Stephen Daldry and Sam Mendes have taken themselves out of contention to take over from Trevor Nunn as director of London's National Theatre.
Arguably the most successful directors in the UK today, Daldry and Mendes both earnedtheir spurs directing theatre before defecting to film. Sam Mendes stewarded the Donmar Warehouse through it's most glamorous period, attracting the sort of A-list casts were so keen to follow him into his spectacular feature debut, American Beauty.
Daldry's stage career is just as illustrious. Prior to the mammoth critical and box office success of Billy Elliot, Daldry rose to fame for his direction of An Inspector Calls at the National. He now runs the revamped Royal Court in its new Chelsea home in Sloane Square.
Despite their respective careers running parallel I both fields and being high on the National's wish list, they have stated that they wish to continue their careers as directors.
This leaves just four candidates to fill Nunn's shoes. Jude Kelly, of the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds; Nick Hytner, who directed The Madness of King George successfully on both stage and screen. The more populist John Caird is in the picture, best known for his recent director of Peter Pan and is closely linked with Nunn and the National. Howard Davies, who directs the current National sensation, All My Sons is being tipped as the most positive choice on a creative level since Mendes and Daldry dropped out.
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Stephen Daldry and Sam Mendes have taken themselves out of contention to take over from Trevor Nunn as director of London's National Theatre.