So in the last few days, Christopher Nolan has made some comments which has got fans
anticipating what his next film could actually be. There's obviously many
different approaches which he could take but it's interesting nonetheless to try and put
our finger on what route the director will take. I thought it would be a good
idea to address these comments and also make an extended video talking about some of the
other genres of film that Christopher Nolan could tackle next, following the
release of TENET. Before I get into this discussion, if you want to see more on the director, his
recent work and future projects, then don't forget to subscribe to
the channel and turn on your notifications. Also, if you enjoy this video remember to
give it a like rating. But without further a do, lets dive into what Christopher
Nolan's next film could be.
So after the release of Tenet, Christopher Nolan has many different options surrounding
what genre of film he will put his stamp on. Now in a recent interview
for the release of a new book on the director, Tom Shone discussed many topics including
TENET's box office, the filmmakers that inspired Nolan and also his thoughts
on a genre which he would like to approach. When asked about genres, Nolan was quick to
respond in saying that he would love to do a horror film and put his unique
auteur stamp on it. This full interview titled "The Nolan Variations" was only available
to watch during a livestream and was also a pay per view event, but those who
did buy entries were lucky enough to hear the director's take on some really interesting
talking points.
Starting with the genre which Nolan referenced in this live event, the horror film is one
that many Nolan fans including myself, really want to see the director's
approach on. It's a genre which Nolan has used aesthtically and tonally in various scenes
within his previous films such as with the tension of war in Dunkirk, the
unpredictability and appearance of the joker in The Dark Knight, and even the theme of
fear which is recurrent in much of his filmography. I think the hints at
horror which Nolan has applied make him a great fit for a full out psychological horror
film, that knowing Nolan, could even be based on something that many people
around the world would connect to. Regardless of this, I think many people would turn up
to any kind of approach on horror by Christopher Nolan and it would sure be
shot at a bankable affort, if of course, theatres are more or fully operational by the time
his next film releases. This is my first choice and I would like to see
how Nolan integrates his ever changing use of time and core themes into a dramatic and
emotional horror story. We'll have to see but the director's own words during
that recent interview get me excited to see what his take would be on that particular
genre.
But another approach which I would like to see Nolan's style attached to, is a biography
drama or even something smaller along the lines of Memento or The Prestige.
Now I'm not entirely sure if Nolan would want to go smaller after consistently aiming for
bigger budgeted films and projects which are large in scope, but one of the
more recent efforts by the director included 2017's Dunkirk, which receeded to an 100 million
dollar budget. Seeing Nolan limit himself and focus on a biographical
work would be interesting as the director has always done a great job of mixing up his
approaches to character. Whether it's ones with deep emotional constraints like
in Memento, The Prestige, Interstellar or even Inception, or ones with less backstory
such as in Dunkirk or Tenet. I've liked both of these approaches but when
witnessing the range of Nolan develop, I think a biography would be extremely intriguing,
even if he went back to the filmmaking of his first few films by creating a
puzzle box structure that would really engross various audience types. The director is known
to surprise audiences and fans surrounding his approaches to genre and
how he transitions from film to film, so I wouldn't be surprised if he took this route.
A genre which is more likely to be crossed in the near future however, is Nolan's fascination
of the neo-noir. From Memento to The Dark Knight Trilogy and even
areas of his other work, the director has loved adding elements of a Neo-Noir into his
filmmaking. This ranges from focussing on the dark and light of powerful themes,
choosing to shoot these in moments in scenes of daylight and the realism of grounding his
characters within a relatable modern environment. By adapting a relatively
monochromatic colour scheme, low key lighting, and a contrast between light and dark, a film
like The Dark Knight is a modern interpretation of the visual style of
classic film noir, while appealing to the flamboyant visuals and commercialization of
the 21st century. This makes it a neo-noir and Nolan's use of this genre really
came into full effect with this film. It would be great to see him return to it since he
has applied it in various projects and from this, he could maybe attempt
his own original film with even more of a Blade Runner feel. A christopher Nolan film
about the control of technology or even our addiction to it would be fascinating
in this day and age. I think he is starting to steer away into other genres but it's definately
one that I would like to see at some point down the line.
The last choices that I think Nolan might consider but are more unlikely, include either
a return to breaking boundaries in the sci-fi genre or even a wildcard
approach in the western genre. Since Nolan has come back to science fiction numerous
times it would be silly to state that he won't take that approach again. He has
repeatedly stated in interviews that he has always liked the idea of science fiction giving
you that canvas to bring original and even relatable concepts into the
same room, and as we have seen many great Nolan films within those boundaries, it would
make sense that he does return to what he does best. However, like
Interstellar and Tenet proved, he does like to leave a gap between these original takes
and it would fit in line with his recent work if he took a break from science
fiction before returning in the future. On the other side of things, I would really like
to see what a Christopher Nolan western would look like. Now I know that his
brother Jonathan Nolan has worked on Westworld more recently, but for me, seeing Nolan focus
specifically on a period of western history would be unique and also
challenging to see come to fruition. Think something along the lines of the famous Cormac
McCarthy novel "Blood Meridian", which was written by the same author who
wrote No Country For Old Men. It would be a huge divergence from his other work but
in time I do think Nolan will tackle this genre as he seems to move between many
different types of films and stories that we don't neccasarily expect. Maybe not for
his next film but down the line for sure.
But that was my video discussing the different possibilities for Christopher Nolan's Next
film. I am really interested to see what genre of film Nolan tackles after
the release of TENET and how he will eventually put his stamp on that particular framework.
I'm sure the director is currently working on an idea for this and it will
be intriguing to see how it all plays out. Again, I personally think that he may do a
film within the horror genre, a biography or even something smaller, but there's
of course many options which he could take. We'll have to see and hopefully his next film
will release in the next 2-3 years like it normally does, given the
circumstances with the pandemic and the theatre industry. But let me know what type of film
you think Christopher Nolan will approach in the next few years and
whether you agree with some of my choices in this video. I'm also fascinated towards
your opinions on what Nolan said about the Horror genre, so don't forget to let
me know in the comments section down below.
For more content on Christopher Nolan's filmography and TENET when it releases on blu-ray and
4K in December, then don't forget to subscribe to the channel and turn
on your notifications. Also if you enjoyed this video remember to leave a like rating.
But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, I've been Cortex and as always make
some noise.