When there’s talk of great directors, it’s impossible to complete the list without mentioning Steven Spielberg’s name on top. Over the years, the man has collaborated with multiple big-name Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford. But the one actor with whom he has done most of his collaborations is Tom Hanks.
The actor-director pair has teamed up for 5 films- The Post, Bridge of Spies, The Terminal, Catch Me If You Can, and Saving Private Ryan. This number could have been upped to 6 movies if Spielberg had decided to direct an underrated and yet Oscar-winning film starring Hanks.
The One Tom Hanks Film Steven Spielberg Refused To Direct
Tom Hanks‘ Road to Perdition (2002) grabbed 6 Oscar nominations at the 75th Academy Awards. The film was nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Cinematography. The movie won Best Cinematography. Along with this the film also took home $183 million at the box office.
Directed by Sam Mendes, who also directed American Beauty, the film was another feather in his cap. However, it was possible that the feather could have adorned Steven Spielberg’s directorial. But he didn’t want to sit in the director’s chair for Road to Perdition. Entertainment Weekly reported in 2002 that Spielberg, and not Mendes, was first given the comic book on which the film is based on.
Steven Spielberg was interested. But not as a director because he had too much on his plate already. Instead, he set it up at his studio DreamWorks. Also, he was the one who sent the graphic novel to David Self, the screenwriter. What’s more is that it was the Minority Report director who also sent the comic book to Tom Hanks, who was filming Cast Away at that time.
However, what convinced Hanks to do the film was the script by David Self. So even though Steven Spielberg didn’t direct the project, it’s clear that without him, the film wouldn’t have gotten off the ground that easily. Also, was the acclaimed director bothered at not having directed the film? Probably not. After all, his own former studio made it. But to this day, Tom Hanks wishes that more people saw it.
Tom Hanks Wanted More People To See And Appreciate Road To Perdition
Tom Cruise is known as Hollywood’s Mr. Nice Guy. His films like Cast Away, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, and more have cemented his status as a Hollywood legend. However, the actor wished that more people appreciated Road to Perdition as it was an important film in his career. He said:
“For one reason or another, no one references Road to Perdition and that was an incredibly important movie for me to go through.”
Even though Road to Perdition doesn’t normally get a spot on the list of top Tom Hanks films very often, that doesn’t discount the fact that it’s an Oscar-winning movie. Also, it was a box-office success, and no matter what, it’s part of the cultural zeitgeist in some way.
Road to Perdition is available on Disney+.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
