6. Christopher Nolan (42)
Filmography Following (1998), Memento (2000), Insomnia (2002), Batman Begins (2005), The Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Perhaps the most obvious entry on this list, Christopher Nolan is rare amongst directors with more than a few films under his belt in that he has yet to release anything that has failed to garner significant acclaim. Even the likes of Spielberg have the occasional blemish on their record, such as 1941 or Always, but Nolans is spotless across a fifteen year career to date. It began with Following, a film about an aspiring writer who follows people in the hopes of finding inspiration, but whose actions see him drawn into the world of crime. Its small-scale success was enough to ensure that the young British-American director had another of his scripts, Memento, optioned for production with him at the helm. Insomnia, a Hollywood remake of a Norwegian film, then followed in 2002 and was arguably Al Pacinos last good film. Then there was Batman. In 2005, Batman was a laughing stock, having been all but ruined by Joel Schumachers Batman and Robin. Nolan was given the job of rebooting the character and succeeded in doing so with a dark and gritty trilogy of films (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises) that have redefined the superhero genre. Its a sad thing that he opted to make just three films, given the wealth of characters from the comics still in need of a screen adaptation (such as Deadshot), but all good things must come to an end. In between Batman films, Nolan also made The Prestige and Inception. On paper, films about rival Victorian magicians and dream infiltration dont sound particularly exciting, but they, alongside the Dark Knight trilogy, have cemented Nolans status as one of the great directors of our age. He currently has three upcoming projects, only one of which has him attached in a directorial capacity Interstellar.