Danny Boyle

With an eclectic array of films to his credit, director Danny Boyle emerged from his native England to become one of the most celebrated and revered filmmakers of independently-minded cinema. Ever since his emergence onto the world stage with "Trainspotting" (1996), his stark, but viciously funny look at a group of heroin-addicted friends living in Edinburgh, Boyle managed to chart his own unique path without having to bow to studio pressures. Though he dipped his toe into Hollywood waters with his adaptation of "The Beach" (2000), Boyle nonetheless created frenzied and highly-stylized films that also depicted three-dimensional characters often struggling with human vices and weakness. With his luminously praised horror film, "28 Days Later" (2003), his surprisingly soft-hearted children's fantasy, "Millions" (2005), and the rags-to-riches hit, "Slumdog Millionaire" (2008), Boyle proved adept at shifting genres without losing the voice he had established in his previous efforts, making him one of the most talented and eagerly watched filmmakers to succeed on both sides of the pond. From his uncompromising indie beginnings, Boyle became an adept mainstream filmmaker, creating hits like "127 Hours" (2010) and "Steve Jobs" (2015) along with passion projects like the sequel "T2 Trainspotting" (2017). In May 2018, it was announced that Boyle had been tapped to direct the as-yet-untitled 25th film in the James Bond franchise.