Star Wars Franchise: Tryouts for New Directors
by Stryder-56897 | created - 21 Feb 2021 | updated - 13 Mar 2021 | PublicThese Directors Could Knock it out of the Park, all better than Kathleen Kennedy, JJ Abrams, Rian Johnson and Leslye Headland
1. Neill Blomkamp
Director | District 9
Neill Blomkamp is a South African-Canadian film director and screenwriter who is known for the science fiction films District 9, Elysium and Chappie. He also directed the supernatural horror film Demonic and the 2007 short film Halo: Landfall, based on the Microsoft science fiction video game ...
2. Zack Snyder
Director | 300
Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter, best known for action and science fiction films. Snyder made his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead and has gone on to be known for his comic book movies and ...
3. Pete Travis
Writer | The Gunman
Pete Travis is known for The Gunman (2015), Dredd (2012) and Vantage Point (2008).
4. Adrian Grunberg
Director | Rambo: Last Blood
Adrian Grunberg is known for Rambo: Last Blood (2019), Get the Gringo (2012) and Apocalypto (2006).
5. Len Wiseman
Writer | Underworld
Filmmaker Len Wiseman's career began through his work in the art department on the blockbuster hits like Godzilla (1998), Men in Black (1997), and Independence Day (1996). His design talents soon got him behind the camera directing commercials for PlayStation, Time Warner, Oracle, Intel, and ...
6. Patrick Lussier
Editor | Drive Angry
Patrick Lussier is known for Drive Angry (2011), My Bloody Valentine (2009) and Terminator Genisys (2015).
7. James Mangold
Producer | Logan
James Mangold is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer. Films he has directed include Girl, Interrupted (1999), Walk the Line (2005), which he also co-wrote, the 2007 remake 3:10 to Yuma (2007), The Wolverine (2013), and Logan (2017).
Mangold also wrote and directed Cop...
8. 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 ...
9. Alex Garland
Writer | Ex Machina
Alex Garland is an English novelist, screenwriter, film producer and director. He is best known for the films Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018).
Garland's others works as a writer includes The Beach (2000), 28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), Never Let Me Go (2011) and Dredd (2012).
He is ...
10. Steven S. DeKnight
Writer | Pacific Rim Uprising
Steven S. DeKnight was born in Millville, New Jersey, USA. He is known for Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), Daredevil (2015) and Jupiter's Legacy (2021). He is married to Jaime Slater.
11. Robert Schwentke
Writer | Der Hauptmann
Robert Schwentke was born in 1968 in Stuttgart, Germany. He is a writer and director, known for The Captain (2017), RED (2010) and Eierdiebe (2003).
12. D.J. Caruso
Director | I Am Number Four
Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, Caruso came west to play tennis and study Television Production at Pepperdine University. Interned at Disney Studios in the Product Placement department and later hooked up with Director John Badham, who mentored him into a second-unit director, after Badham lost his ...
13. Jon Cassar
Producer | 24
Jon Cassar was born on April 27, 1958 in Malta. He is a producer and director, known for 24 (2001), Forsaken (2015) and When the Bough Breaks (2016).
14. 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 ...
15. Patrick Hughes
Director | Red Hill
Australian-born writer, producer and director Patrick Hughes continues to establish himself as one of Hollywood's most in-demand filmmakers by bringing compelling material to global audiences anchored by striking visuals and comedic storytelling.
Upcoming, Hughes will debut THE HITMAN'S WIFE'S ...
16. 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 ...
17. Alan Taylor
Director | Game of Thrones
Alan Taylor is an American film and television director from San Francisco known for directing episodes of HBO shows such as The Sopranos, Deadwood, Game of Thrones, and Sex in the City. He directed the feature films Thor: The Dark World, Palookaville, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Many Saints of ...
19. Andrew Stanton
Writer | WALL·E
Andrew Stanton has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990, when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company's elite group of computer animation pioneers. As Vice President, Creative he currently oversees all shorts and feature projects at the ...
20. Dan Trachtenberg
Director | Prey
Dan Trachtenberg is an American filmmaker and podcast host. He directed the 2016 horror-thriller film 10 Cloverfield Lane which earned him a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for Outstanding Directing - First-Time Feature Film. Trachtenberg was one of three hosts of The Totally Rad Show ...
21. 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).
22. Joseph Kosinski
Director | Top Gun: Maverick
Joseph Kosinski is a director whose uncompromising style has quickly made a mark in the filmmaking zeitgeist. His four theatrical releases have grossed $2.2 billion worldwide and been nominated for 7 Academy Awards and 2 Grammys.
His film debut, "Tron: Legacy" for Walt Disney Studios, grossed $400 ...
23. Camille Delamarre
Director | Last Call
Camille Delamarre was born on October 3, 1979. He is a director and editor, known for Last Call (2013), Brick Mansions (2014) and The Transporter Refueled (2015).
24. Dennis Gansel
Director | Die Welle
Born in 1973 in Hannover, Germany, Dennis Gansel studied at Munich Film School HFF. Remarkably his first feature length movie Das Phantom (2000) was shot while he was still studying. Between his movies Girls on Top (2001), Before the Fall (2004) and The Wave (2008) he spent a long time struggling ...
25. 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. ...
26. Gore Verbinski
Director | Rango
Gore Verbinski, one of American cinema's most inventive directors who was a punk-rock guitarist as a teenager and had to sell his guitar to buy his first camera, is now the director of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) which made the industry record for highest opening weekend of ...
27. 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...
28. Antoine Fuqua
Producer | The Magnificent Seven
Antoine Fuqua is an American film director, known for his work in the film Training Day as well as The Replacement Killers, Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter, Brooklyn's Finest, Olympus Has Fallen and The Equalizer.
He has directed music videos for such artists as Arrested Development, Prince, ...
29. Gary Shore
Director | Dracula Untold
Gary Shore is a writer and director hailing from Artane on Dublin's north side. He studied film at Galway, Mayo Institute of Technology (1999-2002) and The National Film School (2005-2006). After a brief stint directing commercials and music videos, Shore returned to study fine art at Central Saint...
30. Scott Waugh
Director | Act of Valor
Scott Waugh was born on August 22, 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Act of Valor (2012), Expend4bles (2023) and Hidden Strike (2023).
31. Ruben Fleischer
Director | Zombieland
Ruben Fleischer was born on October 31, 1974 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Zombieland (2009), Gangster Squad (2013) and Venom (2018). He has been married to Holly Shakoor Fleischer since November 10, 2012.
32. 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.
33. Justin Lin
Producer | Better Luck Tomorrow
Justin Lin is a Taiwanese-American film director whose films have grossed $2 billion worldwide. He is best known for his work on Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious 3-6 and Star Trek Beyond. He is also known for his work on television shows like Community and the second season of True ...
34. Adam Wingard
Director | V/H/S
At 19 Adam got his start in feature film making early with his directorial debut Home Sick, a slasher horror film starring Bill Moseley and Tom Toweles. However it was his second effort at 24 years old with the film Pop Skull that garnered him a talent to watch. Made for a budget of around 2000 ...
35. Tim Miller
Producer | Love, Death & Robots
Tim Miller is an American animator, film director, creative director and visual effects artist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the work on his short animated film Gopher Broke. He made his directing debut with Deadpool. Miller is also famous for creating ...
36. Noam Murro
Director | 300: Rise of an Empire
Noam Murro was born on August 16, 1961 in Jerusalem, Israel. He is a director and producer, known for 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), Watership Down (2018) and Smart People (2008).
37. Jonathan Mostow
Director | Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Jonathan Mostow was born on November 28, 1961 in Woodbridge, Connecticut, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Breakdown (1997) and U-571 (2000). He has been married to Laurie Sandell since October 7, 2018.
38. Joe Johnston
Director | Captain America: The First Avenger
Joseph Eggleston Johnston II is an American film director from Texas who is known for directing the cult classic film The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Wolfman, October Sky, The Pagemaster, Jurassic Park III and Captain America: The First Avenger. He was an art director for ...
39. Craig Gillespie
Producer | I, Tonya
Craig Gillespie is an Australian film director, best known for his films Lars and the Real Girl (2007), I, Tonya (2017) and Cruella (2021). Born and raised in Sydney, Gillespie moved to New York City at the age of nineteen to study illustration, graphic design and advertising at Manhattan's School ...
40. Doug Liman
Producer | Edge of Tomorrow
Douglas Eric Liman is a Jewish-American filmmaker and producer who directed Swingers, The Bourne Identity, Chaos Walking, Jumper, Go, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fair Game, Locked Down, Edge of Tomorrow, The Wall and American Made. He executive produced the Bourne sequels except The Bourne Legacy, The ...
41. Francis Lawrence
Director | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Francis Lawrence is an American filmmaker. He started directing over sixty music videos before he directed the cult classic Keanu Reeves film Constantine, I Am Legend and Water for Elephants. He also directed The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2, and Red ...
42. 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 ...
43. Rupert Wyatt
Director | The Escapist
Writer, Director and Producer Rupert Wyatt was born and raised in the South of England.
He is the founding member of the film collective Picture Farm that along with its prolific Commercial output has produced numerous Documentaries and Feature Films including the multi-award winning DARK DAYS (2001...
44. Christian Volckman
Director | The Room
Christian Volckman is a french film director, author, and painter. He is a graduate of Ecole Supérieure d'Arts Graphiques in Paris.
He is mainly known for his motion capture animation feature film Renaissance, with the voices of Daniel Craig, Romola Garai, Jonathan Pryce, and Ian Holm, which won the...
45. 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).
46. David Mackenzie
Director | Starred Up
David Mackenzie was born on May 10, 1966 in Corbridge, Northumberland, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Starred Up (2013), Perfect Sense (2011) and Hell or High Water (2016).
47. Jason Zada
Director | The Forest
Jason Zada was born on March 8, 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Jason is a director and writer, known for The Forest (2016), Take This Lollipop (2011) and The Houses October Built (2014).
48. 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 ...
49. Christopher McQuarrie
Writer | The Usual Suspects
Christopher McQuarrie is an acclaimed producer, director and an Academy Award® winning writer. McQuarrie grew up in Princeton Junction, New Jersey and in lieu of college, he spent the first five years out of school traveling and working at a detective agency. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue...
50. Gavin O'Connor
Producer | The Accountant
Gavin O'Connor was born on December 24, 1963 in Huntington, Long Island, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Accountant (2016), Pride and Glory (2008) and Warrior (2011). He has been married to Brooke Burns since June 22, 2013. They have one child. He was previously married ...
51. 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...
52. Pierre Morel
Director | Banlieue 13
Pierre Morel was born on May 12, 1964 in France. He is a cinematographer and director, known for District B13 (2004), Taken (2008) and The Gunman (2015).
53. 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).
54. Mark Neveldine
Director | Gamer
Mark Neveldine was born in Watertown, New York, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Gamer (2009), Crank (2006) and Crank: High Voltage (2009). He has been married to Alison Lohman since August 19, 2009. They have three children.
55. Brian Taylor
Writer | Crank
Brian Taylor grew up in the suburban wastelands of Southern California. After a gloriously well-spent youth traveling around the world in punk bands he took an abrupt change of direction in the early naughts, enrolling in a ten-month film program to study camera. Brian wrote, shot and edited what ...
56. James Wan
Writer | Saw
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian film producer, screenwriter and film director of Malaysian Chinese descent. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw (2004) and creating Billy the puppet. Wan has also directed Dead Silence (2007), Death Sentence (2007), Insidious (2010)...
57. Matt Reeves
Producer | The Batman
Matthew George "Matt" Reeves was born April 27, 1966 in Rockville Center, New York, USA and is a writer, director and producer. Reeves began making movies at age eight, directing friends and using a wind-up camera. He befriended filmmaker J.J. Abrams when both were 13 years old and a public-access ...
58. 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...
59. Gareth Evans
Writer | Serbuan maut
Welsh born writer/director, in 2003 directed a short film "Samurai Monogatari" telling the tale of a Samurai waiting to be executed. The short was in Japanese language and starred students from Tokyo who were studying at Cardiff University at the time.
In 2003 he also graduated with an MA in ...
60. David Leitch
Producer | Bullet Train
David Leitch is a billion dollar film director, actor, stuntman, writer, producer, and stunt coordinator. He co-directed John Wick (2014) with Chad Stahelski, on which he also served as producer. David directed Atomic Blonde (2017) starring Charlize Theron. David also directed the box office smash ...
61. 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, ...
62. 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 ...
Tell Your Friends