Summary
- Christopher Nolan's unique directorial style and commitment to practical effects have established him as a capable storyteller who creates complex and impactful films.
- Nolan's exploration of a variety of genres showcases his ability to tackle new themes and create innovative stories.
- It would be exciting to see Nolan venture into unexplored genres or themes, such as horror or coming-of-age, and apply his talents to create something special and thought-provoking.
Christopher Nolan's body of work continues to see him tackle new genres and themes with his incredibly unique directorial style like his most recent film, Oppenheimer. Nolan's commitment to using practical effects, telling powerful character stories, and often casting popular actors against type, has established him as someone very capable of creating and directing stories that are complex and thought-provoking. His work has also seen him nominated for five Oscars and winning dozens more awards.
So far, Nolan has tried his hand at crafting films in a variety of genres and exploring several different themes. Nolan created one of the most successful superhero trilogies of all time with The Dark Knight trilogy, historical dramas like Dunkirk and Oppenheimer, and science fiction stories like Interstellar and Inception. However, it would be exciting to see what Nolan does with a genre or theme he has yet to explore in great detail.
6 Horror
An Elevated Horror In Christopher Nolan's Style
Nolan has made several films in the thriller genre, with twists and dark secrets being uncovered in the course of the film. Despite this, he has yet to lean fully into creating an actual horror film. Some of the themes he explores in his films, such as mental illness, the struggle to define and see reality for what it is, and time operating in a non-linear way could be powerful tools in telling a frightening horror tale. Exploring a character-driven story with a deterioration into becoming more monstrous or violent sounds like a typical Nolan project. Although his films often feature complexity around the character's morality, a horror movie could see this concept taken further.
5 Space
A New Nolan Story Set In Space
When the popular sci-fi movie, Interstellar was first released in 2014, it was praised for its accuracy in displaying what a black hole would actually look like as it bends and folds time and space around it. Nolan's commitment to developing methods and programs to authentically and accurately uncover how this phenomenon would look and behave, just to include it in a fictional film is astonishing, and a testament to his talents. This ability to innovate and create things that have never been seen or explored before in great detail was then proven even more impressive when scientists captured a real image of a black hole and proved how accurate Nolan was (via IndieWire).
The work that Nolan did literally changed how people perceive space. If he were to decide to develop another project based on the alluring mystery of space, it would be sure to get the attention of a large audience. Exploring the depths of space while also delivering an incredible character-driven story, in a void where the characters stand out even more is clearly something Nolan does exceptionally well, so revisiting that world would just make sense.
4 AI
A Christopher Nolan Deep Dive Into Artificial Intelligence
With films like The Creator shifting how artificial intelligence and robots are portrayed in movies, and rapid technological advances in the real-life uses of AI, it would be an interesting theme for Nolan to explore in a future project. The relationship and reliance that human beings are creating on technology is quickly becoming central to most aspects of life. Nolan's talent for exploring humanity at its core, whether that core is pride and greed as was the case in The Prestige, or curiosity and a compulsion to create as seen in Oppenheimer, would make an excellent study in a film about AI.
3 Superhero
Another Grounded, Gritty Hero Story
Christopher Nolan wrote and directed the incredible Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale as Batman. He also continued his connection to the DCEU with executive producer credits on several of the projects to come from the comic book-inspired films. It's clear that he has a ion and respect for the genre and, when given more creative control, what he delivers is spectacular.
It would be interesting to see Nolan flex his talents crafting a superhero story as part of the new James Gunn DCU, or even switching sides and working to deliver something for the ever-expanding MCU. Nolan's commitment to practical effects makes him well-suited to creating more grounded stories, focusing on determined vigilantes rather than super-powered beings, and the superhero genre continues to grow to include more gritty and realistic stories. It's certain that Nolan would be able to deliver a quality product, and thanks to his status in Hollywood for crafting serious films, it could play a part in overcoming the so-called "superhero fatigue."
2 Romance
Historical Film Focused On The Love Story
Many of Nolan's most popular films feature a romantic subplot. Oppenheimer, Inception, and The Prestige all include a romantic love interest for the main characters and dedicate some time to developing those relationships. With Nolan's storytelling ability, these relationships often become a prominent and meaningful part of the projects they're included in, but it would be interesting to see Nolan focus a story around the romantic relationship and build it out from there.
He could potentially look to the past, at some of the greatest, or at least, most infamous, love stories of all time and deliver a project that shines a light on the relationship and explores the ups and downs. James Cameron's Titanic proved how financially successful a romance story can be when done right. If Nolan were to take inspiration and craft a story around a romantic relationship, rather than having the relationship as a part of the wider narrative, it could be something special.
1 Coming-Of-Age
A Study Of Time ing And Growing Up
Another focus that is frequently featured in Nolan's films is that of time. Memento and Tenet explore time in a unique, non-linear way to tell a powerful story that brings its central protagonists to a point of enlightenment and growth. Building on this concept, it would be interesting to see what Nolan could do with a coming-of-age story. Films like The Fault in Our Stars, The Hate U Give, and Little Women all prove how a good coming-of-age story can be elevated and enjoyed by more mature audiences while still exploring youth.
Nolan could potentially use his non-linear structure again in telling a coming-of-age movies that would be meaningful and thought-provoking through his exploration of growing up. Some of his films have included small elements of exploring youth, such as Batman Begins, but placing the focus squarely on this progression and development could be a wonderful contrast and tool for Christopher Nolan to create something special. His talent clearly evidences his ability to traverse a wide range of themes and genres and navigate them successfully, so seeing him tackle a new challenge with something different would certainly be exciting.
