Jon Favreau
Director Jon Favreau impressively went from comedies like “Elf” to crowd-pleasing blockbusters with ease. The filmmaker brought a solid mix of action and humor to 2008’s “Iron Man” and more importantly kick-started Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe on the right foot. “Iron Man” was innovative and irreverent compared to the superhero movies that came before it. Favreau also gave Disney another blockbuster hit with his live-action take on “The Jungle Book” which nearly cracked $1 billion. Combining landmark visual effects with incredible story sense, Favreau proved yet again he can tackle scale with entertaining results. He’s one of the few directors that Disney can practically put their trust in, thus from this perspective, he’s likely a serious choice take over Trevorrow’s spot.

Back to the top. That’s what would happen if Abrams is given the task of directing ‘Episode IX.’ He directed “The Force Awakens” with his usual lens flares and kick-ass, Spielberg-inspired action sequences. There also was the news, according to his friend, that he regretted not directing ‘Episode VIII.’ “He read it and said something he never, ever says, he said, ‘It’s so good, I wish I were making it.’ He may have said something one time on ‘Lost’ with Damon [Lindelof], but I never hear him express regret like that.” Does he feel the same way about Episode IX? Reports say Abrams is already out of the mix, but you have to remember he actually passed on “The Force Awakens,”  but Kathleen Kennedy wouldn’t take no for an answer.

 

Karyn Kusama directed the misbegotten “Aeon Flux,” and, yet, the film’s miserable reviews didn’t seem to fault her at all. In fact, the only positive many came up with in their reviews was just how visually arresting the film was. The writer-director of 2000’s excellent rags-to-riches boxing story “Girlfight” made a comeback last year by giving us “The Invitation,” a thriller filled with tension and this year she  contributed “Her Only Living Son” to the horror anthology “XX,” she has not yet proved herself as a consistent director with solid TV work, but, if not ‘Episode XI,’ maybe she could eventually be tapped to direct a spinoff movie in the never-ending Disney “Star Wars” world.

 

This 45-year-old director is no slouch when it comes to “battle scenes,” just watch her blistering triumph “Selma” for proof. Tackling Martin Luther King’s historic march from Selma to Montgomery in 1963, DuVernay set up sequences that could rival any of the last few “Star Wars” movies we’ve seen in terms of sheer tension. Ok fine, maybe you think she’s not used to dealing with a big budget and special effects, but guess what? Have you seen the trailer for her upcoming adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time“? The use of VFX in the trailer is visually astounding and the budget she worked with on that film was over $100 Million. Plus, she can deliver what Lucasfilm wants on top of spectacle: heart, soul and drama. If chosen, she’d be one of the most talented directors to ever helm a “Star Wars” movie. Just do it, Disney.