Nolan's next movie has been making headlines this year for its all-star ensemble, including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron.

Nolan's next movie, which is expected to start shooting in early 2025, will also use brand-new IMAX technology.

As with most directors, Nolan is often influenced by the work of others and occasionally shares his opinions on other filmmakers. From a young age, Nolan has been deeply inspired by the work of directors such as Ridley Scott, George Lucas' Star Wars, and the late great Stanley Kubrick, especially his sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. More recently, Nolan praised The Curse – starring Nathan Fielder, Benny Safdie, and Emma Stone – as "groundbreaking" and also gave a glowing review to Godzilla: Minus One, calling it "a tremendous film."

Christopher Nolan Picks Gladiator 2 As His Favorite Movie Of 2024

"It's A Testament To [Ridley] Scott's Brilliance," Nolan Writes

Christopher Nolan picks Gladiator 2 as his favorite movie of 2024. Directed once again by Ridley Scott, this time with a script written by David Scarpa, the sequel follows Lucius, the son of Maximus and Lucilla, as he becomes a gladiator and fights in the Colosseum after his home is conquered by Rome's tyrannical emperors. Paul Mescal leads Gladiator 2's cast as Lucius alongside Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, and Derek Jacobi.

Now, as directors pick their favorite films of 2024 for Variety's new piece, Christopher Nolan revealed that Gladiator 2 is his favorite movie of the year. The director praised the sequel for seamlessly integrating the intimate emotional depth of its predecessor with the expansive demands of a modern sequel while delivering visually stunning, meticulously staged action that serves the film's themes. Nolan ires Ridley Scott’s ability to use spectacle—such as the sharks in the Colosseum—not just to entertain, but to reveal the audience's complicity in the sensationalism, offering a mirror to our own cultural obsessions. Read Nolan's full explanation below:

In Ridley Scott’s first “Gladiator,” Maximus asks us, “Are you not entertained?” and we’re confronted with the truth of why we’d visit the Colosseum through a movie. Scott knows we’re not there for insights into Roman culture; we’re there to see our own dark desires at a comfortable remove. But he’s far too experienced a director to get caught making parallels with our time. He lets the world of “Gladiator II” speak for itself, once again showing us who we are simply by inviting us to enjoy the crazy inflationary ride. Why are there sharks in the coliseum? Because we demand them, and Scott masterfully gives them to us. As he reveals how the games are used to manipulate public opinion, we can’t help but see shadows of our own public arena projected onto the sand.

Like the best long-awaited sequels, “Gladiator II” must be a remake and sequel in one, and it’s testament to Scott’s brilliance that he manages to balance the individual pathos of the original with the expansionist demands of the sequel’s central theme, bringing a lifetime of experience in controlling tone. Scott raises the game with the staging of his action — his incredible, hyper-observant, multi-camera mise-en-scène (so different to the original) masterfully wrestles the action into clear and jaw-dropping sequence after sequence. The effect is not just to entertain, but to drive us towards awareness of the movie’s themes. Few filmmakers have ever worked so invisibly on multiple levels. In films from “Blade Runner” to “Thelma and Louise” to “Gladiator II,” the visual density of Scott’s art serves as foil for his underlying thematic clarity.

Despite all his success, Scott’s contribution to the evolution of cinematic storytelling has never been properly acknowledged. Visual innovations he and fellow directors from the British adland of the 1970s brought to cinema were often dismissed as superficial, but critics of the time missed the point — the lavish photography and meticulous design brought new depth to the visual language of movies, mise-en-scène that could tell us what the worlds they portrayed might feel like. This has never been as clear as in the masterful opening shot of “Gladiator II,” where Paul Mescal’s hand gently cradles the grain harvested from the original movie’s swaying wheat.

Our Take On Christopher Nolan Picking Gladiator As His Favorite Movie Of 2024

It's No Surprise Considering His Love Of Ridley Scott

Christopher Nolan naming Gladiator 2 as his favorite movie of 2024 is no surprise considering his well-known reverence for Ridley Scott. For instance, Scott's meticulous attention to detail and use of practical effects in films like Blade Runner and Alien had a tremendous influence on Nolan's own emphasis on practical effects and real-world settings instead of CGI. It's also no surprise that Christopher Nolan, known for his own visually stunning spectacles, would have a deep appreciation for Gladiator 2, perhaps the biggest action extravaganza of the year.

Nolan's next movie is set for release on July 17, 2026.

Source: Variety