Sam Mendes says Skyfall was influenced by The Dark Knight

With Skyfall getting rave reviews across the board, Sam Mendes could be forgiven for basking in the limelight and soaking up the adulation of the filmgoing public.

However, the director has instead taken the time to pay tribute to another British filmmaker (well, British-American), without whom he claims Skyfall would never have been possible.

“In terms of what Chris Nolan achieved,” begins Mendes, “specifically The Dark Knight , the second movie, what it achieved, which is something exceptional… it was a game changer for everybody.

“What Nolan proved was that you can make a huge movie that is thrilling and entertaining and has a lot to say about the world we live in, even if, in the case with The Dark Knight , it’s not even set in our world.

“That did help give me the confidence to take this movie in directions that, without The Dark Knight , might not have been possible.”

Skyfall opens in the UK on 26 October 2012. Just one more week to go, then… Meanwhile, read our official Skyfall review!