Nolan Reportedly in Talks to Direct 2–3 Period Piece Bond Films

Christopher Nolan’s name is once again at the top of the news cycle as he overtakes Matthew Vaughn as the new frontrunner to direct the next James Bond films, if recent rumours are to be believed.

The director behind the Dark Knight trilogy and Oppenheimer is said to be the favourite pick for EON and Amazon, who both own 50% of the franchise. The goal is to have him direct the next two, if not three, James Bond films and then executive produce any subsequent entries.

Fascinatingly, Nolan wants to make “true adaptations” of the Ian Fleming novels in period settings. I.e. set in the era that they were written in – the 1950s and 1960s. Bond 26 would therefore mark the first time that any Bond film isn’t set in the present and would put an end to each film serving as a time capsule.

This story should be taken with a large pinch of salt, however. It originated from a user on the ajb007 forum referencing an unknown source. Yet this user had previously been the first to report on Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s screen test for Bond 26. So there could be something to the rumour. The forum’s admins have since deleted the post for the sake of the user’s anonymity but the majority of it had already been scooped by World of Reel in their blog.

In the post the user claimed that EON want to do a “full reboot/restart in the modern era” which clashes with Nolan’s vision. Although the producers are still advocating for Nolan due to his passion for Bond, his critical and financial success, and last but not least his brand power to attract people to the cinema.

The producers are notoriously protective of the Bond franchise so they won’t be giving Nolan full creative control should he land the job. Broccoli and Wilson have always had the final say over every piece of dialogue, casting decision, film title and marketing plan. This can be a good thing even with a master of his craft such as Nolan. After all, the director isn’t known for writing the most complex women in his films.

Back in July during a press tour Nolan praised the James Bond franchise and revealed that it would be an “amazing privilege” to direct one himself. He views it as a “full package” commitment where he’d want to be involved in casting the next James Bond actor. According to the user on ajb007, Nolan is on board with Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the two previously worked together on Tenet. Reportedly no other actors are being considered at this time.

UPDATE: In a recorded interview with The Associated Press (AP) in November, Christopher Nolan directly addressed the rumours that his next film will be Bond 26: “No, sadly no. No truth to those rumours.”

Sources: ajb007 Forum | World of Reel | The Associated Press (AP)

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