Christopher Nolan is famous for quite a few films. The most famous of which is The Dark Knight. The critically lauded blockbuster is the greatest superhero film ever made. It’s an episodic adventure that pits its hero against his polar opposite. Since then, he’s made Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk and The Dark Knight Rises. Luckily they’ve all been wonders to behold. Recently, the screenwriter and director spoke at a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) event titled A Life in Pictures. It was a retrospective overview of the many successful films of Nolan’s career.
Patience is the Key
When the discussion comes to the Dark Knight Trilogy Nolan enlightens the audience on the film. According to the director, they may be the last of their kind. He goes on to say:
That’s a privilege and a luxury that filmmakers aren’t afforded anymore. I think it was the last time that anyone was able to say to a studio, ‘I might do another one, but it will be four years’. There’s too much pressure on release schedules to let people do that now but creatively it’s a huge advantage. We had the privilege and advantage to develop as people and as storytellers and then bring the family back together.
Consider the damage adhering to Justice League’s release date did to that film. Nolan’s quote is even more relevent to the current state of DC Films. Warner Bros. learned the hard way about rushing what could have been its biggest superhero film ever. A great concept unsuccessfully sacrificed to the almighty dollar.
Take Time with a Wounded Hand
Christopher Nolan’s Batman completely revolutionized the live-action superhero. But it wasn’t with The Dark Knight, it was with Batman Begins. His first entry into the Dark Knight Trilogy established the realistic Gotham City in which Nolan would play. The film made less than half of what its sequel would earn, but that didn’t matter. Christopher Nolan had created a new perspective on superheroes. One that Warner Bros. and DC Films have been attempting to replicate for five years.
It takes time and effort to nurture a Universe into existence. To will your aesthetics into life and into the imaginations of countless viewers at home or in the theater. Christopher Nolan was trusted with none other than the greatest superhero the genre has to offer. He gave the world a down-to-Earth, visceral interpretation that promised one thing: to take its subject matter seriously.
Perhaps the director was actually making fun of himself when he had his character ask, “Why so serious?”