Christopher Nolan is back to work, cooking up his next tent pole movie, but, a new report suggests that the beloved director is reportedly staying away from science-fiction yet again, and his new film could be the director’s own take on a James Bond movie. Nolan’s new, super-secretive movie was announced earlier this month. Very little is known about the project, other than it will reunite Christopher Nolan with Matt Damon, with the pair having previously worked together on Oppenheimer and Interstellar.
While plot details remain tightly under wraps (Christopher Nolan is known for being incredibly secretive about his scripts), a new report from Variety has hinted at what audiences might expect from Nolan’s 13th movie. To quote the report:
“Sources say Nolan’s latest isn’t another sci-fi epic; some speculate that it may be in the espionage genre. That’s not a surprise given that Nolan flirted with making a Bond film at one point.”
Nolan is perhaps best known for his original sci-fi movies. Interstellar has become a cultural landmark among Nolan’s fans and “film bros,” even though Inception is arguably the better movie. Nolan also helped revitalize the moviegoing experience during the COVID pandemic, with his resolve that Tenet (a time-bending original sci-fi movie, starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson) received a theatrical release.
So, what will Nolan’s next project be? According to the report, Nolan’s next project closely ties into the long-running rumors about the director helming the next Bond film, with speculation “that it may be in the espionage genre.” It is most likely that Nolan’s espionage thriller (if that’s the genre he chooses for his next film) will be an original concept much like Tenet and Inception, both of which contained all manner of espionage elements. In his career, Nolan has only made three films based on a long-running IP with The Dark Knight trilogy, and hasn’t shown any interest in returning to the sandbox of major franchises.
Christopher Nolan Has Toyed With Espionage Thrillers Before
While Christopher Nolan may never make a James Bond film, the franchise’s influence on his filmography is undeniable. His most recent sci-fi movie, Tenet, blended a unique time-bending concept with a globe-hopping spy thriller, following an unnamed protagonist working with foreign governments. Inception, though, is perhaps Nolan’s most Bond-esque movie. While 007 has yet to dive into dream-related conspiracies and terrorist threats, the action scenes in Inception are heavily inspired by the early eccentric James Bond movies (there’s nothing more 007 than a ski-chase through the Alps while being shot out that ends at a giant snow fortress).
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Whatever Christopher Nolan does decide to make, it is almost guaranteed to be a box office hit. While The Dark Knight trilogy was carried by the Batman IP, Nolan’s name has become a selling point in and of itself. It’s arguable that no other director could transform a 3+ hour, R-rated, WWII set, part color, part black-and-white drama about a scientist into a mega-blockbuster that narrowly missed out on the $1 billion mark. Of course, Nolan himself doesn’t care about box office statistics, but his blend of critical and commercial hits means Nolan is one of the few directors who can literally make whatever they want and studios will back it — his next film could be about the Cabbage Patch kids for all we know and audiences would still devour it.