In our bubble of modern pop culture, it is almost a given that we have reached the zenith of the superhero zeitgeist. The popularity of superheroes is currently exploding due to the frequent release of new films and television shows based on DC and Marvel comics. Having said that, not everyone is keen to talk about them. As an illustration? Well, Christopher Nolan—the man behind three of the most well-received superhero stories of the twenty-first century (The Dark Knight trilogy)—nearly avoided sharing his thoughts on the 2022 adventure of The World’s Greatest Detective.
Nolan made the very smart choice to keep the details of Robert Pattinson’s film The Batman to himself when the conversation with Variety started to veer into this area. He believed that the only thing in the article that anyone would pay “any attention” to would be if he ever started discussing comic book flicks.
Nolan is probably right to skirt the topic as much as he does, given the amount of attention any comments about comic book movies from directors like Martin Scorsese usually receive. Nevertheless, it does not mean he has nothing more to say.
Christopher Nolan’s Silence on Robert Pattinson’s The Batman
Few filmmakers have had as much of an impact on the superhero film genre as Christopher Nolan. His brilliant adaptation of Batman mythology in The Dark Knight trilogy raised the bar for the genre.
As we saw Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of the Caped Crusader in The Batman, fans were definitely excited to learn what Nolan had to say. We were left wondering, though, why the director has opted to keep strangely quiet about Pattinson’s portrayal of Batman. The Oppenheimer director revealed his motivation for withholding his knowledge of having seen The Batman in an interview with Variety:
“If I start talking about comic book movies, that would be the only thing anybody pays any attention to in the article.”
Considering how other directors have been impacted by speaking out about superhero movies, there is no denying that Nolan made a very valid point. For him, regrettably, even declining to comment is considered a statement. Still, it is a topic that most people are probably talking about—similar to us at this moment.
The Dark Knight: Christopher Nolan’s Film Turned Out to be a Game-Changing Hit
Because of Christopher Nolan’s practical approach, The Dark Knight was even more of a hit than its predecessor. The movie, which starred Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, was the first superhero movie to bring in more than $1 billion, but its true success was in the impact it had on subsequent comic book movies.
Currently standing as the 47th highest-grossing film of all time, the film received positive reviews. The Dark Knight did not receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, though it did receive a nomination for its film editing and six other technical awards. The late Heath Ledger, quite rightly, won all the major award ceremonies’ Best Supporting Actor categories.
Sixteen years later, The Dark Knight’s effects are still being felt. While some studios utterly failed in their attempts to produce comic book films, others salvaged the best elements of the film and applied lessons learned. Regardless of the box office performance, Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which shattered multiple box office records and rose to become the highest-grossing movie of 2008, is significant in and of itself.
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy is now available on Max. Meanwhile, you can stream The Batman on Netflix.
