The Only Movies Christopher Nolan Dropped Out of Directing
When a director is attached to a film, it doesn’t always mean the project will be completed. While Christopher Nolan is known for seeing his projects through, others, like Guillermo del Toro, have spent years developing films that never made it past the planning stage.
Christopher Nolan’s Track Record
Since becoming a major name in cinema, Nolan has enjoyed the freedom to pursue his own projects. This makes it unlikely he’ll ever be announced as director of a film that never gets made. The only two instances where this happened were before he released The Dark Knight, his first billion-dollar blockbuster.
Notable Projects That Didn’t Happen
- One often-cited example is the Howard Hughes biopic. Nolan was deeply disappointed when the project was shelved after Martin Scorsese began filming his own version. However, Nolan didn’t drop out; the entire project was abandoned due to external factors.
- The only confirmed case where Nolan actually stepped away from directing was The Prisoner, his planned adaptation of the classic 1960s series.
“Nolan was crushed when his version of the story was mothballed after Martin Scorsese got his in front of the cameras first, and it stood every chance of being a career-defining performance for Jim Carrey, but he technically didn’t drop out of the director’s chair when the entire thing was abandoned for reasons outside of his control.”
“He did for The Prisoner, though, his mooted adaptation of the classic 1960s series.”
Christopher Nolan’s rare departures from projects highlight how his influence and reputation have largely shielded him from the fate of unrealized films.