Writer-director Christopher Nolan has said it would be "an amazing privilege" to helm a James Bond movie, so long as the opportunity arose at "the right moment" in his career.
During an appearance on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Oppenheimer director voiced his admiration for the Bond film franchise after being quizzed on the chances of him directing the 26th installment. He asserted that he would not dismiss a 007 adventure, though he recognizes the challenges of taking on such a project.
"The influence of those movies in my filmography is embarrassingly apparent, so there's no attempt to shy away from that," Nolan admitted. "I love the films, and it would be an amazing privilege to do one. At the same time, when you take on a character like that or work like that, you're working within a particular set of constraints, and so you have to have the right attitude towards that.
"It has to be the right moment in your creative life where you can express what you want to express and really burrow into something within the appropriate constraints because you would never want to take on something like that and do it wrong," he added.
Nolan compared the responsibility of helming a Bond movie to the duty he felt with The Dark Knight trilogy, explaining that he would want to be all in, or not in at all, with such a project because he would want to fully embrace the experience and pour all of his creative energy into putting his own spin on the series.
"It's the kind of responsibility that I felt taking on Batman. You wouldn't want to take on a film without being fully committed to what you bring to the table creatively. So as a writer, casting, everything — it's a full package," he said. "You'd have to be really needed and wanted in terms of bringing the totality of what you bring to a character. Otherwise, I'm very happy to be first in line to see whatever they do."
Nolan has repeatedly cited 007 as an influence for him and his work, with his 2020 film Tenet marking his first proper foray into spy territory. He has also expressed interest in directing a Bond movie on several occasions, dating back to 2010, when he touched on the "infinite possibilities" of stepping into that world.
While nothing has come from his boundless enthusiasm for the Bond franchise as yet, the acclaimed director has garnered support from fans and stars alike. Tom Hardy, who played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, notably threw his hat in the ring for the 007 role in 2012, provided that Nolan was on directing duties.
The next Bond movie is said to be a "complete reinvention" of the series, with producers reportedly looking for "a 30-something" actor to commit to the lead role for at least a decade. Taron Egerton has ruled himself out, but plenty of other names have kept the rumor mill turning since Daniel Craig's departure from the franchise.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
Cover image credit: Valerie Macon/Getty Images.
