Christopher Nolan has directed sci-fi, thrillers and superheroes…but one genre ‘terrifies’ him

Christopher Nolan has built a career on ambitious blockbusters, psychological thrillers and historical epics, but the Oscar-winning filmmaker says there is one genre he would be "terrified" to take on, the romantic comedy.

The director made the admission during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he reflected on the unique challenges of making audiences laugh. While Nolan said he enjoys watching romantic comedies, he believes directing one requires a very different skill set from the films he is known for. 

His comments come shortly after the release of ‘The Odyssey’, his latest big-screen adaptation of Homer's epic poem, which continues to perform strongly at the global box office.

Why Christopher Nolan won't direct a romantic comedy

When Fallon jokingly suggested that Nolan should make a romantic comedy after completing ‘The Odyssey’, the filmmaker laughed off the idea, saying the genre is far more demanding than many people realise.

“I think doing a rom-com would be incredibly difficult. I love watching those movies. But, no, I think comedy, like, people who direct comedy, people who do comedy, I think that's one of the hardest things in the world to make people laugh that way,” he said.

Nolan explained that comedy leaves little room for interpretation if jokes fail to land with audiences.

“Particularly the risk they take. When you make a film…you know, if I show a film to people and maybe they don't respond to bits of it, I'm like, 'Ah, they don't get it. Whatever.' There's no hiding behind that when you do comedy,” Nolan joked, prompting laughter from Fallon.

He went on to admit that he would be "terrified" of directing a romantic comedy.

A different challenge from Nolan's usual films

Throughout his career, Nolan has directed films across multiple genres, including science fiction (‘Interstellar’, ‘Inception’ and ‘Tenet’), superhero films (‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy), historical dramas (‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Oppenheimer’) and mystery thrillers such as ‘Memento’ and ‘The Prestige’.

Despite regularly taking on technically demanding productions, Nolan suggested that comedy presents an entirely different creative challenge because audience reactions are immediate and difficult to disguise.

Airport security nearly ruined 'The Odyssey' footage

During the same interview, Nolan also shared a behind-the-scenes story from the production of ‘The Odyssey’.

The filmmaker recalled a tense moment when airport customs officials opened canisters containing the film's large-format IMAX negatives. Because the footage was shot on light-sensitive film stock, exposing it to direct light could have destroyed portions of the movie.

Nolan said the production involved transporting a huge number of film canisters during its international shoot.

"It was a massive amount of film cans," he said, before adding that customs officials "did not actually expose it," meaning the footage was ultimately saved.

When Fallon asked whether he had been worried, Nolan replied, "Big time," prompting the host to joke about the difficulty of recreating the production.

'The Odyssey' pushed filmmaking on a massive scale

‘The Odyssey’ marked another technically ambitious project for Nolan.

The film was shot over more than 90 days across six countries using 70mm IMAX cameras, making it the first feature filmed entirely in that format. Reports have said the production also used a 60-foot animatronic puppet and involved thousands of crew members.

The adaptation stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya.

The demanding production also tested its cast. Damon previously joked that long hours wearing sandals while portraying the Greek hero left him with back pain and cuts on his feet.

Meanwhile, Holland revealed he initially believed Nolan was stopping his scenes because of poor performances, only to later discover that IMAX cameras can record for only about three minutes at a time before needing to reload.

Horror remains on Nolan's wishlist

Although Nolan ruled out romantic comedies for now, he indicated he remains interested in exploring horror in the future.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker said ‘The Odyssey’ had increased his interest in tackling the genre, although he stressed that horror requires an exceptional concept before production can begin.

“But I’ve always believed that horror as a genre has to be approached very carefully from a conceptual point of view. In other words, you have to have an amazing idea,” he said.