yeah from what I understand of hollywood, you need to really hit a certain level before studios will let you do what you actually want. Nolan and very few others like you said are at that level, but you essentially have to be at the top. That also means you put in a lot of time and effort doing other things to get there.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 10 points 22 hours ago

Nolan is pretty much alone. No-one else gets to do this stuff. The only comparable director would be Cameron but he invests a lot of his own money in Avatar.

Nolan’s position has a lot to do with his remarkable track record - every Hollywood film he’s made has come in under-schedule and under-budget, and has made big profits.