1. Joe Wright (40)
Filmography Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement (2007), The Soloist (2009), Hanna (2011), Anna Karenina (2012). Another Wright (though not related to Edgar) flying the flag for Great Britain is Joe, who worked on a number of television productions in the late nineties and early noughties before announcing his transition to the world of film in style with an acclaimed adaptation of Jane Austens Pride And Prejudice in 2005. Another period piece (and another collaboration with Keira Knightley) followed in 2007, earning Wright his first BAFTA nomination for directing. This was Atonement, which gathered six Oscar nominations and helped to kickstart the careers of James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan. His next film, the Soloist, a project about a journalist and a homeless musician, was something of a dud, but the subsequent entry in his filmography, Hanna, which saw him team with Ronan once more, is an underrated action piece. Most recently, Wright has returned to period drama with an adaptation of Tolstoys Anna Karenina, working with Knightley once again and earning another four Oscar nominations in the process. His next project is currently unknown, but given Wrights diversity and the strength of his regular collaborators, high expectations would not be uncalled for. Click "next" for some honourable mentions...