Christopher Nolan, the director of the dark Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, finally opened up about the reported “godfather” role he’ll be playing in another Superman franchise reboot.
In an interview with the LA Times, Nolan addressed previous incarnations of the Man of Steel, the tentative title for the new direction. He noted admiration for Bryan Singer’s vision, particularly its connection to the Richard Donner version of the superhero, but of course Nolan has new plans for the character. “A lot of people have approached Superman in a lot of different ways. I only know the way that has worked for us that’s what I know how to do,” Nolan said.
The director also put to rest the possibility of Batman versus Superman (for now), emphasizing the idea that Batman exists in a world where he is the only superhero and would be using a similar approach for Superman. “Each serves to the internal logic of the story. They have nothing to do with each other.” I doubt this will stop the occasional false headline in the coming months as British tabloids and overzealous bloggers dream up Justice League possibilities, but remember Nolan himself said it wasn’t happening… yet.
David Goyer is writing the Superman screenplay that Nolan calls “exciting” and a “fantastic story.” The interview reveals that an impasse on the third Batman script led to discussions about the Man of Steel that had Nolan so excited he immediately became involved with shepherding the idea to the big screen. No director has been chosen yet.
As for the third Batman, Christopher Nolan said, “My brother [Jonathan Nolan] is writing a script for me and we’ll wait to see how it turns out…. He’s struggling to put it together into the epic story that you want it to be.” Nolan still remains unconfirmed to direct, which he typically does while still committed to finishing his last project. Editing is still underway on the finishing touches of this summer’s Inception.
However, the auteur insists this is the last installment, frequently referring to the next Batman as “the end.” “Without getting into specifics, the key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story,” Nolan said. “And in viewing it as the finishing of a story rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story.” He was coy, as usual, when asked about villains, but confirmed it won’t be Mr. Freeze. Oh well, we’ll always have Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campy “chill out” one-liners.
