Christopher Nolan‘s The Darkish Knight trilogy is commonly considered among the best superhero movies ever made, and for a lot of, the definitive tackle Batman. However DC Studios co-president James Gunn isn’t a kind of individuals. The affect of Nolan’s Darkish Knight trilogy remains to be being felt right now, as Batman Begins popularized the idea of reboots and reimagining franchises with a grounded, “life like” strategy.
The Darkish Knight is taken into account by many to be the best superhero film ever made, and was certainly one of two superhero films to rank on The New York Instances‘ listing of the 100 Biggest Motion pictures of the twenty first Century. Although flawed, The Darkish Knight Rises was a field workplace smash hit that ended the trilogy on a excessive observe and gave a brand new cinematic interpretation of Bane. Each Batman movie since has been residing within the shadow of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy.
Nevertheless, James Gunn was not a fan of this movie’s incarnation of Batman. Whereas it is troubling that the pinnacle of DC Studios is not a fan of the flicks many contemplate the perfect DC Comics movies, his previous feedback trace at what followers can anticipate from the DCU‘s Batman, notably in The Courageous and the Daring.
What Does James Gunn Consider ‘The Darkish Knight’ Trilogy?
James Gunn was once a really vocal particular person on-line, one whose preliminary tweets bought him in sizzling water once they resurfaced years later, resulting in his being briefly fired by Disney on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and finally main him to work on The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros., setting the stage for his eventual position because the co-president of DC Studios and the architect of the DCU. Resurfaced feedback from Gunn about The Darkish Knight trilogy emerged shortly after he was employed as the pinnacle of DC Studios.
In a sequence of Fb feedback from 2012, Gunn criticized Nolan’s two Batman movies on the time, Batman Begins and The Darkish Knight. In a single remark, by way of World of Reel, Gunn says:
“I’ve issues with each of Nolan’s movies. I don’t suppose both one is basic, and I don’t even actually suppose Batman Begins is nice regardless of being the primary cinematic darkish tackle Batman (so what? Stallone’s Choose Dredd was the primary darkish tackle Choose Dredd), the film is terrible.”
The punctuation within the 2012 Fb remark makes it unclear whether or not Gunn was calling Batman Begins terrible or referring to Choose Dredd. However regardless, it’s clear he would not suppose extremely of Nolan’s first Batman movie. Gunn may not hate The Darkish Knight, however he additionally would not appear to suppose it is one of many best superhero films ever, like most individuals. In an interview with GQ from 2023, Gunn picked Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, 1978’s Superman: The Film, A Historical past of Violence, Oldboy, and Deadpool as his favourite “comedian e-book films”. In a separate interview with Dax Shepard, Gunn named his favourite superhero films; he added 2008’s Iron Man to his listing. Notably, he didn’t point out any entries in The Darkish Knight trilogy.
By 2012, Gunn did not appear impressed with any cinematic incarnation of Batman, not simply Nolan’s movies. In the identical remark chain on Fb, Gunn criticized Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. Gunn mentioned:
“The Tim Burton Batman is poorly written, the soundtrack is the worst work of everybody concerned, and it’s completely some of the boring movies ever. Not solely that, however the reveal of the Joker because the killer of Bruce Wayne’s mother and father spits within the face of Batman’s origin and is a nullification of the bottomless thirst for vengeance that essentially drives Batman. It pretends to not be campy however is totally so. And, on high of every little thing, the darkish creature of the evening can’t even transfer his f*cking neck. Give me a f*cking break. It’s a ridiculous, terrible movie. Burton’s Planet of the Apes is genius compared.”
These feedback have been revamped 13 years in the past. Gunn’s opinions may need modified, and his tone has turn into extra mellow. It is not fully honest to carry him to the ideas he had over a decade in the past, as a result of, like anybody, he has the capability for change. The web is a report the place somebody’s earlier ideas coexist alongside somebody’s present stance. But this does probably illuminate what followers may anticipate to see from the DCU model of Batman, one that could be a sharp distinction to what has come earlier than.
What To Anticipate From James Gunn’s DCU Batman
In a just lately launched behind-the-scenes making of Superman documentary, James Gunn offers two illuminating quotes. The primary regards how Gunn sees Batman, telling Superman actor David Corenswet:
“Even with Batman, if I used to be doing Batman, I would get into it like Batman’s a f—ing maniac. So he places on a f—ing scary bat costume and goes out and tries to scare individuals.
Now, the thought of an unhinged Batman has been alluded to in Michael Keaton and Robert Pattinson’s depictions. Nonetheless, evidently Gunn actually needs to dig into the psychology of The Darkish Knight and spotlight the road between him and his villains. This additionally builds off Gunn’s earlier feedback about not eager to see a “campy” Batman. It’s value noting that, though James Gunn is the architect of the DCU and has a sure stage of management, he is not writing or directing the Batman movie, Courageous and the Daring. He definitely may have notes on the undertaking, however in the intervening time, it will likely be director Andy Muschietti who shapes the DCU’s depiction of Batman.
The second remark Gunn made regards Superman‘s visible aesthetic, nevertheless it appears to use to your entire DCU, together with the potential Batman. Gunn mentioned:
“Actually merely, I knew that we had 25 years of science fiction films the place every little thing was purported to be actual as a result of it was darkish and darkish and darkish, and I felt like there was a spot for colour and the old-school look of science fiction, and that had been lacking from films. It was like one thing individuals have been lacking and did not know they have been lacking, nevertheless it was a quite simple factor that wasn’t there.”
Gunn’s feedback may really feel like a pointed reference to Batman Begins, a film that tried to floor Batman in a tactical world, typically described as life like. Batman Begins type has been the default for a lot of franchise reboots and even superhero films for 20 years. But the thought of darkish, grounded, life like sci-fi extends earlier than Batman Begins, with Gunn’s feedback reflecting movies like The Matrix (launched in 1999 and sure 25 years from when the interview for the Superman bonus materials was made), X-Males, A.I.: Synthetic Intelligence, Minority Report, Primer, and even Warfare of the Worlds which opened two weeks after Batman Begins.
This suggests that the DCU’s model of Batman will embrace among the extra colourful flights of fancy that Nolan’s Darkish Knight trilogy, Zack Snyder’s DCEU Batman, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman have averted. Supervillains like Man-Bat, Mr. Freeze, and Poison Ivy may seem, and there is additionally a probable probability of a heightened Gotham Metropolis. This has already been alluded to in Creature Commandos with the villain Physician Phosphorus performing as against the law boss in Gotham, and the upcoming Clayface film that includes certainly one of Batman’s foes that will not have slot in one other cinematic incarnation.
The most well-liked movie diversifications of Batman have a tendency to attract inspiration from particular comics, like The Killing Joke, Batman Yr One, The Lengthy Halloween, and The Darkish Knight Returns, all titles that influenced Nolan’s movies. When saying the DCU Batman, the art work used was for Grant Morrison’s Batman arc from the comics. Morrison is a superb affect on Gunn, as the author of All-Star Superman was a big inspiration for 2025’s Superman when it comes to tone and aesthetic. Morrison’s huge pitch with Batman was each side of the character’s comedian historical past, from the detective tales of the Thirties to the sillier adventures of the Nineteen Fifties and ’60s, and the darkish, gritty tales of the Eighties, have been all canon and all occurred to the identical Batman. It embraced each component of the hero’s canon. Gunn’s Batman, drawing from Grant Morrison’s tackle the character, suggests a Batman movie that does not must sacrifice comedian e-book parts to be taken severely.
Gunn mentioned that The Courageous and the Daring would introduce the character of Damian Wayne, the fourth Robin and son of Bruce Wayne. Gunn additionally referenced the introduction of the Bat-family, a gaggle of characters that make up Batman’s supporting forged that features numerous Robins, Batgirl, Batwoman, and even Catwoman, amongst others. Thus far, the one live-action Batman movies to prominently characteristic his supporting forged have been Batman Perpetually and Batman & Robin. The poor crucial reception of these films appears to have discouraged later filmmakers from together with the Bat-family out of concern of being seen as ‘foolish,’ one thing Gunn’s DCU as an alternative embraces.
James Gunn’s lack of enthusiasm for The Darkish Knight trilogy may need some followers anxious. But it is usually trigger for celebration because it means the DCU’s model of Batman will not simply chase the most well-liked interpretation of the character and duplicate what has been accomplished. The DCU Batman will set its personal tone and tenor, other than what has come earlier than on movie, and that’s thrilling. It’s the identical component that made Batman Begins a breath of recent air 20 years in the past, and now makes the prospect of what’s in retailer for the DCU’s Batman value watching. As a result of if we’re going to hold making Batman movies, together with two separate continuities, it must be totally different to justify its existence.
The Courageous and the Daring
- Director
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Andy Muschietti
- Franchise(s)
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DC Universe