On Monday, I was told by my source at Production Weekly to expect a listing for Christopher Nolan’s next film to appear in the magazine’s Wednesday edition. Just to be clear, we’re not talking about “The Odyssey,” but a whole other project that Nolan wants to shoot after that epic.
Well, the listing is up, and apparently Nolan is supposed to direct a smaller-scaled film next year. The film is titled “Die Early” and it’s supposed to star Robert Downey Jr. The description has the film dubbed as a “mind-bending, high-concept thriller.”
No offense to Production Weekly, or my source, but I’ll believe it when I see it. This would be an unusual move for Nolan who tends to not set up follow-up projects as he’s about to embark on shooting a new film.
It should be noted that back in December, scooper Daniel Richtman reported that Nolan had already cast Downey in his “The Odyssey” follow-up. Nolan wanted Downey to appear in ‘Odyssey,’ but the actor’s schedule didn’t permit that to happen since he’s in the middle of prep for the next ‘Avengers’ flick — set to shoot in March/April— and ‘Odyssey’ is supposed to shoot in late February.
Last year, Downey won an Oscar for his work in Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” They’ve both expressed enthusiasm and a real willingness to collaborate again on another film. Back in 2023, an emotional Downey thanked Nolan for casting him in the role of Lewis Strauss:
I was at a place in my life in my career, where I needed someone to have a vision of what was possible for me that I couldn’t see for myself.
It does make sense that after the grand scale of ‘Odyssey,’ Nolan would want to go back to the basics and direct a “smaller-scaled” film. We’ll see if anything develops when it comes to this potential new project.
