Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve are two of the most celebrated directors in cinema today. Both are renowned for their cerebral approaches to blockbuster filmmaking, and for revolutionizing the sci-fi genre on the big screen. Born less than three years apart, the two directors share a surprising amount in common, despite coming from different continents and family backgrounds.

In fact, the career trajectories of the two filmmakers are eerily similar, with various odd parallels to be found in how they’ve gone about their work. Villeneuve’s cinematic releases over the past decade appear to have mirrored Christopher Nolan’s movies in some senses.

While his appointment at the helm of the 26th James Bond movie could push Villeneuve in a different direction from Nolan’s oeuvre, it might simply strengthen the pair’s artistic bond. Both of them are mᴀssive fans of 007.

Nolan and Villeneuve have developed a personal friendship alongside their big-screen rivalry. Each director has given the other a first-print screening of their latest film, a custom that Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey may well continue (via CinemaBlend). This camaraderie between the two directors is only natural, though, when you consider the strange similarities between their 30-year film careers.

10

Their Debut Feature Films Were Released In The Same Year

Christopher Nolan’s Following & Denis Villeneuve’s August 32nd On Earth

Back in 1998, Nolan was working as a videographer making corporate firms in London, while Villeneuve was a jobbing director in Montreal, whose first professional ᴀssignment was directing part of a Québécois reality TV series. Yet, somehow, both of them managed to put out their debut feature films that year.

Nolan’s was a neo-noir homage to Alfred Hitchcock called Following, while Villeneuve’s was an idiosyncratic drama movie called August 32nd on Earth, the themes and setting of which Dune fans might well recognize. Neither film was particularly successful, although Nolan’s is a genuine work of art. But the two directors were on their way.

9

Their First Hit Movies Were Both About Memory

Memento & Arrival

Nolan’s next project was a significant success for the young director, as his seminal, memory-themed crime thriller Memento became a minor box-office hit after debuting at the Venice Film Festival in 2000. Bizarrely, 16 years later, Villeneuve also had his first genuine commercial hit with Arrival, another movie that explores the nature of memory.

Villeneuve had already had some box-office success over the previous three years with his own crime thrillers, Sicario and Prisoners. Nevertheless, it was Arrival that first put on the map as a big name in Hollywood, as it grossed over $200 million and won universal critical acclaim.

Arrival’s parallel timelines, presented in non-linear fashion, represent another unlikely parallel between Villeneuve’s first major success and Christopher Nolan’s Memento. The two movies are very different, but their thematic and structural similarities are uncanny.

8

Both Became Household Names By Rebooting A Mᴀssive Franchise

Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy Rebooted Batman, While Villeneuve Rebooted Dune

If Memento was a critical triumph that quickly developed into a cult classic, then Nolan’s fourth movie, released in 2005, turned him into a director whose name went before the тιтles on movie posters. Batman Begins began Nolan’s radical transformation of Batman movies with his Dark Knight Trilogy. No superhero franchise would ever be the same again.

16 years later, Villeneuve took Frank Herbert’s iconic Dune franchise, only previously rendered on the big-screen in David Lynch’s divisive 1984 movie, and turned it into a cinematic juggernaut. Villeneuve’s Dune franchise has grossed over $1 billion so far, while Dune: Part Two had a genuine chance of becoming the first sci-fi franchise film to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

7

Christopher Nolan Was Offered Blade Runner 2049

Villeneuve Ended Up Directing The Movie

It may seem as if Villeneuve has been 16 years behind Nolan since their directorial debuts, but in some cases, Villeneuve is actually a step ahead of his rival. For instance, when Nolan turned down the chance to direct Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve was on hand to make the movie his own.

The original Blade Runner had a mᴀssive influence on Nolan, and he was wary of tarnishing its legacy with an inferior sequel, despite being Blade Runner 2049 producer Andrew A. Kosove’s first choice to direct. Villeneuve, another Blade Runner fanatic, had no such concerns. He jumped at the chance to add his own masterful touch to the follow-up movie.

6

Both Directors Fell Out With Warner Bros. In 2020

They Reacted Angrily To The Studio Canceling Exclusive Theatrical Releases For 2021

Three years after Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 was released to critical acclaim – including from Nolan – the two directors led a chorus of dissent against a controversial decision made by Warner Bros. The studio had decided to release its entire roster of new movies for 2021 on the streaming service HBO Max, concurrently with their theatrical releases.

This decision affected Villeneuve’s Dune, as well as the delayed theatrical run of Nolan’s movie Tenet. Both filmmakers publicly expressed their anger with Warner Bros. for compromising the integrity of theatrical releases, and the cinematic viewing experiences. This episode even led to a feud between Nolan and Warner Bros., which was carried over into his next movie, Oppenheimer.

5

Denis Villeneuve Is About To Direct A Nuclear War Movie

The Director Is In Talks To Adapt Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario

Following Nolan’s recording-breaking, Oscar-winning historical biopic about the invention of the atomic bomb, Denis Villeneuve could well make his own nuclear war movie. Villeneuve’s Oppenheimer equivalent will be based on Annie Jacobsen’s non-fiction book, Nuclear War: A Scenario.

If Villeneuve does go ahead with making this film, it will likely be far more overtly dystopian than Oppenheimer, given that its story would posit a hypothetical scenario rather than covering a real-life personal biography. Otherwise, it will be yet another weird parallel between his and Nolan’s careers to add to the list.

4

They Both Always Wanted To Direct A James Bond Movie

Villeneuve Has Now Been Confirmed As The Director Of Bond 26

Now that Denis Villeneuve has been confirmed as James Bond’s next director, the anticipation is building towards the 26th movie of the Bond franchise. Directing this movie has been a dream of Villeneuve’s for more than a decade, but he’s not the only one to have harbored this desire.

When asked by Playboy in 2017 if he’d like to direct a Bond movie, Nolan responded, “Definitely.” He also revealed that he’d been in contact with the franchise’s producers, opening up the possibility of a collaboration in the future. While Villeneuve’s 007 dream is already coming true, there’s still plenty of time for Nolan to fulfill his, too.

3

Hans Zimmer Is Their Regular Musical Collaborator

The Composer Has Scored 7 Nolan & 3 Villeneuve Movies So Far

Given Christopher Nolan’s extensive collaborations with Hans Zimmer, it feels like Villeneuve may well have made a conscious decision to hire Nolan’s favorite film composer for Blade Runner 2049. Zimmer has scored both of Villeneuve’s subsequent movies for the Dune franchise, and looks set to continue as his musical collaborator moving forward.

As if Villeneuve didn’t already have enough in common with Nolan, their movies now have similar soundtracks as well. Nolan’s preferred cinematographer, Hoyte van Hoytema, who has previous experience working on a Bond movie, could be next.

2

Their Spouses Work With Them On Their Movies

Emma Thomas Has Produced All Nolan’s Films & Tanya Lapointe Has Worked With Villeneuve Since 2015

In a further commonality between them, Villeneuve and Nolan both have their spouses serving as producers on their movies. Nolan’s wife, Emma Thomas, has produced every one of his movies since he started as a filmmaker. It’s Thomas who is best able to explain the ending of Nolan’s masterpiece Inception, given her intimate understanding of his work.

Villeneuve’s wife Tanya Lapointe has been involved in the production of his movies since they first got together in 2015. Arrival was their first collaboration, followed by Blade Runner 2049. Lapointe was credited as a producer of Dune: Part Two, and we could see her name on every Villeneuve film from now on.

1

They Share The Same Favorite Film

Nolan & Villeneuve Both Idolize Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at the weird parallels between Nolan and Villeneuve’s careers, given that they both took the same work as their starting point in filmmaking. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is the favorite film of both directors, and has been since before they were making movies themselves.

Nolan has named the Kubrick classic as an inspiration for his movies for him more than any other work. Such is his love for 2001 that he famously restored the original celluloid of the film, before sending it on a world tour in 2018.

2001: A Space Odyssey is the only Kubrick film that appears on a list of Nolan’s recommended movies published by IndieWire. On the other hand, Kubrick was the first word that sprang to the director’s mind when he was asked about his favorite film on The Rich Eisen Show.

Meanwhile, Villeneuve told Letterboxd last year that 2001: A Space Odyssey had been “top” of his favorite films list for many years. Although the other movies in his list change every day, that one remains there permanently.

There are plenty of unusual similarities between Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve. But their profound love for one of the greatest movies ever made is entirely ordinary, and something they share with millions of Kubrick fans the world over.

Sources: CinemaBlend, IndieWire, The Rich Eisen Show, Letterboxd