It's been a while since we've heard anything concrete about Nightwing but we do know that the plan is for The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay to take the helm of the DC Comics adaptation. Now, he's revealed some fresh details about the project and the signs all seem to be pointing to this being something very special indeed. Then again, Dick Grayson definitely isn't your typical superhero!
Here's what McKay had to say about how he plans to handle Nightwing's overdue big screen debut:
"It’s gonna be a [frick]ing badass action movie with a lot of heart and emotion. It’s gonna be a crazy, fun ride. Whoever gets cast as Nightwing, and any of the other actors around, are gonna go through a [frick]ing boot camp experience because it’s gonna be a lot. I’m not gonna do a lot of CG. It’s gonna be all real shit. It’s gonna be real stuntwork, and they’re gonna need to do all of the stuff on camera and do it credibly. For the cast and the crew, it’s gonna be a visceral experience, and for the audience. It’s not gonna be like a lot of these movies where there’s a lot of CG and flying, and things like that. Everything he does is gonna have to be real. His superpower is being really [frick]ing good, as a human being, at fighting and gymnastics and shit like that, so you’re gonna see that on screen. It’s gonna be fun!"
Honestly, that sounds downright incredible and the right direction to take the former Robin in here.
It very much sounds like Nightwing will fit into Warner Bros. new standalone label for DC Comics movies which have lower budgets and very different tones but it would be a shame to keep a character this great outside of the DC Extended Universe when comic book fans know he suits up as Batman.
We'll have to wait and see on that front but talking about what drew him to Nightwing, McKay added:
"I’m a big comic book fan, and being able to do the story of Nightwing, to do a Dick Grayson story, which is a character that every single person in the world knows, but has never really had a lot of screentime. They make a billion Spider-Man movies and a lot of Batman movies, and they’ve tried The Hulk. When they were making the Tim Burton movies, they were always like, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll do Robin in this now. Maybe we’ll save Robin for Returns. Nope, we’ll save it for the next one.’ With Christopher Nolan, people were like, ‘Is he gonna do Robin?’ When they made Batman v Superman, they were talking about it. I’m a big fan of underdog stories, and he is one of the biggest underdog stories in comics. And he’s a character that I grew up with. I like the arc."
Handled the right way, Nightwing should be an amazing movie and it definitely appears as if McKay is on the right track. What do you guys think? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts below.