In an interview with the Associated Press, Christopher Nolan put to rest all notions that he wants or will have anything to do with Warner Bros. inevitable reboot of Batman, or the Justice League big screen adaptation currently being written.
“No, none at all,” Nolan said. “We’re finished with all we’re doing with Batman. This is the end of our take on this character,” he said.
WB will have to look elsewhere once The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20th and it comes to putting the Caped Crusader back on the big screen. Nolan is firm on hanging up the cape and cowl for good, and is adamant that he has completed the story he wanted to tell. The studio finds itself in a similar situation that Sony did when it came to re-booting the Spider-Man franchise, having a character that is a worldwide phenomenon and far too lucrative to keep off the big screen for too long.
“I’ve got no plans to do anything more, and certainly, no involvement with any Justice League project.”
Although he is finished sharing his interpretation of Batman with moviegoers, Nolan is still intimately involved in the superhero business. There is the upcoming Man Of Steel, the new Superman film directed by Zack Snyder, starring Henry Cavill, which is set to hit theaters next year.
Nolan serves as executive producer on the reboot of DC Comics icon, and was responsible for the initial concept that starts ground up after plans for a direct sequel to 2006’s Superman Returns starring Brandon Routh were scrapped. Like The Dark Knight for Batman, Man Of Steel promises to feature a grittier take on the Kryptonian hero’s origins and adventures.
Though there has been some lingering clamor from fans that since the director/producer has involvement with two of the Justice League’s marquee members, that he would be a natural choice to put his big screen Batman and Superman side-by-side with Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and Aquaman in an Avengers-style all-star blockbuster for Warner Bros.
But it appears that Nolan is not keen on his current version of the Caped Crusader played by Christian Bale branching off into spin-offs, and it remains to be seen if the next Superman played by Cavill would be treated the same. One could also wonder if Ryan Reynolds would be offered, or is perhaps contractually obligated, to appear in a Justice League movie as Green Lantern following his turn as the Emerald Knight in last year’s film.
“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,” Nolan said.
“We’ve had our say on the character,” he concluded.
And that is that.
The Dark Knight Rises is set for July 20th. Man Of Steel is set for June 14, 2013.
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