Christopher Nolan Says “At Least” 3 Years Before Next Movie After Grueling ‘The Odyssey’ Shoot: “I Definitely Hit The Limits Of My Own Stamina”

We’re all expecting some impressive box office numbers from Christopher Nolan‘s “The Odyssey” this weekend (some estimates are projecting a domestic debt of over $117 million, possibly even more), and while that big success (embraced by both critics and audiences, despite online “culture war” noise that has had zero impact on moviegoers buying tickets this weekend) is certainly going to be welcome news to his recent studio partner Universal Pictures. Some new quotes from the Oscar-winning filmmaker suggest he’ll need a bit of a battery recharge before jumping into his next feature film.

Speaking with “TODAY” recently, Nolan says that while he’s able to get projects made that he might previously have had trouble making (a film 20 years in the making), he’ll still need a bit of a break, alluding to the need to get his “stamina” back after the grueling shoot on “The Odyssey.”

READ MORE: July’s 12 Must-Watch Movies, From ‘The Odyssey’ To ‘Her Private Hell’ & ‘I Want Your Sex’

“I definitely hit the limits of my own stamina and everybody’s stamina, I think. I mean, it’s ‘The Odyssey,’ of course it should be difficult,” Nolan noted. “We’re not doing the job right making a film of ‘The Odyssey’ if it doesn’t seem difficult.”

“Now, I can get something made that I couldn’t otherwise get made. For me to take on Greek mythology on a big modern cinematic canvas is something that hasn’t been done,” Nolan said of getting his dream project (this coming after nearly making “Troy” for Warner Bros. only to pivot to “Batman Begins“). When directly asked about taking another three years to get his next feature on the big screen, he responded with, “Oh, at least.”

His reaction (with a bit of a chuckle) there might even indicate an even longer gap between feature efforts, but we really don’t know that for sure; only time will tell. That said, we’re still in the dark about what he could be cooking behind the scenes, as “The Odyssey” wasn’t exactly on our radar before it was announced by Nolan and Universal after his award-winning and near billion-dollar box office hit “Oppenheimer,” so we’ll certainly be curious if he attempts something smaller or goes for the gusto again with another epic-level event film.

A total cume for “The Odyssey” has some box office analysts predicting that the R-rated crowd-pleasing Greek myth pic may reach the coveted billion-dollar mark, a feat that Nolan hasn’t achieved since his Batman days with “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises.” Although the aforementioned “Oppenheimer” got REALLY close with it’s run totaling $975.6 million (not bad for an R-rated drama about the creation of the atomic bomb). Many are rightfully assuming the latest Christopher Nolan movie will have strong legs at the box office in the coming weeks, even with stiff summer competition on the way.

Support independent movie journalism to keep it alive. Sign up for The Playlist Newsletter. All the content you want and, oh, right, it’s free.

You can watch that exchange between Nolan and “TODAY” below.