To reassure Merrill loyalists, Thain called back fixed-income adviser Jeffrey Kronthal, who had been purged in 2006 for opposing O'Neal's swan dive into subprime mortgages.

FORBES: No Thain, No Gain

Others movies that had been in the running had been Darren Aronofsky for ballet-themed drama Black Swan, Christopher Nolan for high-tech thriller Inception and David O Russell for boxing movie The Fighter.

BBC: Director Tom Hooper with his dad Richard