Can Christopher Nolan be considered one of the greatest film directors of all time?

NPR | By Geoff Brumfiel,

Marc Rivers, Rob Schmitz, Mallory Yu

Published August 9, 2026 at 5:27 PM EDT

With the blockbuster critical and financial success of The Odyssey, has Christopher Nolan earned his spot on the list of top tier American filmmakers?

Geoff Brumfiel

Geoff Brumfiel works as a senior editor and correspondent on NPR's science desk.

See stories by Geoff Brumfiel

Marc Rivers

Rob Schmitz

Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin.

See stories by Rob Schmitz

Mallory Yu

Mallory Yu is an associate producer for All Things Considered.

See stories by Mallory Yu

Support nonprofit, fact-based public service journalism

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

NPR News

Crews battle wildfires in western U.S. and Canada

Chandelis Duster

There have been 183 new wildfires, including eight large ones, across the U.S. since Saturday, the National Interagency Fire Center reported on Sunday.
NPR News

Demi Vollering wins Tour de France for the 2nd time

The Associated Press

Vollering, who first won the competition in 2023, finished the stage more than a minute ahead of Spaniard Paula Blasi Cairol and 2024 champion Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney.
Nearly 30 years after Tupac's death, the trial over his murder will finally begin

Rob Schmitz, Alejandra Marquez Janse, Daniel Ofman, Michael Levitt

For decades the mystery of who killed Tupac Shakur plagued the public. In 2023, police charged Duane Davis, also known as "Keefe D," with organizing Shakur's murder. The trial begins Monday.
It's been a record summer for foodborne illness

Yuki Noguchi, Rob Schmitz, Henry Larson

Heat and tainted produce have made this a record summer for foodborne illness. Cases of cyclosporiasis have topped 10,000, and the CDC just traced a new salmonella outbreak to Mexican jalapeños.
How AI is being used to track art stolen by the Nazis

Chloe Veltman

As momentum builds to recover artworks stolen during World War Two by the Nazis, researchers have created an AI chatbot that aims to trace the ownership and location history of works of art.