20. Christopher Nolan
Few modern directors are as well known as Christopher Nolan. A legend in his own right, his films have been some of the highest grossing and most popular films of the last decade. Many credit him with the revival of successful superhero films with The Dark Knight. He also elevated speculative fiction to a new level with the smash hit Inception. He turned to more traditional filmmaking with the war epic Dunkirk in 2017. Despite all of these successes, Nolan has yet to win a Best Director Oscar.