UPDATE: Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in talks to star.
Though he has his detractors, Christopher Nolan is widely considered to be one of the top filmmakers in the game right now, which is why everyone has been eagerly anticipating his next movie. Last year's "Interstellar" proved divisive among audiences, but continued Nolan's streak of blockbuster fiction. To date, the director has not strayed far from original content outside of "The Dark Knight" trilogy, preferring to dream up his own stories rather than borrow someone else's. However, that may be changing.
Previous rumors had suggested Nolan may be adapting the legendary anime series "Akira" with Leonardo DiCaprio for a new franchise with Warner Bros. But today comes word from a translated article in French publication The Playlist that Nolan's next movie may actually center on the evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II.
The evacuation saved countless Allied forces from Nazi aggression in the French and Netherlands regions in May-June of 1940. The true events are so harrowing and emotional that Nolan wouldn't even need to take a creative license with most of the details. If true, it would be his second period piece ("The Prestige") but the first based on actual history. It will be interesting to see the creative and original Nolan take on pre-existing material for a change.
Aside from Batman, Nolan is mostly known for his sci-fi outings ("Inception"), but has also proven capable of telling deeply personal stories on a smaller scale ("Memento"). In recent years, he has been one of the few filmmakers able to marry high-concept narratives with blockbuster mass appeal. It's a delicate balancing act that Nolan has perfected.
Though this rumor is still unconfirmed, Warner Bros. must be happy about the prospect of getting a war story from Nolan, an easier marketing sell than his normal affair. It's likely not a coincidence that the current mayor of Dunkirk has mentioned the town's participation in a major motion picture next summer with a "world famous director." But, for now, we still must treat this news as a mere rumor.
All we know for certain is that "Dunkirk" will be released through Warner Bros. on July 21, 2017.
