Christopher Nolan In The Market For New Studios After WB Fallout

Christopher Nolan is open for business with any studio that will give him his deserved theatrical treatment. His bruised relationship with Warner Bros is not on the mend yet.

Warner Bros and Nolan had a standing bond that seemed to be set in stone. The studio was the sole distributor of Nolan’s last nine movies. However, as per Deadline, Warner Bros may not reclaim this position for Nolan’s new WWII-focused film.

The fallout happened due to WarnerMedia’s decision to release movies on HBO Max on the same day as its theatrical debuts. Some movies would even forgo an opening in the theatres altogether.

The measures were due to Covid-19 safety concerns as well as the box office’s unpredictable dynamics during the pandemic — a great film (or even a good one) could not guarantee blockbuster results. 

Nolan was very vocal on the matter and his advocacy for theatrical releases led him to butt heads with Warner Bros with whom he has been in business for two decades.

In the end, Nolan got what he wanted: Tenet was released exclusively on theatres. But it didn’t do well.

Against its $200 million budget, the film grossed $58.5 million in the USA, due to theatres operating at lower capacities. (To note: tied in with its global market returns, it made a total of $363.7 million).

Nolan went on to blame Warner Bros and also besmirching HBO Max “to be the worst streaming service”.

In normal circumstances, Nolan’s switch shouldn’t be a big deal as he does not have a formal deal with Warner Bros. Yet in the light of the relationship the two entities have shared, it comes as a significant movie.

Reports state that multiple studios are now reading the script for the film that will focus on Robert J Oppenheimer’s role in the development of the atomic bomb, against World War Two’s backdrop.

Cillian Murphy’s name has cropped up being part of the cast and having previously worked with Nolan in The Dark Knight, Inception and Dunkirk.

Other details are still under wraps but we’re sure it will all be in the news once again when Nolan decides on a studio.

Nolan’s stance means that any streaming studios are off the table, leaving giants like Universal, Paramount, Sony or Disney to have a go at trying on the glass shoe to see it fits.

Source: Deadline