Last March, Warner Bros. chief Jeff Robinov got to talking about the future of the Batman franchise, knowing The Dark Knight Rises would be the last film Christopher Nolan would direct in the franchise, but also knowing Nolan was producing Zack Snyder‘s Superman feature, Man of Steel.
Expressing a desire to keep the franchise alive with a reboot following Rises Robinov said, “We have the third Batman, but then we’ll have to reinvent Batman… Chris Nolan and [producing partner and wife] Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is.” Hold up Jeff, not so fast…
Speaking with EW, when asked about more Batman films, producing or otherwise, Nolan said of his potential involvement, “No, none at all. We’re finished with all we’re doing with Batman. This is the end of our take on this character… Batman will outlive us all, and our interpretation was ours. Obviously, we consider it definitive and kind of finished. The great thing about Batman is he lives on for future generations to reinterpret, and obviously, Warners will have to decide in the future what they’re going to do with him. We’ve had our say on the character…”
This is good and also bad depending on how you look at it. It’s good because we now know Nolan will focus his attention elsewhere. We all have enjoyed his Batman films and are anxiously awaiting Rises, but his other features are just as worthy of our anticipation and I can’t wait to see what’s next. The bad, as far as I’m concerned, is the fear Warner Bros. will attempt to duplicate what Nolan has done in terms of tone and approach to the character as opposed to entertain a director with a unique vision of his/her own.
So many comic book films as of late have said they’re going for an approach much like how Nolan tackled Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and none of them have lived up to the comparison. Hopefully there’s someone out there with an eye for something unique and not just a follower of the Nolan mold.
As for the Justice League mention in the headline, it would also stand for speculation that Nolan would at least be involved in a potential film bringing Batman, Superman and other DC Comics heroes together as Warner has long attempted to bring a mash-up together, much in the same way as Marvel has tackled The Avengers.
With Nolan involved in the Superman franchise, EW asked about his potential involvement in the Justice League, but that was swiftly buried as well. Nolan said, “I’ve got no plans to do anything more, and certainly, no involvement with any Justice League project.” Good. Squash any and all rumors and move along… after all, Nolan’s Batman wouldn’t be part of it and there has been no sign that Man of Steel is the start of a Justice League franchise, so it makes sense.
So Warner Bros. is left to look around for a new director to pick up the Batman mantle and approach the Justice League with some sort of inventiveness. Do you have any suggestions? Let me know in the comments below and tell me, are you excited Nolan is done with Batman and ready to move on to something else?
