Christopher Nolan thanks Marvel films for saving cinema after COVID

“The truth is that casting Robert as Tony Stark was the most consequential choice in Hollywood history. It left its mark on the industry.”

Christopher Nolan dedicates the rescue of post-covid cinema to a very specific category of films… Marvel films!

“Thank goodness there were Marvel movies“, declared the director ofOppenheimer.

During an interview with the New York Times, Christopher Nolan showed all his gratitude to Marvel films, saviors of the box office after the pandemic. This statement clashes with that of Martin Scorsese, with regard to the MCU films. The director of Freed had declared the necessity of “combat” and of “retaliate” against this superheroic phenomenon.

During the interview, Nolan once again sang the praises of the man who plays the formidable Levi Strauss, in the biopic Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr.. His meeting with the actor took place during the casting of Batman Beginslong before the actor stepped into the shoes of Tony Stark.

“The truth is that Jon Favreau choosing Robert for the role of Tony Stark is one of the most significant and consequential casting decisions in Hollywood history. It left its mark on the industry. Coming out of the COVID period, we say to ourselves ‘Thank God there were Marvel films‘. When you think about it, it seems obvious. But he took a huge risk in casting Robert in this role.“

A few days ago, Christopher Nolan had already underlined all the admiration towards Robert Downey Jr.has Stephen Colbert in the Late Show : “He has so much charisma in Tony Stark. I wanted to give him the opportunity to lose himself in a role, to lose himself in another human being as great actors like.”.

“We’re always looking for great actors, but we’re also looking to capture them at a special moment in their lives and careers. We must have something to offer them, something new for them. I wanted to see this movie star, drop all this baggage, this charisma, and get lost in a dramatic representation of a very complicated man. I always wanted to work with him, I really did. Once I stopped being afraid of him.“

In addition to flattering his actor, the filmmaker had the opportunity to return to the Barbenheimer explosion which shook the world of culture. The two antithetical projects shared a release date, despite their differences. This event had a resounding effect in the history of cinema, Christopher Nolan looked at this episode:

“The joint weeks were exciting. The numbers that came in defied all our expectations. We’ve always managed to manage this sort of thing, which can be quite stimulating for the market, but this time it was a complete shock for (producer) Emma (Thomas) and me, it exceeded our expectations“, did he declare.

Robert Downey Jr. became aware of the scale of the event, which he describes as an impact “fiscally significant for cinema“.

Oppenheimer is nominated in no fewer than 13 categories at the 2024 Oscars, including Best Director and Best Film. There 96th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday March 10, 2024from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. (i.e. from 1 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. French time), at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

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