Christopher Nolan on Superman, Batman, The Joker, Marvel vs. DC

Christopher Nolan on Superman, Batman 3, The Joker, Marvel vs DC Posted:04 Jun 2010 05:03 PM PDT Christopher Nolanhas become the go to guy for comic book movies and after the success of his masterpieceThe Dark Knight,he was asked by Warner Bros to work his magic on their troubled Supermanfranchise. David S. Goyeris currently penning the script for the new Man of Steel with Nolan serving as producer. When he recently spoke to Empire Magazineabout his upcoming projects he discussed the reboot as well as his next (and final) Batman film, including the uncertain future of The Joker… It may sound strange but Nolan explained that a conversation about Batman is what kick-started his involvement with Superman. While David Goyer and myself were putting together the story for another Batman film a few years ago — you know, thrashing out where we might move on from The Dark Knight— we got stuck,” he explained of the project’s origin. “We were just sitting there idly chatting and he said, ‘By the way, I think I know how you approach Superman,’ and he told me his take on it. I thought it was really tremendous. It was the first time I had been able to conceive of how you would address Superman in a modern context. I thought it was a very exciting idea. While Goyer’s busy doing that, Jonah Nolan is working on the top secret script for Batman 3. The director refused to give any major plot details about the film but he did confirm that The Joker would not return. He stated,“No, I just don’t feel comfortable about it.” Good call! They need to wait another 20 years before someone tackles that role again. Out of his entire interview the one thing that really stuck out was his views on the world of DC Comics versus Marvel. He discussed the current state of Marvel’s crossover films and whether or not we might see Batman and Superman go toe to toe in the future. Marvel are doing what they do and people will respond to that really well, or they won’t,” said Nolan. “It’s not something I ever really applied a blanket rule to, but Marvel characters are very different to DC characters, and the key DC characters are very different to the minor DC characters. You’ve got to go back to that element of, ‘What do I see when I close my eyes and think of Batman? What do I see when I close my eyes and think of Superman?’ And for me a big part of that is their individuality. They are extraordinary beings in an ordinary world. And the reason I think the two are fascinating is because Superman is very specifically superpowered and obviously otherworldly; Batman is very human and flawed. They’re two very different characters, but there’s an elemental feeling of power in the iconography of those characters. To me that’s originally because they stood alone. I need to hang on to that in my imagining of them.” Even though we’ve all been wondering about a possible Justice Leaguemovie it will be a hard sell without the two main members (Batman and Superman). It doesn’t seem like the world he’s created with the characters would mesh well with the others. Maybe the Green Lantern can be the new JLA anchor instead?