Working with one of cinema’s most celebrated blockbuster filmmakers is a lofty ambition for any production house in the industry, so it’s no wonder that Netflix film chief Scott Stuber has Christopher Nolan’s next film in his sights for release on the streaming platform.
His desire to acquire Nolan’s upcoming film was stated in an interview with Variety, where he commented, “If and when he comes up with his new movie, it’s about can we be a home for it and what would we need to do to make that happen”. Continuing, he added, “He’s an incredible filmmaker. I’m going to do everything I can. In this business I’ve learned you need to have zero ego. I get punched and knocked down and get back up”.
The comments come in retaliation to Christopher Nolan’s previous rejection of the streaming service in 2017, when he stated in an interview with Indiewire, “Netflix has a bizarre aversion to supporting theatrical films,” he said, before adding: “They have this mindless policy of everything having to be simultaneously streamed and released, which is obviously an untenable model for theatrical presentation. So they’re not even getting in the game, and I think they’re missing a huge opportunity.”
Nolan does not see through Netflix’s pretence of cinematic adoration either, commenting on the streaming services collaboration with high profile filmmakers such as Bong Joon Ho and Noah Baumbach, “I think the investment that Netflix is putting into interesting filmmakers and interesting projects would be more admirable if it weren’t being used as some kind of bizarre leverage against shutting down theatres”.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Stuber concluded by expressing his hope for the future, noting: “I think there are aspects of global distribution in the cinema that are still appealing…Chris Nolan and I have spoken quite a bit…and that’s still something he wants deeply. If we can’t provide that, it will still be an issue for him”.
It would be a massive acquisition for Netflix, but with no inclining of what the future project may even be, we’ll have to wait a while to find out.
