Hollywood is a town built on relationships, and one of those standouts has been the developing bromance between celebrated auteurs Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan. While viewers saw the two directors support each other’s projects, Villeneuve opened up about his budding friendship with Nolan, and what led to a special Oppenheimer screening.
The Dune: Part Two director appeared on CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast to promote the film, which is fresh off a terrific debut at the weekend box office. The talk soon turned to Villeneuve’s special double screening with Nolan before Oppenheimer and Dune 2 were released. When asked how the two directors navigate showing their respective films as friends, the Oscar-nominated director took a moment to clarify the context of their emerging friendship, saying:
I'm developing a friendship with Chris. I’m not, uh, among his great friends. He knows a lot of people. So, I would not want to take a position that I … But yes, it's true that we are becoming friends. And it's true that Chris showed me Oppenheimer. (We were) seeing one of the first IMAX prints, and he brought a couple of friends, and I was among them. It was like a privilege for me to watch Oppenheimer before everybody else. And I did the same once Dune: Part 2 was finished. I showed him the movie before everybody. But it's the beginning of a friendship.
So, Nolan and Villeneuve aren’t quite BBFs just yet. That hasn’t stopped the filmmakers from inviting each other to see their blockbuster films before anyone else. However, it does seem the two men are building towards a nice bromance. They’ve praised each other’s work in the past with Nolan comparing the Dune sequel to the beloved The Empire Strikes Back. Of course, the Oppenheimer director wasn’t the only one singing the film’s praises as seen in our Dune: Part Two review. While the directors might not be best buds yet, Villeneuve didn’t waste a second letting out his inner Christopher Nolan fanboy, commenting:
I will say, my admiration for this filmmaker is, I think I, I publicly state how much I admire him. He's someone that operates in a range, in a stratosphere somewhere above everybody. … For me, each of his movies are a cinematic lesson. I'm one of his big fans.
There’s nothing like meeting your heroes; they are everything you want them to be. Luckily, the feeling is mutual as Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve continue to develop their friendship. Maybe the lovefest will continue once their respective follow-ups arrive in theaters. See what else Villeneuve had to say about the Tenet director and the Dune sequel in the podcast episode below.
In the meantime, you can catch Dune: Part Two in theaters with its outstanding all-star cast and sequel-teasing finale. According to Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Messiah’s script is ready. But the director sparked some concern by mentioning placing possible distance between Dune 2 and the threequel. Of course, he already has the Max prequel series Dune: Prophecy in the can, which will arrive later this year. Before watching the prequel and the blockbuster sequel, don’t forget to watch the original film through a Max subscription.
