It seems as though Christopher Nolan’s name has been mentioned in connection with the James Bond franchise for many, many years – and with good reason. Firstly, the filmmaker is known to have met with the producers behind the franchise in the past, and secondly, his own output – 2010’s Inception, in particular – makes him a fairly obvious choice for directing a James Bond movie. Just because a director seems like the perfect fit, though, doesn’t mean they’re clambering on board at every opportunity – and this is where we apparently find ourselves with Christopher Nolan.
While promoting his new film – the World War II drama Dunkirk – Nolan spoke to Playboy Magazine, and the filmmaker was asked whether he would ever have any interest in tackling 007.
“A Bond movie, definitely. I’ve spoken to the producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson over the years. I deeply love the character, and I’m always excited to see what they do with it. Maybe one day that would work out. You’d have to be needed, if you know what I mean. It has to need reinvention; it has to need you. And they’re getting along very well.”
These are intriguing comments, because they suggest that Nolan – who’s also an Oscar-nominated screenwriter – has some fresh ideas to bring to the James Bond franchise. From the point of view of the audience, Nolan would appear to be the ‘no-brainer’ option – anyone that has seen Inception, or any of the films in his Dark Knight trilogy, for example, can tell that the filmmaker could deliver a successful, profitable James Bond movie at any time.
But, Nolan has met with the Bond producers before, and states that his criteria for taking that job would be a need for something different in the franchise. Perhaps the director also notes the Bond-like elements in his previous work, and wishes to avoid being beholden to that particular style. If that is indeed the case, then a few subtle hints about the nature of his potential Bond story would be fascinating to dissect.
As for whether it should be Nolan that takes the helm of the now in-development Bond 25, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that 55 years into the James Bond franchise, it’s time for an even fresher perspective – and not that of Christopher Nolan. Let’s have a woman direct it instead.
