DEBUNKED: Christopher Nolan IS NOT in discussions with EON to direct any James Bond films

Last Updated on October 3, 2023

UPDATE: Well, that was fast but a knowledgeable source has reached out to us to say that this rumour is “1000% fantasy” and not at all true. Christopher Nolan is not in discussions with EON to take on the James Bond films, and indeed, the rumour below did seem too good to be true. The fact is, with Oppenheimer having grossing over $900 million worldwide, Nolan’s next project can be – well – whatever he wants. Would he really tie himself to a franchise at this point in his career? It’s unlikely. Chalk this one up to wishful thinking as far as us James Bond fans go. Oh well, it was fun thinking about it while it lasted!

ORIGINAL POST: The name’s Nolan…Christopher Nolan. The Dark Knight director has made it no secret that the James Bond movies, particularly On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, has been a huge influence on his filmmaking. While Nolan has been vocal about his dream of helming a 007 film, it has never fallen into place and directors such as Sam Mendes and Cary Joji Fukunaga have contributed to the modern-day era of films featuring Ian Fleming’s famous character. Now that the Daniel Craig phase has concluded, casting news and rumors have been thrown around, such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson donning the tux.

World of Reel has revealed a rumor that, if true, could be the career opportunity that Nolan has always dreamed of. According to their inside source, a deal is being negotiated that would bring the Oppenheimer director to the franchise in a big way. He would not only write and direct one or two films of the new era, but Nolan would remain an executive producer on the franchise afterward. Nolan is said to be taking meetings with Bond studio, EON.

The key points in the Nolan-EON meetings say the following:

“EON and Amazon are pushing for Nolan and that he’s on board, in principle, unless his need for creative freedom isn’t met. There are sticking points to be ironed out in terms of tone that might scuttle things though.

EON wants a full reboot for the modern era with Nolan wanting to make adaptations of the Ian Fleming novels, in period settings, that stick close to the original source material. It’s also unclear as to what what Amazon wants (apart from money).

The goal is to get Nolan to do 2-3 films and then have him executive produce going forward. EON and Amazon are putting ‘all of their eggs in one basket’ for Nolan due to the fact that he wants the job — he delivers critically and commercially successful films, and he’s one of the few directors out there who can put butts in seats on his name alone.”

If the deal with Nolan does not go through, the company would have to “go back to the drawing board” since their other frontrunner, Matthew Vaughn, director of the Kingsman movies, is no longer in the picture as he’s committed to the DC universe.