Christopher Nolan paid the ultimate tribute to James Bond in his $839 million masterpiece

Christopher Nolan, a genius screenwriter and veteran director, has been in the industry for two decades. In all these years and in some iconic films, the director has learned a lot from his surroundings.

Being a lover of Hollywood and cinema, Nolan is a lover of James Bond movies. Well, the director had a very subtle yet iconic homage to the iconic franchise in a film that took him 10 years to write.

Christopher Nolan is a James Bond fan

From the 1960s to the present, Ian Fleming’s novels about a British agent have been turned into countless films with a multitude of actors. From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, the James Bond the franchise is one of the most beloved franchises in the world.

The movies are loved by millions of fans around the world, and veteran director Christopher Nolan is just one of those guys. While writing and filming Start, the director was heavily inspired by the James Bond films for an iconic heist scene in the film.

During his conversation with wiredthe director stated that the final dream sequence was made larger than life because he wanted to pay homage to his favorite British franchise.

I’m a movie buff, so that’s where my brain went (the James Bond franchise). But I think that’s where a lot of people’s minds would go if they built an arena in which to do this heist.

He continued further,

Bond movies are these globe-trotting spy thrillers that make movies on a massive scale. The key noir reference is the character Mal; it was very important to me that she look like a classic femme fatale.

Well, after creating a subtle nod to the James Bond franchise, it was time to put his plan into motion. However, from paper to camera, the difference was huge and Nolan was hoping for all the luck he could get.

As if paying tribute to the franchise wasn’t enough, the crew members Start decided to create a fortress in Calgary, Canada to film the final sequence of the film. Well, the fortress turned out to be tougher than first thought.

When Christopher Nolan made a fortress in Calgary

For the final sequence, Nolan needed snow and a villain’s lair (which was inspired by the James Bond movies, by the way). As the good guys enter the lair, Nolan’s final sequence begins to play out.

The crew of Start built a fortress complex in Calgary, Canada, and they were blessed with some early snow that fell just before shooting began. When filming was completed, Christopher Nolan wanted to blow up the classic style of the James Bond fortress.

During his talks (via Looper), here’s how Nolan paid a well-deserved homage to the James Bond franchise.

(Nolan wanted) an extraordinary lair of a bad guy – a compound in the mountains.

Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould stated that,

It (the city) lends itself so perfectly to exploding.

Well, the face of the fortress didn’t explode. Christopher Nolan managed to pull a few pieces from an explosion and put them together to make it look like a real explosion. All this hard work was indeed worth it for the director.

After it was launched in 2010, Start It currently has a rating of 8.8/10 on IMDb and 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. The landmark film is available to stream on Peacock in the US