1. Neill Blomkamp
Neill Blomkamp is one of the most interesting and prodigiously talented young sci-fi directors out there, having blown us all away with his first time up to bat in the Best Picture-nominated District 9 (which also secured Blomkamp a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination). Though last year's follow-up, Elysium, wasn't a touch as strong, it still demonstrated the director's ability to ably control traffic and work well with effects-heavy set-pieces. The script was at fault, but it's unlikely that Blomkamp would end up adapting Rian Johnson's Episode IX treatment himself, so that's not really something we have to worry about. What Blomkamp can do pretty much better than anyone else is meld visual effects with live-action in a convincing manner: District 9 and Elysium both benefited hugely from this, and in a galaxy far, far away, that skill would certainly come in handy. Though he's absolutely untested in the kid-friendly, PG-13 realm, he's a superb stylist and doesn't waste a single penny on screen: District 9, albeit with the help of Peter Jackson, cost a mere $30 million, would you believe it? Furthermore, with his ambitious sci-fi Chappie currently in post-production for release next year, we'll hopefully have even more proof of his worthiness for the job.
How Likely Is It? 7/10 Did we miss anyone who might realistically get a shot at directing Episode IX?