It's always been interesting to me how some directors -- Besson and Del Toro, as two of the more notable and recognizable examples -- can actually create a "brand" of sorts through producing. Their name on the marketing gives the project commercial clout and helps give up-and-coming directors a foot in the door (despite often having to adhere to stylistic or thematic framework that viewers will associate with the producer credit rather than being able to make something using their own creative voice) while additionally giving the impression to many people that it is an actual Luc Besson Film.
The guy's barely directed anything in the last 15 years save for a minor series of kid-friendly CGI flicks and some Euro pet projects that don't even have a US presence, yet having his name on all these different action movies gives the impression he's been busier than Uwe Boll.
Will watch for Guy Pearce, a great actor with a shit agent. He should have been a-list leading man by now.
Pearce doesn't
want to be A-list. He's made it very clear through interviews (which are rare) that he dislikes "celebrity" and only acts because it's something he gets enjoyment from, not for fame or money. He's a musician in his spare time and seems to much prefer that to chasing after the next big project.
