Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan has urged Hollywood studios to take greater creative risks with blockbuster films, arguing that audiences are eager for originality rather than safe, formulaic storytelling.
Speaking to The New York Times, Nolan said studios should avoid playing it safe if they want long-term success.
“If you’re really interested in movies and the history of movies, the one thing you see absolutely is that you have to take risks to succeed. The biggest risk of all is to play it safe,” Nolan said. “That’s what, consistently in mainstream movies, doesn’t work. The audience is looking for something new.”
Nolan recalled pitching Memento’s unconventional reverse-chronological structure to his wife and producing partner Emma Thomas. While she liked the screenplay, she was initially concerned about its experimental format.
“I was able to say to her: ‘No, I can do this.’ There are a lot of filmmakers who can do it in a more straightforward way. Actually having something new to bring to the table mitigates the risk, it gives you a way to distinguish yourself.”
Nolan said Memento proved difficult to sell to distributors because of its unconventional narrative, but eventually connected with audiences.
“Then we tried to sell it to people who didn’t get it, so she was completely right,” Nolan said. “But eventually it got to an audience and the audience appreciated that. The risk is the intermediaries — the financiers, the studio. If you can get to the audience — I mean, I’m not making any predictions for [The Odyssey], but in the past we’ve been well rewarded for having faith in the audience.”
The filmmaker added that his upcoming epic The Odyssey also involves significant creative risks, and hoped that audiences will respond positively to the film.