Every Actor Confirmed For Christopher Nolan's Next Movie (2024)

While not a lot is known about Christopher Nolan’s next movie, its cast is already stacked with A-list talent. Christopher Nolan is no stranger to starry lineups. His most recent movie, 2023’s biopic Oppenheimer, included a historically impressive cast list dotted with Oscar winners, blockbuster stars, and acclaimed character actors alike. Oppenheimer’s cast of characters would be tough for any director to outdo but, never one to shy away from a challenge, Nolan has evidently taken it upon himself to offer viewers an even starrier affair next time. His 2026 mystery movie’s cast is shaping up to be a doozy.

Oppenheimer’s lineup included Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Casey Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Jason Clarke, Dane DeHaan, Matthew Modine, Macon Blair, Josh Peck, Alex Wolff, Gary Oldman, Olivia Thirlby, and David Dastmalchian. Astoundingly, the movie included even more notable actors whose names weren’t listed above. Of all of these stars, only one can be found in the cast list of Nolan’s next movie, whose story and setting have not yet been announced. However, this lone name is an A-list star, and their co-stars are equally impressive.

6 Matt Damon

Oppenheimer’s A-List Star Returns For Nolan’s New Movie

Matt Damon will appear in an undisclosed role in Nolan’s 2026 movie, making him the sole holdover from Oppenheimer’s cast. Damon played General Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project, in Oppenheimer. Before that, Damon collaborated with Nolan on 2014’s Interstellar where he played the astronaut Dr. Mann. While these are the pair’s only two earlier collaborations, Damon’s career means he might be the biggest star in the cast list for Nolan’s next movie. Since the ‘90s, Damon has been a multiplex mainstay who combined commercial success with acclaimed performances in award-winning dramas.

Damon made a name for himself with roles in 1997’s Good Will Hunting, 1998’s Saving Private Ryan, and 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, and the ‘00s saw him branch out into crowd-pleasing blockbusters. Roles in Ocean’s Eleven, The Bourne Identity, and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron soon followed. Some of Matt Damon’s best movies were released as the ‘00s continued, with the star appearing in The Departed, The Bourne Ultimatum, and True Grit. Throughout the 2010s, Damon balanced personal projects like Suburbicon and Margaret with bigger blockbusters like Elysium, The Martian, Jason Bourne, and The Great Wall.

Now, Damon’s role in Nolan’s new movie could bring the star back into the spotlight after various supporting roles in recent years. Damon shone in Oppenheimer, but star Cillian Murphy’s central performance ensured Damon's part was squarely a supporting role. Damon’s lead roles in recent years have largely been critical or commercial disappointments, such as 2023’s Air or 2021’s The Last Duel. Minor cameos in IF, Thor: Love and Thunder, Jay and Silent Reboot, and Deadpool 2 notwithstanding, it has been some time since viewers saw the star in a major big-budget studio tentpole, as is Nolan’s style.

5 Anne Hathaway

Nolan Collaborated With Hathaway On Interstellar and The Dark Knight Rises

Anne Hathaway will appear in Nolan’s new movie, and this will mark her third collaboration with the director. Despite how massive Oppenheimer’s sprawling cast was, Hathaway didn’t appear in the director’s 2023 historical drama. Anne Hathaway collaborated with Nolan on 2014’s Interstellar and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, both of which were acclaimed by critics upon release. While some of Nolan’s more out-of-order stories left critics divided, such as 2020’s Tenet, Hathaway’s collaborations with the director reliably earned both her and Nolan praise. This makes 2026’s upcoming Nolan movie all the more exciting.

Outside of her earlier collaborations with Nolan, Hathaway first rose to prominence thanks to Disney’s The Princess Diaries. That coming-of-age comedy marked her out as a talent to watch, although Hathaway struggled to recreate its success in the years that followed with less acclaimed family films like Hoodwinked, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and Ella Enchanted. Hathaway’s swing toward drama roles won her acclaim, as a supporting part in 2005’s Brokeback Mountain established her as a serious awards contender. Meanwhile, in The Devil Wears Prada, Hathaway proved she could still anchor a rom-com.

Since then, Hathaway has balanced her fair share of flops and hits. 2010’s Alice in Wonderland was a billion-dollar success but derided by critics. 2012’s Les Miserables won Hathaway an Oscar, but the years that followed saw her weather a string of movies that underperformed with critics like The Intern, Colossal, and The Hustle. Fortunately, 2018’s ensemble heist movie Ocean’s 8 was a big hit for Hathaway, and recent years have seen her career take a positive turn. Anne Hathaway had a great 2024 thanks to Eileen and The Idea of You, making Nolan’s casting a stellar choice.

4 Zendaya

Challengers Star Zendaya Plays An Unknown Role In Nolan’s New Movie

While Zendaya might be one of the younger stars listed in the cast of Nolan’s new movie, this doesn’t mean she is a lesser-known talent. If anything, Nolan's casting of Zendaya is arguably as exciting as Damon’s casting thanks to her varied career so far. A former Disney Channel star, Zendaya first rose to prominence as Spider-Man’s love interest Michelle in Spider-Man: 2017’s Homecoming. 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home gave her a bigger role, while the same year’s Euphoria established her as a serious dramatic star. 2021 was a massive year for Zendaya, thanks to the one-two punch of Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

This pair of blockbusters made Zendaya a household name, but her star power has only grown since. 2024’s Dune: Part Two was even more acclaimed than its predecessor, while the sports drama Challengers proved Zendaya may be an awards contender when the 2025 Oscars roll around. This, combined with the upcoming Euphoria season 3, marks Zendaya out as one of the biggest stars of Generation Z. Thus, Nolan’s casting of the blockbuster heroine is both majorly exciting and a canny choice on the part of the director thanks to her outsized and well-earned popularity.

3 Tom Holland

Nolan’s Movie Also Stars The MCU’s Spider-Man Actor

Thanks to the MCU, Tom Holland is one of the biggest names on the cast list of Nolan’s new movie. However, his casting isn’t just a win for Nolan. Despite the success of the Spider-Man movies, Holland has had a hard time escaping the shadow of his star-making role. 2019’s Spies in Disguise, 2020’s Dolittle, the same year’s Onward, and 2021’s Chaos: Walking were all box office letdowns, and only Onward could blame this issue squarely on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the industry. Thus, after 2022’s Uncharted fared poorly with critics, Nolan’s movie could be Holland’s first commercial and critical success outside the MCU.

2 Lupita Nyong’o

Nyong’o’s Blockbuster Career Continues With A Role In Nolan’s Mystery Movie

Although Christopher Nolan's mysterious new movie hasn’t given viewers any detail in terms of its story or characters, the project’s cast alone gives fans a lot to get hyped about. The addition of Lupita Nyong’o, another star who had not yet worked with Nolan on an earlier movie, only makes this more exciting. Nyong’o first rose to prominence with her breakout role in 2013’s 12 Years A Slave. The part of Patsey won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and the following years saw her establish a historically impressive blockbuster career.

Nyong’o followed 12 Years A Slave with supporting roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and 2016’s The Jungle Book, before playing Nakia in 2018’s acclaimed Black Panther. After that, 2019 saw her star in the indie horror comedy Little Monsters as well as director Jordan Peele’s acclaimed Us. 2022’s disappointing The 355 proved Nyong’o wasn’t infallible, but the star wisely followed this up with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. More recently, A Quiet Place: Day One cemented Nyong’o’s status as an A-list star once again, earning a staggering $261 million and surprisingly stellar reviews for a horror franchise prequel.

1 Charlize Theron

Mad Max: Fury Road’s Theron Joined The Cast of Nolan’s 2026 Project

Charlize Theron is the latest star to join Christopher Nolan’s 2026 movie, and her addition to the cast ups the star power of the movie even further. Charlize Theron’s many action movies mark her out as a genre queen, but she is arguably as well known for her many acclaimed dramatic roles. Acting since 1995, Theron has appeared in over 50 movies. Her early career was plagued by notable flops like That Thing You Do!, Mighty Joe Young, The Astronaut’s Wife, and The Legend of Bagger Vance, but Theron managed to quietly build a name for herself despite these high-profile misfires.

2003 was a turning point for Theron as she starred in the Aileen Wuornos biopic Monster, earning an Oscar for her layered, complex portrayal of the serial killer. In the years that followed, Theron began appearing in bigger blockbusters once more. 2012’s Prometheus and the same year’s Snow White and Huntsman were followed by 2015’s acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road, and roles in 2017’s Atomic Blonde and The Fate of the Furious built on this success. Theron hasn’t been seen on the big screen much in recent years outside 2023’s Fast X, making Christopher Nolan's next movie all the more exciting.

Source: Variety

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9.4/10

Oppenheimer

R

Drama

History

Biography

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Director

Christopher Nolan

Release Date

July 21, 2023

Studio(s)

Syncopy Inc. , Atlas Entertainment

Writers

Christopher Nolan

Cast

Cillian Murphy , Emily Blunt , Matt Damon , Robert Downey Jr. , Rami Malek , Florence Pugh

Runtime

150 Minutes