The Hobbit Second Adaptation: Potential Directors

1. David F. Sandberg

Director | Shazam!

David F. Sandberg is a Swedish film director from Jönköping who is known for directing the superhero comedy film Shazam and the horror films Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation. He lives on the autism spectrum. He also provided the voice of Mister Mind at the end of Shazam and made several short ...

2. Peyton Reed

Director | Ant-Man

Peyton Reed is an American film director, screenwriter and producer who is known for directing Bring It On, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He also directed Yes Man, Down with Love and The Break-Up. He directed episodes of The Mandalorian and Back to the Future.

3. Damien Chazelle

Writer | La La Land

Damien Sayre Chazelle is an American director and screenwriter. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. His mother, Celia Sayre (Martin) Chazelle, is an American-Canadian writer and professor of history at The College of New Jersey. His father, Bernard Chazelle, is a French-American Eugene Higgins...

4. Brian Kirk

Director | 21 Bridges

Brian Kirk was born in 1968 in Armagh, Ireland. He is a director and producer, known for 21 Bridges (2019), Game of Thrones (2011) and Luther (2010).

5. Jonathan Liebesman

Director | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Jonathan Liebesman was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on September 15, 1976. He would remain in his home country, studying filmmaking at the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, until 1996; that year, he traveled to New York City to visit his cousin who was ...

6. Travis Knight

Animation_department | Kubo and the Two Strings

Travis Knight was born on September 13, 1973 in Hillsboro, Oregon, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), ParaNorman (2012) and Missing Link (2019).

7. Ryan Coogler

Director | Black Panther

Ryan Kyle Coogler is an African-American filmmaker and producer who is from Oakland, California. He is known for directing the Black Panther film series, Creed, a Rocky spin-off and Fruitvale Station. He frequently casts Michael B. Jordan in his works. He produced the Creed sequels, Judas and the ...

8. Peter Berg

Actor | Chicago Hope

Peter Berg is an American actor, director, writer, and producer. His first role was in the Adam Rifkin road movie Never on Tuesday (1988). He went on to star in the World War 2 film A Midnight Clear (1992). Roles in Fire in the Sky (1993) and Cop Land (1997) followed, and the Tom Cruise films ...

9. Ericson Core

Cinematographer | The Fast and the Furious

After graduating from USC's film program as well a degree from the prestigious Art Center College of Design, Core started his career as a Director of Photography on such films as "187" for Kevin Reynolds, "Payback" for Brian Hegleland, "Mumford" for Lawrence Kasdan, "Dancing at the Blue Iguana" for...

10. Scott Derrickson

Producer | The Black Phone

Scott Derrickson is an American filmmaker who is known for directing horror films such as Deliver Us from Evil, Hellraiser: Inferno, Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. He also directed the superhero film Doctor Strange starring Benedict Cumberbatch. He decided not to direct Doctor Strange in ...

11. George Tillman Jr.

Producer | The Hate U Give

After seeing the films, COOLEY HIGH and TAXI DRIVER, Milwaukee, Wisconsin native George Tillman, Jr. became inspired to make films of his own. In 1994, George wrote and directed his first feature film, SCENES FOR THE SOUL. It was shot entirely in Chicago, using local talent and resources. The film,...

12. Guy Ritchie

Director | Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK on September 10, 1968. After watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) as a child, Guy realized that what he wanted to do was make films. He never attended film school, saying that the work of film school graduates was boring and ...

13. Jon M. Chu

Director | G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Jon is an alumni of the USC School of Cinema-Television. There, he won the Princess Grace Award, the Dore Schary Award presented by the Anti-Defamation league, the Jack Nicholson directing award, and recognized as an honoree for the IFP/West program Project: Involve.

After making his student short, ...

14. Gareth Edwards

Visual_effects | Monsters

Gareth James Edwards was born on June 1, 1975 in the English town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Growing up, he admired movies such as the 1977 classic "Star Wars", and went on to pursue a film career. He even cites George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as his biggest influences. Edwards studied BA (Hons) ...

15. Gary Ross

Writer | The Hunger Games

Gary Ross is an American writer, director and actor born November 3rd, 1956 in Los Angeles, California. His father was screenwriter Arthur A. Ross (1920 - 2008). After writing for television series The Hitchhiker (1983) in 1986, Ross broke through by penning the Tom Hanks hit Big (1988), his first ...

16. John Stockwell

Actor | Top Gun

John Stockwell is an American actor, director, producer and writer who is probably best known - as an actor - for his roles in the Tom Cruise vehicles Losin' It (1982) and Top Gun (1986), and the Stephen King - John Carpenter film Christine (1983).

John has since moved from acting into the ...

17. Jon Favreau

Producer | Chef

Initially an indie film favorite, actor Jon Favreau has progressed to strong mainstream visibility into the millennium and, after nearly two decades in the business, is still enjoying character stardom as well as earning notice as a writer/producer/director.

The amiable, husky-framed actor with the ...

18. David Hayter

Actor | X-Men

David Hayter was born on February 6, 1969 in Santa Monica, California, USA as David Bryan Hayter. He is known for writing the screenplays to X-Men (2000), X-Men 2 (2003), and Watchmen (2009). He is best known as the voice of Solid Snake in the English versions of the Metal Gear Solid franchise.

19. Edward Zwick

Producer | Thirtysomething

Zwick moves deftly between the roles of writer, director and producer. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his direction of the 1989 critically acclaimed Civil War drama, Glory. He received his second Golden Globe nomination as a director for Legends of the Fall. Zwick received an Academy Award...

20. Chris McKay

Director | Renfield

Chris McKay was born on November 11, 1973 in Winter Park, Florida, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Renfield (2023), The Tomorrow War (2021) and The Lego Batman Movie (2017).

21. Jon Turteltaub

Director | Cool Runnings

Jon Turteltaub was born on August 8, 1963 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Cool Runnings (1993), While You Were Sleeping (1995) and Phenomenon (1996). He has been married to Amy Eldon since July 6, 2006. They have three children.

22. Mark Steven Johnson

Director | Finding Steve McQueen

Mark Steven Johnson is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is known for writing and directing the hit Marvel films "Daredevil" and "Ghost Rider" as well as writing "Grumpy Old Men" and its successful sequel "Grumpier Old Men." Johnson recently wrote, directed and produced "Love...

23. Gavin Hood

Director | Official Secrets

Gavin Hood was born on May 12, 1963 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is an actor and director, known for Official Secrets (2019), Tsotsi (2005) and Eye in the Sky (2015). He was previously married to Janine Eser.

24. Rob Letterman

Writer | Monsters vs. Aliens

Rob Letterman is known for Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), Goosebumps (2023) and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019).

25. Neil Burger

Director | Divergent

Neil Burger is an American film and television director, writer, and producer. Most recently, he wrote and directed Voyagers (2021), starring Colin Farrell, Tye Sheridan, and Lily-Rose Depp. He is also known for The Upside (2017), Divergent (2014), Limitless (2011), and The Illusionist (2006). For ...

26. Nimród Antal

Director | Kontroll

Antal was born in Los Angeles, California of Hungarian ancestry. He moved to Hungary in 1991 to study at the Hungarian Film Academy. After graduating, he went on to work in the film and television industry. In 2005, he moved back to his hometown of Los Angeles to pursue success in Hollywood.

He is ...

27. Jon Watts

Director | Cop Car

Jon Watts is an American filmmaker and screenwriter. He directed Cop Car and Clown before he was picked by Marvel and Sony to direct Spider-Man: Homecoming starring Tom Holland and Zendaya. It's success resulted in two sequels, Far from Home in 2019 and No Way Home in 2021. He was also picked by ...

28. Derrick Borte

Director | Unhinged

Derrick Borte was born in Germany. Derrick is a director and writer, known for Unhinged (2020), American Dreamer (2018) and The Joneses (2009).

29. Rob Marshall

Director | Mary Poppins Returns

Rob Marshall was born on October 17, 1960 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Chicago (2002) and Into the Woods (2014).

30. Robert Eggers

Director | The Lighthouse

Robert Houston Eggers is an American filmmaker and production designer. He is best known for writing and directing the historical horror films The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019), as well as directing and co-writing the historical fiction epic film The Northman (2022). His films are noted ...

31. Brad Bird

Writer | The Incredibles

Phillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an American director, screenwriter, animator, producer and occasional voice actor, known for both animated and live-action films. Bird was born in Kalispell, Montana, the youngest of four children of Marjorie A. (née Cross) and Philip Cullen Bird. His father worked in...

32. Dean Parisot

Director | Galaxy Quest

Dean Parisot is known for Galaxy Quest (1999), RED 2 (2013) and Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). He was previously married to Sally Menke.

33. Dean Devlin

Producer | Independence Day

Dean Devlin has produced and co-written some of the most successful feature films of all time -- Independence Day, Stargate, and Godzilla -- which collectively grossed more than 1.4 billion dollars worldwide. In May of 2001, he founded Electric Entertainment, where he serves as chairman and CEO. ...

34. Scott Cooper

Director | Crazy Heart

Scott Cooper was born on April 20, 1970 in Abingdon, Virginia, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Crazy Heart (2009), Hostiles (2017) and Out of the Furnace (2013).

35. Susanne Bier

Director | Hævnen

Though Academy Award®, Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award winning writer and director Susanne Bier's work often plays out against a wide-reaching global backdrop, its focus is intimate, carefully exploring the explosive emotions and complexities of familial bonds. This unique combination is part of ...

36. Daniel Espinosa

Director | Morbius

Jorge Daniel Espinosa is a Swedish-Chilean film director, screenwriter and film producer from Trångsund, Stockholm. He graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2001. He notably directed the Sony's Marvel Universe film Morbius starring Jared Leto and other films including Life, Easy ...

37. J.C. Chandor

Producer | A Most Violent Year

J.C. Chandor is known for A Most Violent Year (2014), Margin Call (2011) and All Is Lost (2013). He has been married to Mary Cameron Goodyear since 2004. They have two children.

38. Ric Roman Waugh

Director | Shot Caller

Ric Roman Waugh was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. Ric Roman is a producer and director, known for Shot Caller (2017), Angel Has Fallen (2019) and Greenland (2020). Ric Roman has been married to Tanya Ballinger since September 24, 2005. They have two children.

39. Julius Avery

Director | Overlord

Julius Avery is known for Overlord (2018), Son of a Gun (2014) and Jerrycan (2008).

40. Baltasar Kormákur

Producer | Mýrin

Baltasar Kormákur is an actor, producer and director whose work spans theater, movies and television. Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, he graduated as an actor from Iceland's National Academy of Fine Arts in 1990. He was immediately signed on by the National Theatre of Iceland, where he worked as one of...

41. Aleksander Bach

Director | Hitman: Agent 47

Aleksander Bach was born as a son of a Polish photographer in Lublin, Poland. He emigrated with his parents to Germany in the early 80's. He attended to the Düsseldorf Institute for Music and Media where he graduated in Audio and Video Engineering, Dipl. Ing. (FH) in 2006. In parallel he studied ...

42. S. Craig Zahler

Writer | Bone Tomahawk

S. Craig Zahler was born on January 23, 1973 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Bone Tomahawk (2015), Dragged Across Concrete (2018) and Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017).

43. Jeremy Saulnier

Cinematographer | Blue Ruin

Jeremy Saulnier has slyly defined a unique cinematic aesthetic that complements his idiosyncratic narrative premises. His sophomore feature, Blue Ruin (2013) a quirky, crime drama set in a pretty, but grimier part of suburban America was a festival darling and supplanted his name within the ...

44. Ladj Ly

Writer | Les misérables

Ladj Ly was born on January 3, 1978 in Mali. He is a writer and director, known for Les Misérables (2019), The Pitiful (2017) and Athena (2022).

45. Andy Muschietti

Director | Mama

Andy Muschietti was born on August 26, 1973 in Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina. He is a producer and director, known for Mama (2013), It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019).

46. Alexandre Aja

Director | Haute tension

Alexandre Aja was born on August 7, 1978 in Paris, France. He is a producer and director, known for High Tension (2003), The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and Piranha 3D (2010). He is married to Laïla Marrakchi.

47. Prachya Pinkaew

Producer | Ong-Bak

Prachya Pinkaew was born on September 2, 1962. He is a producer and director, known for Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003), The Protector (2005) and Chocolate (2008).

48. Louis Leterrier

Director | The Incredible Hulk

Louis Leterrier is a French film director and producer. He notably directed the first two Transporter films, Unleashed, The Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans, Now You See Me, Tower of Strength and The Brothers Grimsby. He also directed episodes of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix ...

49. Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

Director | Kate

Cedric Nicolas-Troyan was born on March 9, 1969 in Talence, Gironde, France. He is a director, known for Kate (2021), The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016) and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). He has been married to Sue Troyan since July 25, 2002. They have one child.

50. Harald Zwart

Director | Den 12. mann

Harald Zwart was born in Leiden, Netherlands, and his family moved to Norway where he grew up. He made his first film when he was 8 years and was active with Super8 and stop motion animation for years. He was accepted into the highly acclaimed Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam, NL, where he spent 4 ...