1. David Fincher
This is the guy I wanted to see make a Batman film since day one. Even when Nolan was announced, I was bummed the guy who directed Se7en was not behind the helm. Fincher's films are almost all modern classics, and the ones that aren't either were ruined by executive meddling (Alien 3) or just too big for their own good (Benjamin Button). The point is that Fincher can do anything. Sci-fi? Crime? Biopic? Fantasy drama? Fight Club? He's done it all. And, every time, he does it marvelously. The true mark of quality for a director is whether they can do a lot of different things well. Richard Donner, for example, did Superman, Lethal Weapon, and The Omen. Three entirely different films, all marvelous. Fincher is one of the rare great directors who can do anything, and make it awesome. That said, what can he bring to Batman that no one else can? Everything. He is the only man capable who isn't an unknown or Guillermo del Toro who can bring every element from the comics onto the big screen. He's written teenagers brilliantly (Social Network), so I'm sure he could pull off the Bat Family superbly. He's done crime and mysteries, so he'd pull off Batman's detective side without fail (Se7en and Zodiac). He's done revolutionary films (Fight Club), so you cannot convince me that he can take a revolutionary like Ra's al Ghul, and make him an incredibly charismatic villain, moreso than Liam Neeson and Nolan. Nolan's era has reached its peak. Give someone else the reigns. Someone better. What do you think? Post your criticism below, along with any directors you think I missed.