As Expected, Chris McKay's Long-Delayed NIGHTWING Movie Is Now "Dead" Ahead Of DC Studios' Reboot

As Expected, Chris McKay's Long-Delayed NIGHTWING Movie Is Now "Dead" Ahead Of DC Studios' Reboot

This is unlikely to come as a surprise to many of you but it's been revealed that Chris McKay's (The LEGO Batman Movie) planned Nightwing project has been scrapped ahead of the DCU reboot. Check it out!

By JoshWilding - Aug 22, 2023 07:08 AM EST
Filed Under: Nightwing

It's been several years since we first heard about The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay's plans for a live-action Nightwing movie. 

As exciting as a solo project revolving around Dick Grayson sounded on the surface, how it would fit into the wider DCEU was never made clear. Zack Snyder had said Dick was the Robin who died prior to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and it was around that time Warner Bros. launched Titans on DC Universe (which starred Brenton Thwaites as the former sidekick).

McKay has repeatedly said he wants to make the movie but comments from The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez confirm what we've long suspected: the filmmaker's take on Nightwing "is dead."

The director seemed optimistic there was still hope for the project earlier this year and previously said, "As far as I’m concerned, it’s not lost yet. It is obviously something that...[Warner Bros. and DC have] had other priorities, they’ve had other challenges. I think it opens the door for us to still be able to do a Nightwing movie."

For fans optimistic Nightwing might find new life under DC Studios' watch, this news will come as a disappointment but we shouldn't lose hope yet. 

In The Brave and the Bold, Batman will take his son, Damian Wayne, under his wing as Robin. We'd bet on the Dark Knight having had sidekicks before then, and it could be in this story the DCU's Dick Grayson makes his debut alongside other members of the Bat-Family. 

With any luck, that means we'll eventually pay a visit to Blüdhaven, Nightwing's home after he left Gotham City behind. In fact, James Gunn has confirmed he and Peter Safran are already creating a world map for the DCU, and we'd bet on Dick's home being somewhere on that. 

Are you disappointed Nightwing has seemingly been scrapped?


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Twenty23Three
Twenty23Three - 8/22/2023, 7:45 AM
Have him show up in Brave and the Bold. Since we’re getting crappy Damien we should have at least one of the good robins show up
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 8/22/2023, 7:53 AM
@Twenty23Three - didn’t Gunn say the Bat Family would be in this or am i mistaken?.

Even then , I like them doing Damien since it could make for a more personal and emotional story for Bruce.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 8/22/2023, 1:18 PM
@Twenty23Three - Hot take, but not a fan of sidekicks or gender clones of characters. I kinda agree with Stan Lee that it always seem redundant to just have a younger version or gender swapped version of the most popular character. Wouldn't it have made more sense to just create a new character rather than adding onto other creator's roster. I think thats why Marvel even killed Bucky Barnes for almost 40 years until he got resurrected in the 2000s as Winter Soldier.

Always been more of a Marvel comic reader, but thats just me.
Forthas
Forthas - 8/22/2023, 7:47 AM
Must not be either friends or related to anyone at the studio.
tmp3
tmp3 - 8/22/2023, 9:11 AM
@Forthas - feel like this is the only way that nathan fillion would ever manage to secure most of the roles he has lol
Forthas
Forthas - 8/22/2023, 9:38 AM
@tmp3 - I kind of feel the same way about Michael Rooker at least in the latter stages of his life...definitely Sean Gunn and more and more it sems like that is the case with Jennifer Holland.
tmp3
tmp3 - 8/22/2023, 10:33 AM
@Forthas - Rooker’s a MUCH better actor than Fillion, they’re not even in the same stratosphere. One’s a strong character actor with decades of work, the other is joss whedon’s friend who did a mid han solo impression on tv once for a cancelled show lol
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 8/22/2023, 1:28 PM
@Forthas - I assume that since he already gave the Bat franchise to Matt Reeves, Andy Muschetti, and Todd Phillips he didn't want anymore cooks in the kitchen or else its going to create "sharing and usage" problems between 3 different creative teams.

A Robin/Nightwing film is kinda dumb in my opinion because it will tonally and visually look to similar to the Batman films. I prefer he just picks a new franchise to adapt, don't want the DCU to just be filled with popular Batman characters.
Forthas
Forthas - 8/22/2023, 1:31 PM
@mastakilla39 - But if the goal is to have a cohesive shared universe, then various directors will have to adapt to what others did. Endgame affected GOG 3 and the director has to work around it and the implications.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 8/22/2023, 1:54 PM
@Forthas - Agree but its all about timing. Marvel does not develop Thor 1, 2, and 3 at the same time with 3 different directors because they will bump heads and have creative problems with each other. So they leverage it by developing 1 project for that character at a time, then move onto a new creative if they have to.

There should not be 3 - 5 batman related ips being developed at the same time or else we will run into the same DCEU problem again that happened with Joker and HQ. We had a Joker solo, Joker & HQ team up, Suicide Squad, Joker else world, and Birds of Prey script all being developed at the same time by different creatives. It lead to several internal and political problems, so Joker and HQ were under utilized and the story/continuity was all over the place.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 8/22/2023, 7:48 AM
It wasn’t gonna happen before the reboot anyway
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 8/22/2023, 7:51 AM


I wouldn’t mind if he’s given another shot at the character down the line…

I haven’t seen Renfield as of yet but I thought Tomorrow War was decent personally.

Plus , he’s already familiar with the characters having done The Lego Batman movie (which of course was animated and a more comedic take on the characters but still).
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 8/22/2023, 7:55 AM
It was the nipples I tell yah!!!. they DID THIS!
DSAC294
DSAC294 - 8/22/2023, 7:58 AM
Maybe they will instead do a Nightwing crossover movie with the new WB A-lister Barbie.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 8/22/2023, 8:03 AM
Totally forgot about this movie... but not shocked at all. Hopefully he can show up in the new Batman movie but doubt it
RolandD
RolandD - 8/22/2023, 8:25 AM
Dick Grayson was dead in the DCEU? This was never shown or discussed in any of the movies so once Snyder was gone, they could have shown that it was Jason who died instead and they would not have had to retro con any thing.
Godzilla2000Zer
Godzilla2000Zer - 8/22/2023, 5:26 PM
@RolandD - They did change it to Jason that's probably one of the reasons they wanted to step away from Zack's plan
DocSpock
DocSpock - 8/22/2023, 8:31 AM


What a shock!

Not.

FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/22/2023, 8:32 AM
WB stays disrespecting Dick Grayson. [foo foo]s.
MadThanos
MadThanos - 8/22/2023, 9:04 AM
The Brave and The Bold has a ridiculous premise IMO.
tmp3
tmp3 - 8/22/2023, 9:10 AM
Renfield was so bad, even dumber since they connected it to the lugosi one which makes no sense, so i don’t think he’s a strong live action director
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 8/22/2023, 11:04 AM
Ohhhh but what about Joss Whedon's Batgirl? This one is still alive right? RIGHT?
JohnnyTBP
JohnnyTBP - 8/22/2023, 11:16 AM
I need Nightwing movie in 5 years
RitoRevolto
RitoRevolto - 8/22/2023, 12:43 PM
Everything is dead at DC apparently.
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