Legendary director Christopher Nolan, who has made unforgettable films such as Tenet, Inception and The Dark Knight, parted ways with Warner Bros. in recent years. The successful filmmaker, who shot his last film Oppenheimer under Universal, did not want to continue working with the studio, even though he was given a 7-figure cheque from Warner at that time.
Nolan’s transition from Warner Bros. to Universal Studios was much talked about for a while. The reason for the disagreement remained unclear until now. Finally, the expected explanation about the behind the scenes of the incident came. Here are the details…
Tenet was a breaking point for Nolan and Warner
In 2020, the release of Christopher Nolan’s $200 million Tenet was at risk of being postponed indefinitely due to the COVID pandemic, which caused movie theatres to close.
That summer, Nolan wanted his spy thriller to be the first major film to be released in cinemas after they reopened. Former Warner Bros. Entertainment boss Ann Sarnoff and studio president Toby Emmerich agreed to continue the theatrical release as long as Nolan waived certain fees.
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Following WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery in 2022 and the subsequent regime change, new film group presidents Michael DeLuca and Pamela Abdy were eager to see Nolan return to the studio. But the successful director had joined Universal to make Oppenheimer nine months before their arrival.
Partnership since 2002 ended despite ‘grand gesture’
Nolan had a long history with the studio, dating back to Insomnia in 2002. As a gesture of goodwill, Warner Bros. wrote him a seven-figure cheque and gave him back his lost Tenet fees. Unfortunately, this move was not enough to keep Nolan with the company.
The 7-figure cheque gesture was not enough to bring Nolan back to Warner. For a director who continues to live in the same modest house in the Hollywood Hills and is known to drive a 20-year-old Honda, money is not that important.
Instead, Nolan chose to entrust his next project, starring Matt Damon with his Oscar-winning actor, producing partner and wife Emma Thomas, to Universal Studios.
How do you evaluate Nolan’s move to Universal? Do you think the director’s departure from Warner Bros. was the right step for his career?
