Is DCU Revival Plan Includes Bringing Nolan Back?
Christopher Nolan spent 19 years working almost exclusively with Warner Bros., including his involvement with several DC projects.
After 2020's Tenet, he broke off his involvement with the studio, citing WB's decision to release films simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters. But rumors have surfaced that Nolan may be part of DC Studios new direction.
Nolan is known mostly for his mind-bending, existential films that explored the construction of time. His Dark Knight trilogy from 2005-2012 netted Warner Bros. $2.5 billion at the box office, with 2008's The Dark Knight often regarded as history's most critically successful superhero movie. He worked on the DCEU's Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League as a producer.
The rumors of his return began when David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery (the new name for Warner Bros. film studio after the merger earlier this year) was having lunch with Steven Spielberg at WB headquarters. According to The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision newsletter, soon joining the power couple were Nolan and Peter Safran, newly-minted co-head of DC Studios.
Recently, James Gunn ( director of Suicide Squad ) and Safran were announced as co-CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios. The change in leadership and organizational structure implies that DC films will be headed in a new direction under Zaslav, who replaced Jason Kilar as head of WB's film studios. It was Kilar who led the push for the hybrid release of films on streaming and theaters, the decision that made Nolan swear off WB and DC. But with all these changes taking place, it may allow Nolan to come back to the studio that made him a household name.
An important factor in Nolan's return to WB and DC is how much he likes working with his new studio. His 2023 historical film Oppenheimer will be released by Universal, the first time he'll be working with anyone other than WB since 2002's Insomnia. Before then, he got his start as an independent filmmaker. He has nothing else to compare his new home to other than Warner Bros.
Another factor is whether Nolan wants to get back into the comic genre. Batman Begins was his breakout film in 2005, but he hasn't directed another superhero film since Dark Knight Rises in 2012. He only joined DC after that as a producer. Given that he is a filmmaker who prefers practical effects, he may not want to join DC in this new era of CGI-heavy filmmaking.
Fans of both DC and Nolan want to see the duo unite again, and it would probably be successful for both parties. The only factors in question are Nolan's preferences: Whether he wants to rejoin Warner Bros. after his disgruntled departure, if he wants to return to superhero films, and if he prefers working with his new studio.