Is Christopher Nolan’s Tenet a secret sequel to Inception? Fan theory offers clues

Several fan theories that cropped up after the release of the second trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, seem to suggest that the film is a secret sequel his 2010 blockbuster, Inception. Fans have taken to Reddit to offer their takes on the matter, and also shared what they believe to be irrefutable evidence.

“Is Nolan not offering some other perspective into Inception’s universe and the various sci-fi tools used to do transcendent espionage therein?,” one Redditor asked. Several people pointed out that a scene towards the end of the trailer, in which Robert Pattinson and John David Washington have a conversation, appears to be the same limbo city from Inception.

Now watch the cafe scene from Inception: 

Others noted that the central time-bending conceit of the film -- described as ‘inversion’ -- sounds like it belongs in the same universe as Inception. “I already like Pattinson in the role he seems similar to Tom Hardy from Inception,” one person wrote on Reddit. “Time Warping, Global Espionage, Training Sequences, Guys Wearing Suits Standing In The Middle Of The Street Explaining The Plot To Eachother... if this isn’t an Inception sidequel, it almost looks like Nolan repeating himself. Not that I’m complaining,” wrote another. One fan joked that ‘Insemination’ will be the third part of the trilogy.

Fans have also speculated that Michael Caine might be reprising his role from Inception, and that Himesh Patel might be playing a version of the character who was played by Dileep Rao in the 2010 film.

Also read: ‘Aei what is Tenet’: Confused Amitabh Bachchan needed Sujoy Ghosh to tell him about Christopher Nolan’s new film

Tenet was slated for a July 17 release in theatres, but that looks unlikely because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The trailer did, however, assert that the film would be released ‘only in cinemas’, putting to bed notions that it was headed to streaming. Nolan has long been a champion of the big screen experience, and has shot Tenet on a mixture of large-format film, including IMAX.

A recent Deadline article claimed, “We hear that Tenet, which is already finished, is as amazing as Inception.” Also starring Kenneth Branagh, Dimple Kapadia and others, Tenet is Nolan’s first film since Dunkirk.

Follow @htshowbiz for more