Being hired by Lucasfilm to direct a Star Wars movie isn’t the Hollywood equivalent of being named the new drummer for Spinal Tap, but it’s heading there. Two years ago, Fantastic Four director Josh Trank was removed from his would-be standalone Star Wars film. Earlier this year, Chris Miller and Phil Lord departed the Young Han Solo movie. And now Colin Trevorrow is out from Episode IX.
Maybe Lucasfilm has just been unlucky, or maybe they are having issues during their interview process, but either way, you can’t keep pumping out Star Wars movies without people to direct them. So, as fans of that galaxy far, far away, we decided to help out by putting together a list of directors they can turn to for a reliable piece of epic entertainment.
Ryan Coogler
Fruitvale Station alone would have earned Ryan Coogler a spot on this list, but he really proved himself up for the task of reviving blockbuster franchises from the ’70s with Creed. And while we have to wait until February for his Black Panther, the gorgeous trailers alone prove he knows how to handle incredible costumes and set pieces–a huge aspect of any Star Wars film.
Michelle MacLaren
Michelle MacLaren might be your favorite director without you realizing it, as she is responsible for some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Leftovers, and The Walking Dead. Someone will eventually be smart enough to lock her down for her big screen debut (she was originally on board to direct Wonder Woman, but that didn’t come to pass), and then we’ll all be asking what took so long.
Patty Jenkins
Ticket sales in 2017 have been some of the worst in Hollywood history, but that didn’t stop Patty Jenkins’Â Wonder Woman from being a smash hit. She has proved that she can lead a big budget film, deftly handle beloved characters, and make a movie that is both fun and touching. Jenkins turned around a floundering franchise for DC–imagine what she could achieve with an already successful one!
Ava DuVernay
We’ve been waiting for the Selma director to get tapped by Lucasfilm for awhile now, ever since since a person who knows a little something about traveling to the galaxy far, far away told us why she’d make for a great choice. Granted, most of Ava DuVernay’s directorial efforts to date are a little more grounded than Star Wars, but that human touch is exactly what made the original story work amid all its fantastical elements. Plus, she’s saddled to handle the forthcoming A Wrinkle in Time movie, so you know she wants to stretch her otherworldly muscles.
James Mangold
A great Star Wars film finds the right balance of fun and excitement with meaningful, emotional moments. Nobody has done that better recently than James Mangold with the Wolverine deconstruction/all-out-awesome superhero movie Logan. Mangold’s film gave two terrifically iconic characters proper sendoffs with their best movie to date; we’d love if that ends up happening with Luke Skywalker, too.
Lexi Alexander
Lexi Alexander is another formidable TV and film director who is going to make a studio look very smart one day when they sign her up for her first franchise pricture. Lucasfilm would be a great launchpad for Alexander, since she’s already experienced shooting action sequences and people with super human powers, having directed episodes of Arrow, Supergirl, and Limitless.
Taika Waititi
Anyone who has seen What We Do in the Shadows or Hunt for the Wilderpeople will tell you every studio should want to work with Taika Waititi, but it’s what we’ve seen from his upcoming film Thor: Ragnarok that has us hoping he’ll one day get tapped by Lucasfilm. We’ve watched the trailers for his Thor movie about a million times already, and already have the movie predicted to rank among our most beloved MCU films ever.
Kathryn Bigelow
These days, Katherine Bigelow’s name is foremost tethered to her Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker and -nominated Zero Dark Thirty, both of which showcase her penchant for intensity. But in case you think a Star Wars movie needs a little more fun in the mix (which it does), let us remind you of her late ’90s action masterpiece Point Break.
Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright has shot down this possibility before, but he can’t say no forever, right? He has the nerd cred to do it. He has the artistic pedigree to do it. And we can’t imagine a part of him doesn’t want to get paid to work with lightsabers and X-wings. Also, Edgar Wright doesn’t make bad movies, so why wouldn’t the studio want him to direct one?
What do you think? Who on this list do you most want to see behind the camera for Lucasfilm? Who did we leave out that should also be considered? Direct all your thoughts into our comments section below.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
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