Christopher Nolan’s impact on cinematography is undeniable, and 2023’s Oppenheimer brought him his first Academy Award for Best Director. The movie, which grossed almost $1 billion worldwide, had a major impact and even impressed royalty.
Nolan and his wife, producer Emma Thomas, were honored on Dec. 18 at Buckingham Palace. The Interstellar director was knighted, while his wife, who was behind all his films, received a damehood for their contribution to the film industry, including titles like The Dark Knight and Oppenheimer. Per the Independent, the director revealed that King Charles III watched the film and liked it.
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After the ceremony, the British director noted it was “really wonderful” to meet the King, adding that it was “very special” for him and his wife to receive the honors together. Nolan also highlighted that he was happy the monarch was aware of his work.
“It was very nice that he knew our work and was aware of it, and, yes, he was hoping that I would take this as encouragement to do more of it.“
Nolan further explained that King Charles told him he watched his 2023 hit. “He’d seen Oppenheimer, and he liked it, so that was very gratifying to hear.“
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The film followed J. Robert Oppenheimer’s work on the top-secret Manhattan Project as they designed and released the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer received 13 nominations at the Oscars and took home 7 of them, including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Cillian Murphy), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Downey Jr.), Best Director, and Best Picture.
The film grossed $976.8 million worldwide (via The Numbers) against a budget of only $100 million, becoming a resounding success, finishing the year as the third highest-grossing movie of the year behind Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It holds a Certified Fresh badge thanks to its 93% approval rating from the critics, and a Verified Hot distinction thanks to the 91% approval score from the audience.
Christopher Nolan Is Reuniting Several Frequent Actors for a Brand-New Project
The director, famous for titles like The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk, didn’t spend too much time basking in the critical and commercial glory Oppenheimer had and is back to work on another A-list project. Following the success of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan teamed up again with Universal Pictures for another project.
Christopher Nolan is normally secretive about his projects and few details are known about the upcoming untitled project, aside from that he will write and direct the project, with Emma Thomas returning to produce. However, he has cast several returning actors. Matt Damon, who starred in 2014’s Interstellar and Oppenheimer, is set to team up again with Nolan, alongside Interstellar‘s Anne Hathaway, with whom the director previously worked on 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, and Robert Pattinson, who starred in 2020’s Tenet. Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron will also be a part of the cast.
The untitled film will premiere on July 17, 2026.
Source: Independent
- Release Date
- July 21, 2023
- Cast
- Cillian Murphy , Emily Blunt , Matt Damon , Robert Downey Jr. , Rami Malek , Florence Pugh
- Runtime
- 150 Minutes
- Budget
- $100 Million