Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Katherine Bigelow, and Jordan Peele are among the 30 Most Adventurous Filmmakers of the past three decades, according to Empire Magazine.

 To celebrate its 30^th anniversary, the world’s biggest film magazine today reveals its hotly-debated list honouring the adventurous filmmakers who’ve defined the last thirty years.

The list, compiled by the experts at Empire, is comprised of inspiring men and women who have taken risks, made incredible cinema and been vital in evolving the medium of film.

The roll of honour is littered with legendary directors such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese as well as highly acclaimed newcomers including the Oscar-winning Get Out Director Jordan Peele and Ryan Coogler (Black Panther).

In 2008 Katherine Bigelow made history, becoming the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker. Also featured is Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, the only female to direct a superhero film. Joining them is Ava DuVernay, the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Selma in 2014.

Flying the flag for the Brits are award-winning directors Edgar Wright, Christopher Nolan, Paul Greengrass, and Danny Boyle.

Commenting on the list, Editor-in-chief Terri White said: “Empire has been passionately committed to adventurous filmmaking for the last thirty years, so our anniversary was the perfect opportunity to celebrate those who have taken the most risks and created some of the most thrilling moments in cinema.

At the same time, we’re looking into the future – a future which embraces diversity within filmmaking. Empire is set to publish an upcoming filmmakers of the future list; a list that is made up of almost half women. A sure sign of how quickly, and significantly our industry is evolving.”

The 30 Most Adventurous Filmmakers 

1. Steven Spielberg
2. James Cameron
3. Martin Scorsese
4. Peter Jackson
5. Edgar Wright
6. Christopher Nolan
7. Quentin Tarantino
8. Kathryn Bigelow
9. Kevin Feige
10. Spike Lee
11. Ang Lee
12. Paul Greengrass
13. David Fincher
14. Danny Boyle
15. JJ Abrams
16. PT Anderson
17. Guillermo del Toro
18. Wes Anderson
19. Taika Waititi
20. Denis Vileneuve  
21. Patty Jenkins
22. Steven Soderbergh
23. Christopher McQuarrie
24. Ava DuVernay
25. Jordan Peele
26. Damien Chazelle
27. Alfonso Cuaron
28. Ryan Coogler
29. Tim Burton
30. Coen Brothers

Oveer the next 12 months, each filmmaker listed will be celebrated in a unique way across Empire’s touch points: print, digital, audio, video and social.

Empire’s January 2019 issue, including a world exclusive interview with James Cameron, hits the newsstands on Thursday 29 November.