No filmmaker supports the theatrical experience much like Christopher Nolan so it should come as no surprise that he’s completely against the new plan by Warner Bros. to release their 2021 film slate on HBO Max & theaters on the same day. In fact, he thinks it’s a bait and switch that deserved more transparency.
Here is what Nolan had to say about the matter:
“Oh, I mean, disbelief. Especially the way in which they did. There’s such controversy around it, because they didn’t tell anyone. In 2021, they’ve got some of the top filmmakers in the world, they’ve got some of the biggest stars in the world who worked for years in some cases on these projects very close to their hearts that are meant to be big-screen experiences. They’re meant to be out there for the widest possible audiences… And now they’re being used as a loss-leader for the streaming service — for the fledgling streaming service — without any consultation. So, there’s a lot of controversy. It’s very, very, very, very messy. A real bait and switch. Yeah, it’s sort of not how you treat filmmakers and stars and people who, these guys have given a lot for these projects. They deserved to be consulted and spoken to about what was going to happen to their work.”
Nolan went on to say:
“Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service. Warner Bros. had an incredible machine for getting a filmmaker’s work out everywhere, both in theaters and in the home, and they are dismantling it as we speak. They don’t even understand what they’re losing. Their decision makes no economic sense and even the most casual Wall Street investor can see the difference between disruption and dysfunction.”
This is huge considering Nolan has worked with Warner Bros. since 2002’s Insomnia. They have cranked out hits like The Dark Knight trilogy & Inception but it’s possible that relationship will be strained now. He’s not the only filmmaker in the Warner Bros. fold that is upset about how this news came about. Reports say that James Gunn, who directed The Suicide Squad for the studio, and Dune’s Denis Villeneuve, are both not pleased about the plan and “The Hollywood Reporter” also points to top talent agents in the industry that said many of their clients bombarded them with angry calls when the news dropped last Friday. Lines are being drawn in the sand and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
