Nolan watch: Oppenheimer passes $900M mark

Christopher Nolan

Many James Bond fans would like to see Christopher Nolan direct one James Bond film (or more). His latest project, Oppenheimer, which concerns the development of the atomic bomb, has gone past the $900 million global box office mark, according to Box Office Mojo.

The Associated Press this week published a story about why that’s significant.

(N)o one in the industry expected that a long, talky, R-rated drama released at the height of the summer movie season would earn over $900 million at the box office.

Nolan has been the subject of speculation he might direct Bond 26. The director is a Bond fan. In some interviews, he’s expressed an interest on working on a Bond project, but only if he’s the one calling the creative shots. Typically, Eon Productions keeps a tight rein on its directors.

How significant is this? That remains to be seen. Still, Oppenheimer has been a major critical and commercial triumph for Nolan.

Over the past two decades, Nolan been calling his own shots on films, including having Emma Thomas, his wife, as producer. His trilogy of Batman movies amounted to a big success. And Nolan’s work attracts a lot of attention.

If Eon really is interested in having Nolan work on Bond 26, the director’s leverage may have increased.