I'd love to see United 93 director Paul Greengrass grab the last slot, but it will probably go to ClintEastwood, whose impressive one-two punch ofFlagsofOurFathers and Letters from Iwo Jima will be impossible for the Clint-worshipping Academy to ignore.
Sure, we'd expect a legend like ClintEastwood to stick to his theoretical guns when it comes to manhandling the cameras on the sets ofFlagsofourFathers and the forthcoming Iwo Jima, but when HD camcorders almost win out against the tried and true 35mm film approach, we can't help but take notice.