Directors on Directors

Judd Apatow partners with long-time comedic actor Jason Bateman in Variety's "Directors on Directors" conversation series. The duo broke down their entire process from the page to the edit bay, providing a look behind Apatow's "The King of Staten Island" and Netflix's "Ozark" which Bateman both directs and stars in.

In conversation for Variety’s “Directors on Directors” series, Regina King and “Queen and Slim” director Melina Matsoukas share how their make-it-work attitudes have paid dividends as they crafted their feature directorial debuts. King and Matsoukas belong to a special order of visual storytellers: Black women taking charge behind the scenes and working to make a way for those to come after them.

For once, Ben Affleck gets to ask the questions. That’s how the actor-director framed his duty of leading a conversation with longtime friend and “Gone Girl” boss David Fincher, the esteemed director whose Netflix film “Mank” has emerged as a top awards contender for 2021.

Taylor Swift and Martin McDonagh sit down to discuss their respective experiences with directing. Taylor goes deep into working with Sadie Sink and what her plans are with directing features as well as her latest record, 'Midnights.' Martin McDonagh touches on the techniques he's learned over the years working with Colin Farrell for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and what it's like working with a donkey.

Denis Villeneuve ("Dune: Part Two") and Luca Guadagnino ("Challengers" & "Queer") sit down to discuss the crossover of working with Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, the portrayal of intimacy on-screen, and just how much these two icons have influenced one another.

Jon M. Chu ("Wicked") and Shawn Levy ("Deadpool & Wolverine") sit down to discuss a shared love for musicals, the challenges of working on films based on beloved franchises, and how their paths unknowingly crossed in the 90's.

Zoë Kravitz ("Blink Twice") and Matt Reeves reunite after working together on "The Batman." They discuss how Zoë's directorial debut came about from the "rage" she was feeling towards men in power and how directing movies feels like making magic.