LOTR Trilogy Second Adaptation: Potential Directors

1. Zack Snyder

Director | 300

Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter, best known for action and science fiction films. Snyder made his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead and has gone on to be known for his comic book movies and ...

2. Gore Verbinski

Director | Rango

Gore Verbinski, one of American cinema's most inventive directors who was a punk-rock guitarist as a teenager and had to sell his guitar to buy his first camera, is now the director of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) which made the industry record for highest opening weekend of ...

3. Alan Taylor

Director | Game of Thrones

Alan Taylor is an American film and television director from San Francisco known for directing episodes of HBO shows such as The Sopranos, Deadwood, Game of Thrones, and Sex in the City. He directed the feature films Thor: The Dark World, Palookaville, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Many Saints of ...

4. Noam Murro

Director | 300: Rise of an Empire

Noam Murro was born on August 16, 1961 in Jerusalem, Israel. He is a director and producer, known for 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), Watership Down (2018) and Smart People (2008).

5. Scott Derrickson

Producer | The Black Phone

Scott Derrickson is an American filmmaker who is known for directing horror films such as Deliver Us from Evil, Hellraiser: Inferno, Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. He also directed the superhero film Doctor Strange starring Benedict Cumberbatch. He decided not to direct Doctor Strange in ...

6. Len Wiseman

Writer | Underworld

Filmmaker Len Wiseman's career began through his work in the art department on the blockbuster hits like Godzilla (1998), Men in Black (1997), and Independence Day (1996). His design talents soon got him behind the camera directing commercials for PlayStation, Time Warner, Oracle, Intel, and ...

7. James Wan

Writer | Saw

James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian film producer, screenwriter and film director of Malaysian Chinese descent. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw (2004) and creating Billy the puppet. Wan has also directed Dead Silence (2007), Death Sentence (2007), Insidious (2010)...

8. Gary Shore

Director | Dracula Untold

Gary Shore is a writer and director hailing from Artane on Dublin's north side. He studied film at Galway, Mayo Institute of Technology (1999-2002) and The National Film School (2005-2006). After a brief stint directing commercials and music videos, Shore returned to study fine art at Central Saint...

9. Alex Proyas

Director | Dark City

Alex Proyas has moved effortlessly between helming TV commercials and music videos to feature films. Born to Greek parents in Egypt, Proyas relocated to Australia with his family when he was three years old. He began making films at age ten and went on to attend the Australian Film Television and ...

10. Joseph Kosinski

Director | Top Gun: Maverick

Joseph Kosinski is a director whose uncompromising style has quickly made a mark in the filmmaking zeitgeist. His four theatrical releases have grossed $2.2 billion worldwide and been nominated for 7 Academy Awards and 2 Grammys.

His film debut, "Tron: Legacy" for Walt Disney Studios, grossed $400 ...

11. Marc Forster

Producer | World War Z

Marc Forster is a German-born filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films Monster's Ball (2001), Finding Neverland (2004), Stay (2005), Stranger than Fiction (2006), The Kite Runner (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), and World War Z (2013).

His breakthrough film was Monster's...

12. Denis Villeneuve

Director | Dune

Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian film director and writer. He was born in 1967, in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada. He started his career as a filmmaker at the National Film Board of Canada. He is best known for his feature films Arrival (2016), Sicario (2015), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), ...

13. Antoine Fuqua

Producer | The Magnificent Seven

Antoine Fuqua is an American film director, known for his work in the film Training Day as well as The Replacement Killers, Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter, Brooklyn's Finest, Olympus Has Fallen and The Equalizer.

He has directed music videos for such artists as Arrested Development, Prince, ...

14. Kenneth Branagh

Actor | Henry V

Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to parents William Branagh, a plumber and carpenter, and Frances (Harper), both born in 1930. He has two siblings, William Branagh, Jr. (born 1955) and Joyce Branagh (born 1970). When he was nine, his family ...

15. Roar Uthaug

Director | Troll

Roar Uthaug is a Norwegian film director. He is best known for Tomb Raider (2018), The Wave (2015), Cold Prey (2006) and Escape (2012).

Uthaug was born in August 25, 1973. In 2002 he graduated from the Norwegian Film School. His directorial debut was Cold Prey/Fritt Vilt in 2006.

In 2018 he directed ...

16. Jaume Collet-Serra

Producer | The Shallows

Jaume Collet-Serra was born on March 23, 1974 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. At the age of 18, he moved to Los Angeles and attended Columbia College Hollywood, working as an editor on the side. Upon graduation, he began shooting music videos and caught the eye of several production ...

17. Francis Lawrence

Director | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Francis Lawrence is an American filmmaker. He started directing over sixty music videos before he directed the cult classic Keanu Reeves film Constantine, I Am Legend and Water for Elephants. He also directed The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2, and Red ...

18. Tarsem Singh

Director | The Fall

Indian director Tarsem Singh is the son of an aircraft engineer. He was educated at Bishop Cotton Boy's School in Shimla and relocated to the USA to study business at Harvard and, significantly, film studies at the Art Center College of Design in California. Upon graduating he embarked on a career ...

19. Richard Gray

Producer | Robert the Bruce

Richard was born in Melbourne, Australia. He is a graduate of the Victorian College of The Arts, School of Film and Television. His short film "Yellow Brick Dreams" won multiple international film festival awards. Richard was Runner-up in Project Greenlight 2007 with his screenplay, "Summer Coda", ...

20. David Mackenzie

Director | Starred Up

David Mackenzie was born on May 10, 1966 in Corbridge, Northumberland, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Starred Up (2013), Perfect Sense (2011) and Hell or High Water (2016).

21. Gavin O'Connor

Producer | The Accountant

Gavin O'Connor was born on December 24, 1963 in Huntington, Long Island, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Accountant (2016), Pride and Glory (2008) and Warrior (2011). He has been married to Brooke Burns since June 22, 2013. They have one child. He was previously married ...

22. Steve McQueen

Director | 12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen was born on October 9, 1969 in London, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for 12 Years a Slave (2013), Shame (2011) and Hunger (2008). He is married to Bianca Stigter. They have two children.

23. Neil Marshall

Director | Dog Soldiers

Neil Marshall was born on May 25, 1970 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK. He is a producer and director, known for Dog Soldiers (2002), The Descent (2005) and Doomsday (2008). He was previously married to Axelle Carolyn.

24. Nikolaj Arcel

Writer | En kongelig affære

Nikolaj Arcel was born on August 25, 1972 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is a writer and director, known for A Royal Affair (2012), Kongekabale (2004) and The Promised Land (2023).

25. Doug Liman

Producer | Edge of Tomorrow

Douglas Eric Liman is a Jewish-American filmmaker and producer who directed Swingers, The Bourne Identity, Chaos Walking, Jumper, Go, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fair Game, Locked Down, Edge of Tomorrow, The Wall and American Made. He executive produced the Bourne sequels except The Bourne Legacy, The ...

26. D.J. Caruso

Director | I Am Number Four

Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, Caruso came west to play tennis and study Television Production at Pepperdine University. Interned at Disney Studios in the Product Placement department and later hooked up with Director John Badham, who mentored him into a second-unit director, after Badham lost his ...

27. Alex Garland

Writer | Ex Machina

Alex Garland is an English novelist, screenwriter, film producer and director. He is best known for the films Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018).

Garland's others works as a writer includes The Beach (2000), 28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), Never Let Me Go (2011) and Dredd (2012).

He is ...

28. Bruce Macdonald

Producer | Samson

Bruce is a Director / Producer who travels between Cape Town, Dubai, and Portugal. His knowledge of shooting in these regions plays a big role for producers looking to shoot in these regions.

Bruce co owns a production company Boomtown Films which services long form projects, TV series and ...

29. Ariel Vromen

Director | The Iceman

Ariel has been the creative force behind a number of projects including feature films and documentaries, and has directed, written and produced projects from major production entities such as Netflix, Lionsgate/Summit, Millennium Films and Warner Bros. He is best known for the award-winning feature...

30. Babak Najafi

Director | Sebbe

Babak Najafi was born on September 14, 1975 in Tehran, Iran. He is a director and writer, known for Sebbe (2010), London Has Fallen (2016) and Gabriel och lasermannen (2013).

31. Donovan Marsh

Director | iNumber Number

Donovan Marsh is known for Avenged (2013), Dollar$ + White Pipes (2005) and Spud (2010).

32. Gareth Evans

Writer | Serbuan maut

Welsh born writer/director, in 2003 directed a short film "Samurai Monogatari" telling the tale of a Samurai waiting to be executed. The short was in Japanese language and starred students from Tokyo who were studying at Cardiff University at the time.

In 2003 he also graduated with an MA in ...

33. Duncan Jones

Director | Moon

Duncan Jones was born on May 30, 1971 in Bromley, Kent, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Moon (2009), Source Code (2011) and Mute (2018). He has been married to Rodene Ronquillo since November 6, 2012. They have two children.

34. Steven S. DeKnight

Writer | Pacific Rim Uprising

Steven S. DeKnight was born in Millville, New Jersey, USA. He is known for Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), Daredevil (2015) and Jupiter's Legacy (2021). He is married to Jaime Slater.

35. Sam Mendes

Producer | 1917

Samuel Alexander Mendes was born on August 1, 1965 in Reading, England, UK to parents James Peter Mendes, a retired university lecturer, and Valerie Helene Mendes, an author who writes children's books. Their marriage didn't last long, James divorced Sam's mother in 1970 when Sam was just 5-...

36. Mike Flanagan

Writer | The Fall of the House of Usher

Mike Flanagan is a prolific writer, director, and editor. He entered into an exclusive overall deal with Amazon Studios in 2023 for television projects (after a similar exclusive deal with Netflix from 2018-2022), and has made feature films for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Netflix and ...

37. Matt Reeves

Producer | The Batman

Matthew George "Matt" Reeves was born April 27, 1966 in Rockville Center, New York, USA and is a writer, director and producer. Reeves began making movies at age eight, directing friends and using a wind-up camera. He befriended filmmaker J.J. Abrams when both were 13 years old and a public-access ...

38. Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Director | Biutiful

Alejandro González Iñárritu (ih-nyar-ee-too), born August 15th, 1963, is a Mexican film director.

González Iñárritu is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and by the Directors Guild of America for Best Director. He is also the first Mexican-born ...

39. Mikael Håfström

Writer | Ondskan

Mikael Håfström was born on July 1, 1960 in Lund, Skåne län, Sweden. He is a writer and director, known for Evil (2003), 1408 (2007) and The Rite (2011).

40. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

Director | El hoyo

Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia is known for The Platform (2019), The Platform 2 and La casa del lago (2011).

41. Scott Stewart

Producer | Dark Skies

Scott Stewart is a writer, director, and producer of both film and television. He most recently directed and executive produced the pilot episode of the young-adult supernatural drama series "Siren" which premiered in March, 2018 on Freeform to critical and ratings success and was renewed for an ...

42. Jonas Åkerlund

Director | Lords of Chaos

Jonas Åkerlund was born on November 10, 1965 in Bromma, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. He is a director and editor, known for Lords of Chaos (2018), Polar (2019) and Try (2000). He is married to B. Åkerlund. He was previously married to Charlotta Palmbäck.

43. Simon McQuoid

Director | Mortal Kombat

Simon McQuoid is known for Mortal Kombat (2021).

44. Jee-woon Kim

Director | Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom

Kim Ji-woon was born in Seoul, South Korea. He began his career as an actor before becoming a stage director with productions such as "Hot Sea" in 1994 and "Movie, Movie" in 1995. He then began scripting for films, his first work, 97's "Wonderful Seasons" won Best Screenplay award at Korea's ...

45. James Watkins

Director | Eden Lake

James Watkins was born in 1978 in the UK. He is a director and writer, known for Eden Lake (2008), Bastille Day (2016) and McMafia (2018).

46. Andrew Niccol

Writer | GATTACA

New Zealand-born screenwriter-director Andrew Niccol began his career in London, successfully directing TV commercials before moving to Los Angeles in order to make films "longer than 60 seconds." He interested high-powered producer Scott Rudin in his The Truman Show (1998) script, but Rudin was not...

47. Erik Poppe

Director | Tusen ganger god natt

Erik Poppe (born 24 June 1960) is a Norwegian film director, screenwriter and former cinematographer.

Poppe is regarded as one of Europe's most experienced and compelling directors recognized for his work with actors and impeccably well crafted multi-pronged narratives. His movies are often built ...

48. Gustav Möller

Director | Den skyldige

Gustav Möller was born in 1988 in Göteborg, Sweden. He is a director and writer, known for The Guilty (2018), The Guilty (2021) and Sons (2024).

49. Sngmoo Lee

Writer | The Warrior's Way

Sngmoo Lee is known for The Warrior's Way (2010), Scarecrow VRC (2020) and Eyes in the Red Wind (2017).

50. Rupert Wyatt

Director | The Escapist

Writer, Director and Producer Rupert Wyatt was born and raised in the South of England.

He is the founding member of the film collective Picture Farm that along with its prolific Commercial output has produced numerous Documentaries and Feature Films including the multi-award winning DARK DAYS (2001...