We’re a little less than a year on from “Interstellar,” which had an unusually mixed response for a Christopher Nolan film. Reviews were strong, but more mixed than he’s used to (the film has 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, the helmer’s lowest score), and a hoped-for awards run never materialized. U.S. box-office underwhelmed slightly too — $188 million is nothing to be sniffed at, but it’s his lowest-grossing film in the States since “Insomnia.”
Still, for a film seen as a disappointment by some (and as is often the case with his work, it improves with repeat viewings), it was still a huge success, taking close to $700 million worldwide, a giant sum for a film that was difficult, deeply personal and not based on an existing property. Nolan’s spent the time since the release boosting his cinephile cred by making a short documentary on the Quay Brothers and continuing to talk up the importance of shooting on film, but it looks like he’s getting ready to get back in the blockbuster game.
Variety have announced that Nolan’s next film, which currently doesn’t have a title or, unsurprisingly, any details attached to it, will be released by Warner Bros. on July 21st, 2017. A summer date suggests that this is probably more of a blockbuster affair than an awards-chaser, but it’s difficult to surmise much more. Nolan has a handful of unmade projects out there — TV series adaptation “The Prisoner,” his Howard Hughes project — but it’s more likely that Nolan has cooked up a new affair, given that he’s one of the few directors with the power to do so.
The release scheduled currently puts the Nolan movie on the same date as “Pitch Perfect 3” and Luc Besson’s “Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets” (expect the latter to move), and hitting a week after a third “Planet Of The Apes” picture and the week before Sony & Marvel’s “Spider-Man” reboot. So if nothing else, it’s good to see that we’re likely to have some original fare that year. More news on Nolan’s next move as and when it arrives.
