Ever since Inception, in which men in perfectly fitting suits are catapulted through action sets from the intricate dream-level blockbuster, Christopher Nolan fans have been wanting the director behind the camera for the James Bond series.
He himself has already expressed an interest in 007, but would clearly be the wrong choice for me. Nolan should not only maintain his originality outside of franchise regulations. He has long since shot the ideal Bond film.
Nolan has Bond concerns, and rightly so
In a more recent interview, the director spoke about the fact that he can definitely see himself directing a Bond film. For him, however, this is subject to the condition that he is allowed to realize his own creative vision and that his Bond film becomes a kind of reinvention.
That brings us to the big problem, because creative freedom is hard to come by in a popular franchise that’s been around for 60 years. While the Daniel Craig series broke with some Bond traditions and questioned the character in the present, never quite deviated from the usual 007 formula.
Nolan, on the other hand, felt the franchise limitations and blockbuster pressure even with his acclaimed Batman trilogy. The third part The Dark Knight Rises was not initially planned by the director and was only shot by him when the studio wanted another Batman film from him due to the hype surrounding The Dark Knight. So Nolan gets high budgets and creative freedom for heart projects like Inception or Dunkirk.
So The Dark Knight Rises was already the result when a director bows to creative pressure and delivers an overloaded, obviously not entirely planned film. Controversial moments such as the worst death scene in the last 10 years suddenly left stains on Nolan’s previously white Batman vest.
Tenet is already the perfect Bond film in Christopher Nolan style
The most important reason that speaks against Nolan as a Bond director is his own filmography. Tenet is the ideal 007 film, just in a typical Christopher Nolan way.
Even stronger than with Inception, he shot a blockbuster here that full of Bond hallmarks is. We’ve got the tailored suits, a secret organization, the entertaining sidekick in the form of Robert Pattinson, a well-defined mission, the introduction of gadgets (here’s the explanation of the inversion concept), and a stereotype Russian villain that Kenneth Branagh morphs into falls with pleasure.
Not to forget the spectacular set pieces that Nolan twists into the surreally exaggerated thanks to his unique time travel idea. Action like in Tenet would be unthinkable in a conventional Bond film. And we’re talking about a franchise where the main character eventually rode over a tsunami with a surfboard and parachute is.
Christopher Nolan could certainly easily direct a Bond film. In the end, however, in the worst case, you would think every second scene: “Looks like Tenet, but worse!” And nobody can want that.
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