Bond 26 questions: The Nolan edition (redux)

Christopher Nolan

Over the past week, the name of director Christopher Nolan came up — again — in regards to Bond 26.

In November, Nolan gave an interview to The Associated Press where he said he wasn’t directing Bond 26. “No, sadly, no,” he said.

You might think that’d close the door, yet again. Nolan’s name has come up in connection with Bond 24 (SPECTRE), Bond 25 (No Time to Die), and Bond 26 (whenever that comes out).

Oh, no. The Hot Mic podcast had a Jan. 5 episode where a host said he had sources indicating Nolan and Eon Productions boss Barbara Broccoli talked for a while but didn’t see eye to eye. It was an aside lasting a few seconds.

Then, Baz Bamigboye (formerly of the Daily Mail) had a rambling Jan. 8 story at the Deadline entertainment website about parties after the Golden Globes awards. The intrepid scribe caught up with Nolan and asked the Bond 26 question. Nolan told the writer: “Pure bollocks.”

Naturally, the blog has questions.

Is there a bigger meaning to all this?

Not really. A marriage between Eon and Nolan was always going to be hard.

Nolan is used to doing things his own way. He is the 21st-century equivalent of Stanley Kubrick, another auteur who did things his own way, regardless of genre. Nolan also does his movies through his Syncopy production company and his wife, Emma Thomas, acts as his producer.

Whatever contacts Broccoli and Nolan had (or did not have), we’re talking about oil and water. Nolan is a Bond fan. But he was never going to give up his status.

Where do we go from here?

Some fans have already moved on. Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson posted a photo of himself running in Jamaica on Instagram. Some fans say that’s a sign the actor will be the next Bond actor. A year ago, Taylor-Johnson’s announcement as Bond supposedly was imminent. That didn’t happen. But hope springs eternal.

Is that a cynical attitude?

No. Just realistic.

Why Zack Snyder is wrong about James Bond

Zack Snyder’s Superman (Henry Cavill) in a filthy costume

Director Zack Snyder, after ruining the likes of Superman, Batman, and the Justice League of America, in a recent interview with The Atlantic, floated ideas he’d like to try with the cinema James Bond.

Most of that article is behind a paywall. But Variety provided a summary.

“It’d be cool to see, like, 20-year-old James Bond,” Snyder said. “The humble roots that he comes from. Whatever trauma of youth that makes you be able to be James Bond. There has to be something there.”

Earth to Zack: The entire Daniel Craig era (2006-2021) was all about exploring Bond’s roots.

Casino Royale? While Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel wasn’t a true origin story, Eon Productions (influenced by Batman Begins) filmed it that way. Eon opted to start the film series all over again. Goodbye, first 20 films of the series.

Skyfall? The 50th anniversary Bond film took its name from Stately Bond Manor, i.e. what was supposed to be Bond’s ancestral home.

SPECTRE? Eon, having gotten the rights to Blofeld and SPECTRE, came up with a ridiculous storyline where Blofeld was Bond’s foster brother.

No Time to Die? Daniel Craig’s Bond finale wallowed in the events of the Craig era.

Other than Quantum of Solace, the Craig films looked backward, rather than forward. You could make the case that Quantum also looked backward, except for just one movie (Casino).

So after all that, Zack Snyder says the film series should look backward? Again?

Snyder’s track record with Man of Steel (with Henry Cavill as Superman in a dirty costume), Batman v. Superman, and Justice League doesn’t give one a lot of confidence in his judgment.

Batman v. Superman saw Batman (Ben Affleck) go off his rocker trying to kill Superman until he realizes Clark Kent’s mother is named Martha, the same name his mother had. Martha?!

Justice League saw Snyder relieved from directing (though he kept the credit) after Warner Bros. ordered the film pared way back to about a two-hour running time. The revamped Justice League also had bad reviews. But at least Cavill had a clean costume.

Christopher Nolan, who produced the Snyder-directed Man of Steel, defended Snyder in The Atlantic story. “There’s no superhero science-fiction film coming out these days where I don’t see some influence of Zack,” he said.

Many Bond fans would love Nolan to direct a 007 film. Nolan said in November that’s not happening.

Whatever. Neither Snyder nor Nolan seem to be reading the room. Bond isn’t a “superhero science-fiction film.”

Yes, Bond movies, as far back as Dr. No, have had science fiction elements. Snyder may be the last person Bond fans want touching the franchise — assuming there is a Bond 26.

Bond 26 questions: Nolan interview edition

Logo of Syncopy, Christopher Nolan’s production company

An Associated Press interview with director Christopher Nolan got a lot of notice among James Bond fans. Nolan was asked about directing a Bond film. He replied: “No, sadly, no.”

Bond fans had a lot of reactions. Naturally, the blog has questions.

What was the context of Nolan’s remarks?

The AP reporter asked if Bond might be his next project. He replied, “No, sadly, no. No truth to those rumors.” That’s the context.

Did the interview get into Bond more?

No. The question came up within the first 30 seconds. Most of the interview was about the home video release of Nolan’s Oppenheimer film and broader movie issues such as artificial intelligence.

What’s the dynamic of an interview?

Typically, interviewers leave the toughest questions until the end. I’m guessing Nolan’s future (?) with Bond was a bit of a throwaway question. It was something that had to be asked but wasn’t critical.

How can that be?

Because the AP reporter had a lot of ground to cover with Nolan. Let’s face it, Bond 26 won’t be coming out anytime soon. The issues of now-completed actors strike and AI are a little more pressing. When doing an interview, you have to make judgment calls.

Any background we should keep in mind?

Nolan controls his movies. The films are made through his Syncopy production company. Nolan and his wife, Emma Thomas, are listed as producers of Nolan-directed productions. If Eon actually brought Nolan on board, the Eon leadership would have to go off to the side while the director (who also writes his movies) does his thing.

Is there something else?

A lot of the latest Bond/Nolan fervor was generated by a website called World of Reel. That site had stories on Sept. 7 and Sept. 26 saying Eon Productions was hotly pursuing Nolan. HOWEVER, the site also had a Sept. 14 story saying Matthew Vaughn supposedly was the top choice to direct Bond 26. Except, Vaughn said in October that wasn’t happening. ““They’re not keen on me,” Vaughn said of Eon. Oh.

Any other observations?

People will believe what they want to believe. I’ve already seen comments on social media about how all of this is a smokescreen by Eon.

Just remember, Eon can’t keep its story straight whether Eon is an acronym. Eon’s Michael G. Wilson said in a 1990s home video extra it wasn’t. The documentary Everything Or Nothing, suggests it is. Caveat emptor.

Nolan tells AP ‘no truth’ that he’ll direct Bond

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan says he won’t be directing a James Bond movie as his next project.

“No, sadly no,” Nolan said in a video interview with the Associated Press. “No truth to those rumors.”

The interview was recorded on Nov. 13 and posted to YouTube this week.

Interviewer Krysta Fauria asked about the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike and how Nolan could get to work on his next movie “whatever it is. Bond maybe?”

The idea of Nolan directing Bond 26 was hyped in September by a website called World of Reel.

A Sept. 7 story on the site claimed that Eon Productions boss Barbara Broccoli “is zeroing in on Nolan” to direct Bond 26. “I was told there were discussions with the filmmaker to helm the film, but no deal has been struck just yet, and the strike, not to mention Nolan promoting ‘Oppenheimer,’ further delayed talks.”

On Sept. 26, the site had another story claiming that Eon and Amazon, which owns Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, “are pushing for Nolan and that he’s on board, in principle, unless his need for creative freedom isn’t met. There are sticking points to be ironed out in terms of tone that might scuttle things though.”

Nolan makes his films through his Syncopy production company. His wife, Emma Thomas, is a producer and Nolan also takes a producer credit. His most recent movie was this year’s Oppenheimer.

Nolan has repeatedly talked about how he likes Bond films.  “I love those movies, the influence of those movies on my filmography is embarrassingly apparent, you know, so there’s no attempt to shy away from that,” Nolan said in an interview with a digital outlet, Happy. Sad. Confused. in July. “I love the (Bond) films, and it would be an amazing privilege to do one.”

Meanwhile, Broccoli has said repeatedly that no work has been done on Bond 26.

Here is the AP interview with Nolan. The brief exchange about Bond comes up at the 28-second mark.

About Eon, Broccoli and Bond 26

Eon Productions logo

So, Barbara Broccoli of Eon Productions tells The Guardian the same story she’s stated for more than a year. Bond needs to be reinvented, it will take a long time, we haven’t really started yet.

Despite the lack of news, fans were deflated. Some were starting to buy into the idea that Aaron Taylor-Johnson was about to be cast or that Christopher Nolan was about to come on board as director.

There were always caution signs concerning both ideas. A director usually signs on before a new Bond actor is cast. Nolan demands the kind of control that Eon might not want to grant. Still, hope springs eternal.

A few things to keep in mind:

Eon is a cinematic mom-and-pop shop: Danjaq/Eon is a small family-owned business that just happens to own the film rights to a major property, James Bond.

Eon simply doesn’t have the bandwidth to do much more than one film at a time. Clearly, Barbara Broccoli is interested in topics other than Bond.

Recent examples: Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (2017), a drama about actress Gloria Grahame, with a global box office of $4 million. The Rhythm Section (2020), a spy movie with global box office of just under $6 million. Till (2022), a fact-based drama about a murder in the 1950s American South, with a global box office of $11.3 million.

Whatever the critical merits of such productions, they generate much smaller business than Bond.

On the other hand, Eon might be further along than they’ve let on: Eon can be, shall we say, truth-challenged when it comes to public pronouncements.

Back in the 1980s, Albert R. Broccoli, Eon’s co-founder, denied Pierce Brosnan was seriously considered to play Bond and that Timothy Dalton was always its No. 1 guy.

This aired on national television in the U.S. Except, Brosnan had actually signed a contract. It came undone when NBC abruptly renewed Brosnan’s Remington Steele series.

Cubby Broccoli was asked if Brosnan would have been Bond if NBC hadn’t renewed the TV show. “I don’t think he would,” Broccoli said with a straight face.

More recently, Eon denied Ben Whishaw had been cast as Q. Except, Whishaw’s agent had left the cat out of the bag. It denied that Naomie Harris was playing Moneypenny in Skyfall. Except, she was. It denied that Christoph Waltz was playing Blofeld in SPECTRE. Except, he was.

Could Barbara Broccoli have been less than truthful in her comments to The Guardian? Who knows?

Patience, patience: Some will tell you to be patient. A new Bond movie will be out eventually. Except, given the aging demographics of Bond fandom, each year brings the demise of older Bond fans. First-generation Bond film fans have to wonder how many 007 movies they have left.

How film Bond may parallel cinema Batman

NOT an actual comic book cover (separate drawings by Jim Aparo, 1932-2005).

h/t to my friend “Jim from Detroit.”

Bond 26 and the future of the cinema James Bond remains uncertain. But it’s possible film Bond may resemble cinema Batman.

Consider the following:

Batman movies 1989-1997: Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995) and Batman and Robin (1997) exist in the same continuity despite having three different actors as Batman/Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney).

The four movies have the same Alfred (Michael Gough) and Commissioner Gordon (Pat Hingle). The continuity is reinforced in the last two movies with the same Dick Grayson/Robin (Chris O’Donnell).

James Bond movies 1962-2002: The first 20 Bond films made by Eon Productions loosely exist in the same continuity. In The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), the 10th Eon production, there’s a brief reference to Bond’s late wife Tracy originally seen in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

That reference is reinforced in the pre-titles sequence of For Your Eyes Only (1981), where Tracy’s headstone is seen and her year of death was 1969, the year Majesty’s was released. Even Licence to Kill (1989) includes a vague reference to Tracy.

Overall, there were five different Bond actors but they’re all playing the same version of Bond. A major piece of connective tissue is actor Desmond Llewelyn as Boothroyd/Q, who played opposite all five.

Batman’s “bubble universe”: In the mid-2000s, Warner Bros. opted to start over with Batman Begins (2005), with a new Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) as directed by Christopher Nolan. This version would be seen in two more movies, The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). It would include some Bond film tropes courtesy of the director, a 007 fan.

Bond’s “bubble universe”: In 2006, Eon Productions decided to start over with Casino Royale (2006). Both of Eon’s principals, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, said the series was starting over.

Actor Daniel Craig was the new Bond actor. He would be in five films overall. At the end of No Time to Die (2021), Craig’s Bond is dust (if that) after missiles come down on his head. Craig claims he always wanted his version of Bond to die at the end. Well, that’s how it turned out.

Batman since the “bubble universe”: We got yet another version of Batman with Ben Affleck in Batman v. Superman and Justice League, plus small appearances in other films. The current Batman is Robert Pattinson, who played the title character in The Batman (2022). There’s a sequel in the works.

Bond after the “bubble universe”: That is what Eon is dealing with now concerning Bond 26.

Is another Bond reboot in the works? Do you pretend the Craig films never happened and resume with the loose 1962-2002 timeline?

I have trouble believing the latter is an option. Eon boss Barbara Broccoli had a “special relationship” with Craig, who she described (in a 2017 podcast with the Hollywood Reporter) as the best Bond actor. Also, it’s hard to come back from Bond as dust after No Time to Die.

A hard reboot may be the way to go. We’ll see. Meanwhile, many Bond fans are rooting for Christopher Nolan to become involved with Bond. Will history repeat itself? Personally, I’m doubtful, but we’ll see.

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.

What a pure Nolan 007 film might be like

Christopher Nolan

The blog went to see Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s film biography of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. Many James Bond fans would like to see Nolan, a confessed 007 fan, direct Bond 26.

With Skyfall and SPECTRE, the Eon Bond series delivered Nolan-lite, courtesy of director Sam Mendes, who acknowledged Nolan’s movies were an influence.

Nolan is known for keeping tight control over his movies. What follows is speculation of what a “pure” Nolan Bond film might include.

Typical Nolan establishing shots: Nolan likes to include establishing shots for major scenes featuring a moving camera. There are a number of these in Oppenheimer. One of the earliest shots in Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012) also utilizes this technique.

Bare-bones titles: A typical Nolan movie begins with an interesting image before going directly into the story. See The Dark Knight, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar for examples.

There are no credits until the end of the movie. You get plain white letters against a black background. No fancy Maurice Binder or Daniel Kleinman main titles.

This raises a question: How would Nolan handle the classic gunbarrel logo?

The movie would be LONG: Nolan films are typically long. Oppenheimer has a running time of three hours. Tenet was 2 hours and 30 minutes. Interstellar was 2 hours and 49 minutes. The Dark Knight Rises was 2 hours, 44 minutes. One exception was Dunkirk, clocking in at 1 hour and 46 minutes.

Eon has embraced long Bond films since 2008’s Quantum of Solace, with a running time of 1 hour, 46 minutes. The last three Eon 007 productions — Skyfall, SPECTRE, and No Time to Die — have had running times well over 2 hours.

Nolan might utilize non-linear storytelling: Both Dunkirk and Oppenheimer jump around in time and perspective.

To be sure, the notion of Christopher Nolan directing Bond 26 is far from a sure thing. Just because he’s a Bond fan doesn’t mean Nolan will give up his normal perks such as control, having his Syncopy production company involved, and having his wife Emma Thomas as a producer.

Eon is also known for being control freaks. Some Bond fans assume Nolan would give up his normal perks. I wouldn’t go banco on that. Still, with the absence of Bond film news, this is all food for thought.

Bond and the new cinema conventional wisdom

Still from Barbie (2023)

The old conventional wisdom (going into this year) was movie studios had to rely on established intellectual property (also known as IP). Sequels. Comic book-based movies. Etc.

The new conventional wisdom (since the July 21-23 weekend): Sequels are dead! Audiences want new things!

The U.S. theater box office was dominated by two non-sequels, Barbie ($162 million) and Oppenheimer ($82.5 million). The former was a satire based on a toy doll around for more than six decades. The latter was a serious, three-hour film biography directed by Christopher Nolan.

Box office stories tend to be written in a manic-depressive way. Either they’re huge hits or flops. Still, new installments of long-running franchises (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One) didn’t get that kind of box office start.

So where does this leave the James Bond film franchise, at least in the U.S.?

Bond is the definition of long-running. 1962’s Dr. No was followed by 24 sequels from 1963 through 2021. You’ve had reboots. 2006’s Casino Royale was starting over with Daniel Craig. But Craig’s last three movies utilized the Aston Martin DB-5 first seen in 1964’s Goldfinger.

Other long-running movie series have faced challenges. The Marvel Cinematic University seemed invincible from 2008 through 2019. Since then? Not so much.

Bond remains huge in the U.K. In the U.S., the trend is not so sanguine. Skyfall (2012) globally was $1.1 billion, helped by $304 million in the U.S.

That slipped to $881 million globally ($200 million in the U.S.) for 2015’s SPECTRE and $774 million ($161 million for the U.S.) for 2021’s No Time To Die. In 2021, No Time to Die was No. 007 at the U.S. box office.

As stated before, box office stories are very much written in a manic-depressive way. This week’s hit can take on a new reputation if the second week at the box office drops too much.

Bond, definitely, is a cinematic survivor. At the same time, the movie business is volatile right now. We’ll see how it goes.

Nolan provides a Rorschach test about 007

Link to audio version:

Christopher Nolan

Director Christopher Nolan, while promoting his new Oppenheimer film, was asked about the possibility of directing a James Bond movie in the future. His comments represent a kind of Rorschach test, spurring different reactions,

Nolan was interviewed this week by a digital outlet, Happy, Sad, Confused. At one point, interviewer Josh Horowitz changed the subject to Bond 26.

As he has previously, Nolan expressed his enthusiasm for Bond films. “I love those movies, the influence of those movies on my filmography is embarrassingly apparent, you know, so there’s no attempt to shy away from that,” Nolan said. “I love the (Bond) films, and it would be an amazing privilege to do one.”

People who saw those quotes reacted that Nolan is, indeed, a contender to direct Bond 26. His homages to Bond include bits in The Dark Knight (2008) and Inception (2010). The Bond series returned the favor with homages to Nolan in Skyfall (2012). And Eon Productions hired some Nolan crew members in SPECTRE (2015).

Yet, some — specifically the Screen Rant entertainment news site — refer to other quotes from Nolan in the same interview.

“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, or everything, that’s the full package. But no, I stand with the previous answer, which is you’d have to be really needed, you’d have to be really wanted in terms of bringing the totality of what you bring to the character. Otherwise, I’m very happy to be first in line to see whatever they do.” (emphasis added)

Screen Rant, in its story, opined, “However, as the director mentioned, limitations on what control he would have in the project may have already lowered his chances…As such, Nolan would be required to fit in with the decisions of higher powers at the earliest stages of production, limiting what he could do when crafting his own 007 story.”

Not mentioned in the Screen Rant story is how Nolan would bring a production company and his producer wife Emma Thomas in with him. Potentially, a Nolan hire may mean Eon relinquishing some control. That didn’t work out with Bond 25/No Time to Die where Danny Boyle was attached as director for a time.

For now, those interested in a Nolan-directed Bond have something to talk about.

The Horwitz interview with Nolan is embedded below. The Bond part of the interview starts after the 22:00 mark.