It’s a rather strange situation when the big news about a new Christopher Nolan project isn’t the movie itself, but rather the fact that the filmmaker is currently shopping said project around the major Hollywood studios as his long tenure at Warner Bros. looks to have come to an end.
Nolan was one of the biggest critics of Warner’s decision to release its 2021 theatrical slate day-and-date on HBO Max, slamming the studio for failing to inform its filmmakers and stars of their decision. This led to rumours that Nolan’s near-20 year association with WB – from 2002’s Insomnia through to 2020’s Tenet – was over, and now a report from Deadline seems to indicate that may well be the case.
As per the trade, the Dunkirk helmer is looking to return to World War II with a movie which will focus on J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in creating the atomic bomb, and the script is said to be out around town with the filmmaker and his reps are currently speaking with “several of the major studios”. It’s unclear whether Warner Bros. is among these studios, but the possibility has not been ruled out.
So, Nolan to Netflix? Based on Nolan’s stance towards streaming it would seem unlikely, although Netflix chief Scott Stuber did state back in July that “if and when [Christopher Nolan] comes up with his new movie, it’s about can we be a home for it and what would we need to do to make that happen”.
