Ang Lee ('Life of Pi')

Release date: Dec. 21, 2012

Based on the novel by Yann Martel, 'Life of Pi' is one of 2012's biggest risks. Will the fantastical book -- about a young boy strained on a life raft with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a 450-pound Bengal tiger -- translate to the cinema? If anyone can pull it off, it could be Ang Lee, who hasn't made a film since 'Taking Woodstock' in 2009.