Christopher Nolan: "I'd Love to Do a Bond Film"

Imagine if, instead of Batman, Christopher Nolan rebooted James Bond. With the current troubles 007 is facing because of MGM's financial nightmare - the next movie looks mostly dead until who knows when - Nolan was asked about Bond at the Inception premiere. And he'd love to take a crack at it, hypothetically. “I’ve loved the Bond films since I was a kid. For me, they’re always about the expansiveness of cinema. The first Bond films set up infinite possibilities about the world they create. I’d love to do a Bond film,” said Nolan as he gears up for the third Batman movie. Michael Caine, not always the most reliable source for Batnews, told Digital Spy that filming on that long-awaiting comic book caper begins in April. But the impact of the 007 movies on his own work is not lost on Nolan, who actually embraces the influence of the longest-running film franchise on Inception. "The Bond influence on the film was very intentional because, for me, growing up with the Bond films -- they've always stood for grand-scale action," Nolan told the BBC, adding that the spy's adventures "stood for the promise of being taken to some place bigger than you could have imagined." None of that means Nolan will make a Bond movie, even the next one. Of course, this week, the news about Bond concerned EON Productions and showrunner/possible director Sam Mendes saying they'd wait until it's convenient for Daniel Craig, which is a smart play since he's such a good Bond. A Christopher Nolan 007 would be something, indeed, though. I don't know if I want to see him do another ready-made franchise as much as I want to see what original pieces he can develop, and I'm sure I wouldn't want him to do a 007 one-off. Where would they go from there? But Nolan's hardly the first big name director to want to get his hands on Bond, even if it's just in an interview. Quentin Tarantino has brought it up before, and if Mendes actually does make the next film, I think he'd be the first Oscar-winning director to ever direct a Bond picture. And the reason we don't see more noted visual stylists on the job here is because the Broccoli family doesn't want to shine the spotlight on anyone but Bond. The want a feeling of continuity through the films. Now, the reboot with Craig was long overdue, but his movies will have a very similar look, feel, and approach, just as the Brosnan films did. So unless the producers are just worried that the short-term prospects being so bad loom large for the long-term feasibility of the franchise, I don't think they'll got the Chris Nolan route. But it would be a blast.

Comments

[Navillus]

That would be so amazing. I love Daniel Craig as bond and think that MGM needs to realize that you can't make money if you don't make the movies that bring in capital. I hope bond doesn't fall by the wayside with this whole debt issue. I think that an A-list director could promote enough force to get the next bond project rolling.

[MRPigg]

I am happy to have a website where I can be entertained by an intelligent, informed opinion like Colin's. It's annoying wading through claptrap like this:http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978360506

"I'm all like 'how can a studio be bankrupt?' It costs like 9 dollars to like see a movie! Like OMG!"

[D]

For what it's worth John Huston was one of the directors of the late '60's parody version of Casino Royale.