Christopher Nolan confirmed in a Today interview that after The Odyssey, it will be “at least” three years before his next film. He also said he “hit the limits of my own stamina” making The Odyssey. So what is actually next for the director?
The honest answer: nobody knows yet, and that is the point.
The Odyssey arrives in Philippine theaters on July 17 as the first film shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film cameras. It is a three hour Homer epic starring Matt Damon and Tom Holland. Nolan wrote it, produced it with his wife Emma Thomas, and shot across Iceland, Malta, and Morocco. The film’s scale is the reason for the long break. Not every director can say their next project is going to be equally punishing.
The three year timeline
Nolan’s career follows a roughly three year pattern: Interstellar in 2014, Dunkirk in 2017, Tenet in 2020, Oppenheimer in 2023, The Odyssey in 2026. He confirmed that three years is the minimum, which puts the earliest possible new film at around 2029. That window assumes he starts writing and developing soon, which he has not indicated he wants to do.
“I mean, it is The Odyssey, of course it should be difficult,” Nolan said in the Today interview. “We are not doing the job right making a film of The Odyssey if it does not seem difficult.” That honesty is rare from a filmmaker at the peak of his powers, but it explains exactly why the wait will be long.
The Universal relationship
After leaving Warner Bros. over the HBO Max day and date strategy, Nolan took The Odyssey to Universal Pictures. He is developing his next projects there as well, according to industry reports. Universal has made no official announcement, but the working relationship is active. If Nolan has a script ready by late 2028, a 2030 release is plausible.
Will it be horror?
Nolan has said in passing that he would like to make a horror film. He cited 2026 horror breakout Obsession as something that interested him. But an interest in a genre is not a greenlit project. Horror would be a dramatic left turn from The Odyssey’s mythic scope, although Nolan has always proven himself capable of reinvention.
The likely reality
Expect a long break. Expect Universal to announce the next Nolan film with zero warning – he does not publicize projects during development. Expect the genre to be either something he has never done before (horror is the most cited fan theory) or another historical epic, because that is what he does best. Do not expect a superhero film or anything connected to existing IP. Nolan writes original screenplays, and his setups take years.
The Odyssey was announced in December 2024. If his next film follows the same timeline from announcement to release, a 2030 arrival would follow the three year development, three year production, three year wait cycle perfectly. That would put universal’s next Nolan release in the early 2030s, long after The Odyssey has left Philippine cinemas.
For now, the only confirmed next Nolan project is rest.
