Christopher Nolan believes Zack Synder’s ‘Watchmen’ was “ahead of its time”
Director Christopher Nolan has provided his opinion on Zack Snyder’s 2009 superhero movie Watchmen, which he has labelled as “ahead of its time.”
Based on the DC Comics series of the same name by Alan Moore, Watchmen takes place in an alternate, dystopian version of 1985 and focuses on a group of retired superheroes as they uncover the murder of one of their own.
“I’ve always believed Watchmen was ahead of its time,” Nolan recently told The Hollywood Reporter. “The idea of a superhero team, which it so brilliantly subverts, wasn’t yet a thing in movies.”
“It would have been fascinating to see it released post-Avengers,” the director added.
Nolan has previously spoken about the belief that modern cinema needs to be saved from superhero movies, reboots, sequels and franchises, noting, “There’s always a balance in Hollywood between established titles that can assure a return in audience and give people more of what they want, that’s always been a big part of the economics of Hollywood.”
He continued, “And it pays for lots of other types of films to be made and distributed. A healthy ecosystem in Hollywood is about a balance between the two things and always has been.”
Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Nolan will be presented a fellowship will be presented to Nolan at the BFI chair’s dinner in London on February 14th, 2024. The director will also participate in a conversation at the event the following day at BFI Southbank and introduce Tenet at BFI Imax.
Nolan said of the honour: “I am thrilled and honoured to be accepting a BFI Fellowship from an organisation so dedicated to preserving both cinema’s history as well as its future.”
Listen to the full AP interview with Nolan below.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.