Spielberg originally developed the film with Nolan’s brother, Jonathan.

Steven Spielberg says Christopher Nolan made a much better Interstellar than he would have

Spielberg originally developed the film with Nolan's brother, Jonathan.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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April 10, 2026 4:42 p.m. ET

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Steven Spielberg; Matthew McConaughey in 'Interstellar'. Credit:

Maya Dehlin Spach/Getty; Melinda Sue Gordon/Paramount

For many movie fans, it's an interesting "what if" to wonder what Steven Spielberg's *Interstellar* would have looked like. But, for the legendary filmmaker, there's no question that his replacement surpassed his own vision.

Spielberg began developing what became *Interstellar* in 2006, working on the sci-fi film for a year, and spending time speaking to scientists and aerospace engineers. He even went as far as hiring screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, who was fresh off of *Batman Begins*. And while Spielberg "became fascinated" with the project, he eventually bowed out, paving the way for Jonathan Nolan's brother and *Batman* collaborator, Christopher Nolan.

“I actually hired Chris Nolan’s brother to write the first and second draft for me, but it didn’t stick,” Spielberg recently told *Empire* magazine. “He actually said, ‘If there comes a point where you decide not to make this movie, I can tell you who’s gonna grab it. He’s already bugging me about it. And that’s my brother Chris.’ He was absolutely right. The second I decided not to make it, Chris jumped on board, probably the next day. "

Christopher and Jonathan Nolan.

Michael Buckner/Getty

The Nolans went on to co-write the final version of the script together. Released in 2014, *Interstellar* took place in a dystopian future where Earth is suffering from world-ending famine, prompting a group of astronauts — led by former NASA test pilot Coop (Matthew McConaughey) — to go in search of a new home for humanity. The film grossed nearly $800 million, and has developed a fervent following within the Nolan fan base — and Spielberg is right there with them.

"*Interstellar* was a much better movie in Chris Nolan’s hands than it would have been in mine," the *Jurassic Park* director declared.

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Christopher Nolan recently shared his side of the *Interstellar* handover in a conversation with Timothée Chalamet, who, in one of his first film roles, starred as Coop's son, Tom.

“Steven went off to do another film, so it became available," he explained. “I had a lot of conversations with Jonathan over the years, and what he was doing and what his ambition was. I was excited by it. I was incredibly struck by his first act. I had been working on a time travel idea… things looking at time. I had half-baked projects that I hadn’t committed to. When it became available, it was a case of me saying to Jonathan, ‘How would you feel if I took this and tried to combine it with some of my ideas and change a bit with what it was?’ He was fine with it. He could tell the spirit of what I was trying to do was to get to what he was initially excited about it.”

Both Spielberg and Christopher Nolan have new projects set to arrive on the big screen this summer: Spielberg returns to the sci-fi genre with *Disclosure Day*, while Nolan is taking on Homer's Greek epic *The Odyssey*.

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies

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