All good points, but there is a reason why Focus distributed his films after Atonement, and not a major US studio.JohnErle wrote:Four of his five films to date, including Hannah, have been for Focus Features, and he delivered three of the top 10 highest grossing Focus films of all time. I'd say that he did very well considering the budgets, subject matter, stars, and marketing he was working with. His only studio film to date was the Soloist, and that was clearly an adult drama and not a summer tentpole, so again the expectations were different.
You're right that this is uncharted territory for him, but I suspect the producers will make sure those "Lynchian" moments you're talking about will not be a part of this production considering how much they've invested in the project, and I'm betting on him being able to deliver a big, studio tentpole that'll keep the kids happy as well as the critics. Hell, even David Lynch's Dune would have been a respectable pick had we been playing this game in 1984.
And for the record, I haven't seen Hannah because the entire concept sounded so stupid to me, but when you're talking about an original movie starring Saoirse Ronan and Eric Bana vs. a Peter Pan movie with Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried, the expectations are, again, completely different.
As for the "lynchian" elements, I only meant in terms of Hanna. His other films have other reasons why they didn't break out, but are all due to his style. While it may be possible with a huge budget he can make an entirely different and accessible film, he has yet to show that so I erred on the side of caution for this one.
Deep down I'm hoping this is not another Guardians where I have to spend most of the year eating crow.