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.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.