Christopher Nolan May Have Made the Greatest Trilogy But He Still Believes He Can’t Beat 1 Filmmaker Even Today

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan is regarded as one of the leading filmmakers of the 21st century who is well admired for his complex storytelling. Nolan gained worldwide recognition after the release of his second film, Memento, and later for his critically acclaimed trilogy, The Dark Knight.

Nolan’s films have often featured mathematically inspired images and concepts, practical special effects, unconventional narrative structures, and more. Critics and audiences have always appreciated the filmmaker’s perspective while making a film, and his biographical thriller Oppenheimer, which won him Best Director at the Academy Awards, is proof of that. However, the filmmaker feels that there is still one filmmaker he cannot surpass.

Christopher Nolan says he cannot surpass The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson’s work

Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan is fondly recognized for his work with The Dark Knight trilogy, which starred Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, and more. The trilogy went on to receive not only just positive comments from critics and audiences but also to date is regarded as one of the greatest superhero trilogies ever made.

Nolan, in his conversation with EW in 2012, had shared that he was very hesitant to make the third film in the trilogy because it has been observed that the third film is always the weakest. He mentioned that there are very few great third films, and in some cases, dissatisfaction with third films comes from sheer exhaustion.

The filmmaker explained that he could not imagine sustaining his passion for anything in that kind of time without taking the necessary break. So he decided to make one film at a time but keep a trilogy structure in his mind. He explained that he wanted the third film to say something that was a conclusion to a larger story.

When asked if he looks up to any trilogy or filmmaker’s work for inspiration, Christopher Nolan said,

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was in the back of our minds the entire time we were making this [Dark Knight Rises]. What Peter Jackson did was completely different. He had the whole story for all three films; he was physically capable of shooting it all at once. I can’t imagine doing it myself.

Nolan regarded Peter Jackson’s work on The Lord of the Rings as one of the greatest achievements in movies. The filmmaker also added to the conversation that Bruce Wayne is very meaningful to him because he finds the character very aspirational.

Nolan noted that Wayne is a human being; he is not Superman and does not possess any superpower, but it’s his extraordinary wealth with which he tries to push himself physically and mentally and dedicates himself to a cause.

Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie, The Odyssey, has a budget that comes close to $250M

According to reports by CBR, Nolan’s upcoming movie, The Odyssey, which is an adaptation of Homer’s epic, has been revealed to have a budget of $250 million. The details about the movie have been kept under wraps except for Universal Sharing,

Christopher Nolan’s next film, The Odyssey, is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand-new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theatres everywhere on July 17, 2026.

In his conversation with The Guardian, the filmmaker compared Greek mythology to that of superheroes and mentioned that superheroes fill a gap in the pop culture psyche.

The filmmaker further added,

There isn’t anything else that does the job in modern terms. For me, Batman is the one that can most clearly be taken seriously. He is not from another planet or filled with radioactive gunk. I mean, Superman is essentially a god, but Batman is more like Hercules.

The Odyssey reportedly stars Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Tom Holland, and Matt Damon. The movie is set to be Christopher Nolan’s most expensive movie to date.

The Dark Knight trilogy is available to stream on Max.