Pro: Not only did Yates make his studio feature directing debut a "Harry Potter" film, he was so successful the first time around Warner Bros. brought him back to close out the series.  His final films, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2" were critically acclaimed and brought cinematic quality missing from the series since Alfonso Cuaron's "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."  Yates may have one of the most underrated cinematic eyes in the business. His "Harry Potter" tour shows he can pull legitimate emotion, real performances and a sense of suspense in a franchise so popular a good percentage of the moviegoing audience already knew the ending.  Yates also worked with a massive canvas of special effects, giant sets and green screen monsters.  Oh, and his actors loved him.

Con: After working on "Potter" for five years of life, Yates may not be interested in spending another few years prepping an involved "Star Wars" production. But in theory, it's hard to find a reason why Yates wouldn't bring a sense of style and dramatic cohesion to a new "Star Wars" flick.

- Gregory Ellwood