3. Rupert Wyatt
Despite having just two movies under his belt, Rupert Wyatt is one of the most sought-after young directors in Hollywood. Much of this has to do with the success of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, both one of the greatest reboots ever made and one of the most intelligent summer blockbusters in recent years that earned over $480m worldwide. Displaying an ability to juggle action and emotion and create an event movie of real depth, Wyatt seems like an ideal choice to breathe new life into another decades-old franchise. Although much of the praise surrounding Rise of the Planet of the Apes was rightly lavished on Andy Serkis' performance and WETA's stunning performance capture, Wyatt is just as good; building on the promise shown in tightly-crafted debut The Escapist, the action scenes in Apes display a great sense of spatial awareness in amongst the kinetic camera movies, yet in the quieter moments the direction is understated to enhance the drama. When the next search for a director to tackle James Bond begins, expect Rupert Wyatt's name to be near the top of the list.