The Films Nolan should direct

Speculation and discussion about Christopher Nolan's possible and confirmed future projects.
User avatar
Posts: 64
Joined: December 2021
Location: New Jersey
I'd like to see Christopher Nolan direct the fighter 2!

User avatar
Posts: 431
Joined: December 2019
Location: United States
A Popeye film with Tom Hardy as Popeye, Elizabeth Debicki as Olive Oyl, and Jason Momoa as Bluto. Someone on Instagram did a fake poster with Debicki and Momoa as those two characters, and I thought it was great! If I remember correctly they used Jason Statham as Popeye, but I think Hardy's personality fits better for the role.

User avatar
Posts: 141
Joined: March 2017
In another thread, I said I wonder if the fact that Jordan Peele beat Nolan to the punch with Nope as the first horror film to have scenes shot with IMAX cameras (with Hoyte, no less) will inspire Nolan to do a horror film next. Others on here have mentioned how it seems inevitable that Nolan will tackle horror eventually, especially since he’s kind of flirted with it throughout his career. And with the Oppenheimer teaser having a kind of nightmarish tone to it, it feels like he’s really pushing more in that direction, so a straight horror definitely seems like a logical next step for him.
“It’s very rare to get a great scenario for a horror movie that really holds up and would really justify the time. There are some incredible horror movies, but not that many I suppose. It’s tough, but it’s definitely something I would be interested in exploring at some point. I’m in no rush, I’ve got time to try different things, but it’s certainly on my mind.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tVAWaqYpT4
I know Nolan has said that he doesn’t decide on projects according to what genres he has yet to explore as if he were crossing things off a checklist, and that he’s more driven by how much an individual story speaks to him on its own… but given how much he idolizes someone like Kubrick—who is known for having made great films across many different genres—I like to think part of him still aspires to stretch and challenge himself in a similar way if certain kinds of stories that he’s interested in telling seem like a good fit for a particular genre that he hasn’t explored yet.

Nolan’s already made several films that have at least one kind of genre counterpart within Kubrick’s filmography: Interstellar is his 2001 of course, Dunkirk is his Paths of Glory/Full Metal Jacket, Oppenheimer will sort of be his Spartacus (biopic/historical drama), Inception, Interstellar, and TDKR contain dystopian/sci-fi elements like A Clockwork Orange, Following/Memento/Insomnia are kind of like his The Killing (early work, crime/noir). Nolan is pretty much terrified of doing a comedy, so I’m not sure if we’ll ever get his Dr. Strangelove….. now I’m not saying that Nolan is trying to model his career after Kubrick’s exactly, but given that he such a huge admirer of his work, it makes sense to me that he would be interested in tackling horror given that The Shining is a pretty major work within Kubrick’s filmography and his most populist film.

If Nolan makes a horror film right after Oppenheimer, it would interestingly come at the same point in his career as The Shining came in Kubrick’s. The Shining was released in 1980, 27 years after Fear and Desire, Kubrick’s debut film. If we assume Nolan’s next film will come out in 2026, that will be 27 years after Following, Nolan’s debut film.   

Posts: 280
Joined: March 2022
Janky Sam wrote:
July 23rd, 2022, 7:56 pm
In another thread, I said I wonder if the fact that Jordan Peele beat Nolan to the punch with Nope as the first horror film to have scenes shot with IMAX cameras (with Hoyte, no less) will inspire Nolan to do a horror film next. Others on here have mentioned how it seems inevitable that Nolan will tackle horror eventually, especially since he’s kind of flirted with it throughout his career. And with the Oppenheimer teaser having a kind of nightmarish tone to it, it feels like he’s really pushing more in that direction, so a straight horror definitely seems like a logical next step for him.
“It’s very rare to get a great scenario for a horror movie that really holds up and would really justify the time. There are some incredible horror movies, but not that many I suppose. It’s tough, but it’s definitely something I would be interested in exploring at some point. I’m in no rush, I’ve got time to try different things, but it’s certainly on my mind.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tVAWaqYpT4
I know Nolan has said that he doesn’t decide on projects according to what genres he has yet to explore as if he were crossing things off a checklist, and that he’s more driven by how much an individual story speaks to him on its own… but given how much he idolizes someone like Kubrick—who is known for having made great films across many different genres—I like to think part of him still aspires to stretch and challenge himself in a similar way if certain kinds of stories that he’s interested in telling seem like a good fit for a particular genre that he hasn’t explored yet.

Nolan’s already made several films that have at least one kind of genre counterpart within Kubrick’s filmography: Interstellar is his 2001 of course, Dunkirk is his Paths of Glory/Full Metal Jacket, Oppenheimer will sort of be his Spartacus (biopic/historical drama), Inception, Interstellar, and TDKR contain dystopian/sci-fi elements like A Clockwork Orange, Following/Memento/Insomnia are kind of like his The Killing (early work, crime/noir). Nolan is pretty much terrified of doing a comedy, so I’m not sure if we’ll ever get his Dr. Strangelove….. now I’m not saying that Nolan is trying to model his career after Kubrick’s exactly, but given that he such a huge admirer of his work, it makes sense to me that he would be interested in tackling horror given that The Shining is a pretty major work within Kubrick’s filmography and his most populist film.

If Nolan makes a horror film right after Oppenheimer, it would interestingly come at the same point in his career as The Shining came in Kubrick’s. The Shining was released in 1980, 27 years after Fear and Desire, Kubrick’s debut film. If we assume Nolan’s next film will come out in 2026, that will be 27 years after Following, Nolan’s debut film.   
This did get me thinking, I'm betting Oppenheimer would be closer to Barry Lyndon in a loose way, though setting wise The Prestige is closer to it, plus you've got a similar couple of journeys with it's main characters to the journey of Barry. I'd love to see Nolan do an Eyes Wide Shut style film, though honestly I think Inception is actually closer to that film than at first glance. Troubled marriage, male character with kids dealing with his desires and thoughts (literally), even the main situation is somewhat like the cult in that film, a powerful person using a group setting to get what they want using morally ambiguous means (messing with a person's mind for power, having sex with a woman who might not be there voluntarily and even if she is, it's still a creepy and weird context). It seems loose but there's an argument there. What would you compare Tenet to? I saw people say it's like his Miami Vice and I can see that, but Kubrick wise what does it fit into?

User avatar
Posts: 141
Joined: March 2017
Waitedalongtime wrote:
August 15th, 2022, 8:08 pm
Janky Sam wrote:
July 23rd, 2022, 7:56 pm
In another thread, I said I wonder if the fact that Jordan Peele beat Nolan to the punch with Nope as the first horror film to have scenes shot with IMAX cameras (with Hoyte, no less) will inspire Nolan to do a horror film next. Others on here have mentioned how it seems inevitable that Nolan will tackle horror eventually, especially since he’s kind of flirted with it throughout his career. And with the Oppenheimer teaser having a kind of nightmarish tone to it, it feels like he’s really pushing more in that direction, so a straight horror definitely seems like a logical next step for him.
“It’s very rare to get a great scenario for a horror movie that really holds up and would really justify the time. There are some incredible horror movies, but not that many I suppose. It’s tough, but it’s definitely something I would be interested in exploring at some point. I’m in no rush, I’ve got time to try different things, but it’s certainly on my mind.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tVAWaqYpT4
I know Nolan has said that he doesn’t decide on projects according to what genres he has yet to explore as if he were crossing things off a checklist, and that he’s more driven by how much an individual story speaks to him on its own… but given how much he idolizes someone like Kubrick—who is known for having made great films across many different genres—I like to think part of him still aspires to stretch and challenge himself in a similar way if certain kinds of stories that he’s interested in telling seem like a good fit for a particular genre that he hasn’t explored yet.

Nolan’s already made several films that have at least one kind of genre counterpart within Kubrick’s filmography: Interstellar is his 2001 of course, Dunkirk is his Paths of Glory/Full Metal Jacket, Oppenheimer will sort of be his Spartacus (biopic/historical drama), Inception, Interstellar, and TDKR contain dystopian/sci-fi elements like A Clockwork Orange, Following/Memento/Insomnia are kind of like his The Killing (early work, crime/noir). Nolan is pretty much terrified of doing a comedy, so I’m not sure if we’ll ever get his Dr. Strangelove….. now I’m not saying that Nolan is trying to model his career after Kubrick’s exactly, but given that he such a huge admirer of his work, it makes sense to me that he would be interested in tackling horror given that The Shining is a pretty major work within Kubrick’s filmography and his most populist film.

If Nolan makes a horror film right after Oppenheimer, it would interestingly come at the same point in his career as The Shining came in Kubrick’s. The Shining was released in 1980, 27 years after Fear and Desire, Kubrick’s debut film. If we assume Nolan’s next film will come out in 2026, that will be 27 years after Following, Nolan’s debut film.   
This did get me thinking, I'm betting Oppenheimer would be closer to Barry Lyndon in a loose way, though setting wise The Prestige is closer to it, plus you've got a similar couple of journeys with it's main characters to the journey of Barry. I'd love to see Nolan do an Eyes Wide Shut style film, though honestly I think Inception is actually closer to that film than at first glance. Troubled marriage, male character with kids dealing with his desires and thoughts (literally), even the main situation is somewhat like the cult in that film, a powerful person using a group setting to get what they want using morally ambiguous means (messing with a person's mind for power, having sex with a woman who might not be there voluntarily and even if she is, it's still a creepy and weird context). It seems loose but there's an argument there. What would you compare Tenet to? I saw people say it's like his Miami Vice and I can see that, but Kubrick wise what does it fit into?
That’s true about The Prestige and Barry Lyndon. It would be funny if Nolan pulled a Kubrick in his later years and didn’t make a film for over a decade or something, but then comes out with this weirdo bizarre movie like Eyes Wide Shut haha. I never thought about the connection between it and Inception, but that’s a good point.
Yeah, I’ve also seen people compare Tenet to late-style Michael Mann, but I’m not sure there’s a Kubrick analogy exactly. I don’t see every one of his films as necessarily having a one-to-one counterpart to a Kubrick film (like I said above, I don’t see him ever making a comedy like Dr. Strangelove), but it’s still fun to think about.

Posts: 280
Joined: March 2022
Janky Sam wrote:
August 16th, 2022, 5:18 pm
Waitedalongtime wrote:
August 15th, 2022, 8:08 pm
Janky Sam wrote:
July 23rd, 2022, 7:56 pm
In another thread, I said I wonder if the fact that Jordan Peele beat Nolan to the punch with Nope as the first horror film to have scenes shot with IMAX cameras (with Hoyte, no less) will inspire Nolan to do a horror film next. Others on here have mentioned how it seems inevitable that Nolan will tackle horror eventually, especially since he’s kind of flirted with it throughout his career. And with the Oppenheimer teaser having a kind of nightmarish tone to it, it feels like he’s really pushing more in that direction, so a straight horror definitely seems like a logical next step for him.



I know Nolan has said that he doesn’t decide on projects according to what genres he has yet to explore as if he were crossing things off a checklist, and that he’s more driven by how much an individual story speaks to him on its own… but given how much he idolizes someone like Kubrick—who is known for having made great films across many different genres—I like to think part of him still aspires to stretch and challenge himself in a similar way if certain kinds of stories that he’s interested in telling seem like a good fit for a particular genre that he hasn’t explored yet.

Nolan’s already made several films that have at least one kind of genre counterpart within Kubrick’s filmography: Interstellar is his 2001 of course, Dunkirk is his Paths of Glory/Full Metal Jacket, Oppenheimer will sort of be his Spartacus (biopic/historical drama), Inception, Interstellar, and TDKR contain dystopian/sci-fi elements like A Clockwork Orange, Following/Memento/Insomnia are kind of like his The Killing (early work, crime/noir). Nolan is pretty much terrified of doing a comedy, so I’m not sure if we’ll ever get his Dr. Strangelove….. now I’m not saying that Nolan is trying to model his career after Kubrick’s exactly, but given that he such a huge admirer of his work, it makes sense to me that he would be interested in tackling horror given that The Shining is a pretty major work within Kubrick’s filmography and his most populist film.

If Nolan makes a horror film right after Oppenheimer, it would interestingly come at the same point in his career as The Shining came in Kubrick’s. The Shining was released in 1980, 27 years after Fear and Desire, Kubrick’s debut film. If we assume Nolan’s next film will come out in 2026, that will be 27 years after Following, Nolan’s debut film.   
This did get me thinking, I'm betting Oppenheimer would be closer to Barry Lyndon in a loose way, though setting wise The Prestige is closer to it, plus you've got a similar couple of journeys with it's main characters to the journey of Barry. I'd love to see Nolan do an Eyes Wide Shut style film, though honestly I think Inception is actually closer to that film than at first glance. Troubled marriage, male character with kids dealing with his desires and thoughts (literally), even the main situation is somewhat like the cult in that film, a powerful person using a group setting to get what they want using morally ambiguous means (messing with a person's mind for power, having sex with a woman who might not be there voluntarily and even if she is, it's still a creepy and weird context). It seems loose but there's an argument there. What would you compare Tenet to? I saw people say it's like his Miami Vice and I can see that, but Kubrick wise what does it fit into?
That’s true about The Prestige and Barry Lyndon. It would be funny if Nolan pulled a Kubrick in his later years and didn’t make a film for over a decade or something, but then comes out with this weirdo bizarre movie like Eyes Wide Shut haha. I never thought about the connection between it and Inception, but that’s a good point.
Yeah, I’ve also seen people compare Tenet to late-style Michael Mann, but I’m not sure there’s a Kubrick analogy exactly. I don’t see every one of his films as necessarily having a one-to-one counterpart to a Kubrick film (like I said above, I don’t see him ever making a comedy like Dr. Strangelove), but it’s still fun to think about.
What makes the comment about Eyes Wide Shut interesting is that Nolan admitted in an interview that he was initially disappointed by it. I wondered what he and everyone else was expecting when they saw it, I did think it was very good if a little overlong, but stylistically it was very much like his others yet showed the same versatility he had shown in all his other films. But I think it was that 12 year absence from filmmaking plus the general secrecy before release made some expect something that was perhaps more epic and even more out there. There's a grounded psychological feel to the film that's generally a bit different and maybe to some it just wasn't quite as good as his others character, script, performance, direction, editing, all of that, but I think it's still very strong in all those areas. Though I'll take people thinking it's lower tier Kubrick over Reddit posts that blatantly misread scenes to prop up their weird conspiracy theories. Regardless of what you believe, the movie is about the dangers of obsession and not dealing with your own personal relationships, not to mention the flaws of marriage and fantasy.

if Nolan did have a similar long absence I think it would bite him unless his film was considered to be great, same goes for any respected filmmaker. It generates hype but obviously that can lead to backlash. And sometimes an absence isn't what a filmmaker needs to maintain quality. Ford Coppola's Godfather 3 might have been better if it was made close to the first two. Finally, Nolan isn't really known for taking long breaks between movies anyway, none have lasted more than 3 years. So I don't know how much it would help him.

Posts: 2
Joined: October 2023
A fake account parody of Discussingfilm on Twitter creating a potential movie of Nolan called Manhattan 2055. It may be unlikely that Nolan shoot really that project, but who knows... In life everything is possibile, even with Nolan.

User avatar
Posts: 606
Joined: July 2018

Posts: 280
Joined: March 2022
Man needs to do a murder mystery type movie. He can attract a good cast of actors to play the suspects, he loves twists, the exposition angle would fit perfectly, it's a good small scale idea if he wants to go smaller, it could bring those noir sensibilities in, it's a genre that can easily justify being non linear or at least including flashbacks. Would love to see an original Murder Mystery from him but I'd be cool with an adaptation, not of a super famous one though.

User avatar
Posts: 356
Joined: February 2011
Location: Limbo
Would be nice to see a Tesla (the inventor) movie made in a similar fashion as Oppenheimer. Not now but a few films down the line.

Post Reply