dir. Gaspar Noé). Also, he is an executive producer of the new film from the “Halloween” franchise that is currently filming.
Although not being as acclaimed as he deserves, Carpenter is a filmmaker who we surely hope will get back to the director’s chair as soon as possible.
John Carpenter movies you should watch:
– Halloween (1978)
– The Fog (1980)
– Escape from New York (1981)
– The Thing (1982)
– They Live (1988)
7. Jane Campion
The only female filmmaker in history to win the Palme d’Or, Jane Campion is one of the most sensitive directors working today. Allying great screenwriting and character arcs with the singular atmosphere of her films, Campion is definitely a filmmaker whose movies should be watched.
Since her film “Bright Star” premiered in 2009, she has not directed a feature film. In the latest years she worked as the creator – alongside Gerard Lee – of the TV show “Top of the Lake,” which had two seasons, one in 2013 and one in 2017, and also worked as a writer and director of some of the episodes of the show.
At the moment, there is no project announced with Campion in the director’s chair, but in 2017 the movie “They,” directed by Anahita Ghazvinizadeh and produced by Campion, was screened at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.
Jane Campion movies you should watch:
– Sweetie (1989)
– An Angel at my Table (1990)
– The Piano (1993)
– The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
– Bright Star (2009)
6. Dario Argento
A true Italian master.
Dario Argento is one of the most important – and one of the best – horror film directors in history. His movies from the 1970s and 1980s have inspired and been a great influence to many filmmakers from the next generations who worked and still work in the genre.
Since his latest film “Dracula 3D” was released in 2012, Argento hasn’t directed a feature film, but his new project, entitled “The Sandman” is currently in pre-production, so we probably won’t have to wait that long for a new Dario Argento movie.
Dario Argento movies you should watch:
– Deep Red (1975)
– Suspiria (1977)
– Tenebre (1982)
– Phenomena (1985)
– Opera (1987)