10 Directors Who Should Helm The Batman (If Affleck Quits)

Known For: Midnight Special, Loving, Mud.

Like Colin Trevorrow did with Jurassic world and Gareth Edwards did with Godzilla, followed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Jeff Nichols is primed and ready to make the jump from rising indie starlet to successful big-budget director.

Each of the five feature-films he's directed has at least a 76 on Metacritic and his most recent effort, Loving, is nominated for two Golden Globes, with plenty of Oscar buzz to boot.

The short version: this man is talented, especially when it comes to character drama. For the most part, the DCEU has favoured style over substance and is missing any true depth of character, instead choosing to quickly move the universe forward rather than slowing down, and delivering us any powerful, emotional moments.

Man Of Steel did this best with its selective use of flashbacks and analysis of Clark's formative years, but we haven't seen anything like this since. Nichols could bring this to The Batman in spades; his films tend to focus on a small amount of characters, giving them realistic relationships and flaws, and sending them on a narrative journey that changes them, or makes them question the world around them.

A blockbuster superhero movie combined with this type of sensibility would be an interesting mix, and Nichols is the man to do it.