Steven Spielbergis one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. With prodigious talent, the director has arguably brought to the screen more iconic films than any other filmmaker, vacillating between genres to great success. But Spielberg’s talent behind the camera isn’t limited to just one job. He wrote the screenplays for his filmsClose Encounters of the Third KindandA.I.: Artificial Intelligence, but there’s an aspect to Spielberg’s career that goes somewhat underrated: his producing efforts.
Indeed, while Spielberg has been directing movies since 1964, once his career really took off with the one-two punch ofThe Sugarland ExpressandJawsin the mid-70s, he didn’t wait long before using his name as leverage to get other projects made by other filmmakers. If you combine projects that Spielberg directed with those he produced, one could make the argument that he’s one of (if notthe) most influential people in cinematic history, shaping the landscape, carving the path for future filmmakers, and creating lasting memories for moviegoers the world over.
One of Spielberg’s first executive producer credits came in 1980 withUsed Cars. The film was directed byRobert Zemeckis, who co-wrote the script withBob Gale, but the idea for the story actually originated with producerJohn Milius. He and Spielberg had always wanted to make a movie about a used car salesman outside Las Vegas, so when Zemeckis and Gale were writing the script for1941for Spielberg, Milius pitched the idea forUsed Cars.
Zemeckis was already on Spielberg’s radar, as theJawsfilmmaker sparked to a student film Zemeckis made calledA Field of Honorwhile at USC. Spielberg subsequently became his mentor, executive producing Zemeckis’ debutI Wanna Hold Your HandandUsed Carswhile also enlisting Zemeckis and Gale to write1941. This mentorship role is something Spielberg would revisit time and again throughout his career as a producer, and while1941’s reception tanked Zemeckis and Gale’s chances of gettingBack to the Futureoff the ground for the time-being, once Zemeckis had a hit withRomancing the Stonethe idea was revisited and Spielberg executive produced.
Back to the Futurewas, of course, a massive hit, and as Spielberg’s production company Amblin Entertainment ramped up, so too did his career as a producer. He would reteam with Zemeckis on 1988’sWho Framed Roger Rabbit?, for which Spielberg wielded his influence to convince various rival studios to license their characters.
But Zemeckis was far from the last filmmaker Spielberg would mentor as a producer. One of Amblin Entertainment’s first films was 1984’sGremlins, which came about whenChris Columbus’ script came across Spielberg’s desk. Now a bona fide hit-maker with films likeRaiders of the Lost ArkandE.T.under his belt, Spielberg had a greater amount of influence. He hand-selectedJoe Danteto directGremlins, based on the strength ofThe Howlingand with whom Spielberg had already worked onTwilight Zone: The Movie, which Spielberg produced unconnected to Amblin. Spielberg would go on to produce Dante’s 1987 filmInnerspaceas well as 1990’sGremlins 2: The New Batch.
Also unconnected to Amblin was 1982’sPoltergeist, which is perhaps one of the most notable films Spielberg ever produced. The film was released mere weeks away from Spielberg’s ownE.T., and due to a stipulation in his Universal contract, Spielberg was prevented from directing any other film while preparingE.T.. Thus while he has a “story by” credit and produced,Texas Chain Saw MassacredirectorTobe Hooperwas selected to direct. Spielberg had a strong hand on set and multiple members of the film’s cast and crew have said over the years that Spielberg essentially directed the movie, so while this is a “Produced by” film in Spielberg’s career, it’s also not-so-secretly one of his films as a director.
But juggling the producer and director jobs at the same time soon became the norm, as Spielberg made his producing debut on one of his own films withE.T., which he produced through Amblin. He began producing many of his own movies, fromAlwaystoSchindler’s ListtoSaving Private Ryan, and by the mid 2000s it became more rare for Spielberg tonotproduce his directorial efforts than the other way around. This was a mix of a few factors. Not only had Spielberg co-created his own movie studio in DreamWorks, but he was developing a number of projects at the same time, and in order to develop projects he would first need to buy them. Thus, as an owner of the project, he would serve as producer. Rarely was Spielberg enlisted as a “director for hire,” and even then he’d make a producer credit part of his deal to retain complete creative control.
While Spielberg kept busy on the feature side, he’s also been firmly entrenched in television for decades. It’s where he got his start, but in the mid-1980s he launched a TV series of his own calledAmazing Stories. This was an NBC anthology series in the vein ofThe Twilight Zone, and while it won five Emmys and was a critical hit, it struggled in the ratings. This would become a hallmark of Spielberg’s TV projects, which also included 1993’sSeaQuest 2032, the 2002 sci-fi eventTaken, and short-lived shows likeTerra Nova,The River, andUnder the Dome. Spielberg’s biggest TV success has been with HBO, teaming withTom Hanksto produce the World War II miniseriesBand of BrothersandThe Pacific. But beyond that, while Spielberg continues to executive produce a litany of TV series (mostly sci-fi), a fair share of them either don’t last long or fail to grow beyond a cult audience.
And then there’s Spielberg’s animation credits. In the mid-80s, as the filmmaker’s star was rising to massive heights, Spielberg turned his attention to making cartoons. His studio Amblin Entertainment teamed up with Warner Bros. Animation to create animated TV series that would go down in history as iconic:Animaniacs,Tiny Toon Adventures,Pinky and the Brain,Freakazoid!, andToonsylvania. These scratched an itch for Spielberg, and while he wouldn’t direct a fully animated film until 2011’sThe Adventures of Tintin, he did produceDon Bluth’s animated featuresAn American TaleandThe Land Before Timein a bid to rival Disney’s output in the mid to late 80s—and it worked! Disney hit a fallow period whileAn American TaleandThe Land Before Timewere huge successes. Of course Disney would answer with their own renaissance that began withThe Little Mermaid, but it was a nice moment for Bluth and Spielberg.
The mentorship relationship continued in the 2000s, from serving as an executive producer on filmmakerD.J. Caruso’sDisturbiaandEagle Eyeto teaming up withJ.J. AbramsonSuper 8, Spielberg brought his knowledge and influence to help develop the careers of those he saw as promising. But he also teamed up with established filmmakers, producingClint Eastwood’sFlags of Our Fathersafter initially considering directing the WWII drama himself, and also serving as an executive producer onTransformerswhere he hand selectedMichael Bayto direct.
Spielberg’s influence on the firstTransformersis pretty significant, including the casting ofShia LaBeouf—a young actor Spielberg sought to mentor through films likeDisturbia,Transformers, and famouslyIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. you’re able to feel Spielberg’s hand pretty heavily in the firstTransformersmovie, and far less so in the incoherent sequels—which Spielberg also executive produced.
Spielberg has also used his influence to protect filmmakers. He lobbied forSam Mendesto directAmerican Beautyfor DreamWorks, even as executives wanted a bigger name to take the helm, and he helped first-time directorGore Verbinskishape his debutMousehuntafter a poor first test screening.
Now deep into his career, Spielberg continues to produce a variety of projects. He remains involved in theTransformersfranchise, and when a writers room was assembled to map out an interconnected universe, the final ideas had to be pitched to both Bay and Spielberg for their approval. He also shepherdedJurassic Worldto fruition, selectingColin Trevorrowto direct and taking a heavy hand in the development of that film.
Indeed, Spielberg still seems to see his role as a producer as that of a mentor, at least partially, and that’s something that’s been true throughout his entire career. Of course not every protégé became Robert Zemeckis, but Spielberg’s influence in the filmmaking community expands beyond simply making movies that inspired others. He takes an active role in picking out and raising up talent, and as he juggles his own directing projects, it seems he continues to keep one eye on the generation behind him.
