Three-time Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan announced his next film on Wednesday — a 10-year passion project set across three different time periods and continents, budgeted at $350 million, making it the most expensive non-franchise film ever greenlit by a major Hollywood studio, with a planned running time of four hours and fifteen minutes.
Nolan\'s new film will be shot across locations in Japan, Egypt, and Iceland over 18 months. Photo: Unsplash
The film, titled Meridian, is described in studio materials as a meditative epic about three characters separated by a century who are all responding to the same fundamental crisis of human civilization in ways that only become clear when their stories are seen together. Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures are co-financing the project in an unusual arrangement that reflects both studios\' confidence in Nolan\'s commercial track record and their recognition that the budget requires shared risk.
The Production Scale
Meridian will be shot entirely on IMAX film cameras across locations in Japan, Egypt, Iceland, and the American Southwest over 18 months of principal photography. Nolan said the decision to shoot on film rather than digitally was non-negotiable and that the visual texture of 70mm IMAX footage is essential to the film\'s emotional and philosophical ambitions.
The cast includes several A-list names that have not yet been publicly announced, along with what studio sources describe as a significant number of non-professional actors recruited specifically for the film. Nolan said one third of the film\'s characters speak languages other than English, and their dialogue will not be subtitled — a choice he said is integral to the experience he is creating for audiences.
The project represents one of the most ambitious non-franchise films in Hollywood history. Photo: Unsplash
Why Studios Are Taking the Risk
The decision to greenlight a four-hour, non-franchise film with a $350 million budget is remarkable by any measure, but studio executives point to Nolan\'s unmatched track record. His films have grossed more than $5 billion globally across his career, and his last three films — Oppenheimer, Tenet, and Interstellar — each made more than $800 million at the global box office. Meridian is targeted for release in the summer of 2028.
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