Chris Columbus sat in the director's chair for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone instead, while Spielberg remained in Los Angeles to helm the science fiction drama A.I. Artificial Intelligence, starring Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law.

Source: https://www.cbr.com/steven-spielberg-turned-down-harry-potter/

That adaptation was shelved owing to an ever increasing budget and it would be Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2) that would eventually take the director's chair with Smith in the main role.

Source: https://www.joe.ie/movies-tv/will-smith-netflix-i-am-legend-784939

This wasn't the end of the drama, far from it, but it was enough to get Blatty in the director's chair and he ended up making a legitimately creepy movie, despite all the struggles with the studio.

Source: https://www.slashfilm.com/1416238/exorcist-3-william-peter-blatty-director/

Unfortunately, Carpenter dropped out of the director's chair in short order, and Hill soon followed.

Source: https://www.slashfilm.com/1357981/halloween-h2o-proved-legacy-sequels-kill-at-box-office/