website tracking
Search The Big Picture

« Box Office - 'Chihuahua' Runs With the Big Dogs | Main | 'My Bloody Valentine' Poster is Strangely Familiar »
Sunday
05Oct2008

Has Christopher Nolan Already Signed Up for Batman 3?

DateSunday, October 5, 2008 at 9:58AM
Realistically, I suppose the question isn't whether Christopher Nolan will return to direct a third Batman movie but if he has already.

In the past week, there's been a lot of discussion about Nolan's status. There was a rumor that the film would be in pre-production this coming February and that the film would shoot next summer. A day or two later, Warner executives quashed it, saying in essence that there hasn't been any discussion with Nolan whatsoever about a third film.

Then this weekend, Cinema Blend found an intriguing post in Production Weekly, an industry trade publication that updates what films are being made, where they are in that process, and who's working on them. To add fuel to the fire, Production Weekly lists Nolan as the official director of Batman 3, and the cast includes Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman.

Great news, right? It would be, yeah, but I tend to believe the Warner executives on this one. For starters, let's look at the Johnny Depp news from two weeks ago. Disney paraded him on stage in Los Angeles to announce a trio of new films, The Lone Ranger, Alice in Wonderland, and a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean.

Seeing the kind of buzz that generated, do you think Warner Bros. would whisper the biggest signing of 2008 to an industry trade magazine? Or would it be more likely that the studio would do something a little larger in scale? I have to believe that in the Comic Con-driven blockbuster world Batman is in, where the announcement is nearly as big as the movie itself, that the studio wouldn't just tell one magazine.

Secondly, the timing seems strange, given that Nolan reportedly just got back from his vacation. Maybe he wants to dive headlong into another Batman movie. Maybe they're pounding out the script this fall. Maybe he does want to shoot this in the summer to release it in 2010. Maybe. But I think there's a fair chance that he'd wait. These movies are a ton of work, and The Dark Knight was even more emotional and profound because of the death of Heath Ledger and its unprecedented success. I would think Nolan would just be wiped out.

What about the money? It would still be there if he comes back aboard a year down the road. My suspicion is that his agents would advise Nolan to wait until the Oscar nominations are announced before signing anything. If he's a Best Director nominee and if the movie gets a Best Picture nomination, he can negotiate for even more cash up front and on the back end than he could right now. So, unless he's just aching to get back to Gotham, what's five more months?

The other note on this is that the last time we talked about Production Weekly was when it listed Paul Greengrass from the Bourne movies as the director of The Trial of the Chicago 7, replacing Steven Spielberg. Greengrass himself denied that one, and that movie is a holding pattern right now. I'm not implying that Production Weekly isn't reputable, just that, like every other magazine, it's not infallible.

I'm positive, absolute sure, that Nolan will direct the third Batman movie. And he might even direct it next year. But I don't know that I believe he's already signed.

Share/Save/Bookmark
AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , , , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment1 Comment |

Reader Comments (1)

I believe (hope) that money is not the decisive factor for Chris Nolan when it comes to his third Batman movie.

He seems to be an artist and arisan in the art of filmmaking and I believe that being able to realise a vision is more important to him than a couple of million extra in the bank.

If I understand him right, his main priority will be to surpass The Dark Knight with the next film.

I don't think he'd do a quick and dirty sequel to studio specifications just to cash in on his previous success.

Monday, October 6, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterLengthy Johnson

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>