Directors were once the kings of Hollywood, but in the age of the franchise, they're increasingly interchangeable

Film has long been considered a director's medium, with cinematic auteurs presiding over movie sets like gods. But as high-profile filmmakers are being replaced on big-budget projects with increasing regularity, some say film is fast becoming more of a board-of-directors' medium, especially in the critical realm of the franchise.

This new reality was underscored last week when Colin Trevorrow was suddenly dropped from "Star Wars: Episode IX" because of creative differences; on Tuesday, Lucasfilm announced that J.J. Abrams, who directed "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," would take the helm.

There was a time when the replacement of someone like Trevorrow - handpicked by Steven Spielberg to direct 2015's "Jurassic World," a $1.67-billion-grossing hit - would have been earth-shattering news. But Lucasfilm currently has one of the highest divorce rates in the industry. In the past two years, co-directors Phil Lord