Directors at the Opera

The Canadian Opera Company is turning once again to film director Atom Egoyan to tackle its arias and libretti. Here's a look at some famous film directors who have tried their hand at opera:

Director Atom Egoyan poses for a portrait at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri)

Atom Egoyan

Later this month, the Oscar-nominated Egoyan directs "Salome" for the third time in Toronto, after mounting the Richard Strauss tragedy in 1996 and 2002 and previously twice helming "Die Walkure" from Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle.

A Dec. 29, 2011 photo of Woody Allen, photographed during an interview in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Woody Allen

The New York auteur portrayed a former opera director in last year's "To Rome With Love" — could he have been drawing from his own real-life experiences? In 2008, Allen directed Giacomo Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" for L.A. Opera.

David Cronenberg is photographed at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sunday September 11, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg took a loose adaptation of his body horror shocker "The Fly" to the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in 2008.

Director Mike Figgis poses for photographers at the 7th edition of the Rome International Film Festival in Rome, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012.(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Mike Figgis

The "Leaving Las Vegas" director tried his hand at directing Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia" for the English National Opera in 2011.

In this Sept. 11, 2009 file photo, director Terry Gilliam poses for a portrait at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto. (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri, file)

Terry Gilliam

"Twelve Monkeys" visionary Terry Gilliam applied his vivid imagination to Hector Berlioz's "The Damnation of Faust" in 2011 for the English National Opera.

German director Werner Herzog talks about the "On Death Row" documentary series during the Discovery Networks portion of the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena , Calif. on Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Werner Herzog

Film and doc giant Werner Herzog has dabbled in opera since 1986, most recently staging Richard Wagner's drama "Parsifal" at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Spain in 2008.

Australian director Baz Luhrmann poses during the photo call of his movie "Australia", in Rome, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Baz Luhrmann

The Australian "Moulin Rouge" director cites opera as a major influence in his film work. Baz Luhrmann's forays for Opera Australia include a 1990 take on "La Bohème" that was developed into a Broadway version more than a decade later in 2002.

© The Canadian Press, 2013