Line #65 Main/DirectorDisplacement


1	[[quoteright:170:[[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nightmare_8.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:170:Wait, what ''did'' Creator/TimBurton do, then? [[note]]He produced it, designed the characters, and wrote the story that it was based on.[[/note]]]]
3
4	->''"It was nothing but producers then. Sam Goldwyn..." Willy started to wheeze at the name. "The ''Goldwyn'' touch. That's what his publicity people called his picture. ''His'' pictures? Finally, I said to him, "Sam, has there ever been a picture with the Goldwyn touch that I didn't direct?"''
5	-->-- '''Creator/GoreVidal''' (quoting Creator/WilliamWyler), ''Palimpsest''
6
7	When a work -- usually a film -- is better known as the work of its producer than as the work of its director. Often a result of marketing, as the name of a well-known producer may be used prevalently in advertising a film where the director is a rookie or largely unknown. In some cases, the director can also be displaced by the screenwriter if the writer is well-known (and neither the producers nor director are). More rarely, all of these can be displaced by an actor if the movie is seen as a star-vehicle.
8
9	This trope tends to happen more in America than elsewhere due to Hollywood being a very producer-focused system, as opposed to other countries where directors get much more clout. MediaNotes/TheAuteurTheory was formed to avert and correct this trope, however, and it has generally succeeded in giving more attention to the work of directors and craftsmen. It, too, has received criticism for attributing entire movies to directors and not considering the contributions of writers, cinematographers, editors, and, ironically enough, producers.
10
11	Compare with AllAnimationIsDisney, when a director or producer ''wasn't'' involved in a work despite its strong similarities with their productions.
12	----
13	!!Examples:
14
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
18	* ''WesternAnimation/TheMitchellsVsTheMachines'' has an example perpetrated by the trailers and ads for the film even; Phil Lord and Chris Miller have been pushed as ''the'' masterminds of the movie, to the point of it being called "Lord & Miller's ''The Mitchells vs. the Machines''" in some sources. The two are among the film's three ''producers'', and it was actually directed by Michael Rianda, who also co-wrote the film.
19	* Creator/TimBurton's ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' - actually directed by Creator/HenrySelick. Burton merely produced it...which helped confuse people fifteen years later when Selick's ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'' was being advertised. The marketing stated correctly that it was from the director of ''Nightmare''. Because of the earlier muddled marketing of ''Nightmare'', people mistakenly assumed ''Coraline'' was a Creator/TimBurton film (in reality, Burton had precisely ''nothing'' to do with it). It got to the point where Creator/NeilGaiman had to [[http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/02/by-way-of-preamble.html address this in his blog]], while Selick himself [[https://www.avclub.com/henry-selick-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton-1849728445 has subsequently expressed frustration with the lack of credit he gets for his work on the film.]] This was probably intentional by the marketing team since Tim Burton's name pretty much sells to his own little niche, whereas the only people who have heard of Selick tend to be hardcore animation fans.
20	* If you talk about the earlier films in the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, nearly everybody in the world will think about Creator/WaltDisney. Only hardcore animation fans know the names of the actual directors (Walt himself rarely directed cartoons and never directed any of the movies). It didn't help matters that when much of the early Disney animated films were released, they were generally made by a team of segment directors under the command of a supervising director, who was himself answerable to Walt. Under that system, each segment director would direct a single portion of the film, and then report back to the supervising director so he could edit all the portions into a single, cohesive film.
21	* ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'' is produced by Creator/GeorgeLucas and comes from Lucasfilm Animation, so naturally, Lucas' name overshadows that of director Gary Rydstrom, who is primarily a sound designer and never directed a full-length film before.
22	* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' has three directors. None of them are Creator/PhilLordAndChrisMiller, who were the film's producers. The directors are [[WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians Peter Ramsey]], Bob Persichetti, and Rodney Rothman. Lord did co-write the screenplay with Rothman, though. The displacement likely comes from ''Spider-Verse'' being a project that felt like it should have failed but succeeded, with Lord and Miller [[Film/TwentyOneJumpStreet having a history]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie of pulling such a trick]].
23	[[/folder]]
24
25	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
26	* Everything Creator/RayHarryhausen ever worked on.
27	* Creator/StevenSpielberg's involvement tends to overshadow the contributions of many films' actual directors.
28	** ''Film/{{Poltergeist\|1982}}'' was directed by Creator/TobeHooper. Most people think of it as a Spielberg film, though he was busy with ''Film/{{ET\|The Extraterrestrial}}'' at the time. Spielberg was on set for much of the production (and even saved actor Oliver Robbins' life when the clown prop nearly choked him to death); Hooper was battling a cocaine addiction at the time, so he likely needed someone on set to keep an eye on him. Spielberg also came up with the story, wrote the screenplay and was the major producer, also taking part in the post-production. He said that he and Hooper had a very special relationship, as he had a lot of input, and he has gone out of his way to discredit the rumour that he actually directed the film.
29	** ''Film/TheGoonies'' was directed by Creator/RichardDonner but was produced by Spielberg. As an adventure starring children in the lead roles, it does seem typical of early-80s Spielberg movies.
30	** ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' was directed by Creator/JoeDante, written by Creator/ChrisColumbus and produced by Steven Spielberg, but it is commonly thought to have been directed by Spielberg himself.
31	** ''Film/YoungSherlockHolmes'' was executive-produced by Spielberg, written by Columbus and directed by Barry Levinson.
32	** ''Film/BatteriesNotIncluded'' was also executive produced by Spielberg, yet directed by Matthew Robinson.
33	** The ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy and ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' were executive produced by Spielberg, but directed by Creator/RobertZemeckis.
34	* Anything Creator/JuddApatow produced (but didn't direct) after 2005. He produced a few popular comedies from the '90s and early 2000s, like ''Film/HeavyWeights'' and ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'', but isn't associated with them that frequently, since they were made before ''Film/TheFortyYearOldVirgin'' made him a household name.
35	* Creator/TimBurton also got this with the releases of ''Film/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}.'' He served as a producer for both films, along with Timur Bekmambetov on the latter. He also produced ''Film/CabinBoy'', which was directed by Adam Resnick. He ''was'' supposed to direct, but he was busy with ''Film/EdWood''.
36	* ''Film/DinnerwithBeatriz'' is directed by Miguel Arteta but is written by Mike White and echoes similar stylistic themes of White's work. It also stars frequent Mike White collaborator Connie Britton as the third lead.
37	* Creator/GeorgeLucas:
38	** ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' are viewed as Lucas' works (and they are, in a way), but they were directed by Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand, respectively. However, this has been less true of ''Empire'' over time; Lucas had a very hands-off role in its production, leaving those duties to Kershner and producer Gary Kurtz. In the wake of the prequel trilogy, his critics have been fond of pointing out that the movie he had the least creative involvement with is also considered the best.
39	** ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' is even more contested. After ''Empire'' went WAY over budget and schedule, Lucas decided to be part of ''Jedi''. He was on set for the whole film and some say his relationship with director Marquand was at points bad (to the extent that original DP Alan Hume is said to have quit the last week in protest) and there are talks about how he wanted credit as a second unit director for it.
40	** ''Film/TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial'' is frequently blamed on Creator/GeorgeLucas, even though he had nothing to do with it beyond writing a basic story outline for CBS.
41	** For that matter, Lucas gets most of the blame for ''Film/HowardTheDuck'' (Willard Huyck), ''Film/{{Willow}}'' (Creator/RonHoward), ''Film/TheRadiolandMurders'' (Mel Smith) and ''Film/RedTails'' (Anthony Hemingway); he executive produced all four and did come up with the stories for ''Willow'' and ''Radioland Murders'', but he didn't write the scripts or direct them.
42	* With the exception of ''Film/TheShining'', which everybody knows as the work of Creator/StanleyKubrick, and ''maybe'' ''Film/StandByMe'' (Creator/RobReiner), all of the films based on Creator/StephenKing novels are more popularly associated with him than their directors. Unsurprising if you look at [[BilledAboveTheTitle what happens to his novels]]... With that in mind, it makes one wonder how ''Literature/TheLangoliers'' isn't commonly affiliated with its director considering the DVD cover where, in massive ''outlined, metallic'' letters, the name of Tom Holland can be seen clear as day, taking over two-thirds of the credits.
43	* ''Film/District9'': Creator/PeterJackson's involvement in the film was a major selling point leading up to the release, due to it being Creator/NeillBlomkamp's directorial debut. Since its release, however, Blomkamp's stock has risen, and ''District 9'' is recognized as his film. It helps that the film is set in and about Blomkamp's native South Africa, while Jackson is famously Kiwi.
44	* Creator/VictorFleming is the credited director of both ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' and ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', but they each went through several different directors and are now mostly remembered as the work of their producers: David O. Selznick for ''Gone with the Wind'' and Creator/MervynLeRoy for ''The Wizard of Oz''.
45	* The primary creative force behind ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' was producer Hal B. Wallis, and not director Creator/MichaelCurtiz.
46	* Creator/ValLewton produced a series of classic horror films for RKO in the 1940s (''Film/CatPeople'', ''Film/IWalkedWithAZombie'', ''Film/TheLeopardMan'', ''The Curse Of The Cat People'', ''Film/TheBodySnatcher'', ''Film/IsleOfTheDead'', ''Film/TheSeventhVictim'' and ''Film/{{Bedlam}}''). These are almost universally referred to as 'Creator/ValLewton films' rather than being referred to by their directors' names.
47	* ''Film/Hero2002'' (Creator/ZhangYimou) and ''Film/{{Hostel}}'' (Creator/EliRoth) were both marketed as "Creator/QuentinTarantino Presents (film name)", owing to his production role in those films although in the case ''Film/Hero2002'' his role was limited to "presenting" it to the US audience.
48	* ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}'' is more commonly associated with Creator/JJAbrams than its director, Creator/MattReeves.
49	* Creator/MichaelBay has had this happen a lot over time, being the producer of horror remakes like ''Film/FridayThe13th2009''. ''Film/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles\|2014}}'' and ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesOutOfTheShadows'' were directed by Jonathan Liebesman and Dave Green respectively, but were largely seen as Bay films.
50	* UsefulNotes/ThomasEdison had a habit of putting his name, and ''only'' his name, in the films he produced.
51	* When ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'' came out, some people confused it for a Creator/QuentinTarantino directorial effort, given that he wrote and appears in it, but it was directed by Creator/RobertRodriguez. Since that time, Rodriguez has become more famous as a director and screenwriter, and the film is recognized as part of his oeuvre. Some people even now forget that it was penned by Tarantino, given how uncharacteristic it is of Tarantino's other work.
52	* ''Film/TrueRomance'' was the first script that Tarantino ever wrote, but Creator/TonyScott directed.
53	* Creator/JamesCameron:
54	** The Cameron-produced film ''Film/{{Sanctum}}'' was directed by Alister Grierson, but many are convinced that Cameron actually directed the film. This has created the same amount of {{Hatedom}} that ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' suffered.
55	** Cameron co-wrote and co-produced ''Film/StrangeDays'', but it was directed by his then-wife Creator/KathrynBigelow.
56	** Cameron also co-wrote ''Film/RamboFirstBloodPartII'', though George P. Cosmatos actually directed.
57	** Cameron's name was featured in advertising for ''Film/AlitaBattleAngel'', despite being directed by Creator/RobertRodriguez. Though to be fair, it was a pet project of Cameron's for so long.
58	* The Film/JamesBond films are rarely ever viewed as the works of anyone other than Creator/AlbertRBroccoli and Harry Saltzman, and later Creator/MichaelGWilson and Creator/BarbaraBroccoli. If you want to see a Bond fans head explode, inform them that ''Film/{{Goldeneye}}'' and ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' was directed by the same guy, Creator/MartinCampbell. When it came to Creator/SamMendes, let's say he put [[SignatureStyle his fingerprints]] all over ''{{Film/Skyfall}}'' and ''{{Film/Spectre}}''.
59	* Creator/JohnHughes:
60	** Howard Deutch directed ''Film/PrettyInPink'', ''Film/SomeKindOfWonderful'' and ''Film/TheGreatOutdoors'', but they're viewed as Hughes films (Hughes was the screenwriter).
61	** This also applies to the four theatrically released ''Film/NationalLampoonsVacation'' films, which were respectively directed by Creator/HaroldRamis, Amy Heckerling, Jeremiah S. Chechik, and Stephen Kessler. And even then, Hughes only wrote the first and third films.
62	** In addition, it applies to the first three ''Film/HomeAlone'' films, which were directed by Creator/ChrisColumbus (1 & 2) and Raja Gosnell (3).
63	** Hughes' first film as a writer was ''Film/MrMom'', which was directed by Stan Dragoti. Hughes was supposed to direct, but he wanted to film in Chicago as opposed to Hollywood.
64	* Creator/JonFavreau wrote and starred in ''Film/{{Swingers}}'', and then went on to direct a number of other films, including its SpiritualSuccessor ''Film/{{Made}}'', but it was Creator/DougLiman who actually directed ''Swingers''.
65	* Some movies that had more than one director tend to get this, especially if one of the directors is more well-known than the other. These examples include:
66	** ''Film/SlumdogMillionaire'' (directed by Creator/DannyBoyle and Loveleen Tandan)
67	** ''Film/CityOfGod'' (directed by Fernando Meireilles and Katia Lund)
68	** ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'' (directed by Creator/WesAnderson and Mark Gustafson, this is notable in the fact that the film's cinematographer mentioned that Gustafson spent much more time on set working on the animation and with crew while Anderson would direct scenes by e-mail and therefore felt that Anderson's credit shouldn't have been as high as it was)
69	** ''[[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica Beavis and Butt-Head Do America]]'' (directed by Creator/MikeJudge and Yvette Kaplan)
70	** ''Film/CloudAtlas'' (Directed by Creator/TheWachowskis and Tom Tykwer)
71	* Creator/TylerPerry's ''Film/DiaryOfAMadBlackWoman'' was directed by Darren Grant, but many people believed that Perry directed it himself.
72	* ''Film/TheMuppets2011'': The film seems better known for its writing from Creator/JasonSegel than Director James Bobin. This partly seems due to the fact that as a professed Muppet fan, he had the ambition of bringing them to the forefront again.
73	* ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'' was co-written and produced by Creator/JossWhedon, but the actual director was Drew Goddard (who was also the other co-writer).
74	* Though the director of the infamous film ''Film/TheOogielovesInTheBigBalloonAdventure'' was a documentary filmmaker named Matthew Diamond, the real brainchild behind the film was Kenn Viselmann, whose SmallNameBigEgo was so rampant that he even ''named the movie's production company after himself'' (despite no one really knowing who he was).
75	* ''Film/AustinPowers'' is better known as the work of Creator/MikeMyers, who wrote and starred in the films, than Jay Roach, who directed.
76	* Due to the success of ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'', many people assume Creator/ChristopherNolan has a great deal of control over the ''Superman'' reboot ''Film/ManOfSteel''. In reality, he's just the film's producer and has said his direct involvement ended pretty much at the stage of story development because he knew director Creator/ZackSnyder was more suited to the ''Superman'' material than he was. Unlike many examples, [[DownplayedTrope this died down over time]], due to [[Film/ThreeHundredRiseOfAnEmpire other movies]] promoting Snyder as "the director of ''Man of Steel''" and Snyder's name being front and center in the campaign for the sequel, ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', with Nolan's name nowhere in sight despite being an executive producer. Snyder would later end up being a publicity usurper himself, with his name outshining director Noam Murro's in the promotion of ''Film/ThreeHundredRiseOfAnEmpire'', due to having directed the original film and being the producer.
77	* ''Film/GentlemenOfFortune'' is often viewed as Creator/GeorgiDanelia movie, but the actual director was much lesser-known Aleksandr Seryj. Georgi Danelia was a co-writer and art director.
78	* The '50s classic ''Film/TheThingFromAnotherWorld'' was officially directed by Christian Nyby, but is often seen as Producer Creator/HowardHawks's film. How directly Hawks was involved in production has long been debated, even by people who actually worked on the film.
79	* Though it was directed by Creator/DavidFincher, many still see ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'' as Creator/AaronSorkin's movie.
80	* The Music/BobDylan documentary ''No Direction Home'' is a messy case. Creator/MartinScorsese is credited as director, and most people just assume he was the driving force behind it. But it was actually Dylan's longtime manager Jeff Rosen who instigated the project and conducted and filmed the interviews and gathered the raw footage. Scorsese's job was to assemble everything into a finished film. Rosen is credited as a co-producer.
81	* ''Film/MyFavoriteWife'' was billed as "A LEO [=McCAREY=] PRODUCTION [-Directed by Garson Kanin-]." Creator/LeoMcCarey also received credit for co-writing the story.
82	* Creator/WoodyAllen:
83	** ''Film/PlayItAgainSam'' starred Allen and was written by him and based on his play, but the movie was directed by Herbert Ross.
84	** Allen's BreakthroughHit ''Film/WhatsNewPussycat'' was written by him, but directed by Clive Donner.
85	** He also starred in ''Film/TheFront'', yet neither wrote nor directed it.
86	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}'' is often pointed out as "his" most financially successful film. He didn't write it or direct it, and was merely a voice actor for hire.
87	* Any movie that comes from Ghost House Pictures will be more associated with Creator/SamRaimi than the directors, similar to Creator/MichaelBay and his Platinum Dunes studio mentioned above. The trailer for the former company's ''Film/ThePossession'' has an extreme example. In addition to Raimi, it puts more emphasis on the film's ''screenwriters'', Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, over director Ole Bornedal (who's name is basically buried at the end of the trailer).
88	* ''Film/TheLongestDay'' has only one name in the Blu-Ray cover, that of producer Darryl F. Zanuck. It helps the thing is an EpicMovie with an AllStarCast and ''five'' directors, that only came out because of Zanuck's guidance.
89	* Knowingly averted by Creator/MelBrooks, who kept his name out of promotional efforts for ''Film/TheElephantMan'' despite producing it, for fear of audiences mistaking it for a comedy film because of his involvement. Also the case with ''Film/{{The Fly\|1986}}''.
90	* Brooks has a cameo in the Creator/GeneWilder comedy ''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''. Brooks ''was'' supposed to direct, but he didn't feel comfortable working with someone else's material.
91	* The notorious 1994 ''Film/TheFantasticFour'' movie is known colloquially as "The Creator/RogerCorman ''FF''", despite the fact that he only produced it (Oley Sassone was the real director.)
92	* Home video releases of the original ''Film/TheOutOfTowners'' have generally tended to play up the name of writer Creator/NeilSimon, while making little-to-no mention of the actual director, Creator/ArthurHiller.
93	* Creator/OrsonWelles would have been the first to debunk the rumours that he directed ''Film/TheThirdMan''. That was Creator/CarolReed.
94	* Creator/JohnHuston wrote the screenplay for ''Film/HighSierra'', but Creator/RaoulWalsh directed it.
95	* Creator/TheWachowskis:
96	** They wrote the script for ''Film/VForVendetta'' and produced ''Film/NinjaAssassin'', but Creator/JamesMcTeigue directed.
97	** Their first film was ''Film/{{Assassins}}'', which they wrote but Creator/RichardDonner directed.
98	* Creator/SergioLeone produced ''Film/MyNameIsNobody'', but Tonino Valerii directed. That said, Leone did direct some scenes uncredited. After the film's release, it was promoted as a Sergio Leone film, much to the frustration of both men.
99	* Creator/CameronCrowe wrote ''Film/FastTimesAtRidgemontHigh'' based on his novel, but it was directed by Creator/AmyHeckerling.
100	* Creator/LucBesson:
101	** He was a writer and producer on ''Film/TheTransporter'' and ''Film/DannyTheDog'', but both films were directed by Creator/LouisLeterrier.
102	** Ditto for ''Film/District13'', ''Film/{{Taken}}'' and ''Film/FromParisWithLove'' which were directed by Pierre Morel.
103	** And ''Film/KissOfTheDragon'', which was directed by Chris Nahon.
104	* Creator/FrancisFordCoppola wrote the script for ''Film/TheGreatGatsby1974'', which was directed by Jack Clayton. He was also a writer on ''Film/{{Patton}}'', which Franklin J. Schaffner directed.
105	* Creator/TheCoenBrothers:
106	** They wrote the scripts for ''Film/TheNakedMan'' (J.Todd Anderson), ''Film/{{Gambit}}'' (Michael Hoffman) and ''Film/{{Unbroken}}'' (Creator/AngelinaJolie), and, with the exception of the latter, are the primary figures associated with the films.
107	** They also executive produced ''Film/BadSanta'', which was a Creator/TerryZwigoff film.
108	** They also co-wrote ''Crimewave'' with Creator/SamRaimi, who directed. Raimi co-wrote ''Film/TheHudsuckerProxy'' with the Coens.
109	* Creator/JohnWoo, going full-Woo even if he's only a producer and didn't spend any time operating a camera:
110	** Woo executive-produced and choreographed the action scenes for ''Film/TheReplacementKillers'', which Creator/AntoineFuqua directed. He was also a producer on ''Film/BulletproofMonk'', which Paul Hunter directed.
111	** Woo's last collaboration with Creator/ChowYunFat in the 90s, ''Film/PeaceHotel'', also features Woo's name in promotional materials, owing to the duo's previous collaborations (the first two ''Film/ABetterTomorrow'' films, ''Film/TheKiller1989'', ''Film/HardBoiled'' and to a lesser extent, ''Film/OnceAThief''). In actuality Woo is only a producer, the film is directed by Wai Ka-fai.
112	** Another Woo example, ''Film/BloodBrothers2007'', a HeroicBloodshed film from the 2000s, proudly sells Woo's involvement in it's promotional materials, when it was actually directed by Alexis Tan.
113	* Creator/JohnCarpenter was involved with ''Film/HalloweenII1981'', ''Film/HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch'' and ''Film/Halloween2018'' as a writer, producer, and composer but left directing duties to Rick Rosenthal, Tommy Lee Wallace and David Gordon Green respectively. Carpenter ''did'' direct some additional scenes for the second film.
114	* ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' and its sequel, ''Film/ShockTreatment'' are more often associated with creator and writer, Creator/RichardOBrien rather than director, Jim Sharman.
115	* ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'' is more known for Creator/JimHenson than its director James Frawley who previously directed many episodes of ''Series/TheMonkees''.
116	* Alan Rudolph's 1977 film ''Welcome to L.A.'' sometimes has the direction mistakenly credited to producer Creator/RobertAltman. Understandable since Rudolph clearly picked up a lot of stylistic touches from his mentor (like a HyperlinkStory) as well as borrowed some members of Altman's [[ProductionPosse stock company of actors]].
117	* Zig-zagged by Creator/IrwinAllen. Everyone calls ''Film/ThePoseidonAdventure'' and ''Film/TheToweringInferno'' "Irwin Allen movies" even though he was just credited as producer and the directorial credits went to Ronald Neame and John Guillermin, respectively. However, for both films, Allen himself directed the action scenes but elected to forego a co-director credit.
118	* ''Film/MortalEngines'': The name of producer and co-writer Creator/PeterJackson shows up more in advertising and discussions than that of director Christian Rivers.
119	* Creator/EdgarWright only executive-produced ''Film/AttackTheBlock'', yet his name was all over the advertising.
120	* Creator/MNightShyamalan wrote and produced ''Film/{{Devil}}'', but John Erick Dowdle directed. That said, it still feels like a Shyamalan film.
121	* Creator/ZuckerAbrahamsAndZucker wrote ''Film/TheKentuckyFriedMovie'', yet Creator/JohnLandis directed.
122	* Creator/GuyRitchie and Creator/MatthewVaughn were producers on ''Film/MeanMachine'', yet it was directed by Barry Skolnick.
123	* Creator/RichardDonner produced ''Film/TheLostBoys'' and was supposed to direct, but was busy working on ''Film/LethalWeapon1987'', so Creator/JoelSchumacher directed.
124	* ''Film/ScoobyDoo2002'' and ''Film/ScoobyDooMonstersUnleashed'' are generally seen as Creator/JamesGunn films but he wrote them while Raja Gosnell directed them.
125	* Creator/RobertRodriguez wrote the original script for ''Film/{{Predators}}'' and was heavily involved with the film, but his commitment to ''Film/{{Machete}}'' meant that Nimród Antal directed.
126	* In a more retroactive case, ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' seems to be mostly associated with screenwriter David Benioff, mostly following the much maligned final season of ''Series/GameOfThrones'', of which Benioff was one of the showrunners, with critics of the season attributing many of the faults of the film to Benioff, though Benioff only wrote early drafts of the script and he wasn't responsible for the most negatively received aspects of the film. Regardless, Benioff seems to have supplanted the film's director Gavin Hood in terms of association.
127	* Although Creator/JordanPeele has been [[Film/GetOut2017 a]] [[Film/{{Us}} writer-director]], he wrote and produced ''Film/Candyman2021'', but Creator/NiaDacosta is the director.
128	* Creator/ZackSnyder directed ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead'' then produced (and only produced) its spinoff ''Film/ArmyOfThieves''. That doesn't prevent some from thinking he directed it, while it's actually the film's main star, Creator/MatthiasSchweighofer, who directed it.
129	* The original ''Film/{{Rocky}}'' tends to be associated with writer/star Creator/SylvesterStallone, rather than with its director, John G. Avildsen. Adding to the confusion, Stallone actually did direct the second, third, and fourth films.
130	* Whenever ''Film/ThePatriot2000'' is mentioned, it's usually described as "Creator/MelGibson's ''The Patriot''". It's actually directed by Creator/RolandEmmerich and Gibson only plays the lead, but since Gibson is also an accomplished director in his own right and the movie is actually closer to Gibson's SignatureStyle than the big-action summer blockbusters that Emmerich is mainly known for, it can give some people the impression that Gibson himself directed it.
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
134	* Author V.E. Schwab is credited as the creator of ''Series/FirstKill'', which is true only to the extent that she wrote the short story the show is based on and serves as one of the executive producers. The showrunner, however, is Felicia D. Henderson, and Shwab has stated that though she was present in the writer's room herself she intentionally did not contribute much.
135	* Paul Henning, executive producer of ''Series/GreenAcres'', actually took out an ad in ''Variety'' to make it clear that not he but Jay Sommers was the {{showrunner}}. (Neither, of course, was the director; Richard L. Bare covered that job for most of the series).
136	* Creator/SamRaimi produced ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' and ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'', but didn't create either of them, and never wrote nor directed a single episode. The primary creative force behind both shows was his longtime producing partner, Creator/RobertTapert (the eventual Mr. Creator/LucyLawless).
137	* ''Series/SesameStreet'' is associated with Creator/JimHenson; while he created the {{Muppet}} characters, performed some of them and even directed some shorts for it, he didn't actually create the show or direct any whole episodes.
138	* Creator/MichaelMann
139	** Mann was show-runner for ''Series/MiamiVice'' in its first two seasons and co-wrote one episode, but didn't create the series or direct any episodes.
140	** He was a producer and main creative force on ''Series/CrimeStory'', but didn't create the series, though he did direct at least one episode.
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder:Music]]
144	* The wildly popular funk throwback "Uptown Funk" is officially released under Music/MarkRonson's name, but (outside the U.K.), most people consider it a Music/BrunoMars song despite him being a featured artist, given his status as a pop megastar whereas Ronson is a largely obscure figure. It's somewhat understandable considering Bruno Mars has established himself as a specialist in {{Genre Throwback}}s, with his "Treasure" being a funk disco track in the same vein.
145	* To the majority of the public, Music/AmyWinehouse's [[CoveredUp cover]] of The Zutons' "Valerie" is solely hers, when it was actually recorded for Mark Ronson's album with Winehouse as a guest.
146	* "The Hanging Tree" from ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjayPart1'' is almost universally considered a Creator/JenniferLawrence song, as she sings it in character in the movie, even though it was released under Music/JamesNewtonHoward's name. That didn't stop ''Billboard'' themselves from hyping the song's chart performance as a Lawrence song while relegating Howard to a footnote.
147	* Likewise, many Music/DavidGuetta songs are less associated with the French producer than the guest singer ("Sexy Bitch": Music/{{Akon}}; "Titanium": Music/{{Sia}}; "Turn Me On" and "Hey Mama": Music/NickiMinaj; "Without You": Music/{{Usher}}).
148	* While most of Music/CalvinHarris's songs are often seen as his songs, some of them are more associated with the featured artist, namely his collaborations with Music/EllieGoulding ("I Need Your Love" and "Outside") and Music/{{Rihanna}} ("This Is What You Came For"; "We Found Love" isn't an example as it ''is'' officially a Rihanna song).
149	* The song "Despacito" by Music/LuisFonsi ft. Music/DaddyYankee tends to be associated with Music/JustinBieber in the Anglosphere instead of its original artists. This case is more extreme than most others, as the song in question became a major hit after Bieber's involvement in a remix (the original didn't have Bieber at all), and the original artists still sing on the remix. Unfortunately, the song's ensuing popularity coupled with Bieber's inability to speak Spanish has led to much disappointment at his concerts.
150	* Music video example: Peter Christopherson is often mistakenly believed to direct the entirety of Music/NineInchNails' ''Broken Movie'', but in fact only directed the wrap around segments and the "Wish" and "Gave Up" videos. The videos for "Pinion" and "Help Me I Am In Hell" were directed by Eric Goode and Serge Becker, while "Happiness In Slavery" was directed by Jon Reiss.
151	* Music/BrianEno did start an interesting creative collaboration with Music/DavidBowie on the Berlin trilogy--''Music/{{Low\|DavidBowieAlbum}}'', ''[[Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum "Heroes"]]'', and ''Music/{{Lodger}}''--but Tony Visconti was the producer on all three albums. Eno's only credit as Bowie's producer is the album ''Music/{{Outside}}''.
152	[[/folder]]
153
154	[[folder:Theatre]]
155	* ''On Your Toes'': While George Abbott ''did'' direct the 1954 and 1983 revivals of the show, he was merely a co-librettist in the original production, which was directed by Worthington Minor. The original producer, Dwight Deere Wiman, was also credited for "supervision" of the "entire production." (Abbott famously mocked this style of credit later in his career, when it was taken up by director-choreographers Jerome Robbins and Creator/BobFosse, as "entire part of mother played by Lizzie Flop.")
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:Video Games]]
159	* Creator/{{Nintendo}}:
160	** Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto largely stepped back into a producer/advisor role starting with the Platform/{{Nintendo 64}} generation, the last game he directed being ''Franchise/{{Mario}} Artist Paint Studio'' in 1999. Despite this, sequels in various franchises he created, such as ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' and ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', still get attributed to him to some extent (the torch of ''Mario'' games was given to Creator/YoshiakiKoizumi, who then became an example in his own right when he passed that torch to series director Kenta Motokura, while that of ''Zelda'' games was given to Creator/EijiAonuma and later shared with Hidemaro Fujibayashi). This is especially the case with the ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' games, which he created after backing away from the directorial role and thus never actually directed a single installment.
161	** Nintendo R&D1's early games (''VideoGame/Metroid1'', ''VideoGame/KidIcarus1986'', ''VideoGame/WarioLand''... etc) are often credited to executive producer Creator/GunpeiYokoi, who was more focused on hardware development and had little input on the games his department produced.
162	** Jose Luis Márquez of Creator/MercurySteam directed ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', a role he shared with Takehiko Hosokawa for the former and Fumi Hayashi for the latter. But the two games are primarily considered projects of Creator/YoshioSakamoto, who produced the games. This is likely because Sakamoto had a much longer history with the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series before then (he directed the games up through the controversial ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', after which he became a producer), and ''Dread'' is admittedly based on a game concept he had worked on as far back as the Platform/NintendoDS long before ever considering a collaboration with [=MercurySteam=].
163	** ''VideoGame/BalloonFight'' was directed by Creator/YoshioSakamoto but is far more associated with its programmer, the late Creator/SatoruIwata, due to it being the first-party Nintendo game he worked on.
164	* An example in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' comes from the game's soundtrack. The game was heavily promoted to have famed movie composer Music/HarryGregsonWilliams as the man behind the game's score. And while he does compose the official theme of the game and some cutscene music, all of the in-game music and even majority of the cutscene music was done by Norihiko Hibino. This became confusing when fans of the music purchased the official soundtrack, only to discover that all of the in-game music was missing, causing Konami to release another soundtrack, which included all of Hibino's work, meaning majority of the music found in the game. There is also the fact that Williams' name is shown in big bold print during the openings of both part 1 and part 2 of the game, while Hibino's name is shown in small print during the ending credits.
165	* ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' is far more commonly associated with producer Creator/HideoKojima than it is to either Noriaki Okamura or Shuyo Murata (respectively the directors of the first and second game).
166	* For all that the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' series is associated with Creator/KeijiInafune, he actually only acted as the game director on two entries, ''VideoGame/MegaMan4'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'' (and even then he co-directed both games with Yoshinori Takenaka). Starting with ''VideoGame/MegaMan3'' he did take on a loose role as the creative lead for the series, but other people handled the actual direction of the games.
167	* The ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series is always associated first and foremost with Katsuhiro Harada, even though he only started to direct the series with ''Tekken Tag Tournament''.
168	* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' has writer Masato Kato (probably because he was the one who ended up directing the [[VideoGame/ChronoCross sequel]]), its main artist Creator/AkiraToriyama, and its composer, Creator/YasunoriMitsuda; those three tend to overshadow the three directors Creator/YoshinoriKitase, Akihiko Matsui, and Takashi Tokita in terms of association with the game in particular.
169	[[/folder]]
170
171	[[folder:Western Animation]]
172	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Exosquad}}'''s producer Will Meugniot is often credited as the series creator (and not in a MyRealDaddy kind of way), though he clarified in multiple interviews that the series was created by Jeff Segal.
173	* Many people are under the impression that ''WesternAnimation/{{Inside Job\|2021}}'' is created by Creator/AlexHirsch. In actuality, it was created by Shion Takeuchi, while Alex Hirsch is the executive producer.
174	[[/folder]]
175

Context Main / DirectorDisplacement