Speaking of Warner Bros. Discovery and their spiky relationships with filmmakers, over the last year, I’ve been keeping an eye on Christopher Nolan’s next film, chiefly because even after Universal met every one of his demands to release Oppenheimer—including releasing the film in his favored late July window despite opposition from Barbie, not to mention finally getting Nolan his Oscars—Nolan didn’t immediately re-sign with Universal. It’s only this month, over a year after Oppenheimer’s success, that he closed a deal to release his next film with Universal.
In the interim, Warner Bros. Discovery tried to lure him back with a seven-figure check, repaying fees Nolan waived back in 2020 to ensure Tenet got an exclusive theatrical release. The check was a good faith gesture from WBD’s new regime, replacing the now defunct WarnerMedia regime that drove Nolan away when Jason Kilar announced all of Warner’s 2021 films would be released day-and-date in theaters and on demand. Nolan is one of the biggest champions of the theatrical experience, but earlier this year, when I heard he was entertaining overtures from Warners to return to the fold, I raised my eyebrow all the way to heaven. How could Mr. Cinema go back to the studio that has demonstrated the most anti-art, anti-cinema behavior in the industry?
In the end, he did not. Nolan’s next film, dated for 2026, will be released by Universal, and it’s probably a spy thriller starring Tom Holland. This makes Holland’s schedule very complicated, though, as that projected release date means Nolan’s film will shoot in 2025. Spider-Man 4, which is Schrodinger’s movie right now, as everyone knows it’s happening, but it hasn’t been officially announced, is also supposed to film next year, also for a projected 2026 release date. Another projected 2026 film? Avengers: Doomsday. Tom Holland is going to be VERY busy next year, as will Zendaya, between Spider-Man 4: Schrodinger’s Web, and Euphoria season 3, which we assume is happening but truly, who knows. However, the jostling means Denis Villeneuve is pushing filming Dune 3 to 2026.
To recap: Christopher Nolan took Warner Bros. Discovery’s money but decided not to go to the prom with them, Tom Holland and Zendaya are insanely busy, and all this ended with Denis Villeneuve pushing back production of Dune 3 by a year. Christopher Nolan is straight up bullying David Zaslav.
