After taking on Batman with The Dark Knight Trilogy and playing with time in Tenet, director Christopher Nolan appears to have set his sights on another ambitious project. Nolan has been in talks with multiple studios about his next film, which will focus on the development of the atom bomb during World War II.
According to Deadline, Nolan's next project will focus on J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who is considered one of the fathers who helped with the creation of the atom bomb. This film will mark Nolan's return to the history of World War ll after his 2017 award-winning film Dunkirk, though this new project will take place in America rather than in France. As for Nolan, though, this will mark the first time in over a decade that the director does not have a studio ready to act as a distributor.
All of Nolan's previous films since 2002's Insomnia have been set up by Warner Bros., with the exception of 2006's The Prestige, which was made for Disney, and 2014's Interstellar, which involved a partnership between Warner Bros. and Paramount. Sources say that Nolan and his team have been in deep discussions with Universal and Sony while also talking with Warner Bros. and Paramount. While major studios are reportedly reading the script, no offers have been made yet.
The director's most recent film, Tenet, was released by Warner Bros. in August 2020 during the height of the pandemic, when moviegoers were still uncertain about the safety of movie theatres and a vaccine was not yet available. Although Nolan was given his exclusive theatrical release, Tenet did not live up to expectations at the box office, even after being delayed several times to assure the most success. The rough patch between Nolan and Warner Bros. would continue after the studio announced back in 2020 their new hybrid model of having their 2021 films premiere on the HBO MAX streaming service simultaneously with their theatrical release.
Although Tenet was not a part of this model, Nolan's biggest goal is to have an exclusive theatrical release for his upcoming film because he has always been a big believer in the theatre experience, similar to other directors like Denis Villeneuve (who is encouraging every fan to experience Dune in theatres). That doesn't rule out streaming services just yet, though. Nolan has also been in recent talks with Netflix, as head Scott Stuber believes he could lure Nolan in and meet his needs of giving his next film a theatrical run, as Netflix in the past has been willing to give certain filmmakers this option.
More details will surely be released in the coming months, but Nolan will most likely reach an agreement with a studio soon, as the visionary director has shown no signs of slowing down when it comes to producing original and engaging blockbusters. Fans can now stream some of Nolan's work such as The Dark Knight trilogy and Tenet on HBO MAX.
Source: Deadline