Who is the most powerful director in Hollywood? These are directors who can sell a movie based on name recognition alone and, more importantly, have the box office success and critical acclaim to back it up. Vulture recently published a feature ranking the 100 Most Powerful Directors in Hollywood, and as with any ranked list, I’m sure we will all agree with every single choice, and there will be no arguments. Right?
It should come as no surprise that Christopher Nolan is sitting pretty at the top, especially as The Odyssey has given him the biggest global opening of his career. But who else ranks among Hollywood’s most powerful directors?
The Criteria
Vulture consulted with agents, executives, producers, publicists, and journalists, using six key criteria to judge the directors: the consistency of their body of work, commercial bankability, creative control, prestige, reputation, and future potential.
As this is a ranking of Hollywood filmmakers, it largely excludes international filmmakers unless they’ve done major Hollywood projects. Directors who primarily work in television are also out. You’ll also notice that there aren’t many women on the list, with one anonymous agent saying, “There are like no women on this list, which is probably accurate, but it should be acknowledged how f***ed we are. And it’s getting worse, honestly.“
The Top Twenty Most Powerful Directors
Alright, we already know Nolan tops the list, but who else has made the cut?
- 1. Christopher Nolan (The Odyssey)
- 2. Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
- 3. Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Three)
- 4. Greta Gerwig (Barbie)
- 5. Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
- 6. James Cameron (Avatar: Fire and Ash)
- 7. Steven Spielberg (Disclosure Day)
- 8. Martin Scorsese (What Happens at Night)
- 9. Jordan Peele (Nope)
- 10. Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
- 11. Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (Project Hail Mary)
- 12. Rian Johnson (Wake Up Dead Man)
- 13. David Fincher (The Adventures of Cliff Booth)
- 14. Alejandro González Iñárritu (Digger)
- 15. Bong Joon Ho (Mickey 17)
- 16. Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein)
- 17. Zach Cregger (Resident Evil)
- 18. Emerald Fennell (Wuthering Heights)
- 19. James Gunn (Man of Tomorrow)
- 20. James Mangold (A Complete Unknown)
For the rest, you’re going to have to head on over to Vulture, which is where you’ll find where Peter Jackson, Sam Raimi, Kathryn Bigelow, Spike Lee, and more have landed.
People Have… Opinions
The reactions to this ranking have naturally prompted some online discussion, with many taking issue with Greta Gerwig ranking so highly. Yes, Barbie was an incredible achievement and a monumental success, but some believe it shouldn’t place her above titans like Spielberg or Scorsese. She does have Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew coming up, and was able to negotiate a wide theatrical release for the Netflix project, which in itself is impressive.
Directors like Michael Bay and Zach Snyder, who still have passionate fan bases, are ranked quite low (95 and 96, respectively), while up-and-comers like Obsession‘s Curry Barker and Backroom‘s Kane Parsons are much higher up (28 and 29, respectively).
I would also argue that Robert Eggers (who ranks at 32) should be a little higher. With each film, he’s gotten better and better, all while building a carefully arranged aesthetic (like a stripped-down nightmare version of Wes Anderson) with a stable of frequent collaborators. I’m really looking forward to Werwulf.
So, what do you think of this ranking? Does Nolan deserve the top spot? Who is ranked too high or too low? Let us know in the comments!
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
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