Nightwing Director Chris McKay Says Movie Still In Development At DC Films
JB Augustine
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Nightwing may yet get his chance to fly on the big screen, much like he does in the pages of DC Comics, as a new report suggests that the former Boy Wonder’s solo film still has wings.
Source: Son of Batman (2014), Warner Animation
First announced in 2017, Geekosity recently claimed that the feature is still on the to-do list at Warner Bros and DC Films, just considered “less of a priority” than before.
Originally slated for a 2023 release, Chris McKay – already acquainted with DC via the Lego Batman Movie – was tapped at the time to direct, and word from the Geekosity scoop is that he is still attached.
Source: Nightwing Vol. 4 #78 “Leaping Into The Light, Part One” (2021), DC Comics. Cover art by Bruno Redondo.
Additionally, McKay revealed in a recent Cinemablend interview that he still has the hope and will to make Nightwing. “I hope it’s still a reality,” said the director. “I hope that we still get to make that movie.”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s not lost yet,” he added, touching upon the film’s placement on Warner’s priority list. “It is obviously something that… they’ve had other priorities; they’ve had other challenges.”
Source: The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
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There was no concrete plan for Nightwing, per se, but all the cards for its production were put in place around the time of WB released the redone cut of Justice League directed by Joss Whedon.
That picture’s failure to launch with the average moviegoer placed Nightwing, which reportedly was meant to be set in the DCEU, into a bit of a limbo.
Source: Nightwing Vol. 4 #44 “The Bleeding Edge Part One” (2018), DC Comics. Cover art by Declan Shalvey
As WB’s slate got reshuffled, it became rather clear they were softly rebooting DC’s cinematic universe. Consequently, projects like the ill-fated Birds of Prey, the polarizing Wonder Woman 1984, and the globally successful-yet-controversial Joker were fast-tracked.
“Warner Bros. had things that they needed to do, and I think that they found their way, with their recent successes, and the stuff that they are planning on doing now,” McKay continued with CB. “I think it opens the door for us to still be able to do a Nightwing movie.”
Source: Son of Batman (2014), Warner Animation
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Pivoting away from Snyder’s vision of the DCEU didn’t work out the way WB hoped, and thus after years of vehement demands from fans, the studio finally greenlit Snyder Cut.
Thus, we are in a completely different milieu than we started in. The Multiverse in play, they can go any number of directions with Nightwing now.
Source: Nightwing Vol. 4 #48 “Harm’s Way Part One” (2018), DC Comics. Variant Cover art by Kenneth Rocafort.
McKay further explained, “Whether you call it ‘in an alternate universe’ or you pick in their multiverse universe which universe it’s part of, there are different ways into it.”
He then promised that “Nightwing will be a big, action-packed, emotional movie.”
“It may not, budgetarily, be similar to what we do with The Tomorrow War,” he added. “But from a scope and scale standpoint, as far as the kind of action and the kind of heart, that’s what Nightwing is going to be all about.”
Source: Batman: Death in the Family (2020), Warner Animation
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It sounds like they have a budget in mind, though it isn’t disclosed.
Additionally, while Nightwing may be back on, don’t expect it to gain traction until after 2023 and the release of the Shazam: Fury of the Gods. Whether Nightwing will land in theaters, HBO Max, or both, is still up in the air.
What do you make of McKay’s update on Nightwing? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!
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