As one of the most beloved sci-fi movies of the past two decades, Interstellar, is in a unique position to find a resurgence in the form of a sequel, a spinoff, or any one of Hollywood’s other recycling tricks. But what is the likelihood of that happening?
Interstellar came out in 2014 to high acclaim from audiences, and went on to gross $715 million at the box office. It received praise for its scientific accuracy, its emotional depth, Christopher Nolan’s ambitious direction, Hans Zimmer’s timeless soundtrack, the cast’s memorable performance, and the twists that kept you at the edge of your seats through its 170-minute runtime. Some have even compared Interstellar to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, drawing parallels between the two films’ sense of existential dread in the backdrop of the infinite cosmos.
All of that is to say Interstellar is a very unique and a very beloved IP. So, does that mean we’re eventually going to see a sequel or a remake, or will the movie refuse its own advice and go gentle into that good night?
Is Nolan making Interstellar 2?
This is a very commonly asked question among the cinephile community. As mentioned above, Interstellar is one of the most memorable movies in recent memory, so of course there was going to be interest in its continuation, regardless of what form it might take. Alas, neither director Christopher Nolan nor his brother Jonathan, who co-wrote the script, have expressed a desire to continue Cooper’s story.
The only time Christopher Nolan even considered developing sequels to his movies was for The Dark Knight, and the director actually set out to make a trilogy in that case. Interstellar was a one-off story, more in the vein of projects like Inception or Tenet. In fact, one might argue that if the director were to consider making a sequel, it would be to a project like Tenet. The 2014 sci-fi epic set up a world ripe with storytelling potential, but that doesn’t mean any good would come of actually indulging the itch to have more.
That being said, Hollywood has an infallible track record when it comes to needlessly remaking old movies to present them to new audiences. So, who knows? Maybe in a matter of decades, someone else will adapt Interstellar with minor changes, an attempt that will undoubtedly be critically panned. At the very least, some creative will definitely pay homage to Nolan, or if they’re more daring, rip him off outright.
As Cooper said of Murphy’s law, whatever can happen will happen, right?