Christopher Nolan turned down millions to return to former studio for next movie
Christopher Nolan turned down the chance to return to Warner Bros. for his next movie despite being offered a seven figure cheque.
The director was with the film company from 2002’s Insomnia right up until the release of Tenet in 2020.
Their partnership included The Dark Knight trilogy, Dunkirk, Inception, while Warner Bros handled the international release of The Prestige and Interstellar.
His decision to switch to Universal came after the director criticised Warner Bros. over their plans to release their 2021 film slate simultaneously on streaming service HBO Max.
Nolan also waived certain fees to ensure Tenet got a theatrical release.
Following WarnerMedia’s 2022 merger with Discovery and ensuing regime change, newly installed motion picture group chiefs Michael DeLuca and Pamela Abdy were eager to see Nolan return to the studio, according to Variety.
As a goodwill gesture, Warner Bros. wrote him a seven-figure check, returning the Tenet fees he waived.
But he has since opted to stick with Universal for his next project, which will potentially see Matt Damon star in the lead role. Damon portrayed General Leslie Groves in Nolan’s most recent film, Oppenheimer, alongside Cillian Murphy.
The as-yet-untitled film is expected to be released in July 2026. Plot details for the project remain under wraps.
Oppenheimer was the biggest winner at the Oscars and the BAFTAs this year.
It also became Nolan’s biggest Box Office hit overseas with the film garnering over $960million (£757million) worldwide.
The film remains Nolan’s third-biggest hit globally, behind The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises – both of which have grossed over a billion each.
In a five-star review of the film, NME shared: “Not just the definitive account of the man behind the atom bomb, Oppenheimer is a monumental achievement in grown-up filmmaking. For years, Nolan has been perfecting the art of the serious blockbuster – crafting smart, finely-tuned multiplex epics that demand attention; that can’t be watched anywhere other than in a cinema, uninterrupted, without distractions. But this, somehow, feels bigger.”
The post Christopher Nolan turned down millions to return to former studio for next movie appeared first on NME.
Damian Jones
NME
