Christopher Nolan knighted by King Charles III for 'extraordinary contribution to film'

Christopher Nolan is capping off a big year with another major honor.

The Oscar-winning "Oppenheimer" director, 54, on Wednesday received a knighthood from King Charles III. His wife, producer Emma Thomas, was honored with a damehood.

"Arise, Sir Christopher Nolan and Dame Emma Thomas!" read a social media post on the royal family's Instagram, which said the couple was recognized for "their extraordinary contribution to film."

It was announced that Nolan would be honored with a knighthood in March, the same month the director's latest film "Oppenheimer" won big at the Academy Awards.

The acclaimed movie, which follows the creation of the atomic bomb, won seven Oscars, including best picture and best director for Nolan. Cillian Murphy was awarded best actor for his lead performance, while Robert Downey Jr. won best supporting actor.

"Movies are just a little bit over 100 years old," Nolan said in his best director acceptance speech. "Imagine being there 100 years into painting or theater. We don't know where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that you think that I'm a meaningful part of it means the world to me."

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Nolan began his career in 1998 with the independent thriller "Following," which he followed up in 2000 with "Memento." Beginning in 2005, the filmmaker turned to the comic book genre with the hugely influential "Batman Begins," which helped birth a wave of superhero films that took their source material more seriously.

The sequel, "The Dark Knight," was a phenomenon that grossed over $1 billion, won Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker, and is still considered one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.

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After Nolan ended his Batman trilogy with "The Dark Knight Rises" in 2012, he has spent the subsequent years as one of the few directors in Hollywood whose name alone is enough to get audiences out to theaters. The director has toggled between genre fare like the sci-fi films "Interstellar" and "Tenet" and more grounded films like "Dunkirk" and "Oppenheimer."

Thomas has served as producer on Nolan's movies going back to "Following." She and Nolan have been married since 1997, and they share four children.

Nolan is already assembling a star-studded cast for his next film, the plot of which has not been revealed. According to Deadline, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Anne Hathaway are among those set to star.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Christopher Nolan knighted by King Charles III