Christopher Nolan reportedly had a Robin project canceled while directing theDark Knighttrilogy. All throughout the two-thousands, Christopher Nolan’sDark Knightmovies dominated not only theDClandscape but also the superhero genre as a whole.Batman BeginsandThe Dark Knightinspired 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 byThe Wall Street Journal,Christopher Nolan was"adamant about his control of everything Batman,“which reportedly allowed him to cancel aRobinTV show. Nolan did feature a version of Robin inThe Dark Knight Rises, but he chose not to set up any other sequels, prequels, or spinoffs, and he decided not to make theDark Knighttrilogy 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 acclaimedDark Knighttrilogyhad a huge impact on the industry and raised the bar for all subsequent comic book adaptations. In fact,The Dark Knightcontinues 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, theDark Knighttrilogy could have led to multiple spinoffs, fromCatwomantoBaneorScarecrow.
Of course, aRobinspinoff or sequel would have been the most logical continuation of theDark Knightfranchise.The Dark Knight Rises' endingrevealed that Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne passed 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, andThe 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 1966Batmanfilm and Chris O’Donnell co-starred in the now-infamousBatman & Robin.Batman & Robin’s critical and commercial failure cast a shadow over Robin, and Christopher Nolan’s cancellation of aRobinproject 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 inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
On the bright side, it didn’t take long after theDark Knighttrilogy ended for DC to revive the idea of a Robin-centered TV show. The 2018 TV seriesTitansintroduced 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’sThe Brave and the Bold.Robin’s live-action renaissancemay be late, but it’s worth the wait.
