At this point, all of the rumors about what Christopher Nolan’s next film might be about are contradicting each other, and even the trades have been firmly planted in the middle of all this speculation. It’s fun to watch.
Just to recap, Gizmodo is saying that Nolan’s next one is a 1920s set Vampire movie. Variety reported that it might actually be a spy movie. THR heard rumblings of a “father-son” story (which they later recanted). Grace Randolph said that it was maybe a “horror film.” Meanwhile, a Reddit rumor suggested that it might be an action movie influenced by 1983’s “Blue Thunder” (still not debunked).
About that “Blue Thunder” rumor, Production Weekly now has a short synopsis up about Nolan’s film, and it mirrors the 1983 action movie, which starred Roy Scheider:
About a pair of aerial helicopter cops, with an older mentor and a younger lead.
The “Blue Thunder” rumor originally came from Reddit, and has been gaining major traction in the past week. The story goes that Nolan and his team are currently working with the NYPD Aviation Unit. The film is being described as a NYC-based futuristic action film about a helicopter pilot cop who heads up the Aviation Unit in the US and the creation of a super advanced yet dangerous helicopter which is also being pursued by terrorists.
Instead of circulating a screenplay to his crew, Nolan has apparently made sure they each receive “high quality” versions of “Blue Thunder.” The 1983 action movie, directed by John Badham, shows up every once in a while in underrated ‘80s lists — it’s expensive and decently entertaining schlock.
More intriguingly, “Blue Thunder” was partly about using military AI to “clear” the homeless and criminals from the streets of LA ahead of the ‘84 Olympics. I mean, how much more relevant can you get to today’s world?
It should be noted that the Reddit source says the film won’t be a remake of “Blue Thunder,” but rather heavily inspired by it. Nolan is a fan of the film and it was his starting point when putting the project together. Take it all with a grain of salt, but the Production Weekly posting bears similarities to the film.
These Nolan rumors just aren’t stopping, but it won’t deter me from reporting on them because, quite frankly, it’s fun to speculate. I wouldn’t be surprised if Universal is just spreading false stories around to keep people on their feet.
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.