Christopher Nolan reportedly had Warner Bros. cancel a Batman spin-off. It’s no secret that Christopher Nolan is responsible for some of the most beloved Batman films. The Dark Knight trilogy was a cultural juggernaut. After a modest start at the box office with Batman Begins, The Dark Knight catapulted things to the next level by making well over a billion dollars and taking home some Oscars. The reception to the film even got the Academy to change how many movies can be nominated for Best Picture, as it was famously snubbed for the award. It not only did wonders for Batman’s reputation, but director Christopher Nolan’s as well.
It gave him a lot of power at Warner Bros, allowing him to make big budget original movies like Inception. It also empowered him to have a pretty big role in the DC universe. Following the success of his Batman movies, Nolan and his writing partner David S. Goyer came up with a story for a grounded Superman movie known as Man of Steel. Nolan would go on to producer the Zack Snyder-directed film and then subsequent DC films such as Batman v Superman and Justice League, the latter of which Nolan prevented Snyder from seeing. Largely, it was also understood that no one was to continue Nolan’s Batman universe without him. That meant no Batman 4 with Christian Bale, no Robin spin-off, nothing. The Dark Knight Rises was the end.
Christopher Nolan Asked Warner Bros. to Kill a Robin TV Show
Nolan’s reach extended beyond Snyder’s films, though. According to the Wall Street Journal, Christopher Nolan had Warner Bros. cancel a TV show that would’ve chronicled the early life of Robin, seemingly around the late 2010s. It’s unclear why he stepped in on this particular project as there were many different Batman-adjacent shows such as Gotham and Titans that were able to make it to air. It may suggest that this Robin project was set in his universe or was trying to make some sort of connection to his films, but that’s pure speculation. WSJ doesn’t go into detail on what this Robin project would’ve looked like beyond the fact it was being made by a different group of producers.
Nolan also reportedly stepped in during the production of Joker. The director had heard that the Todd Phillips-directed DC film was going to end with Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker carving a permanent smile into his face, just like Heath Ledger’s Joker. Nolan felt that only his Joker should do that, likely protecting the legacy of Heath Ledger’s performance of the character. As a result, Joker just draws a smile on his face with blood in the final film.
Of course, Christopher Nolan no longer works with Warner Bros. following a spat with Tenet and how the studio handled the roll out of films during the pandemic. Although they seem to have patched things up in recent years and there’s a possibility they work together again one day, Nolan works with Universal these days. It’s likely he’s fairly disconnected from Warner Bros. now and doesn’t have as much pull on DC projects as a result.
The post Christopher Nolan Reportedly Cancelled a Major Batman Project appeared first on ComicBook.com.
