I originally posted the below tweet in the MOVIE TRAILERS & RELEASE DATES thread yesterday, laughing at how random the second rumor/option was, while also noting that it's such an insanely specific rumor that it might actually be true...
Then, earlier tonight, reporter Jeff Sneider posted this in his newsletter…
Now, at this point... the randomness/specificity of the rumor + Jeff's take + reading the reddit thread for myself = me starting to believe.
That, and the more I think about it, there are additional elements at play that feel right…
- The Bat (aka The Batwing) from The Dark Knight Rises now seems as if it could have been partly inspired by Nolan's apparent love of Blue Thunder, seeing as The Bat was basically an advanced helicopter of sorts navigating skyscrapers, firing missiles, etc. Almost as if it was a taste or tease that Nolan didn't quite get to fully explore.
- IMO, the helicopter chase sequence in the final act of Mission: Impossible - Fallout is one of the greatest action sequences of the 21st century. So if someone like Nolan were to take that basic vibe, expand it to an entire movie, set it in a futuristic New York, yeah, Universal would basically print $$$.
- Speaking of futuristic New York, while Nolan has technically already tackled the future via Interstellar, he hasn't yet done his Minority Report or RoboCop, where he really gets to go all out envisioning ten, fifteen, twenty-five years down the line, and what daily life in a futuristic city setting might be like.
I've actually never seen Blue Thunder, and on one hand "futuristic helicopter" sounds so incredibly cheesy/'80s to me - instead, why wouldn't a modern take focus on some kind of new, gravity-defying propulsion - but if anyone can pull it off and make it badass, thrilling, and emotional, on a giant IMAX screen, it's obviously Nolan.
Anyway, we'll see how this one pans out, and no matter what it ends up being, my butt will no doubt be in the theater come July 17, 2026.
2 rumours are circulating about Christopher Nolan's next film:
— Christopher Nolan Art & Updates (@NolanAnalyst) October 15, 2024
- The first comes from @GraceRandolph, who claims that the film may be a horror film.
- The second comes from a Reddit user, who claims that Christopher Nolan and his team are currently working with the NYPD… pic.twitter.com/mIslSa8ZQ1
Quote:
The second comes from a Reddit user, who claims that Christopher Nolan and his team are currently working with the NYPD Aviation Unit. The word is that the film will be a New York based futuristic action film about a Helicopter pilot Cop who heads up the Aviation Unit in the US and the creation of a super advanced yet dangerous Helicopter itself being pursued by terrorists. Instead of circulating a screenplay to key personnel, Christopher Nolan has apparently made sure they each recieved high quality versions of the 1983 movie Blue Thunder that starred Roy Scheider and was directed by John Badham as well as various items of written work related to that film. The film wont be a remake of Blue Thunder but it will be based on a character at the Helicopter Aviation Unit and a powerful Helicopter in the vein of Blue Thunder. Christopher Nolan is a fan of the film and it was his starting point when putting the project together.
Then, earlier tonight, reporter Jeff Sneider posted this in his newsletter…
Quote:
Is Christopher Nolan trying to get to the choppah? A user on Reddit whose "sister's father-in-law works at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn" is claiming that there has been chatter among the NYPD's Aviation Unit that Christopher Nolan and key people from his production team will be arriving in November to spend roughly a month with the unit ahead of production of his next movie, which is rumored to be a futuristic action movie about a New York cop who pilots a helicopter and patrols the skies, where a group of terrorists plan to use a high-tech chopper to wreak havoc on people below. The project is said to be inspired by John Badham's 1983 movie Blue Thunder starring Roy Scheider, which also concerned a dangerously advanced helicopter and a member of the Helicopter Aviation Unit. Does this rumor pass my smell test? I have to say that… it does. The rumor is so specific, and not only is the idea of sky heists so very Nolan, but I can totally see Matt Damon as a helicopter cop. No confirmation yet from Nolan's camp, which did not respond to a request for comment, but I expect the trades to look into this on their end…
Now, at this point... the randomness/specificity of the rumor + Jeff's take + reading the reddit thread for myself = me starting to believe.
That, and the more I think about it, there are additional elements at play that feel right…
- The Bat (aka The Batwing) from The Dark Knight Rises now seems as if it could have been partly inspired by Nolan's apparent love of Blue Thunder, seeing as The Bat was basically an advanced helicopter of sorts navigating skyscrapers, firing missiles, etc. Almost as if it was a taste or tease that Nolan didn't quite get to fully explore.
- IMO, the helicopter chase sequence in the final act of Mission: Impossible - Fallout is one of the greatest action sequences of the 21st century. So if someone like Nolan were to take that basic vibe, expand it to an entire movie, set it in a futuristic New York, yeah, Universal would basically print $$$.
- Speaking of futuristic New York, while Nolan has technically already tackled the future via Interstellar, he hasn't yet done his Minority Report or RoboCop, where he really gets to go all out envisioning ten, fifteen, twenty-five years down the line, and what daily life in a futuristic city setting might be like.
I've actually never seen Blue Thunder, and on one hand "futuristic helicopter" sounds so incredibly cheesy/'80s to me - instead, why wouldn't a modern take focus on some kind of new, gravity-defying propulsion - but if anyone can pull it off and make it badass, thrilling, and emotional, on a giant IMAX screen, it's obviously Nolan.
Anyway, we'll see how this one pans out, and no matter what it ends up being, my butt will no doubt be in the theater come July 17, 2026.