# In 1996, Christopher Nolan was “advised to abandon” his first movie. He did, and nobody has ever seen it since

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1996-christopher-nolan-was-advised-to-abandon-his-first-movie-he-did-and-nobody-has-ever-seen-it-since/
- Published: 2026-10-30T16:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T17:26:35+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/christopher-nolan-advised-to-abandon-first-movie-nobodys-ever-seen/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film, Music

## Key points

- Nolan’s 1996 feature *Larry Mahoney* remains unseen by the public.
- Brian Barnes advised him to abandon it because its story fell short.
- Nolan went on to make *Following* in 1998.

## Summary

Christopher Nolan made a feature-length student film called *Larry Mahoney* in 1996, but it has never been released publicly. His university friend Brian Barnes watched a cut and advised him to abandon it, saying the story did not work despite Nolan’s evident technical skill.

Nolan took the advice and set the film aside; the article says only a small circle, including Barnes and Nolan’s wife Emma Thomas, have seen it. Nolan’s next short, *Doodlebug*, appeared in 1997, followed by his first publicly recognised feature, *Following*, in 1998. Barnes also said he encouraged Nolan to try a noir-style film, though the article notes his influence on Nolan’s career is uncertain.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.