Tom Holland’s Casting In New Christopher Nolan Movie Is All But Guaranteed To End His Disappointing Non-MCU Streak

Tom Holland’s movies outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been very hit-and-miss, but his casting in the lead role of Christopher Nolan’s latest project all but guarantees him a critical and commercial hit. Nolan is reteaming with Universal, the studio that scored him Oscar wins and box office success for Oppenheimer, for his next movie. Plot details are being kept under wraps — Nolan hasn’t even revealed the genre of his new project — but Nolan’s involvement alone is enough to make this one exciting. It’s been set for an IMAX release on July 17, 2026.

When Nolan’s new movie was first announced, the only actor attached to the project was Matt Damon, who previously worked with Nolan on Oppenheimer and Interstellar. Now, Holland has joined Damon in the cast. Having just worked with Robert Downey, Jr. on his last movie, Nolan is now collaborating with Downey’s Marvel protégé. Just as Spider-Man followed Iron Man into the Avengers, Holland is now following Downey into the Nolan oeuvre. After the blockbuster success of Oppenheimer, Nolan’s next movie is practically a guaranteed hit, and it should finally put an end to Holland’s string of disappointments outside the MCU.

Tom Holland’s Movie Roles Outside Of The MCU Have Been Very Patchy

Not All Of His Movies Outside Marvel Have Been Terrible, But A Lot Of Them Have

From Avengers: Infinity War to Spider-Man: No Way Home, Holland has been front and center in some of the MCU’s biggest successes, both in terms of box office numbers and overall quality. But outside of his Marvel appearances, his filmography has been very patchy and mediocre. He’s done some okay stuff in his post-Spidey career — The Devil All the Time was an interesting Southern Gothic thriller and Onward was a touching Pixar animation with a very poorly timed release — but his non-Marvel projects have mostly been misfires.

Cherry and The Crowded Room showed off a darker, grittier side of Holland’s acting, but they were panned by critics. Dolittle was a disastrous box office bomb and Chaos Walking emerged from years in development hell with a totally botched execution. Uncharted was a commercial success, but it failed to recapture the pulpy fun of the video games — and Holland’s performance failed to recapture the gruff charisma of Nolan North’s Nathan Drake. Holland can be depended on for a good Spider-Man outing, but he still hasn’t had a bona fide hit that didn’t rely on the Spidey brand.

Christopher Nolan’s New Movie All But Guarantees Tom Holland A Non-MCU Hit

Nolan Is A Blockbuster Franchise Unto Himself At This Point

Starring in Nolan’s next movie practically guarantees Holland a huge hit outside the MCU. Nolan is a franchise unto himself at this point; his involvement alone is enough to draw crowds out to theaters. Nolan’s only wobble at the box office has been Tenet, which was released at the height of the COVID lockdowns in the summer of 2020, and it still grossed more than some of 2024’s biggest tentpole films. If his name can turn a talky, three-hour biopic of a physicist into a blockbuster, then it can turn pretty much anything into a blockbuster at the box office.

Literally nothing is known about Nolan’s next film at this point. It’s been rumored to be about everything from vampires in the 1920s to police helicopter pilots in futuristic New York. When Damon’s casting was announced, it was speculated to be an Oppenheimer-style political epic about John F. Kennedy handling the Cuban Missile Crisis. But that doesn’t really matter. Whatever the movie is about, the thing that will put butts in seats is the fact that Nolan is directing. Holland couldn’t have picked safer coattails to ride.

A Nolan Movie Will Be A Very Different Role For Tom Holland

Starring In A Nolan Movie Will Require An Angsty, Brooding Performance From Holland

The lead in Nolan’s next movie will be a very different kind of role for Holland. From Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception to Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer, the lead role in a Nolan movie typically requires an actor to give a dark, moody performance. It’ll be much more in line with Holland’s work in Cherry and The Crowded Room than his many performances as bright-eyed friendly neighborhood superhero Peter Parker. A lot of Holland’s recent turns, like Uncharted, have been Spidey lite, as he’s gotten used to playing Peter. But Nolan’s latest film will require a very different kind of acting.

Since it’s still unclear what Nolan’s movie is about, it’s unclear what kind of role Holland will be playing. But there’s an undeniable pattern across Nolan’s filmography. None of his movies have revolved around fun, cheery characters; they’ve all centered on brooding, conflicted characters, like Al Pacino’s grizzled detective in Insomnia or Matthew McConaughey’s astronaut/absentee father in Interstellar. It’ll be interesting to see how Tom Holland adapts to the lead role in a Christopher Nolan film.

Tom Holland

Discover the latest news and filmography for Tom Holland, known for Spider-Man: No Way Home and Uncharted.

Birthdate

June 1, 1996

Birthplace

Kingston upon Thames, London, England

Professions

Actor , Dancer