Christopher Nolan Eyes Horror Genre, Oppenheimer Director Open to Direct Chilling Tale with 'Exceptional Idea'

British-American filmmaker Christopher Nolan is open to making a horror film if the idea is good enough, as reported by Variety. On Thursday, Nolan spoke at an in-conversation session at London's British Film Institute (BFI) before a rapt, sold-out audience. Responding to an audience member's query about whether he would consider making a horror film, Nolan said, "Oppenheimer has elements of horror in it definitely, as I think is appropriate to the subject matter. I think horror films are very interesting because they depend on very cinematic devices, it is about a visceral response to things and so, at some point, I'd love to make a horror film. But I think a really good horror film requires an exceptional idea. And those are few and far between. So I haven't found a story that lends itself to that," Nolan said. DGA 2024 Awards: Christopher Nolan Wins Best Theatrical Feature Film for Oppenheimer; Calls Cillian Murphy 'Best Actor of His Generation' (Watch Video).

"But I think it's a very interesting genre from a cinematic point of view. It's also one of the few genres where the studios make a lot of these films, and they are films that have a lot of bleakness, and a lot of abstraction. They have a lot of the qualities that Hollywood is generally very resistant to putting in films, but that's a genre where it's allowable," Nolan said. The filmmaker used Oppenheimer as an example, stating that the centre of the film is very heavily heist-themed, and the third act is a courtroom drama. "The reason I settled on those two genres for those sections is they are mainstream genres in which dialogue, people talking, is inherently intense and interesting to an audience. That's the fun thing with the genre, you can play with a lot of different areas, wherein a different type of film you really wouldn't be allowed to," Nolan said.

The talk, hosted by BBC broadcaster Francine Stock, spanned Nolan's whole career, with the filmmaker explaining many facets of his craft, including his writing and editing techniques, Variety reported. Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan Recreated the First Nuclear Explosion Without the Use of CGI For Cillian Murphy's World War II Biopic.

He also mentioned the importance of cinematography, particularly the Imax format, and composition in his work, praising Hoyte Van Hoytema and Hans Zimmer. The influence of his actors was also examined, particularly Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight. Stock claimed that Nolan's Batman films foreshadowed the development of disruptive leaders in politics around the world. Nolan responded, "The intent was always to just be honest about presenting the things we were affected by, things we were worried about. Certainly, when I look back at Batman Begins, there's a heavy emphasis on terrorism, obviously, post 911. It wasn't something we were consciously putting into the film. Certainly, the Joker from The Dark Knight is all about fear and anarchy and the fear of rules breaking down and what that will do to society. The Dark Knight Rises is very much fearful of fascism, demagoguery."