Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear storytelling, Christopher Nolan’s unconventional narrative structure is what makes his films unique. The director has made 12 movies to date. And all those films are a package of thought-provoking themes and intellectual depth.
The director explores deep aspects of human nature, morality, and existential questions. It prompts viewers to reflect on their own lives and beliefs. He has made movies on topics that are beyond anyone’s imagination, leaving fans in awe. However, there’s one sub-genre he won’t explore.
Christopher Nolan Will Never Delve into That One Sub-Genre
In an interview with Atlantic‘s Ross Anderson, Christopher Nolan revealed why he would never explore that one subgenre. When Anderson asked the acclaimed writer-director, “Given your obvious interests in technology and personal identity and the nature of consciousness, it’s curious to me that we don’t yet have a film from you that takes AI as its central subject.” The Oppenheimer director replied:
“Well, my brother has done four seasons of Westworld and five seasons of Person of Interest, which are amazing, prescient explorations of artificial intelligence and the security state and data security. That, and look, I’m a huge fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which in its elemental, Kubrickian simplicity kind of says everything there is to say about artificial intelligence.”
Through his statement, it looks like Nolan wants to avoid the AI genre because he feels that its thematic ground has been well-covered by his brother. So, he prefers not to delve into a similar area in his own work.
Besides this, AI has become a hot topic of interest in the Hollywood industry lately. After the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are protesting against studio execs using AI. Anyways, the director has always been interested in sci-fi, so fans will probably explore it more in the future.
Christopher Nolan’s Fascination with Science Fiction
Christopher Nolan seems fascinated with the power of technology in his works, but it is never known when this power goes against him or when it is abused. So, he made it clear not to work with the type of genre based on AI.
Nolan expressed his fascination with the dramatic potential of technology-related genres and how that is reflected in his work. He said that he has “always been a fan of science fiction,” which he “thinks is often better referred to as speculative fiction, where you’re looking at particular trends—technological, but also sociological, economic—and where they might go, and exaggerating the present-day moment.” The director asserted that there’s a lot of drama to be derived from these genres, and he “certainly enjoyed playing in that field.”
Nolan clarifies that The Dark Knight trilogy may not be categorized as pure science fiction and that it falls under “speculative fiction.” The Interstellar director also highlighted his brother’s screenplay, which tells the surveillance potential of cell phones. He said that it was initially considered “improbable and exotic” but is now perceived as part of reality.
