For decades, directors have been the most powerful voice in film.
But now, it is often the producer who rules.
In moviemaking there is one god and for most of Hollywood history it has been blasphemous to suggest otherwise.
Credit: Illustration by Ellen Weinstein for EW
That deity is the director, from whom all creation springs.
But the balance of power can shift, and right now, producers are increasingly seizing it.
(In an ironic twist, that project may now go to Lord and Miller.
Ron Howard, meanwhile,will take overthe Han Solo film.)
If all of this upheaval seems unusual, it is.
Of the 20 highest-grossing films last year, more than half were franchise installments and/or based on comic-book characters.
Those 12 films alone accounted for almost one-third of the total tickets sold in 2016.
And almost all of them were overseen by powerful producers.
In a way, movies are adapting a model pioneered in TV.
Rhimes and Murphy are brands, and few would disagree that they’re artists.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the result of many stars and storytellers, but would it exist without Feige?
WouldStar Warshave rebounded (after the moribund prequels ended in 2005) without Kennedy?
That may be ego-bruising for directors, but it’s hard to argue with results.
Box office has been strong.
Critics have been generally positive.
IfWonder Womanis any indication, they’re back on track.
James Gunn, for example, did just that with theGuardians of the Galaxymovies.
But when it comes to theStar Warsuniverse, the one who wields the Force is Kathleen Kennedy.
