History Main / AuteurLicense

* Creator/RianJohnson was given full control of his own ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogy after Disney was impressed with his work on ''Film/TheLastJedi''. Apparently the only restriction is that it can't be about the major characters of the main series, which stands out all the more with the original directors of ''Star Wars 9'' and ''Film/{{Solo}}'' getting fired for refusing to follow studio orders just a few months earlier. Though in light of the ''massive'' BrokenBase caused by ''The Last Jedi'', much uncertainty remains on whether or not he will get to make that trilogy. In the meantime he’s found success elsewhere with ‘’Film/Knives Out’’ which has landed him a series deal with Netflix

* Creator/BlumhouseProductions policy is giving directors incredible control provided they finish on time and budget.
* Creator/DavidCronenberg first got his licence after ''Film/{{Scanners}}'' became an international hit, only to see his first Hollywood-produced film, ''Film/{{Videodrome}}'', flop at the box-office. Luckily that same year (1983) he did ''Film/TheDeadZone'' more or less for hire, which did well enough to keep him viable. In part because it was not directly produced/primarily bankrolled by 20th Century Fox, Cronenberg was allowed great creative freedom and final cut on ''Film/TheFly1986'' once he signed on to it (for instance, the studio head thought casting Creator/JeffGoldblum as the lead was a mistake...but told producer Stuart Cornfeld "It's your mistake to make"). That movie's critical and financial success permanently granted Cronenberg an auteur licence, which he first exercised on ''Film/DeadRingers''.

** Careful research has actually shown that a number of directors people saw as journeymen were actually quite shrewd and domineering. Creator/HowardHawks for instance who's often seen as a nuts-and-bolts film-maker who didn't have a style, was careful to avoid making films at any one studio and work as a free agent, thereby allowing him the freedom to not be tied to making one kind of film in one kind of style for too long. Creator/AlfredHitchcock, from ''Film/{{Notorious}}'' onwards made films his way, and Creator/OttoPreminger was especially bold and fearless in not only making his films as per his vision, but repeatedly, and successfully, challenging censorship and doing more than any other film-maker of his time, to improve freedom of expression in Hollywood. Both Hitchcock and Preminger were the two most well-known film-makers of their era, and public celebrities, hence the reason for Hitchcock promoting a successful TV show based on his own brand, and Preminger being enough of a household name that he appeared as Mr. Freeze in ''Series/Batman1966''.

* Director Creator/MNightShyamalan had a breakout hit with ''Film/TheSixthSense'' and was granted an Auteur License that allowed him to produce more of his signature TwistEnding films. While the next film ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'' achieved some success, and ''Film/{{Signs}}'' was another hit, ''Film/TheVillage'' made money but lost some critical respect. His next two films were outright flops, and Shyamalan became a target of mockery. His Auteur License was revoked right after he tried to show it off in ''Film/LadyInTheWater'', and now he is having to make films from established franchises instead of his own stories. That [[Film/TheLastAirbender hasn't worked out so well either]]. However, between the critical success of Film/TheVisit and the sleeper hit Film/{{Split}}, [[CareerResurrection he seems to be on his way back up]].

* Creator/RianJohnson was given full control of his own ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogy after Disney was impressed with his work on ''Film/TheLastJedi''. Apparently the only restriction is that it can't be about the major characters of the main series, which stands out all the more with the original directors of ''Star Wars 9'' and ''Film/{{Solo}}'' getting fired for refusing to follow studio orders just a few months earlier. Though in light of the ''massive'' BrokenBase caused by ''The Last Jedi'', much uncertainty remains on whether or not he will get to make that trilogy.

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** When [[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel Studios]] started out, their first film was about [[ComicBook/IronMan a B-List superhero]] starring [[Creator/RobertDowneyJr a washed-up actor]] and with [[Creator/JonFavreau a director]] whose [[Film/{{Zathura}} last movie bombed]]. [[Film/IronMan1 The result]] was a hit, which Marvel not only used to bring more of their heroes to the screen but also bring them together in a SharedUniverse unheard of in the movies, to massive success. They've since used this clout they've earned from this to make [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy a movie about an obscure comic book team that features a talking space raccoon]]; and ''it'' was a hit as well, ensuring they won't lose their license any time soon.

** Creator/JonWatts ended up doing such a good job with ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' that he was entrusted to handle the entire MCU Spidey trilogy on his own and given responsibility to bring the ComicBook/FantasticFour back to the big screen.

** Music/HuskerDu, who signed with Warner Bros. in 1985, also were promised creative freedom by the label, who decided to use the band's steadily-grown fanbase to turn a profit. Unfortunately, the band only released two albums on the label before breaking up.

* Creator/WoodyAllen. He's practically had an auteur license since he started making movies forty-five years ago (his ''second'' film was a Japanese spy movie he bought and put a GagDub on top of. And it was approved!). His big success with ''Film/AnnieHall'' in 1977 is what made him untouchable, even after he made a string of movies generally considered mediocre in the late 1980s through early 2000s, and after the "[[WifeHusbandry marrying his]] [[ParentalIncest stepdaughter]]" incident that would've ended a lesser celebrity's career. The string of movies since 2005's ''Film/MatchPoint'' are generally considered to be a comeback for him, but if he didn't have a strong case of this trope, he wouldn't have lasted long enough to have a comeback. It helps that he makes movies on relatively low budgets, and hence doesn't have to meet as many box-office needs as other movies. The budget itself is helped by his license; actors undoubtedly accept less money than they otherwise would because it's a Creator/WoodyAllen film.

Contrast ExecutiveVeto, ExecutiveMeddling, ToughActToFollow. Compare with GloryDays. See also FirstInstallmentWins. Not related to ArtisticLicense.

* After the success of Music/RichardWagner's early {{opera}}s, he turned to what he termed "''Gesamtkunstwerk''" or "total work of art." The most famous example is ''Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung'', which featured words, music, orchestration, production design, choreography, direction, and conducting all handled by Wagner himself— premiered in a concert hall that he designed and built for the purpose. UpToEleven!

** After scoring and unexpected smash with ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', Creator/JamesGunn was allowed to do pretty much whatever he wanted with ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'' and also made an executive producer on ''Infinity War'' and ''Endgame'' so he could give input on the Infinity Saga's GrandFinale. He was more or less given carte-blanche for ''Vol. 3'' until he was fired and retained that freedom when he was rehired.

* Creator/HayaoMiyazaki has [[Creator/StudioGhibli his own studio]], so obviously he can make whatever he wants, but that's not the only Auteur License he's been issued. He's also gotten ''Disney'' of all people to grant him one, as the terms of his agreement with them are such that not one frame of Miyazaki animation gets edited for the American release. When word got out that Miramax was planning a few edits to ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'', he apocryphally sent them a katana with a two-word note attached: "No cuts." They got the message.

* For Creator/TaroYoko this came into effect after ''VideoGame/NieR''. During the development of the first ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'', Yoko had to continuously fight Square to keep his and the team's distinct artistic vision intact, because Square was afraid the game was too dark and nihilistic. After the game managed to win over a small but dedicated fanbase, Square was willing to fund a second game but wanted something more marketable, and to that end, he was only lightly involved with ''Drakengard 2''. However, this led to one of the more divisive games in the series exactly because of its LighterAndSofter nature, and as a result, he was allowed back in the director's seat for the franchise with ''[=NieR=]'', a GaidenGame. Though it wasn't very profitable it eventually became a CultClassic and widely considered an amazing game. Due to its critical success, Yoko has essentially been given free rein to do as he pleases. While this strategy didn't pay off at first, it eventually allowed Taro to break through into the mainstream with ''VideoGame/NierAutomata''.

This refers to when individuals leading a large collaborative project have full freedom to complete that project as per their vision, without any commercial or social constraints. They can decide the story, what it looks like, who to cast, the length and pace of the film, and whether it can end as per the director's wishes rather than a FocusGroupEnding.

** For his upcoming project, ''Film/{{Tenet}}'', WB gave him his biggest budget, ever, at [[SequelEscalation $235 million]], and creative freedom. The film is a completely original intellectual property and its three top-billed stars (Creator/JohnDavidWashington, Creator/RobertPattinson, Creator/ElizabethDebicki) are young up and comers with very little big-budget starring work between the three of them. Washington has never been in a big-budget film. Pattinson has led a franchise (''Literature/{{Twilight}} '') but it will have been eight years since its end by the time the film comes out as he spent the rest of the 2010s building his resume in smaller projects. Debicki has the most big-budget work with supporting roles in ''Film/TheGreatGatsby2013'' (which didn't perform well) and ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'' but hasn't led one yet. On top of all that, Warner Bros. stuck to its original cinematic release plans at Nolan's insistence, even as other major projects switched to streaming or indefinitely postponed their release dates due to the COVD-19 pandemic.

* According to reports, Creator/BenAffleck accepted the post-''The Dark Knight Saga'' Batman role in exchange for Warner Bros. bankrolling some of his more tough-to-sell pet projects. Sure enough, shortly after the deal was announced, an Affleck-directed political thriller set in Africa was greenlit.

* Creator/PattyJenkins earned her license after the breakout success of ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'', which became the most critically acclaimed and most profitable film in the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse''. Not only did Warner Bros. signed her up for [[Film/WonderWoman1984 the sequel]] (a rare feat for female directors), but also ''tripled'' her directing salary and gave her screenwriting duties for further creative control.

* Danny Antonucci was given near-total creative control over ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', directing and overseeing the production of every episode from the pilot to the GrandFinale [[WesternAniation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow TV movie]].

* Danny Antonucci after ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''

-->-- '''Creator/IngmarBergman''' on ''Film/SmilesOfASummerNight'' [[note]]: His sixteenth film in nine years, and not for nothing, the one he made just before ''Film/TheSeventhSeal''[[/note]]

->''"Looking back, it is probably the most important film I ever made, since it is the film that finally stopped people from trying to tell me what I should do."''

* {{Creator/NBC}} seems to have given this to Creator/MichaelSchur after his work on ''Series/TheOfficeUS''. They adopted ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' after Fox cancelled it, and it was the original network of his [[Series/ParksAndRecreation other]] [[Series/TheGoodPlace two]] shows. Even though all three shows have brought in low ratings, the network has never interfered with them, allowing them to end on their own terms. They even went out of their way to accommodate The Good Place's hour long finale in their schedule. It probably helps that all 4 shows are universally acclaimed and have strong, passionate fan bases.

** Creator/PeytonReed stepped in at the last minute to direct ''Film/AntMan1'' and was praised for turning the project into a success after behind-the-scenes drama had the film industry and public gossiping about how it would be a trainwreck. In recognition, Marvel rearranged Phase 3 specifically to give him ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'' and plenty of freedom to create a film that was his vision from start to finish.

Contrast ExecutiveVeto, ExecutiveMeddling, ToughActToFollow, ScapegoatCreator. Compare with GloryDays. See also FirstInstallmentWins. Not related to ArtisticLicense.

** In a more specific example, regular disputes over budgets and directions between the MCU's producer Kevin Feige and Marvel president Ike Perlmutter came to a head during production of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''. The final result was that Disney removing Perlmutter as head of the movie division of the MCU and dismantling the Creative Committee that previously oversaw everything. Kevin Feige gained total control over Marvel Studios (though not Marvel Television) and answers only to Alan Horn of Walt Disney Studios directly. The success of the MCU films under Feige's watch should ensure he keeps this license for the foreseeable future and even gained him complete control over the MCU after Marvel Television was shuttered and TV and streaming projects were folded into Marvel Studios.

** Since, you know, he owns his own studio. The last three films he directed were financed by Lucas himself, with Fox only distributing. Lucas created his own licensing board and gave himself a license.

* Director Creator/TerrenceMalick received his Auteur License after ''Days of Heaven'', went into Creator/JDSalinger-esque seclusion for the next 20 years, and re-emerged to make ''Film/TheThinRedLine'', whereupon 20 major Hollywood stars lined up to get a part in the film, seven of whom were left on the cutting room floor. The studio pulled the plug on the film, whereupon 20th Century Fox insisted Malick employ ''more'' Hollywood stars, many of whom were offering to work for free... Malick retained his big-budget Auteur License for his next film, ''The New World'' (2005) with Colin Farrell. As of his Palme d'Or-winning 2011 epic ''Film/TheTreeOfLife'', he seems to have kept it.