Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan has been elected as the new president of the Directors Guild of America (DGA). He takes over from Lesli Linka Glatter, who led the 19,500-member union of directors, associate and assistant directors, unit production managers and stage managers through the 2023 actors and writers strikes.
“To be elected President of the Directors Guild of America is one of the greatest honors of my career,” Christopher Nolan said. “Our industry is experiencing tremendous change, and I thank the Guild’s membership for entrusting me with this responsibility. I also want to thank President Glatter for her leadership over the past four years. I look forward to collaborating with her and the newly elected Board to achieve important creative and economic protections for our members.”
One of the Guild’s key issues in the coming years will be expanding royalty rights from digital platforms. During the 2023 contract negotiations, the DGA stood out as the only major Hollywood union to reach an agreement without a strike. That contract runs until June 30, 2026, making the upcoming negotiations under Christopher Nolan’s leadership particularly significant.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan has just wrapped production on his new film The Odyssey. The seven-month shoot finished last month and had a reported budget of $250 million. Shot entirely with IMAX cameras, the film is the first of its kind to be made exclusively in that format. Production spanned multiple countries, including Morocco, Greece, Türkiye, Italy, Malta, Scotland, and Iceland. The highly anticipated film is set to premiere on July 17, 2026.
