From Inception to Interstellar to The Dark Knight Trilogy, throughout his decorated career behind the lens, Christopher Nolan has crafted an enviable collection of wildly ambitious and often high-concept blockbusters that manage to achieve box office success and critical adulation in one fell swoop.
With his Dark Knight trilogy, in particular, Nolan and his team – namely co-writer and brother Jonathan Nolan – raised the bar for Hollywood superhero films, and soon thereafter, the director helped launch Warner’s DC Extended Universe by serving as creative consultant aboard 2013 reboot, Man of Steel.
Through time, and as the DCEU expanded its scope far beyond the grounded reality of The Dark Knight Trilogy, Christopher Nolan distanced himself from the superhero genre, instead deciding to work on a longtime passion project: Dunkirk. Pegged for a release next Friday, July 21st, Nolan’s latest (and potentially greatest?) feat is a WWII epic that recounts the heroic rescue mission known as Operation Dynamo. True to form, it touts all of the filmmaker’s traits – a heart-pounding score from Han Zimmer, gripping spectacle, and IMAX sequences – but as part of the movie’s ongoing press tour, Nolan tackled the million-dollar question: Will he ever return to the realm of comic book movies in the future?
In short: no. After showering praise on Wonder Woman, Nolan told Yahoo! that after a full decade spent in Gotham City, he currently has no intentions of directing another superhero movie – not now, and perhaps not ever.
I mean, I watch the films. I enjoy films very much as a moviegoer these days. I spent 10 years of my life dealing with one of the greatest characters in popular fiction. It was a great honor and a privilege to work with that, but there’s a time to pass it on to new people.
For the Caped Crusader, and despite Ben Affleck’s initial desire to direct, War For the Planet of the Apes‘ Matt Reeves has been appointed at the helm of The Batman. But make no mistake, Nolan’s legacy lives on; not only has Reeves name-dropped The Dark Knight Trilogy as a huge inspiration, but Christopher Nolan recently revealed plans to remaster his celebrated trilogy in 4K. Stay tuned for more on that one.
Dunkirk, meanwhile, reports for duty on July 21st, and word is Nolan has delivered another jaw-dropping, edge-of-your-seat spectacle.