Martin Brest

He was originally going to direct Rain Man (1988) but abruptly bailed when production was due to start due to "creative differences". Steven Spielberg stepped in but left after a few months, followed by Sydney Pollack who eventually left as well, leaving the project without a director until Barry Levinson signed on.

I think people who make movies start out with kind of lofty ideals. But it's work that conspires to put you into a cold, clinical professional mode very quickly. What I keep telling myself is that in making any movie, I've got to reflect and convey to the people I work with the reasons why I wanted to get into the business in the first place.[1988]