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Christopher Nolan’s Next Movie: Matt Damon in Talks to Star in Universal Film Set for Summer 2026

by · Variety

Christopher Nolan is returning to Universal for his next film.

Matt Damon, who appeared in “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer,” is in talks to star. Nolan is set to write and will produce with Emma Thomas under their Syncopy banner.

Following the success of “Oppenheimer,” which earned seven Academy Awards and grossed $958 million worldwide, it’s no surprise Nolan would re-team with the studio.

Sources tell Variety that Universal is planning an Imax release for the title on July 17, 2026. Plot details for the project remain under wraps. Universal had no comment.

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“Oppenheimer” marked Nolan’s first film outside of Warner Bros. in nearly 20 years. For the studio, he helmed the “Dark Knight” trilogy and other hits including “Dunkirk” and “Inception.”

Things changed in 2020, when WarnerMedia chief Jason Kilar decided to premiere a year’s worth of films on HBO Max. While Nolan didn’t have a movie opening during this period, he released a statement at the time slamming the strategy: “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.”

He took “Oppenheimer” to Universal, and the film ended up opening head-to-head with another Warner Bros. project: “Barbie.” In his 2023 Variety cover story, Nolan said any feud he had with Warner Bros. was now “water under the bridge.”

Deadline was first to report the news of Nolan’s next film.