Variety’s sources have nixed any hopes of “The Prisoner” being Christopher Nolan’s next film. They’re also saying that it’s not sci-fi either. Rather, their sources are telling them that it might actually be a film firmly planted in the “espionage” genre:
What Nolan’s film will be remains a mystery. It won’t be “The Prisoner,” a project that has a long history at Universal and once was developed as a vehicle for the director. Sources say Nolan’s latest isn’t another sci-fi epic; some speculate that it may be in the espionage genre. That’s not a surprise given that Nolan flirted with making a Bond film at one point.
Nolan has delved in the spy genre before, most notably in “Inception,” and “Tenet’ both were sci-fi which, apparently, this film is not. Maybe this is the closest to a Bond film that we’ll get out of him.
So, how many rumors is that now? Earlier in the year, it was Variety who had started the ‘Prisoner’ rumors. THR had initially heard that it might be a “father-son” story, which they later recanted. Grace Randolph said it was maybe a “horror film,” which I was told is not true. A Reddit rumor suggested that it might be an action film influenced by 1983’s “Blue Thunder” (still not debunked). It seems like we’re just hopping from genre to genre here.
Nolan must be having a good laugh about all of this. What has been revealed is that Matt Damon is set to star, and Universal is backing the film, including in IMAX. An early 2025 shoot is being planned for the film. A July 17, 2026 theatrical release has been set up.
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