9. Christopher McQuarrie
Why should McQuarrie join the DCCU? On the subject of Liman, Christopher McQuarrie recently had a hand in penning the screenplay for Edge of Tomorrow. As a director, McQuarrie has only two projects to date (2000's The Way of the Gun and 2012's Jack Reacher) and a third on the way (Mission: Impossible 5). Despite this, his directorial style throughout Jack Reacher showed an informed grasp of how an action movie should be paced, and his reteam with Tom Cruise on the next M:I film is also promising. Another point in favor of McQuarrie joining the DC Cinematic Universe after his M:I effort is his friendship with frequent collaborator Bryan Singer. McQuarrie worked on the scripts for The Usual Suspects and Valkyrie, but Singer went on to direct Superman Returns and a few X-Men films without McQuarrie. The tepid response to Superman Returns probably means Singer wouldn't return to DC, but McQuarrie could follow in his footsteps and learn from his mistakes.
What should McQuarrie direct? Mission: Impossible 5 will be McQuarrie's first foray into a major studio tentpole. A lesser-known title would be a good fit, and DC may want to eventually give a solo outing to the likes of Cyborg.