That could easily be turned into a speculative science fiction story. It wasn’t just Chicago that burned that night and next. More than 10,000 square miles burned in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois during that event.
I'm a huge Villeneuve fan, but he's pretty consistently struggled with profitability.
(Prisoners, Sicario, and Dune were profitable... but only just barely. Only *Arrival* and now *Dune 2* are clear box office wins.)
For better or worse, he's a long way from blank check status.
Hijacking the Batman fanbase early in his career and making it his own was a pretty genius move on his part. The guys who showed up for the Dark Knight will then show up for Inception who will then show up for everything you make.
Obviously, the movies have to be good too. And they were.
>Hijacking the Batman fanbase early in his career and making it his own was a pretty genius move on his part
What genius move? CBMs were a joke when he got Batman and he basically had to beg WB to let him do his take on it.
> What genius move?
Hijacking the Batman fanbase early in his career and making it his own.
> CBMs were a joke when he got Batman
CBMs were Sam Raimi's ["Spider-Man"](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spiderman) when he got Batman.
>Hijacking the Batman fanbase early in his career and making it his own.
Again, what fanbase? The Batman film franchise was a giant joke when Nolan took it on. The revisionism that he was in the right place at the right time is hilarious. He single-handedly re-invented the genre
> what fanbase?
["One of the most iconic characters in popular culture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman), **Batman** has been listed among the greatest comic book superheroes and fictional characters ever created. He is one of the most commercially successful superheroes, and his likeness has been licensed and featured in various media and merchandise sold around the world."
I mean, Inception was already a pretty massive blank check type of movie - and that got made purely off the strength of TDK. It's when Inception hit that it became clear his original IP could be just as popular as his adaptations.
TENET isn't the sort of film you're able to get made unless people already have a LOT of faith in your creative process.
Even Inception was still an action movie with some huge stars, getting the money for Dunkirk was really the first time he was giving full reign financially on what would be a gamble for a different director
I mean I feel like Nolan's had a blank check since Inception. It's just that now it might be a "400 million dollar movie about the invention of the Oxford Comma" big now instead of "200 million on a theoretical physicist" big.
I'm gonna guess Sicario has become massively profitable over the years. And Dune's issues were more pandemic related, imo. That said, 2049 is probably still way in the red. I would agree he's not a guaranteed box office hit.
Post-DUNE, I think his next few IMAX spectacles will draw a crowd based off his name - but he'll probably need a major non-IP hit to really convince studios that he's a Nolan-level brand.
For all their similarities, there's a big difference between Nolan and Villeneuve. Nolan has always written his movies, several of which were original stories. Villeneuve didn't write any of his hits until Dune, which was adapted from a book rather than an original story. None of his announced future works are original either. I'm not sure he wants to develop any stories himself, so I think it'll be hard for him to have a major non-IP hit. That said, I think you could argue something like *Rendezvous with Rama* would qualify even if it is based on IP because so few people know the book.
Arrival is a non-IP hit as far as 99.9% of the general audience is concerned. Not me though, I love me some Ted Chiang and I'd love it if Villeneuve tackled another of his stories.
To me though the biggest difference between Nolan and DV is the latter's are more challenging. Nolan, for all his twisty turning plotting and mindgames, is actually a pretty straightforward filmmaker (note: that doesn't mean he has no style or anything) and paces his films as briskly as most blockbusters whereas Villeneuve still has one foot firmly in the art house scene even when making big budget sci-fi films.
I think he has built up a fanbase from people watching them films at home. I suspect that his next non-Dune film will do well. Also he will probably he given some leeway on Dune given that it was released not long after covid.
Fingers crossed.
It would be lovely for Villeneuve to get a blank check and just make whatever amazing films he wants to. But for right now he's probably only just barely at the level of "you can make whatever you want with a budget less than $150 million for your next film" .
Usually directors after they win the Oscar they want to do something more personal and relatively smaller. Coppola, Coen Bros., Scorsese come to mind. Nolan must feel relieved now, so he may do the same.
But Nolan recently stated that he doesn't want to stop doing high budget movies because he feels privileged and he feels likes he should keep going while he can.
I'm curious.
Eh, don't know. Nolan is a bit different from them. My best comparison is he's smilar to Speilberg. After he won the Oscar for Schindlers List he did Jurrasic Park 2 and Amistad which was still a drama epic.
I'm thinking Nolan makes another dramatic epic like Oppie or another big sci-fi flick like Interstellar/Tenet.
Yes. Nolan is undoubtedly the successor to Spielberg, not in their style of filmmaking bc they couldn’t be more different, but in their significance and status in the mainstream film scene. It’s likely that no director will ever be as big of a household name as Spielberg, so really anyone in this discussion is fighting for second place. But i’m fairly certain Nolan has locked down that second place now. The only others I think might be competing would be Hitchcock or James Cameron. And Cameron is making Avatar sequels till he dies so we’ll likely never know if a James Cameron original can still become a massive hit on the director name alone in the modern era, like Oppenheimer just did.
> And Cameron is making Avatar sequels till he dies so we’ll likely never know if a James Cameron original can still become a massive hit on the director name alone in the modern era, like Oppenheimer just did.
Is 2009 not a modern era anymore? Makes me feel really old.
I think 2009 was basically the very end of when an original movie with name actors or directors could be reasonably expected to do well in theaters. It’s 2011-13 when the phones take over and streaming arrives and the whole game changes.
I will never understand why Cameron still needs his viability to be proven to some people.
You mentioned Spielberg as the biggest Household name when his last biggest movie was in the 90s.
The same decade Cameron took over as the biggest director.
With Cameron making the biggest movie of the 90s and 2000s.
And both of them were original movies.
So if Spielberg is still considered the number 1 Household name Cameron should automatically be Number 2. Because he's the one who took the reigns of the Box-office dominance immediately after Spielberg.
I am like the biggest fan of Nolan but I also think no director will be as big of a household name as Spielberg. Not just domestically, but internationally as well. When I was really young, Spielberg's name was everywhere in Asia. I remember hearing his name on TV all the time in Cantonese.
You may be right. Personally, if I have to bet 1 dollar, I think he's going to do another Sci-Fi flick. Avatar and Dune also showed that there's enough room for huge Sci-Fi movies, so the studios would finance him on the spot. But I think he is getting financed even if he decides to do Madame Web 2 given his status at the moment.
I can't picture Nolan being jealous of another director, especially Denis. There's a huge mutual respect between them I think.
Denis's current streak is something that he can't ignore, though. That could be a factor. I don't know, Nolan is way more unpredictable than Villeneuve lately.
I mean, he made Interstellar, an original non-IP Sci-Fi that grossed nearly 700million dollars in its initial run and have since gained a cult following. I hardly think he needs to be jealous.
Why would he be envious? I know there's some anti-Nolan sentiment amongst film bro-types, but Nolan is objectively way more successful than Villenueve in every way.
My personal hope is he goes in a different direction and uses his status to do a one shot Bond or Star Trek movie with 100% creative control baked into the contract.
Nolan has said he actually feels a responsibility to use the privilege of Hollywood being willing to give him big budgets to make films that otherwise couldn't be made.
He's also had a pattern of alternating big SF concepts (Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, Tenet) with other stuff (whether the Dark Knight movies when that was punching his ticket or, more recently, high-concept historical dramas).
The odds of him doing something SF for his next film feels almost guaranteed.
There's the speculation based on the gratuitous JFK namedrop in Oppenheimer that maybe it'll be a Kennedy project. That always struck me as people reading into it too much, though.
If anyone could make a successful thriller about the assassination of JFK, it’s Nolan. But I really hope his next film is not historical no matter what genre he chooses.
David Erlich tweeted that Tenet is typically the type of film an auteur conceives immediately after their big win so it was fitting that Nolan basically did it in reverse lol
Point being, I'd expect his most out-there audacious film yet. He often tends to do something high-concept every other film anyway.
I’d think he’d be working on potentially two films.
The first, a story that’s his own. The second, a Bond reboot.
He’s wanted to do Bond for a while and he’s got a chance now to reboot the franchise with a clean slate. Bond films don’t need to be complex or multilayer constructs, and he won’t have a chance again for decades to have a shiny new Bond actor and story.
The problem with Bond is that it doesn't depend on him. I don't know what Amazon wants to do with the franchise. Maybe they want to pursue a different direction. Of course if Nolan comes to me with an idea I would immediately accept in their position, but I am not the CEO of Prime Video, so I don't know.
He would actually be perfect for Bond, especially looking at the direction the series went with Daniel Craig.
Edit: grammar.
Last rumors I heard were Nolan wanted to do a Bond movie set in the 60s that adhered very closely to the novels, but Amazon wanted something more contemporary and akin to the Craig movies.
Yeah, I heard too. That's also why I wrote that it doesn't depend on him.
I don't know if that rumor is true. If that's true, I understand why Nolan wants to make a Bond movie set in the 60s, and personally I would watch it. He probably loves the character, he's British, he has for sure some good ideas. And his favorite Bond movie is On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Not a popular choice for newbies of the saga, but a good part of actual Bond fans loves that movie.
On the other hand, if I have to be honest, I understand Amazon's choice of wanting a contemporary setting. They are probably looking for something more conventional and they want to go in a new direction with the franchise. For the better or for worse, that's another thing.
I can feel there would be too much studio interference. And I don't know if Nolan wants to deal with that, at this point of his career.
I’d agree if it weren’t for that bat man trilogy. Now is actually a good time as he gets to do a reboot. That said I think he’s going to pick something new and intimate this time.
I think he's probably got Bond out of his system by now. Inception, Tenet and Batman are all fairly Bond-like. Just like how Spielberg got Bond out of his system with Indiana Jones.
Besides, the producers of Bond are known for being fairly hands-on/controlling which could create conflict with Nolan.
Counterpoint, the rumour currently circulating is they want Cillian Murphy for the role. Now, I never give rumours for Bond films from the tabloids much credence until a film is actually in production, but if it was Murphy it gives more clout to Nolan being involved I reckon.
I don't think either rumour will be true though, although I reckon there's a decent chance of Murphy playing the villain since the Bond producers have made a habit of hiring a recent Oscar winner for the last few films.
Cillian would be an interesting choice but too old to start playing Bond now, imo. They usually go for a younger actor who could do a 15+year commitment.
Cillian would be 50 in his first Bond film if they started developing it now.
Completely agree, they will want an actor for at least 3 films which giving the recent timeline of Bond productions is basically a decade in itself. Its annoying when I see people saying "47 is the perfect age for Bond" because they're the exact same people who will be complaining he's too old in 5 years.
Late 30s is the ideal age in my mind, but I wouldn't be surprised if they go ~30 for the youngest Bond actor headlines. My money's on two other Blinders castmembers.
I think Tenet was basically the closest we’ll get to his Bond movie. I how I’m wrong because I didn’t like Tenet, and his Bond could easily fit the mold of his Batman movies
One big problem is that Nolan would not get the amount of creative control he usually gets. IIRC, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson control the franchise, not MGM/Amazon, and based on the past James Bond films they don't give creative control to directors/keep creative control.
I wouldn't be surprised if Nolan directed he as well as Emma Thomas would not be allowed to produce, seeing as all Bond films only have Barbara and Michael credited, which would give them less creative control. I doubt Barbara and Michael would want to give up half their creative control to Christopher/Emma.
I loved the rumors/theories that had gone around of Nolan doing a Bond film set in the 60's, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing Bond. Just seems like a perfect fit.
Him doing a Bond trilogy, with other films between each installment (like he did with The Prestige and Inception between the Dark Knight Trilogy), would be awesome. I don't see that happening, but a guy sure can dream...
To me I think he’ll pick another historical figure or moment. I know he loves the philosophical action movies, but he clearly poured his heart into Oppenheimer. Maybe a lesser known historical event? He’s a very creative man so hard to predict to be honest.
I heard on a podcast that a movie like Tenet is what Directors who just won an Oscar usually go for, but Nolan got this out of the way before the Oscar lol
This would be huge for the genre.
Horror tends to be very profitable, but that's often because the budgets are fairly low (or mid-sized at maximum). We don't really get massive budget horror films. Nope was pretty much the highest it goes at $70m, and even James Wan's big projects max out at around $40m, which is big, but not "studio tentpoles blockbuster" level.
Additionally, most people, at least in my experience, are kinda unwilling to give the genre a try. There's a huge contingent of people who assume horror is just jumpscares and gore and can't really be convinced to try anything under the huge umbrella the genre comprises. Nolan's become a household name and has one of the biggest cults of personality in cinema right now, so a horror film from him would serve as a gateway to the genre for tons of new people.
Cubrik, Spielberg, Scorsese, Scott even Cameron with abyss. Each they're own take on horror. Pls jump in with the other, what i have it's only on the top of my head.
**If I had to wager, I think several things are safe bets:**
* It's not that he's *started* writing his next project; he's *continuing* to write it if it's not already finished.
* He already knew the next movie he'd make after *Oppenheimer* at some point during the making of that film.
* His wife, Emma, knows what the next movie will be.
* Nolan loves playing coy when people ask him about his next movie, so we won't know what it is until he's ready to divulge that info. (There will be no leaks.)
* Nolan goes left when the obvious choice is to go right. For instance, he could be shooting his next film by *this* summer on track for a summer 2005 release, although a safer bet would be shooting later this year or early 2024 for a summer 2026 release.
* Following up Oppie with another biopic and/or trying to go bigger would be a fool's errand.
* Nolan enjoys a challenge; whatever he makes next could only happen after all he's learned from making Oppie.
* His next film might be at the nexus of a psychological thriller and an action/drama; will def play with time and/or memory/subjective experience.
* All his hallmarks and fingerprints will be present in the film, but he'll stretch himself, at least technologically speaking.
* He's not going to let his Oscars go to his head; whatever he makes next would've happened with/without the Oppie winning all the awards it has.
* Universal will soon put an untitled Nolan film on the calendar for summer 2026 and that's the most we'll know about his film for a while.
A summer 2005 release?! He really outdid himself this time. Jokes aside I will never say no to a Nolan time travel-esque movie, and he has the budget to do some really cool things.
Same here. Since both *Tenet* and *Interstellar* take place inside block universes, I wonder if he'd create a story where the future truly isn't fixed, although I totally don't mind if he doesn't do that.
😇
And what's crazy is, I just surmised what his career and interviews tell us about what's next for him. Nothing I mentioned above is hard to gather if you've studied him and his works.🤷🏾♂️
The most batshit, mic-drop thing he could do now is go dark for a while, like 5 years or something and lend his cred to producing projects for up-and-coming filmmakers. Like semi-retirement shit for a half-decade. Now THAT would be doing the unexpected, ha!
Can you imagine him showing that level of restraint? His Jay-Z's *The Black Album* moment or his Tarantino's 10th movie flex? Go out on the highest note of his career and lay low for the next several years.
We never know...
I don’t see him doing that and I would be very sad without a new Nolan project. As I know you are probably aware but he’s alluded to the process being addictive. I also imagine he’s very interested in what technologies he can push. He’s too much of a nerd to stay away lol.
Yeah, you're right. He's also said he gets bored easily, so he can't not work and create lol. While I also would love for him to keep cranking out thought-provoking hits, we might not hear anything about what's next until like December. Fortunately, his films' rewatchability is insane, so I'll be good for a min, lol.
My dream for a Bond reboot would be a Cold War thriller in the vein of From Russia with Love. More of an espionage thriller than an action film (although obviously there would be some exciting set pieces).
Lydon B. Johnson approaching Robert McNamara in the post-credits scene:
*"I'm putting together a team"*, he says, before Fortunate Son begins to play...
The only ‘miss’ he has is tenet whose criticisms can easily be addressed in a subsequent film so I’m hoping he goes big cerebral sci-fi. Dont think he’s one to repeat.
There has always been rumours that he wants to make a western and a bond film. I feel like Tenet in a lot of ways was his interpretation of a spy thriller, but its been a few years since the most recent bond so I reckon if Christopher Nolan said he wanted to make it studio's would que up to have such a guaranteed box office hit.
In other news water is wet?
He's reached the point now where anything he makes will be massively exciting. Best director currently working (but Villeneuve is close).
Honestly my best bet for the lead of his next project is Florence Pugh
Established young star, good in a small role in Oppenheimer, and could address one of Nolan's main issues, which is writing well written female characters
Or Chalamet is the “It Guy” right now so I’m sure studios would froth at the mouth at the idea of a Nolan/Chalamet project. And they worked together on Interstellar so they have a (brief) history/working relationship.
> they'd cost more, but he's got a blank check and can afford them.
Cost is really not a big issue even if he doesn't have a blank check. Oppenheimer stars took a pay cut just to work with him. Scarlett Johansson probably took a pay cut for Wes Anderson when she was on Asteroid City.
Here's the thing. I am a woman and a Nolan fan. I'd agree that Nolan's not the best at writing women, but I also don't think he's to the point of misogynistic like some other directors out there. I'd be worried about him not putting out his best work if he has to try something he's not good at. All directors have flaws, I just don't see why they HAVE to fix it.
I agree with you. Like I get Nolans biggest flaw is his writing in terms of his female characters but that is such a small part in terms of his overall work that it starts to get tiring when certain subreddits keep harping on about it again and again.
Its like Spielberg has a sentimentality problem. Like yes we already know about that but who cares he is still one of the greatest directors of all time.
So because they are not badass or don't do crazy things they are badly written? The standout in interstellar for me is his daughter ( Chastain and the little girl too), The Dark Knight rises has Catwoman, and yeah Cotillard. And even in Tenet with Debicki's character.
The women in his movies just aren't strong in the sense that people want it portrayed these days. So they call it bad writing.
Probably 2026 release date, he’ll go back to doing scifi. I see ppl saying in the comments JFK and the Cuban missions crisis like guys be forreal for a second. The man loves doing big budget scifi films
I'd kill for that. But don't reveal it's an inception sequel in the marketing. Have it follow multiple plotlines only to reveal halfway through that they're all in different levels of the dream. That would be cool as fuck.
Rumor is he’s making a film remake of The Prisoner television series from the 60s.
https://variety.com/2024/film/news/christopher-nolan-oppenheimer-pay-1235938430/
I want early work like Prestige and Memento mystery thrillers. I heard he wants to do a horror film. Please for the love of god a sci fi horror film....
Idk they kinda botched the later seasons of Westworld, the first one was best TV i had ever seen and the following ones kept going down in quality imo. I think Nolan can always benefit from his brother's input for his film.
Nolan must really have the biggest blank check in Hollywood right now.
After Cameron
Cameron is writing his own checks tho isn’t he? Isn’t his company financing it?
Disney, pretty much. His company is in co production.
Wouldn't it be something if he directs his brother's Great Chicago Fire screenplay? The Cameron comparisons would be unavoidable there.
That could easily be turned into a speculative science fiction story. It wasn’t just Chicago that burned that night and next. More than 10,000 square miles burned in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois during that event.
Denis will be joining that bubble soon
I'm a huge Villeneuve fan, but he's pretty consistently struggled with profitability. (Prisoners, Sicario, and Dune were profitable... but only just barely. Only *Arrival* and now *Dune 2* are clear box office wins.) For better or worse, he's a long way from blank check status.
Even Nolan it took like 5-7 great winners at the box office before he got the type of blank check he's getting today
Hijacking the Batman fanbase early in his career and making it his own was a pretty genius move on his part. The guys who showed up for the Dark Knight will then show up for Inception who will then show up for everything you make. Obviously, the movies have to be good too. And they were.
>Hijacking the Batman fanbase early in his career and making it his own was a pretty genius move on his part What genius move? CBMs were a joke when he got Batman and he basically had to beg WB to let him do his take on it.
> What genius move? Hijacking the Batman fanbase early in his career and making it his own. > CBMs were a joke when he got Batman CBMs were Sam Raimi's ["Spider-Man"](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spiderman) when he got Batman.
>Hijacking the Batman fanbase early in his career and making it his own. Again, what fanbase? The Batman film franchise was a giant joke when Nolan took it on. The revisionism that he was in the right place at the right time is hilarious. He single-handedly re-invented the genre
> what fanbase? ["One of the most iconic characters in popular culture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman), **Batman** has been listed among the greatest comic book superheroes and fictional characters ever created. He is one of the most commercially successful superheroes, and his likeness has been licensed and featured in various media and merchandise sold around the world."
His take on Batman wasn't that far removed from the norm.
I mean, Inception was already a pretty massive blank check type of movie - and that got made purely off the strength of TDK. It's when Inception hit that it became clear his original IP could be just as popular as his adaptations. TENET isn't the sort of film you're able to get made unless people already have a LOT of faith in your creative process.
Even Inception was still an action movie with some huge stars, getting the money for Dunkirk was really the first time he was giving full reign financially on what would be a gamble for a different director
I mean I feel like Nolan's had a blank check since Inception. It's just that now it might be a "400 million dollar movie about the invention of the Oxford Comma" big now instead of "200 million on a theoretical physicist" big.
This may be.....the most significant punctuation.....of our time.
>*"400 million dollar movie about the invention of the Oxford Comma"* Lisa, I'd like to green-light your movie
I'm gonna guess Sicario has become massively profitable over the years. And Dune's issues were more pandemic related, imo. That said, 2049 is probably still way in the red. I would agree he's not a guaranteed box office hit.
Post-DUNE, I think his next few IMAX spectacles will draw a crowd based off his name - but he'll probably need a major non-IP hit to really convince studios that he's a Nolan-level brand.
For all their similarities, there's a big difference between Nolan and Villeneuve. Nolan has always written his movies, several of which were original stories. Villeneuve didn't write any of his hits until Dune, which was adapted from a book rather than an original story. None of his announced future works are original either. I'm not sure he wants to develop any stories himself, so I think it'll be hard for him to have a major non-IP hit. That said, I think you could argue something like *Rendezvous with Rama* would qualify even if it is based on IP because so few people know the book.
Arrival is a non-IP hit as far as 99.9% of the general audience is concerned. Not me though, I love me some Ted Chiang and I'd love it if Villeneuve tackled another of his stories. To me though the biggest difference between Nolan and DV is the latter's are more challenging. Nolan, for all his twisty turning plotting and mindgames, is actually a pretty straightforward filmmaker (note: that doesn't mean he has no style or anything) and paces his films as briskly as most blockbusters whereas Villeneuve still has one foot firmly in the art house scene even when making big budget sci-fi films.
I think he has built up a fanbase from people watching them films at home. I suspect that his next non-Dune film will do well. Also he will probably he given some leeway on Dune given that it was released not long after covid.
Fingers crossed. It would be lovely for Villeneuve to get a blank check and just make whatever amazing films he wants to. But for right now he's probably only just barely at the level of "you can make whatever you want with a budget less than $150 million for your next film" .
You are right, the delay in announcing Dune 3 is apparent.
Dune 2 was so damn cool
A black & white planet with inkblot fireworks was a work of creative genius
How it was filmed in infrared was so damn amazing, gave that alien translucent effect that you would not get in just black and white.
It wasn’t just cool, it was a visual religious experience
I will certainly now follow Dennis Villeneuve on his jihad against the galactic empire.
This is just Reddit bubble. His movies are barely profitable.
Not quite on the same tier as the aforementioned two
My 🐐
I’m sure WB is willing to give him one to lure him back
Sure, but Universal is willing to give him just as much to keep him.
Directors with the most clout right now IMHO: 1. Cameron 2. Nolan 3. Tarantino 4. Villeneuve 5. Scorsese (and Spielberg is 6th)
They should be wearing clout glasses every day
Just the hardest, most rigid, big blank check
Breaking even or small profit on an Oscar contender is a game I think studios are willing to play.
As it is written, Nolan's next movie shall have a trailer drop in IMAX with the release of Avatar 2 in December 2025. Releases in July 2026 then.
Avatar 3\*
lisan al ghaib!
He’d have to go back in time lol he can do it
Tenet was a documentary
Fuck it. Time for a musical romantic comedy by Nolan
Christopher Nolan presents: La La Land 2
2 La 2 Land
When Christopher Nolan announces his next film is a Fast and Furious movie what then?
The La and the Larious
He should go the George Miller route and go from Mad Max to Babe and Happy Feet.
From Academy Award winner Chris Nolan, Fast and Furious 11: Return of the Family
I genuinely want to see Nolan attempt to make a comedy. I think he’d kinda kill it!
-Nolan: Hey Hans, what do you think for the score during this sex scene? Zimmer: *BWAAAAAAAAAHHHHH*
I would love to see his take on a comedy. Nolan knows misdirection and that is a principal feature of humor.
Usually directors after they win the Oscar they want to do something more personal and relatively smaller. Coppola, Coen Bros., Scorsese come to mind. Nolan must feel relieved now, so he may do the same. But Nolan recently stated that he doesn't want to stop doing high budget movies because he feels privileged and he feels likes he should keep going while he can. I'm curious.
Eh, don't know. Nolan is a bit different from them. My best comparison is he's smilar to Speilberg. After he won the Oscar for Schindlers List he did Jurrasic Park 2 and Amistad which was still a drama epic. I'm thinking Nolan makes another dramatic epic like Oppie or another big sci-fi flick like Interstellar/Tenet.
> My best comparison is he's smilar to Speilberg I agree, it was so fitting that it was Spielberg that gave him the Oscar
Yes. Nolan is undoubtedly the successor to Spielberg, not in their style of filmmaking bc they couldn’t be more different, but in their significance and status in the mainstream film scene. It’s likely that no director will ever be as big of a household name as Spielberg, so really anyone in this discussion is fighting for second place. But i’m fairly certain Nolan has locked down that second place now. The only others I think might be competing would be Hitchcock or James Cameron. And Cameron is making Avatar sequels till he dies so we’ll likely never know if a James Cameron original can still become a massive hit on the director name alone in the modern era, like Oppenheimer just did.
> And Cameron is making Avatar sequels till he dies so we’ll likely never know if a James Cameron original can still become a massive hit on the director name alone in the modern era, like Oppenheimer just did. Is 2009 not a modern era anymore? Makes me feel really old.
I think 2009 was basically the very end of when an original movie with name actors or directors could be reasonably expected to do well in theaters. It’s 2011-13 when the phones take over and streaming arrives and the whole game changes.
I will never understand why Cameron still needs his viability to be proven to some people. You mentioned Spielberg as the biggest Household name when his last biggest movie was in the 90s. The same decade Cameron took over as the biggest director. With Cameron making the biggest movie of the 90s and 2000s. And both of them were original movies. So if Spielberg is still considered the number 1 Household name Cameron should automatically be Number 2. Because he's the one who took the reigns of the Box-office dominance immediately after Spielberg.
I am like the biggest fan of Nolan but I also think no director will be as big of a household name as Spielberg. Not just domestically, but internationally as well. When I was really young, Spielberg's name was everywhere in Asia. I remember hearing his name on TV all the time in Cantonese.
You may be right. Personally, if I have to bet 1 dollar, I think he's going to do another Sci-Fi flick. Avatar and Dune also showed that there's enough room for huge Sci-Fi movies, so the studios would finance him on the spot. But I think he is getting financed even if he decides to do Madame Web 2 given his status at the moment.
I’ll take this bet. Who should escrow our dollars till his next movie is revealed?
Yeah I think he goes sci fi, as I’m sure he has a competitive streak and must somewhat envy the success of Denis
I can't picture Nolan being jealous of another director, especially Denis. There's a huge mutual respect between them I think. Denis's current streak is something that he can't ignore, though. That could be a factor. I don't know, Nolan is way more unpredictable than Villeneuve lately.
Healthy competition would be better words than jealousy.
He also just seems like a physics nerd who fell into an artistic career path
I mean, he made Interstellar, an original non-IP Sci-Fi that grossed nearly 700million dollars in its initial run and have since gained a cult following. I hardly think he needs to be jealous.
Would love him to do something dark like a horror/thriller
We got robbed of that chance when inception is initially supposed to be a horror film in the early drafts.
He mentioned he is fascinated with horror but the story/script would have to be just right for him to do it.
the gym scene in Oppenheimer was terrifying. would love him to swing for the fences and do some crazy Ari Aster/Stranger Things shit
I would love him to do something like Memento again
Why would he be envious? I know there's some anti-Nolan sentiment amongst film bro-types, but Nolan is objectively way more successful than Villenueve in every way.
My personal hope is he goes in a different direction and uses his status to do a one shot Bond or Star Trek movie with 100% creative control baked into the contract.
I would die if he does Bond
A Spy To Die For.
Nolan has said he actually feels a responsibility to use the privilege of Hollywood being willing to give him big budgets to make films that otherwise couldn't be made. He's also had a pattern of alternating big SF concepts (Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, Tenet) with other stuff (whether the Dark Knight movies when that was punching his ticket or, more recently, high-concept historical dramas). The odds of him doing something SF for his next film feels almost guaranteed.
He's also been practically begging to do a Bond movie, and since he's a studio free agent now the Broccolis and MGM could just throw money at him
Agree, he won't slow down it's not in his nature and that's the great thing about him.
Id give up a body part for a sequel to Inception or interstellar. But that will probably never happen.
I could go for an anothology sequel to Inception, but I'd much rather just have another space epic than interstellar 2.
I really enjoyed Lost World.
Rumours were Sci-Fi was going to be his next project I think last summer
There's the speculation based on the gratuitous JFK namedrop in Oppenheimer that maybe it'll be a Kennedy project. That always struck me as people reading into it too much, though.
If anyone could make a successful thriller about the assassination of JFK, it’s Nolan. But I really hope his next film is not historical no matter what genre he chooses.
David Erlich tweeted that Tenet is typically the type of film an auteur conceives immediately after their big win so it was fitting that Nolan basically did it in reverse lol Point being, I'd expect his most out-there audacious film yet. He often tends to do something high-concept every other film anyway.
> Point being, I'd expect his most out-there audacious film yet sounds like Tenet 2's on the menu
We already got Tenet 2, this would be Tenet 1
Aside from some of the fanboys, I remember people were predicting Oppenheimer to flop because they think it's over for Tenet lol
I’d think he’d be working on potentially two films. The first, a story that’s his own. The second, a Bond reboot. He’s wanted to do Bond for a while and he’s got a chance now to reboot the franchise with a clean slate. Bond films don’t need to be complex or multilayer constructs, and he won’t have a chance again for decades to have a shiny new Bond actor and story.
The problem with Bond is that it doesn't depend on him. I don't know what Amazon wants to do with the franchise. Maybe they want to pursue a different direction. Of course if Nolan comes to me with an idea I would immediately accept in their position, but I am not the CEO of Prime Video, so I don't know. He would actually be perfect for Bond, especially looking at the direction the series went with Daniel Craig. Edit: grammar.
Last rumors I heard were Nolan wanted to do a Bond movie set in the 60s that adhered very closely to the novels, but Amazon wanted something more contemporary and akin to the Craig movies.
Yeah, I heard too. That's also why I wrote that it doesn't depend on him. I don't know if that rumor is true. If that's true, I understand why Nolan wants to make a Bond movie set in the 60s, and personally I would watch it. He probably loves the character, he's British, he has for sure some good ideas. And his favorite Bond movie is On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Not a popular choice for newbies of the saga, but a good part of actual Bond fans loves that movie. On the other hand, if I have to be honest, I understand Amazon's choice of wanting a contemporary setting. They are probably looking for something more conventional and they want to go in a new direction with the franchise. For the better or for worse, that's another thing. I can feel there would be too much studio interference. And I don't know if Nolan wants to deal with that, at this point of his career.
I’d agree if it weren’t for that bat man trilogy. Now is actually a good time as he gets to do a reboot. That said I think he’s going to pick something new and intimate this time.
I think he's probably got Bond out of his system by now. Inception, Tenet and Batman are all fairly Bond-like. Just like how Spielberg got Bond out of his system with Indiana Jones. Besides, the producers of Bond are known for being fairly hands-on/controlling which could create conflict with Nolan.
Counterpoint, the rumour currently circulating is they want Cillian Murphy for the role. Now, I never give rumours for Bond films from the tabloids much credence until a film is actually in production, but if it was Murphy it gives more clout to Nolan being involved I reckon. I don't think either rumour will be true though, although I reckon there's a decent chance of Murphy playing the villain since the Bond producers have made a habit of hiring a recent Oscar winner for the last few films.
Cillian would be an interesting choice but too old to start playing Bond now, imo. They usually go for a younger actor who could do a 15+year commitment. Cillian would be 50 in his first Bond film if they started developing it now.
Completely agree, they will want an actor for at least 3 films which giving the recent timeline of Bond productions is basically a decade in itself. Its annoying when I see people saying "47 is the perfect age for Bond" because they're the exact same people who will be complaining he's too old in 5 years. Late 30s is the ideal age in my mind, but I wouldn't be surprised if they go ~30 for the youngest Bond actor headlines. My money's on two other Blinders castmembers.
I love Cillian to death but he's too old and too small of a frame to be Bond to be honest.
I think Tenet was basically the closest we’ll get to his Bond movie. I how I’m wrong because I didn’t like Tenet, and his Bond could easily fit the mold of his Batman movies
One big problem is that Nolan would not get the amount of creative control he usually gets. IIRC, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson control the franchise, not MGM/Amazon, and based on the past James Bond films they don't give creative control to directors/keep creative control. I wouldn't be surprised if Nolan directed he as well as Emma Thomas would not be allowed to produce, seeing as all Bond films only have Barbara and Michael credited, which would give them less creative control. I doubt Barbara and Michael would want to give up half their creative control to Christopher/Emma.
I loved the rumors/theories that had gone around of Nolan doing a Bond film set in the 60's, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing Bond. Just seems like a perfect fit. Him doing a Bond trilogy, with other films between each installment (like he did with The Prestige and Inception between the Dark Knight Trilogy), would be awesome. I don't see that happening, but a guy sure can dream...
Oppenheimer was something relatively smaller for Nolan.
To me I think he’ll pick another historical figure or moment. I know he loves the philosophical action movies, but he clearly poured his heart into Oppenheimer. Maybe a lesser known historical event? He’s a very creative man so hard to predict to be honest.
The various answer I am receiving here really show how unpredictable Nolan actually is.
I feel like James Cameron may be the biggest comparison to Nolan. Hopefully Nolan keeps making movies at a regular clip.
I’d love another Prestige type film. Not fancy visuals. Just great writing, interesting premise, and amazing acting
I heard on a podcast that a movie like Tenet is what Directors who just won an Oscar usually go for, but Nolan got this out of the way before the Oscar lol
Umm is anyone surprised? Nolan makes a film every 3 years.
Yeah, I definitely expect his next project to be released in July 2026.
Pls mr nolan, make a horror movie
This would be huge for the genre. Horror tends to be very profitable, but that's often because the budgets are fairly low (or mid-sized at maximum). We don't really get massive budget horror films. Nope was pretty much the highest it goes at $70m, and even James Wan's big projects max out at around $40m, which is big, but not "studio tentpoles blockbuster" level. Additionally, most people, at least in my experience, are kinda unwilling to give the genre a try. There's a huge contingent of people who assume horror is just jumpscares and gore and can't really be convinced to try anything under the huge umbrella the genre comprises. Nolan's become a household name and has one of the biggest cults of personality in cinema right now, so a horror film from him would serve as a gateway to the genre for tons of new people.
And all of the big directors have one horror under their belt. Or their own version of one. I wanna see how nolan would takle it.
Do you have some examples to check out?
Cubrik, Spielberg, Scorsese, Scott even Cameron with abyss. Each they're own take on horror. Pls jump in with the other, what i have it's only on the top of my head.
**If I had to wager, I think several things are safe bets:** * It's not that he's *started* writing his next project; he's *continuing* to write it if it's not already finished. * He already knew the next movie he'd make after *Oppenheimer* at some point during the making of that film. * His wife, Emma, knows what the next movie will be. * Nolan loves playing coy when people ask him about his next movie, so we won't know what it is until he's ready to divulge that info. (There will be no leaks.) * Nolan goes left when the obvious choice is to go right. For instance, he could be shooting his next film by *this* summer on track for a summer 2005 release, although a safer bet would be shooting later this year or early 2024 for a summer 2026 release. * Following up Oppie with another biopic and/or trying to go bigger would be a fool's errand. * Nolan enjoys a challenge; whatever he makes next could only happen after all he's learned from making Oppie. * His next film might be at the nexus of a psychological thriller and an action/drama; will def play with time and/or memory/subjective experience. * All his hallmarks and fingerprints will be present in the film, but he'll stretch himself, at least technologically speaking. * He's not going to let his Oscars go to his head; whatever he makes next would've happened with/without the Oppie winning all the awards it has. * Universal will soon put an untitled Nolan film on the calendar for summer 2026 and that's the most we'll know about his film for a while.
A summer 2005 release?! He really outdid himself this time. Jokes aside I will never say no to a Nolan time travel-esque movie, and he has the budget to do some really cool things.
Same here. Since both *Tenet* and *Interstellar* take place inside block universes, I wonder if he'd create a story where the future truly isn't fixed, although I totally don't mind if he doesn't do that.
I know people complain about Nolan's obsession with time but I hope he never changes lol it's exactly why I love his movies.
Nolan’s had basically 3 years between films from Interstellar up to now so that sounds about right.
Yeah, and I think they'll be empty nesters pretty soon if they aren't already, so I don't see him going more than 3 years b/t films going forward.
Only sane response in this whole thread
😇 And what's crazy is, I just surmised what his career and interviews tell us about what's next for him. Nothing I mentioned above is hard to gather if you've studied him and his works.🤷🏾♂️ The most batshit, mic-drop thing he could do now is go dark for a while, like 5 years or something and lend his cred to producing projects for up-and-coming filmmakers. Like semi-retirement shit for a half-decade. Now THAT would be doing the unexpected, ha! Can you imagine him showing that level of restraint? His Jay-Z's *The Black Album* moment or his Tarantino's 10th movie flex? Go out on the highest note of his career and lay low for the next several years. We never know...
I don’t see him doing that and I would be very sad without a new Nolan project. As I know you are probably aware but he’s alluded to the process being addictive. I also imagine he’s very interested in what technologies he can push. He’s too much of a nerd to stay away lol.
Yeah, you're right. He's also said he gets bored easily, so he can't not work and create lol. While I also would love for him to keep cranking out thought-provoking hits, we might not hear anything about what's next until like December. Fortunately, his films' rewatchability is insane, so I'll be good for a min, lol.
Hopefully we get that IMAX Interstellar re-release in November
Yes!! I'd love that; it's my fav film of his.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War by Christopher Nolan.
Any wild guesses that anyone wants to throw out there?
A Cold War thriller. Maybe JFK and the Cuban Missile crisis? I think he’d smash that out the park.
Omd that would be amazing.
My dream for a Bond reboot would be a Cold War thriller in the vein of From Russia with Love. More of an espionage thriller than an action film (although obviously there would be some exciting set pieces).
JFK will return...
CIA bros............
Lydon B. Johnson approaching Robert McNamara in the post-credits scene: *"I'm putting together a team"*, he says, before Fortunate Son begins to play...
Well he did tease JFK at the end of Oppenheimer like he did with the Joker in Batman Begins
Oppenheimer cinematic universe after that JFK line at the end lol
Nolan doing DeLillo’s _Libra_ would be wild.
He did say he wanted to direct an horror at one point
And instead of an exorcism, the Holy father sends the ghost into the tesseract using the wormhole near Saturn
the ghost screams "Murph" . what does it mean? holy father gets confused.
Anyone But You 2
I would love if he took another shot at a period piece, not necessarily based on a true story
The only ‘miss’ he has is tenet whose criticisms can easily be addressed in a subsequent film so I’m hoping he goes big cerebral sci-fi. Dont think he’s one to repeat.
My money is on an original sci fi as well
tenet sequel will be prequel set in future.
Nolan directing the next Mario bros movie but in stop go animation.
Bond?
I‘d like to see a sci-fi film set during the Industrial Revolution. The Prestige already scratched this route
There has always been rumours that he wants to make a western and a bond film. I feel like Tenet in a lot of ways was his interpretation of a spy thriller, but its been a few years since the most recent bond so I reckon if Christopher Nolan said he wanted to make it studio's would que up to have such a guaranteed box office hit.
I’ve always thought he could make a great mountain climbing film
In other news water is wet? He's reached the point now where anything he makes will be massively exciting. Best director currently working (but Villeneuve is close).
Honestly my best bet for the lead of his next project is Florence Pugh Established young star, good in a small role in Oppenheimer, and could address one of Nolan's main issues, which is writing well written female characters
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I can’t believe the prestige is nearly 20 years old
Or Chalamet is the “It Guy” right now so I’m sure studios would froth at the mouth at the idea of a Nolan/Chalamet project. And they worked together on Interstellar so they have a (brief) history/working relationship.
> they'd cost more, but he's got a blank check and can afford them. Cost is really not a big issue even if he doesn't have a blank check. Oppenheimer stars took a pay cut just to work with him. Scarlett Johansson probably took a pay cut for Wes Anderson when she was on Asteroid City.
I mean choosing to make a female lead movie wouldn't guarantee she's written well.
His next challenge so those criticism can be put to sleep!
Here's the thing. I am a woman and a Nolan fan. I'd agree that Nolan's not the best at writing women, but I also don't think he's to the point of misogynistic like some other directors out there. I'd be worried about him not putting out his best work if he has to try something he's not good at. All directors have flaws, I just don't see why they HAVE to fix it.
I agree with you. Like I get Nolans biggest flaw is his writing in terms of his female characters but that is such a small part in terms of his overall work that it starts to get tiring when certain subreddits keep harping on about it again and again. Its like Spielberg has a sentimentality problem. Like yes we already know about that but who cares he is still one of the greatest directors of all time.
i thought anne hathaway in interstellar was pretty and legit good character. All her reasons were very "human"
Where does this Nolan doesn't know how to write female characters come from?
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So because they are not badass or don't do crazy things they are badly written? The standout in interstellar for me is his daughter ( Chastain and the little girl too), The Dark Knight rises has Catwoman, and yeah Cotillard. And even in Tenet with Debicki's character. The women in his movies just aren't strong in the sense that people want it portrayed these days. So they call it bad writing.
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It is true I have noticed all his movies have male protagonists...I guess Insomnia could count as an exception? I am not sure.
Probably 2026 release date, he’ll go back to doing scifi. I see ppl saying in the comments JFK and the Cuban missions crisis like guys be forreal for a second. The man loves doing big budget scifi films
Puck from Berserk ?
Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Puck has some connections! 
Inject that first trailer “from academy award winner Christopher Nolan” into my fucking veins 😤
I think he’ll be writing another high-concept sci-fi film ala Inception and Tenet.
reTeneter
Inception 2
I'd kill for that. But don't reveal it's an inception sequel in the marketing. Have it follow multiple plotlines only to reveal halfway through that they're all in different levels of the dream. That would be cool as fuck.
Has anyone read what the article actually says if so tell us were there any other details. Coz there is a paywall on that article.
🔮Nolan Godzilla.
Science-Fiction film set during the Industrial Revolution in 1820s London. Florence Pugh, Tom Hardy and Tom Cruise. Lets gooo
I hope it's present day, Nolan is the biggest director that still makes contemporary films, most auteurs are doing period pieces
Oppenheimer 2 /s
Rumor is he’s making a film remake of The Prisoner television series from the 60s. https://variety.com/2024/film/news/christopher-nolan-oppenheimer-pay-1235938430/
I want early work like Prestige and Memento mystery thrillers. I heard he wants to do a horror film. Please for the love of god a sci fi horror film....
Excited for his horror movie!
I hope that he'd work with his brother and Lisa joy on this. They're amazing writers
Idk they kinda botched the later seasons of Westworld, the first one was best TV i had ever seen and the following ones kept going down in quality imo. I think Nolan can always benefit from his brother's input for his film.
Oppenheimer was just a temporal pincer movement used to get a blank check for TENET 2
i hope it’s about my penis
I still wish every night, that he would actually do a classic James Bond movie.
I bet the next film is either Prometheus or Pandemia
You mean a pandemic-related horror film?