Christopher Nolan Has a Secret Star Wars Project, Says Brother Jonathan

If you ever wondered how Christopher Nolan got started before all the Oscars, mind-bending plots, and multi-billion dollar box-office tallies, it turns out it all began in the most relatable way possible: trying to rip off Star Wars with the family camcorder—except in Nolan's case, that camcorder was an actual Super 8 camera and the cast was his little brother and their toy collection.

Before Blockbusters, There Was the Basement

Christopher Nolan is now a giant in Hollywood—over $6 billion in worldwide ticket sales, and the kind of acclaim that lets you adapt Homer’s The Odyssey as your next 'ambitious' project. But rewind to his childhood, and you’ll find the original Nolan films being shot in the family basement, starring a bunch of Star Wars toys and directed by a very young Chris.

In a recent stop on 60 Minutes, Nolan talked about these extremely humble beginnings. He was deep into making 'Super 8 home movies,' as he calls them. Apparently, his family skipped the video camera trend and stayed old school with film. 'My family had a Super 8 camera instead of a video camera,' Nolan explained. Yes, there were actually home movies before iPhones.

'Blowing Up My Toys with Firecrackers'

Jonathan Nolan—yes, the same guy who helped bring us Westworld and Interstellar—remembers this era pretty vividly (or as vividly as you can when you’re three or four):

'My earliest memories literally are of Chris making movies. Our take on Star Wars, of course, in the basement, blowing up some of my toys with firecrackers. Probably 8 or 9 years old at that point. I would have been 3 or 4.'

No big studio, no CGI—just one brother detonating another brother’s action figures for the sake of art. Honestly, how many careers have started exactly this way, minus the Oscar? The best part: Jonathan doesn’t sound even a little bit mad, which is more than I can say for most siblings whose toys got sacrificed for a 'movie.'

Why Did Chris Get So Obsessed?

The 60 Minutes folks asked Jonathan what was up with Christopher's lifelong attraction to that camera. His answer is about as on-brand for Nolan as possible:

'I think he’s just always been captivated by the idea that you could take this device and use it as a portal into another universe. It was like a door.'

So there you have it. Before the mind games and twisting timelines, there was just a kid who wanted to step through the 'door'—and drag his brother (and his brother’s toys) into that new universe with him.

A Quick Nolan Timeline

• Late 1970s/Early 1980s: Christopher Nolan, aged 8 or 9, starts shooting Super 8 movies in the basement, starring his little brother Jonathan (3 or 4 years old at the time) and a bunch of Star Wars toys—occasionally destroyed for practical effects.
• 1998: Nolan finally makes his feature film debut.
• Early 2000s: Memento gets the world’s attention and cements Nolan’s reputation as a director to watch.
• 2020s: Over $6 billion at the box office, multiple legendary projects, and, apparently, he’s ready to take on The Odyssey next.

So, the next time you watch a blockbuster Nolan epic, just remember: it all started in a basement, with a Super 8 camera, some firecrackers, and a childhood love of Star Wars. If you need me, I’ll be digging out the old camcorder and my battered AT-AT.