Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan says it would be an ‘amazing privilege’ to direct a James Bond film – but he wants final say on who is cast as 007.
The British-American director, 52, whose Oppenheimer faces Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in its highly anticipated release on Friday, has long been considered for Ian Fleming’s classic franchise.
Nolan, who has also directed hit films including The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar and Dunkirk, has been in talks with Bond producers in the past.
He has now revealed that he would direct the next blockbuster if it was the ‘right moment’ creatively for him – and that it would be an ‘amazing privilege’.
Nolan told the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz: ‘It would be an amazing privilege to do it. It has to be the right moment in your creative life where you can express what you want to express.
New era? Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan said directing a James Bond film would be an ‘amazing opportunity’.
Starring role: 2021’s No Time to Die marks Daniel Craig’s final stint as the iconic secret agent
‘I love those movies. The influence of these movies on my filmography is embarrassingly obvious.’
But he added that he wanted to have final say on who 007 was cast.
Interviewer Josh Horowitz asked: ‘I imagine you want to be involved in your Bond casting?’
Nolan replied: ‘You don’t want to take on a film that isn’t fully committed to what you can bring to the table creatively.
‘So as a writer, casting director, everything is the whole package.’
The most recent installment in the Bond saga, No Time to Die, directed by Carrie Joji Fukunaga, was released in 2021 and featured Daniel Craig as the final hero.
Nolan’s direction will leave many options open for him to play the iconic secret agent.
Nolan has previously worked with Tom Hardy, 45, who has long been a favorite to take over the role from Craig.
Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy himself, 47, may also be in the running – as is 37-year-old Robert Pattinson, who played Nolan’s Tenet.
Nolan (pictured on podcast) revealed he would direct the next blockbuster if it was the ‘right moment’ for him creatively
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There are also questions about who might take over from Daniel Craig under Nolan
Nolan (right) with Oppenheimer stars Josh Hartnett, Tom Conti, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek at the Leicester Square premiere.
Meanwhile on the podcast, Nolan went on to praise Aaron Taylor Johnson, 33, as a ‘great actor’.
Nolan was approached to do the next 007 film after the success of Skyfall in 2013 – but Specter (2015) ended up being directed by Sam Mendes.
In 2017 he revealed that he was in talks with producers Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson again, saying that he ‘maybe’ be involved ‘one day’.
There’s no confirmed release date for the next film, but producer Barbara Broccoli told Variety in September 2022 that it would likely be ‘a few years off’ – meaning it’s unlikely to hit cinemas until 2025.
Oppenheimer is a thriller biopic of the American nuclear scientist as he designed the atomic bomb during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project.
Written and directed by Nolan, it stars Cillian Murphy in the title role as well as Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh and Robert Downey Jr.
Already pouring in five-star reviews, it’s poised to gross $50 million at the box office.
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