A source of mine told me on Tuesday evening that Christopher Nolan is in very serious contention to direct the next James Bond instalment.
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli is zeroing in on Nolan. I was told there were discussions with the filmmaker to helm the film, but no deal has been struck just yet, and the strike, not to mention Nolan promoting “Oppenheimer,” further delayed talks.
The main issue right now seems to be the amount of creative freedom Nolan wants for the film. Broccoli’s backups, currently, seem to be Danny Boyle, Denis Villeneuve, and Paul Greengrass. There were also rumors of Matthew Vaughn being in contention, but my source tells me he hasn’t heard his name mentioned at all.
Broccoli rarely gives carte blanche to her filmmakers, there’s usually a blueprint in how to make a Bond film, but Nolan wants to take over the entire process, which is understandable because, you know, he’s Christopher Nolan.
The deal being negotiated would be for two Bond films directed by Nolan, who would also be writing the script. Still no word yet on who the actor playing Bond would be, but some encouraging signs are pointing towards Aaron Taylor-Johnson taking over the role.
Back in July, Josh Horowitz, via his Happy Sad Confused podcast, told Nolan that he bet his friend $20 that he’d be the next director to helm a Bond film. Here’s what Nolan said:
I love those movies. The influence of those movies in my filmography is embarrassingly apparent. It would be an amazing privilege to do one. At the same time, when you take on a character like that you’re working with particular set of constraints. So it’s a kind of responsibility I also felt very much when taking on Batman.
As for whether he’d have any say in who would play the next Bond, Nolan says that he’d need to be part of the casting process:
You wouldn’t want to take on a film without being fully committed with what you bring.
It would make sense that, after “Oppenheimer,” Nolan would want his next film to be pure escapist entertainment. Bond would be the obvious choice. As he stated, he’s a major fan of the films, especially the Sean Connery ones, and he’d be a perfect fit.
A few years ago, we came very close to having Nolan directing Bond. He even admitted to having spoken to Broccoli about the gig. Nolan had been developing the story with Bond writers Purvis and Wade, who were tasked to write the new film while Nolan was finishing “Oppenheimer”.
While James L. Brooks teased last year that "we'll soon be seeing" Jack Nicholson, 89, act again, and that he was "reading scripts," that idea has now been shut down by his close friend Michael Douglas, 82.