NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 20: Director Christopher Nolan visits "Fox & Friends" at Fox News Channel Studios on July 20, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images)

Real or Not, Christopher Nolan Would Direct a GREAT James Bond Movie

Look, sometimes I want to let rumors be real for the sheer wish-fulfillment side of things, and that’s what this is. According to World of Reel, Christopher Nolan has spoken to the keeper of James Bond’s legacy, Barbara Broccoli, and it could be Nolan’s story to tell in the future. Now, again, this is a rumor that is so far removed from the realm of possibility currently that we just have to sort of look at it like this is a crystal ball showing us a world in which our dreams can become a reality. But take a step back for a moment and think about it.

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That’d be one hell of a James Bond movie, wouldn’t it? Not only do the 007 movies rely on practical effects to make us believe this man can survive things that no normal spy could, but the movies are always psychological in nature in their own spy-tastic way. I grew up on James Bond stories; I would take to the theaters every Thanksgiving when a new one was released and was enamored by the world before me.

Daniel Craig’s take on Bond became my favorite, but this long history of an MI6 agent just trying to be the best at his job, given to us by author Ian Fleming, is one that has colored our lives since the 50s—and Bond’s reach was expanded when the first film released in 1962. This undeniable legacy needs a director who will do it justice, and you know who will do that and then some? Someone like Christopher Nolan. And yeah, I’d like to see how Christopher Nolan blows up an Aston Martin. I’m a girl of little means. The point is that it would be a great combination if this were to be true.

So many Aston Martins would die …

Daniel Craig wearing suspenders and looking too good, frankly, in No Time to Die
(MGM)

The reality is that Nolan hasn’t tackled a franchise like this that hasn’t been completely his own. Frankly, this would be sort of like his Batman trilogy. Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises were all completely their own thing. There was no wider connective tissue—just three movies crafted in Nolan’s own world. That’s sort of how every new iteration of Bond operates, despite there being characters that can carry over, like Judi Dench’s M, who was part of Pierce Brosnan’s tenure as well as Daniel Craig’s.

Still, they’re not movies that force you to know everything about the world to understand them. They’re spy thrillers specific to the Bond in question you’re watching, and that’s something that Christopher Nolan could thrive with. Who his Bond would be and how that would work are different questions entirely and would set the tone for his movies if this were to happen. Personally? I want this. I would sell my soul for it. Because there hasn’t really been a director that I think fits the style and the allure of Bond in a way that Nolan would in recent years, and this could be the perfect combination to kick off the post-Daniel Craig era of the franchise.

(featured image: Dominik Bindl/Getty Images)


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Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.