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.

Known for choosing stories that subvert the feminine, "Booksmart" director Olivia Wilde and "Promising Young Woman" director Emerald Fennell launch into a deep discussion about filmmaking on Variety‘s “Directors on Directors.” Wilde and Fennell discuss the deeply rooted love stories of female friendships, learning to trust their instincts and banning assholes from their sets.

Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” captured a critical point of view lost from film. After decades of producing blockbuster war stories and award-winning battle scene epics, the story of the Black Vietnam veteran has been largely neglected by Hollywood. Before “Da 5 Bloods” was a Spike Lee joint, however, it was titled “The Last Tour” and Oliver Stone was attached to direct.

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.

In the ultimate film nerd conversation, Sean Baker ("Anora") and Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist") discuss how hard it is for young directors to break into the industry these days, why run-time shouldn't be a concern of distributors, how Sean casts for his films by walking up to people in public, their respective experiences meeting Lars von Trier, and Brady shooting on Vistavision.

Pedro Almodóvar ("The Room Next Door") and Halina Reijn ("Babygirl") talk about working with legendary actors Antonio Banderas, Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore.