Christopher Nolan knows how to make a movie. His first film, The Following, displayed his promise behind a camera. Memento is often featured on most critic's Best Film lists. Insomnia and The Prestige were also two very solid films. Oh, yeah, he's also made a couple of films about some pointy-eared weirdo that a lot of people liked.
Nolan's Batman films helped to bring credibility (and profitability) back to the superhero genre. He also proved with The Dark Knight that the genre can transcend it's own confines. The late Heath Ledger was awarded an Oscar for his brilliant turn as the Joker. Nolan was nominated for Best Director by the Directors Guild of America, a panel of his own peers. His involvement with the next Batman film was almost a certainty. What was not foreseen, however, was his involvement with the much maligned Superman franchise.
News broke yesterday that Nolan would act as a mentor (which will like be a producer credit) in the development of the next Superman film. Let's shoot straight here; Bryan Singer's Superman Returns was a failure. The film had a budget of over $250,000,000, not including the marketing cost, which can easily balloon over to $50,000,000 with a summer blockbuster. The box office take of $390,000,000 was offset by it's massive budget, making it barely profitable. Even worse, the film's narrative offered little excitement to fans, and painted the franchise into a corner.
For a film that was supposed to be the companion piece to Nolan's Batman Begins, Superman Returns fell very, very short, and proved that rebooting a franchise is a tricky business. So now, in steps Christopher Nolan to help revive another franchise that initially took inspiration from his work with the Caped Crusader. Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment learned their lesson; if you want a steak, you don't settle for a burger.
So, what does Nolan's involvement mean for the Man of Tomorrow? Simple, quality control. Imagine if Nolan was around to tell Singer that his Superbaby idea stunk and would sink the entire film. We wouldn't even be having this conversation right now. However, more than just being a guiding voice for whoever fills the directors seat, I believe Nolan is there to help craft a direction. With the success of The Dark Knight and people's maddening thirst for all things Batman, Warner Brothers, I think, are intending to use Nolan and his Batman franchise as the springboard for the entirety of the DC film universe. And why not? Marvel has done the same.
Jon Faverau's hugely successful Iron Man set the tone for Marvel Studios' adaptations. Currently acting as a producer for The Avenger film, Jon Faverau is there in every development of every film that Marvel is putting forward. This is a brilliant move. It helps to ensure that there is a cohesiveness and conformity to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all from the template of their most successful film, by their most successful director. Of course, DC Entertainment has been watching closely, and knows they would be wise to do the same.
In a way, Nolan isn't just mentoring the next Superman film, he's mentoring the entire DC film universe. Just look at what Martin Campbell is doing with Green Lantern. I may be wrong, but he once referred to the movie as "Green Lantern Begins". Now, I've seen what a lot of people have been saying in response to Nolan's new role, "Great! Now Superman is going to be dark too!" That's nonsense. Nolan's Batman films are dark because, well, Batman is dark. It's the essence of the character. Besides, Nolan isn't directing the movie, whether Superman will be dark or not is a decision for another person. However, having one of this generation's finest directors overseeing the production of a film is always a bonus.
Hopefully, whomever directs the next film for Superman, or any other DC character, will take notes from Nolan. Deliver a good story before all else, challenge your hero, get a top-notch cast and deliver some awesome villains (I'm looking at you, Big Blue).
Back in 2007 I had the chance to meet Christopher Nolan on the set of The Dark Knight. He was a great guy, no vanity or ego to him whatsoever. I got the feeling that everyone on set loved working with him. He was very appreciative of my support as a fan, and spent more time talking to me and my friends than he really should have. He gave us an open invite to come back to the set whenever we felt like it, and that invitation gave me memories that will last for a lifetime. This is a man that cares for his craft, his stories, and most special of all, his fans. I don't think that DC could have a finer director, or person working on their behalf. DC Entertainment is looking forward to a new day, and Christopher Nolan is their Man of Tomorrow.