Ridley Scott, who turns 85 on Nov. 30, isn't slowing down and neither are several of his contemporaries, including Martin Scorsese, who turned 80 on Nov. 17, Clint Eastwood, Francis Ford Coppola, and William Friedkin.
Here are several directors over 80 who are still busy making movies. And if you're wondering why we've left off Steven Spielberg, whose latest film "The Fabelmans" is in Oscar contention for 2023, he's a relatively youthful 75.
Martin Scorsese, 80
The prolific director of "Goodfellas," and "The Departed" returned to documentaries with this year's “Personality Crisis: One Night Only," about New York Dolls lead singer David Johansen. He's also in post-production on his next film, "Killers of the Flower Moon," which reteams him with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Margarethe von Trotta, 80
The leading New German Cinema director, whose films include "The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum," co-directed with Volker Schlöndorff, and "Hannah Arendt," is in post-production on "Bachmann & Frisch," about the relationship between Austrian poet Ingeborg Bachmann and the Swiss novelist Max Frisch.
Werner Herzog, 80
The German director, who has been making films since the 1960s, had two films out in 2022: "Theatre of Thought," and the documentary "The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft," about the late volcanologists.
Stephen Frears, 81
The British director of "The Queen" and "Dangerous Liaisons," released "The Lost King" in 2022, which stars Steve Coogan and Sally Hawkins.
Charles Shyer, 81
The helmer of the Steve Martin "Father of the Bride" films and "Baby Boom" has a new Christmas Netflix movie out this year, "The Noel Diary."
Brian De Palma, 82
The "Untouchables" and "Carrie" director is in pre-production for his next film, "Sweet Vengeance," a murder mystery thought to be based on two real-life killings.
Francis Ford Coppola, 83
The man behind '70s classics "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" is working on passion project "Megalopolis," whose star-studded cast includes Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Aubrey Plaza and Talia Shire.
Volker Schlöndorff, 83
The "Tin Drum" director's latest film, the documentary "The Forest Maker," is about reforestation pioneer Tony Rinaudo.
Ridley Scott, 85
The "Gladiator" and "Alien" helmer had two films in 2021: "House of Gucci" and "The Last Duel." He's currently directing "Napoleon," which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the famous French leader, and is eyeing a "Gladiator" sequel as his next project.
William Friedkin, 87
The Oscar-winning director of "The Exorcist" and "The French Connection" will direct Kiefer Sutherland in Showtime's "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial." The lead role of Captain Queeg was made famous by Humphrey Bogart in the 1954 film.
Woody Allen, 87
In September, the "Annie Hall" director clarified that he is not retiring, despite his outcast status in Hollywood. His next film, "Wasp 22," which was filmed in Paris and features a French cast, is in post-production.
Costa-Gavras, 89
The Greek-French director of 1969 political thriller "Z" and the 1982 drama "Missing," directed, wrote, and edited "Adults in the Room" in 2019.
Roman Polanski, 89
Despite fleeing Hollywood in 1978 rather than face rape charges and being kicked out of the Academy in 2018, the French-based director is still making movies, including next year's "The Palace," which stars Mickey Rourke, Joaquim de Almeida, and John Cleese.
Clint Eastwood, 92
The two-time Best Director Oscar winner's 39th feature film was 2021's "Cry Macho," in which he also starred.
Frederick Wiseman, 92
In 2022, the celebrated documentarian, who turns 93 in January, released the French drama "A Couple," about novelist Leo Tolstoy and his wife.
James Ivory, 94
The writer and director, who was one-half of the British filmmaking team Merchant/Ivory, won his first Oscar for his adapted screenplay for 2017's "Call Me By Your Name." He also co-directed and narrated 2022 documentary memoir, "A Cooler Climate," which played the New York Film Festival.
