Christopher Nolan will not work on a new film until the writers strike ends
As Christopher Nolan prepares to release his next movie Oppenheimer, Hollywood has also found itself in the midst of a writers strike. While Nolan’s latest film about the builder of the bomb will premiere as planned, the director vows to stand in solidarity with the writing community.
When Nolan was asked about any future plans to work on a movie during the writers strike, he answered affirmatively no, telling the BBC, “No, absolutely. It’s very important that everybody understands it is a very key moment in the relationship between working people and Hollywood”.
Though the writers strike began earlier this year, the actors guild also went on strike this past Thursday. This coincided with the premiere of Oppenheimer in England, which Nolan admitted to being “very fortunate with the timing”.
Nolan affirmed that his decision not to work on any new films was due to the unfairly treated writers, explaining, “This is not about me, this is not about the stars of my film. This is about jobbing actors, this is about staff writers on television programmes trying to raise a family, trying to keep food on the table”.
Since workers are not getting compensated, Nolan added that he completely understands their logic behind striking, continuing, “I think you’d never want a strike, you never want industrial action. But there are times where it’s necessary”.
Whereas Disney CEO Bob Iger has stated his grievances about the strike, Nolan says that the lack of payment comes from the rise of streaming, noting that various Hollywood studios haven’t “accommodated how they’re going to in this new world of streaming – they’re keeping it for themselves”.
While Hollywood studios and the writers guild struggle to come to an agreement, Nolan sees the human side of the argument, going on to say, “It’s very important to bear in mind that there are people who have been out of work for months now – a lot of people are going to suffer”.
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