Christopher Nolan Will Reportedly End His Relationship With Warner Bros. Following The HBO Max Controversy

In a move that seemed inevitable following the director’s outspoken criticism of Warner Bros.’ decision to release its entire 2021 film slate on HBO Max, Christopher Nolan has reportedly ended his working relationship with the studio. After repeatedly making his dissatisfaction known, Nolan will be searching for a new studio despite getting the red carpet treatment from Warner Bros. for over a decade after delivering the massively successful The Dark Knight trilogy. Via Wall Street Journal:

“After spending years as a top Warner Bros. director, Christopher Nolan, who wrote and directed last year’s Tenet, is unlikely to return to the studio with his next project, in part because he was disappointed with the studio’s hybrid distribution strategy for 2021.

At the center of Nolan’s contention is the fact that Warner Bros. essentially made the decision without even consulting filmmakers who would be directly impacted by the hybrid release schedule that simultaneously streams their movies on HBO Max on the same day that they hit theaters. Nolan has publicly argued that the financial impacts will be felt by workers who are further down the totem pole and rely on residuals to make ends meet. He also didn’t mince words that the surprise decision has tarnished the studios’ reputation for being the best in the business.

“Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service,” Nolan wrote in a blistering statement to The Hollywood Reporter.