A James Bond film directed by Christopher Nolan has been a long-cherished dream of his fans. The filmmaker had even expressed, on multiple occasions, this wish in some of his earlier interviews. Every time there is a new update on the development of an upcoming James Bond film, fans look for his name.
A new report in Variety mentions how Nolan came close to directing one, but, Barbara Broccoli, the longtime producer of the 007 franchise didn't get on board with the idea of giving him final cut, which is the case with any director who gets involved with these films.
As per the report, it was after the release of Tenet that Nolan approached Broccoli, but the latter informed him that as long as she is in charge she is not too keen about granting final cut privileges.
So, instead, Nolan made Oppenheimer, which turned out to be, as we all know, his career's biggest achievement. Not only did the film become one of his top three highest-grossers, but it also won him his first directing Oscar!
Recently, news broke out that Amazon MGM has taken creative control of the franchise, which meant that Broccoli and co-producer Michael G. Wilson are stepping back. Some say that this development could open doors for Nolan to step in to take on a new iteration of the iconic British spy created by Ian Fleming.
Recently, author Lee Child, who created the Jack Reacher books, told BBC that he sees the Amazon MGM takeover in a positive light as this could mean the "dated" concept can go in a different direction. “It needs refreshing. And the people that (were) looking after it before, I think, are just worn out. And so new blood, new energy is going to be good for it.”
Nolan would be an excellent addition to the list of directors who were fortunate to have dabbled in the prestigious, long-running property given how he has often professed his love for the Bond films, most notably, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which was one of his key influences while filming Inception.
We can also see the James Bond films' influence in the Dark Knight trilogy, especially in the handling of gadgets, vehicles, and Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne persona.