Director Christopher Nolan Feels It Would Be an ‘Amazing Privilege’ to Helm Bond 26

While on the press tour for Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan praised the James Bond franchise and revealed that it would be an “amazing privilege” to direct one himself.

Nolan sat down with Josh Horowitz on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast to discuss his latest film but the conversation inevitably wandered into Bond territory once the interviewer began asking questions about the filmmaker’s future. Nolan dismissed being diplomatic about helming a Bond film and rather said that he’s simply being honest about it.

Below is the transcript for everything Christopher Nolan had to say about directing Bond 26. (Alternatively you can watch the clip via the link to fast-forward to the discussion.)

“I love those movies. The influence of those movies on my filmography is embarrassingly apparent. So there’s no attempt to shy away from that [fact]. I love the films. It would be an amazing privilege to do one. At the same time, when you take on a character like that or work like that, you’re working with a particular set of constraints and so you have to have the right attitude towards that. It has to be the right moment in your career, in life, where you can express what you want to express and really burrow into something within the appropriate constraints. Because you would never want to take on something like that [and] do it wrong. It’s the kind of responsibility I felt very much when taking on Batman… “

“You wouldn’t want to take on a film not fully committed to what you can bring to the table creatively. So as a writer: casting, everything – it’s a full package. I stand with my previous answer which is you’d have to be really needed, you have to be really wanted in terms of bringing the totality of what you bring to a character. Otherwise, I’m very happy to be first in line to see whatever they do.”

Nolan suggested that he would definitely want to be involved in casting the next James Bond actor if he were to direct Bond 26. This is what he meant when saying it would have to be a “full package” commitment.

This doesn’t come as a surprise since the director is known for submerging himself in his work. That’s why his films are full of obsessive details that make them so intricate and special. Time will tell if it’s Nolan’s turn to steer the franchise in a different direction. As fate would have it he has no projects of his own in development. This is due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes against the studios part of AMPTP. This aligns with the producers’ own sabbatical after No Time To Die’s release and so when the dust has settled the timing may be perfect.

Source: Happy Sad Confused Podcast

Read our feature article on why Nolan is one of our top picks to helm Bond 26.