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Top Future Directing Greats (2015 Edition)

The 7th Edition of this list

defining the careers of very good directors who have great potential to be among the greats...
(Created by and in the opinion of Stephen H Koontz)

This list includes directors who...
-- Have at least three successful films finished and, preferably, have at least one promising film on the way
-- Have directed full-length features for at least five years.

The more completed quality films (Rated 7/10 or higher) combined with promising films the director has on deck, the higher their rank.

Italicized title indicates unreleased film
Bold title indicates favorite film

Where did some directors move to?

Those who MOVED UP to Most Accomplished ACTIVE Directors 2015:
ANG LEE
ALEJANDRO GONZÁLEZ IÑÁRRITU
ERROL MORRIS
PEDRO ALMADÓVAR

Those who are OUT of the list:
Gore Verbinski - He had been a decent director and made the list after the enjoyable 'Rango' but recent work has been less impressive, and future projects even less.
John Madden - He has an impressive crowd-appealing career but his films just aren't strong enough to keep him on the list.

©RinkBlinkPictures
...

Sort by: Showing 50 items

Rating: List Type:

Kevin Macdonald

2014 Rank: #25 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2013 Rank: #26 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #35 on Best Up & Coming Directors

a. Touching the Void (2003)
b. State of Play (2009)
c. Marley (2012)
d. Black Sea (2015)

Mark Duplass

and Jay Duplass

2014 Rank: #49 (Debut)
2013 Rank: #18 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #37 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2011 Rank: #20 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2010 Rank: #24 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2009 Rank: #41 on Best Up and Coming Directors

a. The Puffy Chair (2005)
b. Baghead (2008)
c. Cyrus (2010)
d. Jeff Who Lives at Home (2012)
e. Togetherness [tv] (2015)

James Mangold

2014 Rank: #48
2013 Rank: #44
2012 Rank: OUT
2011 Rank: #29
2010 Rank: #21
2009 Rank: #38

a. Cop Land (1997)
b. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
c. Identity (2003)
d. Walk the Line (2005)
e. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
f. The Wolverine (2013)
g. The Deep Blue Goodbye (2016)

Mira Nair

2014 Rank: #50
2013 Rank: #50
2012 Rank: #44
2011 Rank: #32
2010 Rank: #37
2009 Rank: #47

a. Monsoon Wedding (2001)
b. The Namesake (2007)
c. Amelia (2009)
d. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013)
e. Queen of Katwe (2016)

Ryan Fleck

2014 Rank: #46
2013 Rank: #46 (Debut)
2012 Rank: #21 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2011 Rank: #39 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2010 Rank: --
2009 Rank: --

a. Half Nelson (2006)
b. Sugar (2009)
c. It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)
d. Mississippi Grind (2015)

Richard Shepard

2014 Rank: #21 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2013 Rank: #21 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #28 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2011 Rank: #33 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2010 Rank: #34 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2009 Rank: #28 on Best Up & Coming Directors

a. The Matador (2005)
b. The Hunting Party (2007)
c. Dom Hemingway (2014)
d. Rosewood (2015)

Stephen Daldry

2014 Rank: #43
2013 Rank: #41
2012 Rank: #40
2011 Rank: #39
2010 Rank: #41
2009 Rank: #45

a. Billy Elliot (2000)
b. The Hours (2002)
c. The Reader (2008)
d. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)
e. Trash (2014)
f. Wicked (2016)

Bennett Miller

2014 Rank: #11 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2013 Rank: #16 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #24 on Best Up & Coming Directors

a. Capote (2005)
b. Moneyball (2011)
c. Foxcatcher (2014)
d. The Studio (2017)

John Hillcoat

2014 Rank: #47
2013 Rank: #49 (Debut)
2012 Rank: #4 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2011 rank: #25 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2010 Rank: #26 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2009 Rank: #19 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)

a. The Proposition (2006)
b. The Road (2009)
c. Lawless (2012)
d. Triple Nine (2015)

Kathryn Bigelow

2014 Rank: #44 (Debut)
2013 Rank: #10 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #15 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2011 Rank: #23 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2010 Rank: #22 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2009 Rank: --

a. Point Break (1991)
b. Strange Days (1995)
c. The Hurt Locker (2009)
d. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
e. The True American (2016)

Jim Jarmusch

2014 Rank: #42
2013 Rank: #47
2012 Rank: #43
2011 Rank: --
2010 Rank: --
2009 Rank: --

a. Dead Man (1995)
b. Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
c. Broken Flowers (2005)
d. Only Lovers Left Alive (2014)
e. The Stooges Documentary (2016)

Richard Curtis

2014 Rank: #23 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2013 Rank: #40 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #44 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2011 Rank: -OUT-
2010 Rank: #48 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2009 Rank: #13 on Best Up & Coming Directors

a. Love Actually (2003)
b. Pirate Radio (2009)
c. About Time (2013)

Greg Mottola

2014 Rank: #40 (Debut)
2013 Rank: #9 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #12 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2011 Rank: #4 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2010 Rank: #3 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2009 Rank: #8 on Best Up and Coming Directors

a. Superbad (2007)
b. Adventureland (2009)
c. Paul (2011)
d. Clear History (2013)
e. Keeping Up with Jones (2016)

Tom Hooper

2014 Rank: #39
2013 Rank: #43 (Debut)
2012 Rank: #20 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2011 Rank: #30 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2010 Rank: --
2009 Rank: --

a. The Damned United (2009)
b. The King's Speech (2010)
c. Les Miserables (2012)
d. The Danish Girl (2015)

Matthew Vaughn

2014 Rank: #37
2013 Rank: #35
2012 Rank: #38 (Debut)
2011 Rank: #11 on "Best Up-and-Coming Directors" List
2010 Rank: #14 on "Best Up-and-Coming Directors" List
2009 Rank: --

a. Layer Cake (2004)
b. Stardust (2007)
c. Kick-Ass (2010)
d. X-Men: First Class (2011)
e. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

Fernando Meirelles

2014 Rank: #21
2013 Rank: #20
2012 Rank: #20
2011 Rank: #28
2010 Rank: #35
2009 Rank: #19

a. City of God (2002)
b. The Constant Gardner (2005)
c. 360 (2012)

Anton Corbijn

2014 Rank: #1 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2013 Rank: #2 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #8 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2011 Rank: #5 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2010 Rank: #18 on Best Up & Coming Directors
2009 Rank: #42 on Best Up & Coming Directors

a. Control (2007)
b. The American (2010)
c. A Most Wanted Man (2014)
d. Life (2015)

Jared Hess

2014 Rank: #38
2013 Rank: #38
2012 Rank: OUT
2011 Rank: #43
2010 Rank: #47
2009 Rank: #46

a. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
b. Nacho Libre (2006)
c. Gentlemen Broncos (2009)
d. Don Verdean: Biblical Archeologist (2015)
e. Masterminds (2016)

Nancy Meyers

2014 Rank: #32
2013 Rank: #29
2012 Rank: #29
2011 Rank: #20
2010 Rank: #24
2009 Rank: --

a. The Parent Trap (1998)
b. Something's Gotta Give (2003)
c. The Holiday (2006)
d. It's Complicated (2009)
e. The Intern (2015)

David Dobkin

2014 Rank: #35
2013 Rank: #33
2012 Rank: #35
2011 Rank: #37
2010 Rank: #43
2009 Rank: #28

a. Clay Pigeons (1998)
b. Shanghai Knights (2003)
c. Wedding Crashers (2005)
d. The Change-Up (2011)
e. The Judge (2014)

Guillermo del Toro

2014 Rank: #29
2013 Rank: #34
2012 Rank: #37
2011 Rank: #40
2010 Rank: #45
2009 Rank: #8

a. Hellboy I (2004)
b. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
c. Hellboy II (2008)
d. Pacific Rim (2013)
e. Crimson Peak (2015)

Marc Forster

2014 Rank: #27
2013 Rank: #28
2012 Rank: #33
2011 Rank: #18
2010 Rank: #23
2009 Rank: #36

a. Finding Neverland (2004)
b. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
c. The Kite Runner (2007)
d. Quantum of Solace (2008)
e. Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
f. World War Z (2013)
g. All I See is You (2016)

Ben Affleck

2014 Rank: #36 (Debut)
2013 Rank: #1 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #3 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2011 Rank: #10 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2010 Rank: #20 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2009 Rank: #27 on Best Up and Coming Directors

a. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
b. The Town (2010)
c. Argo (2012)
d. Live by Night (2016)

Rob Marshall

2014 Rank: #28
2013 Rank: #30
2012 Rank: #30
2011 Rank: #17
2010 Rank: #27 (Debut)
2009 Rank: #9 on Up & Coming Directors

a. Chicago (2002)
b. Memoires of a Geisha (2005)
c. Nine (2009)
d. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
e. Into the Woods (2014)

J.J. Abrams

2014 Rank: #34
2013 Rank: #40 (Debut)
2012 Rank: #4 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2011 Rank: #1 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2010 Rank: #2 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2009 Rank: #2 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)

a. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
b. Star Trek (2009)
c. Super 8 (2011)
d. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
e. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Jon Favreau

2014 Rank: #30
2013 Rank: #31
2012 Rank: #36
2011 Rank: #22
2010 Rank: #31
2009 Rank: #27

a. Made (2001)
b. Elf (2003)
c. Iron Man (2008)
d. Iron Man 2 (2010)
e. Cowboys and Aliens (2011)
f. Chef (2014)
g. The Jungle Book (2016)

George Clooney

2014 Rank: #22
2013 Rank: #24
2012 Rank: #26 (Debut)
2011 Rank: #35 on "Best Up & Coming Directors
2010 Rank: #25 on "Best Up & Coming Directors
2009 Rank: #22 on "Best Up & Coming Directors

a. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
b. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
c. Leatherheads (2008)
d. The Ides of March (2011)
e. The Monuments Men (2014)

Noah Baumbach

2014 Rank: #33 (Debut)
2013 Rank: #6 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2012 Rank: #13 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2011 Rank: #7 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2010 Rank: #1 on Best Up and Coming Directors
2009 Rank: --

a. The Squid and the Whale (2005)
b. Margot at the Wedding (2007)
c. Greenberg (2010)
d. Frances Ha (2013)
e. While We're Young (2015)
f. Mistress America (2016)

John Lasseter

2014 Rank: #23
2013 Rank: #21
2012 Rank: #23
2011 Rank: #12
2010 Rank: #32
2009 Rank: #20

a. Toy Story (1995)
b. A Bug’s Life (1998)
c. Toy Story 2 (1999)
c. Cars (2006)
d. Cars 2 (2011)
e. Toy Story 4 (2017)

Rian Johnson

2014 Rank: #31
2013 Rank: #36 (Debut)
2012 Rank: #17 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2011 Rank: #36 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2010 Rank: #42 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2009 Rank: #21 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)

a. Brick (2005)
b. The Brothers Bloom (2009)
c. Looper (2012)
d. Star Wars: Episode XIII (2017)
e. Star Wars: Episode XI (2019)

Mike Leigh

2014 Rank: #26
2013 Rank: #25
2012 Rank: #27
2011 Rank: #27
2010 Rank: #42
2009 Rank: #35

a. Secrets & Lies (1996)
b. Topsy-Turvy (1999)
c. Vera Drake (2004)
d. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
e. Another Year (2010)
f. Mr. Turner (2014)

Godfrey Reggio

Reggio finally on the list, after a 12-year absence he released an excellent film in 2014...

a. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
b. Powaqqatsi (1988)
c. Naqoyqatsi (2002)
d. Visitors (2014)

Nicolas Winding Refn

2014 Rank: #25
2013 Rank: #32 (Debut)
2012 Rank: #2 (On "Best Up and Coming" list)
2011 Rank: --
2010 Rank: --
2009 Rank: --

a. Bronson (2008)
b. Valhalla Rising (2009)
c. Drive (2011)
d. Only God Forgives (2013)
e. I Walk with the Dead (2015)

Kar Wai Wong

2014 Rank: #24
2013 Rank: #27
2012 Rank: #31
2011 Rank: #26
2010 Rank: #33
2009 Rank: #50

a. Chungking Express (1994)
b. In the Mood for Love (2000)
c. 2046 (2004)
e. The Grandmaster (2013)
f. A Most Violent God (2016)

Paul Greengrass

2014 Rank: #19
2013 Rank: #23
2012 Rank: #25
2011 Rank: #13
2010 Rank: #12
2009 Rank: #2

a. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
b. United 93 (2006)
c. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
d. Green Zone (2010)
e. Captain Phillips (2013)
f. Untitled Bourne Sequel (2016)

Edgar Wright

2014 Rank: #18
2013 Rank: #18
2012 Rank: #21
2011 Rank: #35 (Debut)
2010 Rank: #4 on Up & Coming Directors
2009 Rank: --

a. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
b. Hot Fuzz (2007)
c. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
d. The World's End (2013)

Brad Bird

2014 Rank: #15
2013 Rank: #15
2012 Rank: #15
2011 Rank: #34
2010 Rank: #46
2009 Rank: #10

a. The Iron Giant (1999)
b. The Incredibles (2004)
c. Ratatouille (2007)
d. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
e. Tomorrowland (2015)
f. 1906 (2017)

Adam McKay

2014 Rank: #14
2013 Rank: #17
2012 Rank: #19
2011 Rank: #30
2010 Rank: #44
2009 Rank: #32

a. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
b. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
c. Step Brothers (2008)
d. The Other Guys (2010)
e. Anchorman: The Legend Continues (2013)
f. The Big Short (2016)

Zack Snyder

2014 Rank: #13
2013 Rank: #16
2012 Rank: #18 (Debut)
2011 Rank: #3 on Up & Coming Directors
2010 Rank: #7 on Up & Coming Directors
2009 Rank: #4 on Up & Coming Directors

a. 300 (2007)
b. Watchmen (2009)
c. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)
d. Man of Steel (2013)
e. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
f. The Justice League: Part One (2017)
g. The Justice League: Part Two (2019)

Lars von Trier

2014 Rank: #16
2013 Rank: #22
2012 Rank: #28
2011 Rank: #41
2010 Rank: --
2009 Rank: --

a. Breaking the Waves (1996)
b. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
c. Antichrist (2009)
d. Melancholia (2011)
e. Nymphomaniac: Vol. I & II (2014)

Michel Gondry

2014 Rank: #6
2013 Rank: #7
2012 Rank: #8
2011 Rank: #3
2010 Rank: #4
2009 Rank: #34

a. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
b. The Science of Sleep (2006)
c. Dave Chapelle’s Block Party (2006)
d. Be Kind, Rewind (2008)
e. Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? (2013)
f. Mood Indigo (2014)

Judd Apatow

2014 Rank: #12
2013 Rank: #13
2012 Rank: #16
2011 Rank: #23
2010 Rank: #26
2009 Rank: #5

a. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
b. Knocked Up (2007)
c. Funny People (2009)
d. This is 40 (2012)
e. Trainwreck (2015)

Sofia Coppola

2014 Rank: #9
2013 Rank: #11
2012 Rank: #12
2011 Rank: #9
2010 Rank: #20
2009 Rank: #43

a. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
b. Lost in Translation (2003)
c. Marie Antionette (2006)
d. Somewhere (2010)
e. The Bling Ring (2013)
f. Fairyland (2017)

Yimou Zhang

2014 Rank: #11
2013 Rank: #12
2012 Rank: #14
2011 Rank: #15
2010 Rank: #17
2009 Rank: #11

a. Hero (2004)
b. House of Flying Daggers (2005)
c. Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2006)
d. Curse of the Golden Flower (2007)
e. The Flowers of War (2012)
f. The Great Wall (2016)

Baz Luhrmann

2014 Rank: #4
2013 Rank: #2
2012 Rank: #3
2011 Rank: #11
2010 Rank: #22
2009 Rank: #22

a. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
b. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
c. Australia (2008)
d. The Great Gatsby (2013)

Andrew Stanton

2014 Rank: #8
2013 Rank: #8
2012 Rank: #7
2011 Rank: #10
2010 Rank: #16
2009 Rank: #4

a. A Bug’s Life (1998)
b. Finding Nemo (2003)
c. Wall-E (2008)
d. John Carter (2012)
e. Finding Dory (2016)

Jason Reitman

2014 Rank: #5
2013 Rank: #3
2012 Rank: #5
2011 Rank: #5
2010 Rank: #7
2009 Rank: #30

a. Thank You For Smoking (2005)
b. Juno (2007)
c. Up in the Air (2009)
d. Young Adult (2011)
e. Labor Day (2013)
f. Men, Women & Children (2014)

Alfonso Cuarón

2014 Rank: #2
2013 Rank: #5
2012 Rank: #9
2011 Rank: #21
2010 Rank: #25
2009 Rank: #25

a. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
b. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
c. Children of Men (2006)
d. Gravity (2013)
e. Tales from the Hanging Head (2016)

Joe Wright

2014 Rank: #3
2013 Rank: #6
2012 Rank: #11
2011 Rank: #42 (Debut)
2010 Rank: #2 on Up & Coming Directors
2009 Rank: #10 on "Best Up & Coming Directors"

a. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
b. Atonement (2007)
c. The Soloist (2009)
d. Hanna (2011)
e. Anna Karenina (2012)
f. Pan (2015)
g. A Season in the Congo (2017)