Christopher Nolan's TENET Does Not Involve Time Travel, But It Does Involve Time-Bending and a Quantum Cold War
We still have really no idea what the story of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film Tenet will be, but we have a few more cool bits of information to share with you today that will keep your curiosity peaked.
GQ recently did a profile on one of the film’s stars, Robert Pattinson, and one of the things that he cleared up in the interview was the theory that the story could involve time travel. He shoots that theory down saying of his character:
“He’s not a time traveler. There’s actually no time traveling. [laughs] That’s, like, the one thing I’m approved to say.”
He went on to talk about the epic scope of the film and the scale of action, saying:
“This thing, it’s so insane,” he says, noting the crew of around 500 would travel to Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. “And in each country there’s, like, an enormous set-piece scene, which is like the climax of a normal movie. In every single country.”
Damn! This movie might actually be even more epic than we imagine! Pattinson admits to not fully grasping the story, and Nolan responded to Pattinson’s admission, saying:
“The interesting thing with Rob is, he’s slightly fucking with you, but he’s also being disarmingly honest. It’s sort of both things at once. When you see the film, you’ll understand. Rob’s read on the script was extremely acute. But he also understood the ambiguities of the film and the possibilities that spin off in the mind around the story. And so both things are true. Yes, he’s fucking with you, because he had a complete grasp of the script. But a complete grasp of the script, in the case of Tenet, is one that understands and acknowledges the need for this film to live on in the audience’s mind, and suggest possibilities in the audience’s mind. And he was very much a partner in crime with that.”
The director didn’t reveal any story details, but there’s a new official behind-the-scenes book coming out, and the details from what we know of the book tease what this film is dealing with. Those things include time-bending and a Quantum Cold War.
The title of the book is The Secrets of Tenet: Inside Christopher Nolan’s Quantum Cold War, and this is the description:
FROM DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER NOLAN comes a mind-blowing espionage thriller so unique that audiences will puzzle over its intricacies for years to come. The Secrets of Tenet takes readers on an exclusive journey into Nolan’s time-bending masterpiece, offering rare insights into all aspects of its creation. Featuring in-depth commentary from Nolan himself and a range of other key collaborators—including producer Emma Thomas and production designer Nathan Crowley—The Secrets of Tenet delivers an essential masterclass that lays bare the director’s process and his singular creative vision. Illustrated with candid behind-the-scenes imagery and compelling conceptual art, this is the ultimate exploration of a film guaranteed to linger in the imagination long into the future . . . and perhaps the past.
Well, shit! Even though this offers us no story information, it still manages to get me even more pumped up for the movie! It sounds like Nolan is going to deliver one hell of an incredible movie! I’m excitedly intrigued!
As we’ve learned in the trailer, which you can watch again below, the film is set in a world of international espionage as those involved try to prevent World War III through some sort of time manipulation.
Christopher Nolan is fighting to keep the film’s release date firm for July 17th, and I hope that the studio does what he wants. I can’t wait to see this movie!