If you, like so many of the rest of us, thought that The LEGO Batman Movie was better than most of the live-action DC superhero movies lately, apparently you’re not alone. Warner Bros. has just hired Chris McKay, the director of the animated box office blockbuster, to direct a live-action feature film about Nightwing.
Nightwing is better known to some Batman fans as Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who debuted way back in 1940 as Batman’s first sidekick. Decades later (in the real world, that is), Dick Grayson grew up and donned the mantle of Nightwing to fight crime his own way, outside of Batman’s shadow. He’s had multiple successful comic book series, led a few superhero teams, and has even taken over the mantle of Batman (until Bruce Wayne took it back, of course).
Dick Grayson has already appeared in several Batman feature films including Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, where he was played by Chris O’Donnell, and Chris McKay’s The LEGO Batman Movie, where he was voiced by Michael Cera. Fans of the DC Extended Universe also know that the Joker has already killed Robin before the events of Batman V Superman, so either the rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated (in comics, that sort of thing happens a lot) or that the Joker killed one of Batman’s many other Robins, and that Dick Grayson emerged unscathed.
Warner Bros.
Hollywood Reporter reports that Bill Dubuque has been tapped to write the screenplay for Nightwing. Bill Dubuque previously wrote last year’s action-thriller The Accountant (which also starred Ben Affleck), as well as the Robert Downey Jr. courtroom drama The Judge.
But will all of these DCEU superhero movies actually get made? The jury is still out on whether audiences really love Warner Bros.’ grim interpretation of the Justice League characters, which has thus far led to mixed reception from critics and, although there have been no outright bombs at the box office, a couple of underperforming would-be blockbusters. Several films on their upcoming slate have lost directors already, and plans to turn Justice League into a two-part movie were scuttled in favor of a less costly single installment.
We’ll see if Warner Bros. is able to right their ship or whether all these projects will go the way of Sony’s extended Spider-Man universe, which had several films lined up before they all got canceled in the wake of The Amazing Spider-Man 2‘s disappointing grosses.
Whatever movies we get out of this, let’s all just hope they’re good. Isn’t that what really matters?
Top Photo: DC Comics
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
