There’s nothing better than sitting back and watching a good film. Although most of the time the audience focuses on the actors that star in a movie, the truth is that what usually makes a film great is a brilliant director. What separates a simply good film from one that will be talked for ages is most of the time the director. Who can imagine Taxi Driver without Scorsese’s directing, or Pulp Fiction without Quentin Tarantino’s edgy film making? Several names have been in the Pantheon of directors, including Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock and Francis Ford Coppola. However, in this article, we are examining 3 directors to watch in 2018 who we believe will be in the spotlight in the years to come. Find out the up-and-coming directors of 2018 below.
1. Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos is a Greek director mostly known outside of Greece for his peculiar yet brilliant film “The Lobster”. The Lobster, starring Collin Farrell, Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman, was written and directed by Yorgos (Giorgos) Lanthimos, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Before The Lobster, Lanthimos gained international recognition with his movie “Dogtooth”, which although edgy (to say the least), managed to get a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Lanthimos, a visionary director, also wrote and directed the highly praised “The Killing Of A Sacred Deer”, which will air in the US in November, 2017. Currently, the Geek director is working on his new film “The Favourite”, starring Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Nicholas Hoult. The film will be set in 18th century England, during Queen Ann’s reign and will tell the story of passion, envy and betrayal. We don’t know what else the future holds for Lanthimos, but we are certain that he has a bright career ahead of him and is one of the best directors to watch in 2018. -Euharistoume Yorgo!
2. David F. Sandberg
David F. Sandberg, one of the best directors to watch in 2018, is a Swedish director that is mostly known for directing some of the scariest horror movies of the last few years. David F. Sandberg started his career by directing short films in Sweden, but got his big break when he directed Lights Out, a 2016 horror film that was a success, both financially and critically. Sandberg then proceeded by directing the new Annabelle movie on the Conjuring franchise, which was also a success and one of the scariest movies of 2017. This up-and-coming director is in talks to direct the new Shazam! movie which will be a part of the DCEU which will also feature Dwayne Johnson. Sandberg is definitely one of the best directors to watch in 2018 and we are eager to see what his next job will be.
3. Chad Stahelski
Chad Stahelski, a former kick-boxer, began his Hollywood career as a stuntman for several Hollywood movies, including The Matrix, were he was Neo’s double. Stahelski’s directorial debut was in 2014 when he, alongside his friend David Leitch, directed the highly praised action movie, John Wick. 3 years later, Stahelski directed John Wick: Chapter 2 which was even better than the first instalment. The action sequences were captivating and the single long shots of Keanu Reeves fighting bad guys is something that even established directors would be jealous of. The up-and-coming 2018 director has a lot on his plate for the next couple of years, with the third chapter of the John Wick franchise being released in 2019. Stahelski is also set to direct the Highlander reboot which was recently announced and is also currently working on the upcoming TV-show “Rain”, an action series also starring Keanu Reeves. Finally, we are certain that Chad Stahelski is definitely one of the best directors to watch in 2018.
Special Mention – Up-and-coming directors in 2018
Joon-ho Bong
Joon-ho Bong is a South Korean director born in Daegu who first came in the international spotlight for writing and directing “Memories of Murder” (Salinui chueok), a fantastic South Korean crime-drama. Furthermore, Bong also directed the highly-praised 2006 horror movie “The Host”, about a monster that emerged from the Han river in Seoul. The multi-talented Joon-ho Bong has many films under his belt, which include “Mother” and “Snowpiercer”. Bong Joon Ho, one of the best directors to watch in 2018, recently directed Netflix’s Okja, a must-watch film. The South Korean director is currently directing an upcoming South Korean movie titled “Parasite”. We would love to see more Joon-ho Bong’s movies in the future.
Reed Morano
Reed Morano is definitely one of the directors to watch in 2018. Mostly known for her cinematography, Morano’s directorial debut was on the drama “Meadowland”,starring Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson. This year Morano directed episodes for several TV-shows including 1 episode for Showtime’s Billions and 3 episodes for the award winning “The Handmaiden’s Tale”. In addition, Reed Morano won an Emmy for her outstanding directing on the episode titled “Offred”. She is currently working on “I Think We Are Alone Now”, a Sci-Fi drama starring Elle Fanning and Peter Dinklage and she is also set two direct “The Rhythm Section”, a thriller starring Jude Law and Blake Lively. We are very excited to see her future releases and we are confident that Reed Moreno is definitely one of the best directors to watch in the following years.
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