New Blood: Ten Director Newcomers Looking to Make Their Marks in 2012

Not only can we look forward to a number of excellent films from established directors in 2012, but there are a number of newer directors looking to release new films as well… and for some of them its their first!

Now my definition of “newcomer” is simply this: the director in question had directed less than three feature films released prior to 2012.  Therefore there are some names on this list that have been in showbiz for decades but aren’t yet seasoned professionals when it comes to directing movies.  These are ten directors who are still learning the craft — even if many of them aren’t quite young!

 

Ben Affleck (Argo, opening September 14)

He might have gained his fame from acting, but recent years have revealed that Affleck is even more talented as a director.  While his first two films, Gone Baby Gone and The Town, were excellent crime dramas, his third, Argo, is based on a true story during the Iran Hostage Crisis.  Like The Town Affleck will star, but it’s beginning to become clear where his true talent is.

David Chase (Twylight Zones, opening October 19)

While Chase had conquered television with writing, directing, and producing HBO’s The Sopranos, Chase has never directed a feature film in his nearly forty year career.  So it’s no surprise that he’s set his film in a familiar setting — New Jersey — and has called on some friends from his television work — James Gandolfini and Steven Van Zandt — to help him tell the story of a 1960s garage band.

Ruben Fleischer (The Gangster Squad, opening October 19)

Longtime commercial and music video director Fleischer wowed audiences with his first film, Zombieland, but his follow-up, 30 Minutes or Less, did about half the business.  He moves into totally new territory with The Gangster Squad, a true-life crime drama starring heavyweights Sean Penn and Josh Brolin.  Fleischer has a lot to prove on this one — and with the long history of Warner Bros. gangster films he has quite a legacy to follow.

Anthony Hemingway (Red Tails, opening January 20)

After spending years working as a second unit director and directing dozens of episodes of television series, Hemingway was handpicked by George Lucas to direct Lucas’ Tuskegee Airman project, which he has been talking about doing since the 1980s.  Suffice to say, there is a lot of pressure on Hemingway to live up to the Lucasfilm standards (well, those haven’t been particularly high in the last decade or so…)

Seth MacFarlane (Ted, opening July 13)

MacFarlane doesn’t seem to sleep — not only does he have three high-rated animated shows running, but 2012 will see the release on his first feature film.  Starring Mark Wahlberg, Ted is a comedy about a man’s childhood teddy bear coming to life.  It also features Mila Kunis and Patrick Warburton from McFarlane’s Family Guy, and MacFarlane will be voicing the title character.  While I admit I’ve found MacFarlane’s shows to have dropped in quality, I’m definitely interested in what he can do on the big screen.

James McTeigue (The Raven, opening March 9)

After working with the Wachowskis for years, McTeigue came into his own with directing V For Vendetta (which has certainly drawn interest of the Occupy Wall Street crowd lately) and the, well, mediocre Ninja Assassin.  The Raven, which is McTeigue’s first film without the Wachowskis producing, is based on the life of Edgar Alkan Poe (played by John Cusack).  It looks very Guy Richie Sherlock Holmes-ish, and that’s not a bad thing.

Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph, opening November 2)

Moore has worked for years in animation, directing episodes of The Simpsons, The Critic, and Futurama, and in 2012 will release his first feature film, Wreck-It Ralph, for Disney Animation.  Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) is a villain in a classic arcade game who decides enough is enough: he wants to be the good guy.  It’s a clever concept that will likely play well with the old school crowd.

Lorene Scafaria (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, opening April 20)

It’s quite a leap — after writing the successful Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Scafaria will be directing her first film, which stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.  The film’s story sounds like it’s an older version of Nick and Norah so it’s certainly within Scafaria’s experience.  Carell is coming off the well received Crazy, Stupid, Love, so it’s not unlikely that the stars will align for this one.

Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, opening July 3)

Believe it or not, Webb has only directed one feature film before The Amazing Spider-Man… and that’s (500) Days of Summer, which is certainly not very superheroic.  Webb, however, brings years of experience directing music videos and concert documentaries.  Still, he has a lot to prove — audiences have fond memories of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films (well, the first two, anyway), and Webb has to top that.

Joss Whedon (The Avengers, opening May 4, and Much Ado About Nothing, opening TBD)

Like David Chase, Whedon has worked for years in television yet has only directed one film, 2005′s Serenity (which was a spinoff of his television show Firefly).  But the fanboy favorite seemed to be the perfect choice to direct Marvel’s The Avengers even though Disney could have gone with a director with more action film experience.  Whedon actually has two films coming out next year: he also has an adaption of Much Ado About Nothing, which he is currently seeking a distributor for.  If anything else, it shows that he’s versatile!

Best of luck to these “inexperienced” directors in 2012!

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