Christopher Nolan Says Directing James Bond Film Would Be an “Amazing Privilege”

Christopher Nolan is sharing his admiration for the James Bond franchise and why it would be an “amazing privilege” to direct a film of 007.

While speaking with host Josh Horowitz on a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Oppenheimer director admitted that he would gladly accept the opportunity if presented at the “right moment.”

“The influence of those movies on my filmography is embarrassingly apparent. And so there’s no attempt to shy away from that. I love the films,” Nolan said. “You know, it would be an amazing privilege to do one.”

But the filmmaker noted that when you take on a character or project like the iconic British spy franchise, “you’re working within a particular set of constraints” and must approach it with the “right attitude.”

“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.

Taking on a legendary character wouldn’t be anything new for the Oscar-nominated director, as he brought Christian Bale’s Batman to life in the Dark Knight trilogy. But if he took on James Bond, Nolan explained that he would need to be allotted some creative freedom throughout the project.

“You wouldn’t want to take on a film not 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, you’d have to be really 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 previously revealed in a 2017 interview with Playboy that he has kept in contact with “producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson over the years” and would “definitely” be down to take on a film in the hit franchise.

“I deeply love the character, and I’m always excited to see what they do with it,” he said at the time. “Maybe one day that would work out. You’d have to be needed, if you know what I mean. It has to need reinvention; it has to need you. And they’re getting along very well.”