Christopher Nolan reportedly had a Robin project canceled while directing the Dark Knight trilogy. All throughout the two-thousands, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight movies dominated not only the DC landscape but also the superhero genre as a whole. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight inspired dozens of comic book adaptations and action movies to adopt a similar style. And yet, director Christopher Nolan stayed true to his goal of telling a standalone story contained in a single trilogy.
According to a new report by The Wall Street Journal, Christopher Nolan was “adamant about his control of everything Batman,” which reportedly allowed him to cancel a Robin TV show. Nolan did feature a version of Robin in The Dark Knight Rises, but he chose not to set up any other sequels, prequels, or spinoffs, and he decided not to make the Dark Knight trilogy part of a larger franchise or cinematic universe. Read the full report below:
“Warner Bros., meanwhile, was looking for help with its DC movies, which were floundering for the umpteenth time. Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy had been a critical and commercial smash, but didn’t include any other superheroes. The director was so adamant about his control of everything Batman that he convinced Warner Bros. to kill a TV show other producers were developing about the early life of sidekick Robin.”
What The Report Means For DC
It May Have Been Possible For The Dark Knight Trilogy To Become A Bigger Franchise
Undeniably, Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy had a huge impact on the industry and raised the bar for all subsequent comic book adaptations. In fact, The Dark Knight continues to be one of the highest-rated comic book movies of all time, and its box office performance continues to rival that of Marvel Studios’ latest blockbusters. If Christopher Nolan so desired, the Dark Knight trilogy could have led to multiple spinoffs, from Catwoman to Bane or Scarecrow.
Of course, a Robin spinoff or sequel would have been the most logical continuation of the Dark Knight franchise. The Dark Knight Rises‘ ending revealed that Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne pᴀssed on the torch to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s John Blake a.k.a. Robin, but whatever happened after Blake found the Batcave is up to fans’ interpretation. Christopher Nolan wanted to tell a self-contained story, and The Dark Knight‘s continuity received a definitive ending once the third installment was released.
Our Take On The DC Report
DC’s Robin Has Repeatedly Suffered Due To Cinematic Adaptation Decisions
Robin has been one of the most famous comic book characters for decades, yet he has appeared in only two live-action DC movies to this day. Burt Ward reprised his TV role in the 1966 Batman film and Chris O’Donnell co-starred in the now-infamous Batman & Robin. Batman & Robin‘s critical and commercial failure cast a shadow over Robin, and Christopher Nolan’s cancellation of a Robin project may have contributed to the character’s decades-long absence on the big screen.
Robin was also absent in the DCEU, and only his damaged costume made a cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
On the bright side, it didn’t take long after the Dark Knight trilogy ended for DC to revive the idea of a Robin-centered TV show. The 2018 TV series тιтans introduced three live-action Robins: Brenton Thwaites’ Dick Grayson,Curran Walters’ Jason Todd, andJay Lycurgo’s Tim Drake. Meanwhile, James Gunn’s DCU is set to introduce Damian Wayne in Andy Muschietti’s The Brave and the Bold. Robin’s live-action renaissance may be late, but it’s worth the wait.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
