Christopher Nolan To Be Feted In France With Honorary César

When you look at the creative level most people hope to achieve when crafting a sci-fi/fantasy film, the original “Star Wars” trilogy is really that high water mark, particularly ‘Empire Strikes Back.’ So when anyone compares the upcoming “Dune: Part Two” to ‘Empire,’ that is high praise. But for it to come from the mouth of Christopher Nolan, that makes it a bit more meaningful.

Given so much time has passed, most of the “what if” legends of most superhero films are out there already. For Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins,” we all know that Cillian Murphy lost out to Christian Bale for the Batman role.

With 13 nominations apiece for the Oscars and the BAFTAs, “Oppenheimer” looks to be the awards season favorite. But director Christopher Nolan thinks his latest film may end up being more than that.

It’s been quite a while since there has been significant discussion about a Netflix film appearing at Cannes. The reason being that Cannes’ rules claim that a film that plays in competition at the event has to have a theatrical rollout in France.

Unless you’re Quentin Tarantino, if you’re a really intensely celebrated filmmaker, sometimes you just don’t praise anything because it sometimes draws attention away from less work or becomes reductive absorbed. The great Stanley Kubrick once famously said, “I am always reluctant to single out some particular feature of the work of a major filmmaker because it tends inevitably to simplify and reduce the work,” when deciding to praise Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “The Decalogue,” regardless.

Christopher Nolan is one of the only filmmakers who is able to demand a huge budget for a period drama like “Oppenheimer.” How is he able to do that? Well, his films are spectacles that earn hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. And Nolan is able to earn that box office because when people go to buy a ticket for one of his films, they know it’s going to be an epic experience.

Christopher Nolan has praised TV series The Curse, calling it “unlike anything [he’s] ever seen on television before”.The Oppenheimer director shared his enthusiasm at a recent screening for the Showtime series, which stars Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder and made its debut last year.While moderating a discussion with co-creators Fielder and Benny Safdie – the latter of whom starred in Oppenheimer – Nolan said: “Congratulations on an incredible show that’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen on television before.“There are so few shows that come along that genuinely have no precedents,” the director added. “I mean, you’re going back to things like Twin Peaks or The Prisoner or Dennis Potter’s Singing Detective — things like that.

Christopher Nolan recently moderated a panel for The Curse, the Showtime series that stars Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone.

Caroline Brew editor Christopher Nolan moderated a Q&A with Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie to discuss “The Curse,” the satirical comedy series starring Fielder and Emma Stone from Showtime and Paramount+, following a screening of the first episode. The “Oppenheimer” director said the show is “unlike anything I’ve ever seen on television before.” “There are so few shows that come along that genuinely have no precedents,” Nolan said.

Some shows meet their moment immediately; some slowly build a following, maybe even creating a cult audience. The latter might be the case for “The Curse,” the wild, subversive, uncomfortable, and audacious new Showtime/Paramount+ series.

Isn’t this interesting? Variety reports that Warner Bros. is giving Christopher Nolan‘s 2020 time-looping actioner “Tenet” a re-release in theaters, IMAX and 70mm next month as part of the build-up to “Dune: Part Two” on March 1. “Tenet” will run for one weekly only starting on February 23 in the US and select international markets with exclusive footage of Denis Villeneuve‘s sequel attached.

Ethan Shanfeld Christopher Nolan is reuniting with Warner Bros. for a theatrical re-release of his time-hopping 2020 sci-fi film “Tenet.” It will return to movie theaters — on 70mm Imax, Imax, digital and 70mm film screens — for one week only, starting Feb. 23.

The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) opens this evening with New Zealand director Jonathan Olgilvie’s coming-of-age tale Head South set against the late 1970s, post-punk music culture of his home city of Christchurch.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Thomas Cailley’s supernatural drama “The Animal Kingdom” and Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winning “Anatomy of a Fall” are leading the race at the 49th Cesar Awards with 12 and 11 nominations, respectively. Triet’s movie, which just garnered an impressive five Oscar nominations, and “The Animal Kingdom,” which opened at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and won a prize, will vie for for top Cesar awards, including best director and film.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “Oppenheimer” has surged ahead of its competition, potentially becoming one of the most dominant Oscar winners since “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), which garnered eight statuettes. Looking at the state of the race post-nominations, the Universal Pictures’ blockbuster could make an even bigger impact. Christopher Nolan’s historical drama about the father of the Atomic bomb leads the tally with 13, making it the 11th movie to reach such a gargantuan Oscars nomination count.

Colman Domingo organized his closet to distract himself, “The Holdovers” actor Paul Giamatti was sound asleep and “Killers of the Flower Moon” breakout Lily Gladstone texted with Leonardo DiCaprio after making history as the first Native American nominee. On the morning of the 2024 Oscar nominations, Variety spoke to this year’s contenders — including “The Holdovers” star Da’Vine Joy Randolph and “Past Lives” director Celine Song — about getting recognized by the Academy. How does it feel to make history with this nomination? It’s truly something that belongs to my community.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Shortly after the Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday morning, “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan recalled watching Cillian Murphy transform into J. Robert Oppenheimer for the first time. “It was really in the hair and makeup tests, which we shoot on Imax and in black-and-white,” Nolan told Variety.

Robert Downey Jr. has claimed that the runaway success of Oppenheimer has become “a terrible tragedy” for its introverted director Christopher Nolan.Downey made the comments while presenting Nolan with the inaugural Trailblazer Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in Utah, an honour which recognises the director’s contributions to independent filmmaking.“Confidentially, he needs his spirits lifted,” Downey joked.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Agnes Jaoui, a beloved French actor, screenwriter and filmmaker, will receive an honorary Cesar Award during its 49th edition, which will be held at Olympia Concert Hall on Feb. 23. Jaoui formed a duo with the late Jean-Pierre Bacri for over three decades, collaborating on a number of films that were both critical and commercial hits.

Good afternoon Insiders, Jesse Whittock back with you. So much news to get through this week — here’s a pick of the biggest and best stories. Sign up for the newsletter here.