LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - The Directors Guild of America has announced the nominees for the guild's best director award.

The nominees are: Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight"); Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"); David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"); Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon"); and Gus Van Sant ("Milk").

Nolan and Boyle are first time nominees while Van Sant was previously nominated for "Good Will Hunting." Ron Howard has been named best director by the DGA twice for "Apollo 13" and "A Beautiful Mind."

David Fincher received a DGA award for commercial directing.

The DGA awards are one of the strongest predictors of future Oscar success. Just six times in the award's history has the winner not gone on to receive an Oscar.