Is 'Inception' Being Converted To 3D? Studio Is Noncommittal

By Russ Fischer/Feb. 25, 2011 1:36 pm EST

Earlier this week, Battle: Los Angeles director and future Wrath of the Titans director Jonathan Liebesman casually mentioned that Warner Bros. is converting Christopher Nolan's Inception to 3D, possibly for a DVD release. Cue a slight bit of confusion: we've known that Christopher Nolan is a lot more interested in shooting for IMAX than 3D, but that if pressured by audience tastes he would release a 3D film, and that it would be post-converted so that he could shoot film.

So for now, what's going on? Will we see a 3D Inception, either on DVD or in theaters? Warner Bros. is being cagey for now; more info after the break.

Here's the director's original quote, which was spoken in relation to post-converting Wrath of the Titans:

I didn't want to convert, but Warner Brothers showed me how far conversion's come... You've got Chris Nolan doing 'Inception,' converting the DVD, you've got 'Harry Potter' being converted, 'Star Wars' being converted, so the conversion process has improved dramatically in the past two years.

That touched off a flurry of communication between a great many website editors and various elements of the Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan camps. We haven't had solid word one way or the other, but Cinematical got a specifically non-specific statement about the conversion:

At this time, the plans for 'Inception' 3D cannot be confirmed.

(WB replied to us this afternoon, saying "no comment at this time.")

Square one, then. If we get any more info we'll update. For now, speculation time. There have been hints that conversion tests were done on Inception footage many months ago. Based on Mr. Liebesman's comment, it seems like the conversion he mentions would be for a 3D home release, but if the conversion is being done, it isn't difficult to imagine Warner Bros. making some digital prints and booking IMAX screen time.

At the same time, the idea that the studio would do something that big — a theatrical re-release in a new format of one of 2010's biggest movies — without the participation of Christopher Nolan seems difficult to believe. Mr. Nolan is busy with The Dark Knight Rises at the moment, and we know that he is single-minded when applying himself to a job.