Some of our greatestdirectorsare also some of our greatestscreenwriters. This is well known. However, not every screenplay that was penned by a legendary writer-director ends up being directed by that prolific screenwriting auteur themselves.Related:8 Best Performances From Directors in Their Own MovieIn fact some of the most iconic movies that we associate with household name Directors, were actually written by a different and equally established filmmaker in their own right. These instances always make for a fascinating moment of one cinematic artist interpreting the work of another great. So in case you didn’t know, here are few standout movies that were actually written by iconic directors.
True Romance (1993) - Written by Quentin Tarantino
Less than a year after his iconic debut,Reservoir Dogs(1992), Tarantino had sole screenwriting credit on a slightly less iconic, but equally beloved cult film in his extended oeuvre, 1993’sTrue Romance. Directed by the late action-director extraordinaire Tony Scott, who’s visual sensibility as a director defines the films aesthetic. But the violent, hilarious, pop-culture-infused dialogue and characters is all Tarantino.
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The script also sees Tarantino exploring his meta-analysis and love of the nature of Hollywood and filmmaking itself within the engrossing plot of the film, doing so more than thirty years before he explored these themes more overtly in 2019’sOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood.True Romancestill contains some of Tarantino’s best flourishes as a screenwriter, and sets the blueprint for much of what the iconoclastic Director would go on to create in his later films.
National Lampoon’s Vacation(1983),National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation(1989)- Written by John Hughes
One cannot discuss the canon of 1980s classics without mentioning the name John Hughes. The man responsible for writing and directing an unparalleled collection of coming of age teen Dramadies that defined the 80s as a generation.The Breakfast Club(1989),Ferris Bueller’s Day Off(1986),Sixteen Candles(1984),Planes, Trains, and Automobiles(1987), need we go on!?
However, he is lesser known for writing both of the quintessential 80s classics,National Lampoon’s Vacation(1983)and it’s holiday sequelNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation(1989). Hughes reportedly based a great deal of the humor and hijinx in these beloved family comedies upon his own upbringing in the suburban Midwest. Despite the fact that he is rarely associated with this pair of classics,The National Lampoon’s Vacationfranchise is one of his most enduring creations.
Scarface (1983) -Written by Oliver Stone
The foundational gangster epic of Tony Montana and his mad quest for power in the drug trade, is a remake of the Howard Hawks classicScarface(1932) that was written by another recognizable director who was making his name as a screenwriter in the early 1980s; Oliver Stone.
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After winning the Academy Award at for best adapted screenplay for writing the crime dramaMidnight Express(1978) at age 33, Stone was without a project, and decided to accept an offer to adapt the 30s pre-code gangster classic, but in doing so he changed the setting from a prohibition era Italian gangster, to a contemporary story of a Cuban immigrant striving for upward mobility in the United States through the drug trade.Brian de Palmahas deservedly received the majority of the praise for this timeless remake, but the so much of the movie’s defining qualities were invented by Stone in the screenplay.
The Goonies(1985) - Written by Chis Colombus
Goonies never say die, and neither will the legacy of this Richard Donner-directed classic children’s adventure. The enduring quality of this movie comes from an almost alchemical mixture of talent, story, setting, and above all else, an ageless perspective of child-like wonder that the movie exemplifies. But did you know that one of the modern masters of child-friendly adventure cinema, oneChris Colombus, wrote the screenplay for this immortal flick?
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Colombus being the man who directed the first twoHome Alone(1990) movies, as well as Mrs. Doubtfire(1993),Adventures in Babysitting(1987), and brought the original twoHarry Potter filmsto the big screen among other things, has as many unassailable G-rated staples of modern movie history as any director alive. And that’s without including his creation of the world and characters ofThe Goonies(1985) from scratch!
Bridge of Spies(2015) - Written by Joel and Ethan Coen
The Oscar winning Cold War espionage dramaBridge of Spies(2015) has achieved some level of cult status within the later Spielberg canon, but it is likely best remembered for when British theater legend Mark Rylance won the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role overfan-favorite Sylvester StalloneinCreed(2015).
But the most often forgotten aspect of this prestigious war epic is that its screenplay was re-written and polished by none other than the inimitable writing and directing duo, the Coen Brothers. No strangers to historical drama themselves, theFargo(1996) director’s received a nomination along with the script’s original author Matt Charman, for Best Original Screenplay for this film, yet it is seldom mentioned in the brother’s long list of creative accomplishments from their last decade of filmmaking.
Patton(1970) - Written by Francis Ford Coppola
Two years before the release ofThe Godfather(1972) Francis Ford Coppola cut his teeth in the movie industry by writing the screenplay and creatively directing the story for the wartime biopic of the General of the U.S. military during World War Two, George S. Patton. The film was directed byPlanet of the Apes(1968) director Franklin J. Schaffner, but the final and definitive draft of the screenplay was written entirely by Coppola.
While both Schaffner and Coppola won their Oscar for Directing and Writing forPatton, but the film’s context remains relevant decades later because it serves as a triumphant beginning to one the most significant careers in the history movies. Without this screenplay, Coppola would have likely never been able to makeThe Godfathertrilogyor any of the other cinematic achievements he ended up delivering later on in his career.
10 Cloverfield Lane(2015) - Written by Damien Chazelle
10 Cloverfield Lane(2015) is tense, claustrophobic apocalyptic drama devoid of any musical numbers, or great human achievement (aside from the astounding acting and filmmaking on display) from any of its characters. The small cast of character’s in this film aren’t striving for greatness or beauty, just for survival. That’s why it may surprise you to learn that the film was co-written byLa La Land(2016),First Man(2018), andWhiplash(2014) writer-director Damien Chazelle.
Following a similar path to other writer-director’s on this list, Chazelle made a way for himself in the movie business by taking on screenwriting jobs for hire, while shopping around his early drafts of his own work that he desired to direct. One of these writing jobs was this sublimely intense underground thriller, that (spoiler alert) takes place in the previously establishedCloverfield(2008) cinematic universe. Chazelle has proven himself to be one of the most exciting and versatile talents in filmmaking today, and his contributions to the script for10 Cloverfield Lane(2015) further solidified him as an evolving master ofdifferent cinematic tones.
Next:10 Movies from the 1970s Everyone Should See At Least Once
