'Rebecca' director Ben Wheatley says it's 'irrelevant' what critics think of his movie

• The early reviews for Netflix's new film "Rebecca" have been poor, but director Ben Wheatley told Insider that they are "'irrelevant'" to him and his assessment of the film's success.
• "You can just look at it in terms of numbers and you go, 'Oh, look, it's at 55% [Rotten Tomatoes score] it's a split,'" he said during a phone call on Tuesday evening. "Half the people like it and half the people don't, so whether people like it or not it's kind of irrelevant at that point. As long as some people are liking it, it doesn't matter if some people don't."
• Many publications — including Insider — have panned the film for striking the wrong thematic tone and failing to match up to either Du Maurier's novel or Alfred Hitchcock's beloved 1940s film adaptation.

This week Netflix released "Rebecca" — its hotly anticipated adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's classic gothic novel.

But the early reviews have been poor with many critics — including Insider — criticizing the film for striking the wrong thematic tone and failing to match up to either Du Maurier's novel or Alfred Hitchcock's beloved 1940s film adaptation.

However, British writer-director Ben Wheatley who adapted the classic novel for the streaming giant told Insider that bad reviews are "'irrelevant'" to him and his assessment of the film's success.

"You can just look at it in terms of numbers and you go, 'Oh, look, it's at 55% [Rotten Tomatoes score] it's a split,'" he said during a phone call on Tuesday evening. "Half the people like it and half the people don't, so whether people like it or not it's kind of irrelevant at that point. As long as some people are liking it, it doesn't matter if some people don't."

'I think your criteria for failure is a totally personal one'

He added: "In terms of art, it's your own judgment at the end of the day. You can say there's a financial imperative if things do or don't work, but then over time, you see that plenty of things that don't work financially do work later on.

"Audiences change and shift over time, so you'd be a fool to go: 'Oh yeah, it failed because it didn't earn enough money.' I think your criteria for failure is a totally personal one."

In the new adaptation, Lily James stars as a bright-eyed young woman who falls in love with and marries a recent widower named Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), only to find that his expansive home is haunted by the shadows of his revered late first wife, Rebecca.

Kristin Scott Thomas also stars as Mrs. Danvers, the cruel head housekeeper of Maxim de Winter's estate in a performance that Insider described as masterful.

Wheatley, who is best known for his independent genre films such as "Kill List" and "Hire Rise," said that casting Scott Thomas was a no-brainer. "Once someone suggested her name it was very difficult to picture anyone else in that part," he explained. "It was more like talking to her and trying to convince her to do it."

Wheatley also defended his decision to cast Armie Hammer after the "Call Me by Your Name" star's performance was singled out by critics. Insider identified Hammer's performance as a specific low-point for the film describing him as disappointing and inept.

In response, Wheatley said: "Those kinds of criticisms, when I read them I go: 'But this is why I did it. This is what I like,' so it's like whatever. If you don't like it that's just a different take."

The pair previously worked together on Wheatley's 2016's crime thriller "Free Fire."

Next, Wheatley is set to direct "Tomb Raider 2" with Alicia Vikander returning as Lara Croft. The sequel was set to start filming earlier in 2020 for a March 2021 release, but the pandemic halted all production and Wheatley said that everything is "up in the air at the moment."

"I mean Christ the whole country is about to go into full lockdown as far as I can see," he said. "Since March everything is day-to-day with planning. It's hard to think about stuff months ahead I just want to get to the end of 2020, to be honest."

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