Nolan: Playing It Safe Is the Biggest Risk in Mainstream Movies

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The Odyssey director Christopher Nolan has a word of advice for filmmakers working on mainstream movies: The biggest risk of all is to play it safe. The moviemaker behind time-bending films like Interstellar and Tenet offered his perspective on mainstream films and audiences during an interview with The New York Times. He cautioned filmmakers from shying away from traditional risks, saying that audiences will show up for films that offer something different. If you’re really interested in movies and the history of movies, Nolan said, the one thing you see absolutely is that you have to take risks to succeed. The biggest risk of all is to play it safe. That’s what, consistently in mainstream movies, doesn’t work. The audience is looking for something new. Nolan didn't say which mainstream movies he had in mind, but it's hard to deny that Nolan has a group of die-hard fans who will turn out for even his most out-there projects. Oppenheimer, which retold the real-life story of atomic bomb creator J. Robert Oppenheimer in 2023, is the most recent example. The biopic pulled in a box office total just shy of $1 billion (via Box Office Mojo) despite its non-linear structure and three-hour runtime.One example he brought to the discussion involved his 2000 picture, Memento. He recalled showing its script to his wife and producer, Emma Thomas, saying that she responded well to its backwards structure but felt it was taking a lot of risk. And I was able to say to her: No, I can do this, Nolan continued. There are a lot of filmmakers who can do it in a more straightforward way. Actually having something new to bring to the table mitigates the risk, it gives you a way to distinguish yourself. He then explained that he tried to sell the Memento script to people who didn't get it, admitting she was completely right. The film did eventually find a dedicated audience, though. The risk is the intermediaries — the financiers, the studio. If you can get to the audience — I mean, I’m not making any predictions for [The Odyssey], but in the past we’ve been well rewarded for having faith in the audience. Nolan will return to theaters in July with The Odyssey, a nearly three-hour movie that serves as an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic. It's set to premiere July 17, 2026. Scalpers have already started reselling tickets for hundreds of dollars.Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).