5. Alfonso Cuaron
Why it could be him: He's only one of the most exciting, consistently awesome directors working today. His last film, Children of Men was one of the best movies of the 2000's, and his next film Gravity, is our most anticipated film of
2013. (Sorry to spoil those who haven't read that yet, but what are you waiting for? Read it, after this article of course). Considering Gravity is set in space, one can assume that Cuaron's only gotten better with special and visual effects, which is even more encouraging since Children of Men and Harry Potter 3 are both gorgeous films. Not to mention, fans LOVE him. A pick for Cuaron would instantly give these new Star Wars films some hefty gravitas that has been missing since Empire.
Why it won't be him: Gravity's taken him almost 3 years to complete, and he might just want a break after being "in space" that long. Other than that, there's not much preventing him from having the job, except maybe the 4 directors ahead of him...