Jonathan Frakes’ Career Stalled After Thunderbirds Flop

Jonathan Frakes had a solid run behind the camera, with three hits under his belt: Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Clockstoppers. With that track record, most punters would’ve bet his next project would be another winner. But things took a sharp turn after his fourth film, and Frakes himself summed it up bluntly:

I did three successful movies and one massively unsuccessful movie and have been in movie jail ever since.

That “massively unsuccessful” film was Thunderbirds. The numbers weren’t pretty—$28.3 million at the box office on a $57 million budget. Not exactly a great look for a director with a string of successes. The fallout was swift, and Frakes found himself on the outer in the film industry, despite his earlier achievements.

Thunderbirds: The Film That Changed Everything

Frakes later opened up about what went wrong. He reckoned the casting was off, saying the lead, Brady Corbet, just wasn’t keen on playing a superhero.

Frankly, the lead, Brady Corbet — who just directed his own movie, Vox Lux — he didn’t want to be a superhero. That was really the bottom line. He was charming and he was wonderful, but he was in the wrong movie, and that was my fault. The movie was not ready to compete with Spider-Man and Shrek. It was cursed.

After the film’s release, Frakes said his phone stopped ringing. In the film world, reputation can be everything, and one flop can stick. Thunderbirds was based on the classic 1960s TV series, but the 2004 adaptation didn’t land with audiences. The story followed the teenage Tracy brothers as they tried to rescue their dad and save the world, with a cast including Bill Paxton, Ben Kingsley, and Vanessa Hudgens. Ben Kingsley played the villain, The Hood, but even that star power couldn’t save the day.

Turning Things Around on the Small Screen

Despite the setback, Frakes didn’t pack it in. He called the experience a wake-up, saying he’d been lucky up to that point. Instead of chasing more big-screen projects, he shifted his focus to television—and that’s where things really picked up again.

Frakes became a mainstay in TV direction, especially in the Star Trek universe. He’s directed over 100 episodes across various series, and he’s also kept up his acting. But it wasn’t just sci-fi—he’s worked on shows like Leverage, The Librarians, Burn Notice, NCIS: Los Angeles, Castle, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well. His work on Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds has been especially well received by fans.

Frakes’ Ongoing Success in Television

Frakes’ pivot to TV has made him one of the most prolific directors in the business. He’s managed to leave a mark on some of the most popular series around, and his episodes are often favourites among fans. Even after the Thunderbirds misfire, he’s shown that a single setback doesn’t have to define a career.

For those keen to revisit Thunderbirds, it’s available to rent or buy on Apple TV and Amazon in Australia.

This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire