Acclaimed filmmakers haven’t been the biggest fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Legendary director Martin Scorsese has been outspoken with his controversial critiques (which he’s since clarified) that superhero movies are “not cinema.” Among other big-time directors who’ve been critical of superhero fare are David Fincher, Roland Emmerich and David Cronenberg. One auteur pointedly doesn’t consider himself part of that pool: Christopher Nolan. Of course, he helmed some of the best Batman movies of all time with his Dark Knight trilogy, and recently praised the performance of Marvel movies during the age of COVID.
Alongside Oppenheimer actor Robert Downey Jr. — a Golden Globe winner for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in that film — Christopher Nolan discussed not only Marvel’s positive effects on the industry post-Covid. He also talked about Iron Man director Jon Favreau’s brilliance in casting Downey as Tony Stark. The acclaimed told The New York Times the following:
The truth is, I think Jon Favreau casting Robert as Tony Stark is one of the most significant and consequential casting decisions in Hollywood history. It wound up defining our industry. Coming out of Covid, you say, ‘Thank God for Marvel movies.’
That “enormous risk” of casting the actor obviously paid off. The Iron Man franchise not only revived RDJ’s stalled acting career in the mid-2000s but also ushered in an era where movie fans regularly flocked to the cinemas to see superhero theatrical releases. And that was a particular boon in the days after the COVID pandemic. Titles like 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, 2022’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness and Ryan Coogler‘s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever brought in hundreds of million dollars at the box office.
And given how much of a vocal champion Christopher Nolan is for the theatrical experience (and famously called streaming services “evil,”), it’s not a surprise that he would be grateful for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ability to bring mass audiences back to the movie theater. Speaking of, in addition to dominating Oscar nominations, Oppenheimer broke records at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing biopic of all time.
His approval of the MCU isn’t the only surprising opinion that Christopher Nolan has revealed lately. The British director — who won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for Oppenheimer earlier this week — is apparently a huge fan of the Fast and Furious franchise. As he recently disclosed during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (which can be viewed on YouTube):
I have no guilt being a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise. It’s a tremendous action franchise… I watch those movies all the time. I love them.
His favorite of the bunch? 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which he recommended Stephen Colbert check out.
But, who knows, maybe there’s a MCU movie (or a Fast and Furious sequel) in Christopher Nolan’s future? Selfishly, we would love to see him try to direct Vin Diesel or another seasoned Marvel alum like Chris Hemsworth. In the meantime, you can look forward to Nolan’s Oppenheimer becoming available for Peacock subscribers on February 16. You can also check out all of the Marvel movies in order if you’re a Disney+ subscription holder.
