The first full-length trailer for Christopher Nolan's next film, Tenet, has recently been released and it looks to be another idiosyncratic yet crowd-pleasing blockbuster from the ever-versatile director. In true Nolan fashion, the film’s plot is still fairly elusive in this latest trailer (although its immense production values certainly aren’t), but it’s safe to say that the film is a high-concept take on the espionage thriller, and one with a very enticing sci-fi element: time travel. We can see in the trailer (most evidently in a visceral sequence that shows a car crash reverse), that Nolan’s signature craft will be used to give a unique flourish to familiar action-film tropes, which of course sounds particularly similar to his 2010 film, Inception.
Yes, fan theories arose as early as last summer (when the teaser was released) that Tenet might be a sequel to Inception, and this new trailer is only furthering rumors that that may be the case. The film carries a very similar look to that film, as well as a similar concept. Inception envisioned a world where people could transport their consciousness into other’s dreams where they could literally steal their ideas, while Tenet seems to take place in a world where mankind can reverse blankets of time (and both also feature guys in ultra suave suit-and-tie attire!). Could it be possible then that both of these far-fetched technologies could exist in the same reality?
Well, before we get too ahead of ourselves here, it’s important we consider the filmmaker in question. Yes, we can say Inception and Tenet already look a lot like each other, but all of Nolan’s films carry his singular aesthetic (the principal reason why his take on Batman remains a stylistic anomaly in the superhero genre), and so far he hasn’t been so interested in making films in a conjoined universes. Yes, there was The Dark Knight trilogy, but even with that series he ultimately chose to close the door after three entrees, rather than expand to the degree that the MCU or DCEU have. Also, there aren’t any overt suggestions in the released footage that Tenet could be a sequel to Inception.
Still, the potential remains! Traditional rules for time and reality clearly don’t exist here, and maybe Tenet’s time travel could have a direct link with Inception’s dream hacking technology. Perhaps tech has evolved to a level in this world that dream theory and effects can be placated in our reality. Also, frequent Nolan collaborator Michael Caine is the only confirmed returning cast member from Inception here, and one may remember that in that previous film he played a college professor with keen knowledge on the technology of the world. Could he possibly be the link between the two films?
It’s all speculation at this point, and if the films do have a connection, it may very well be subtle, or even ambiguous. Whatever the case, Tenet looks to be nothing if not a very Nolan film, and should particularly appeal to those that have wanted to see him do another high-octane sci-fi thriller since Inception (face it, Interstellar was just too turgid to compare). Nolan also will likely stay mum on the subject until its release, but perhaps we can expect a viral campaign for it similar to the one he used with the last two Dark Knight movies. In that case, you can expect Reddit to explode with fan theories over the coming months.
Opening July 17, 2020, Christopher Nolan's Tenet stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clemence Poesy, Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh.