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Christopher Nolan Sets His Next Film For July 2026 With Universal

Christopher Nolan is collaborating with Universal again. His new film, which will star Matt Damon, will be released on July 17, 2026.



Article Summary

  • Christopher Nolan teams with Universal again for a July 2026 release starring Matt Damon.
  • Deadline reports no plot details yet, but anticipation grows for the Nolan-Damon reunion.
  • Oppenheimer's 2023 success marked a pop culture milestone with its $976 million box office haul.
  • Barbenheimer's organic success showcased how multiple films can thrive without cannibalizing audiences.

It seems things may be well and truly done with Warner Bros. and director Christopher Nolan. For a long time, the two were indistinctly linked, and Nolan is responsible for some of the best films in the Warner Bros. catalog from the last decade or so. So when word came down that Nolan would take his film about J. Robert Oppenheimer to Universal instead of Warner Bros., people wondered what happened behind the scenes to make that once solid relationship fall apart. Did it have something to do with Warner Bros.'s blatant disregard for the work people put into movies and their willingness to shelve projects for tax cuts? Nolan has never said, but people did wonder who Nolan would work with following the massive success of Oppenheimer. Universal is again stepping up to the plate as Deadline has reported that Universal will be distributing Nolan's next feature, with a prime-time release date of July 17, 2026. It's also being reported that this film will reunite Nolan and Matt Damon. At the time of writing, there are no confirmed plot details.

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February 10, 2024: Christopher Nolan at the 76th Annual Directors Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton. Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

What happened with Oppenheimer in the summer of 2023 was one of those beautiful and possibly once-in-a-lifetime moments. The way the world leaned into the Barbenheimer thing and proved that there was space for two excellent films to open simultaneously without cannibalizing each other was almost unheard of. People will try to make it happen again, but it was an organic thing that came about with no influence from studio marketing. Studio marketing and everyone involved decided that leaning in was the way to go, and it worked out well for everyone.

Barbie ended up with a total box office of $1.45 billion and a place in the pop culture landscape that isn't going away anytime soon. Nolan's Oppenheimer walked away with a sweet $976 million, becoming the third highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time [at the time of writing] and securing its place in the pop culture conversation by becoming a slow-moving character piece that did numbers. Oppenheimer also won seven Academy awards, including the coveted Best Pictures, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor. So it's not surprising that Universal happily courted Nolan again and is likely doing exactly what Warner Bros. did in the hay day of their partnership: writing him a blank check and setting him loose on a movie set.


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Kaitlyn BoothAbout Kaitlyn Booth

Kaitlyn is the Editor-in-Chief at Bleeding Cool. Film critic and pop culture writer since 2013. Ace. Leftist. Nerd. Feminist. Writer. Replicant Translator. Cinephillic Virtue Signaler. She/Her. UFCA/GALECA Member. 🍅 Approved. Follow her Threads, Instagram, and Twitter @katiesmovies.
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