Christopher Nolan says directing James Bond would be a 'privilege'

Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan says it would be an ‘amazing privilege’ to make a James Bond film – but he’d want final say on who plays 007

• Oppenheimer went head-to-head with Barbie as it was released on Friday 
• Christopher Nolan has previously been in talks with Bond producers  

Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan has said directing a James Bond film would be an ‘amazing privilege’ – but that he would want the final say on who is cast as 007. 

The British-American director, 52, whose Oppenheimer went head-to-head with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in its highly anticipated release on Friday, has long been considered for Ian Fleming’s classic franchise. 

Nolan, who has also directed hit films including The Dark Night Trilogy, Interstellar and Dunkirk, has been in talks with Bond producers in the past. 

He has now revealed he would direct the next blockbuster if it was the ‘right moment’ for him creatively – and that it would be an ‘amazing privilege’. 

Nolan told the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz: ‘It would be an amazing privilege to do one. It has to be the right moment in your creative life where you can express what you want to express. 

New era? Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan has said directing a James Bond film would be an ‘amazing privilege’

Starring role: 2021’s No Time To Die marked Daniel Craig’s final stint as the iconic secret agent 

‘I love those movies. The influence of those movies on my filmography is embarrassingly apparent.’ 

READ MORE: Dark Knight to rise for next James Bond? Christopher Nolan approached to direct next 007 film 

But he went on to add that he would want the final say on who was cast as 007.  

Interviewer Josh Horowitz asked: ‘I would imagine you’d want to be involved in casting your Bond?’ 

Nolan replied: ‘You wouldn’t want to take on a film not fully committed to what you could bring to the table creatively.

‘So as a writer, casting director, everything – it’s the full package.’

The most recent episode in the Bond saga, No Time To Die directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, was released in 2021 and marked Daniel Craig’s final appearance as the plucky hero. 

Nolan’s directorial lead would leave a number of options open to play the iconic secret agent.  

Nolan has worked with Tom Hardy, 45, in the past, who has long been a favourite to take over the role from Craig. 

Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy himself, 47, could also be in the running – as could Robert Pattinson, 37, who starred in Nolan’s Tenet.

Nolan (pictured on the podcast) revealed he would direct the next blockbuster if it was the ‘right moment’ for him creatively

Exciting: Christopher Nolan’s hugely-anticipated thriller biopic has finally hit the big screen this weekend, with early reviews from critics already hailing it as a ‘masterpiece’ 

There are also questions over who could take over from Daniel Craig under Nolan 

Nolan (far right) is pictured with Oppenheimer stars Josh Hartnett, Tom Conti, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek at the Leicester Square premiere

Meanwhile in the podcast, Nolan went on to praise Aaron Taylor Johnson, 33, as a ‘great actor’.  

In 2013 Nolan was approached to make the next 007 film following the success of Skyfall – but Spectre (2015) was ultimately directed by Sam Mendes. 

In 2017 he revealed he had once again been in talks with producers Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, saying he could ‘maybe’ get involved ‘one day’.  

There is no confirmed release date for the next film, but producer Barbara Broccoli told Variety in September 2022 that it is likely to be a ‘couple of years off’ – meaning it is unlikely to hit cinemas until 2025. 

Oppenheimer is a thriller biopic of the US nuclear scientist as he designs the atomic bomb during the Second World War as part of the Manhattan Project. 

Written and directed by Nolan, it stars Cillian Murphy as the titular character as well as Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh and Robert Downey Jr. 

With five-star reviews already flooding in, it is set to rake it $50million at the Box Office.  

Brooding: Daniel looked handsome as he struck a brooding look in the gritty trailer 

Bond came under fire in No Time To Die as he drove through the winding streets of Matera 

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