Christopher Nolan broke his silence on the success of the Dark Knight, and the possibility of a 3 part to the franchise.
Here's a tidbit from the interview:
Here's a tidbit from the interview:
GB: Could you see actually yourself not making the third Batman film?
NOLAN: Well ... let me think how to put this. There are two things to be said. One is the emphasis on story. What’s the story? Is there a story that’s going to keep me emotionally invested for the couple of years that it will take to make another one? That’s the overriding question. On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question: How many good third movies in a franchise can people name? [Laughs.] At the same time, in taking on the second one, we had the challenge of trying to make a great second movie, and there haven't been too many of those either. It’s all about the story really. If the story is there, everything is possible. I hope that was a suitably slippery answer.
Read more here. I hope they can come up with a story superior to (or on equal footing with) the DK, though that would be incredibly tough. More will come from this in the future. But, I'm interested to see what else Nolan has in store for us. Between Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, he gave us the Prestige. Hopefully, he has something else in works before (or if) he decides to work on a third Batman film.
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I hope he does a third film, but The Dark Knight was so incredible that it would be nearly impossible to live up to. That, and The Dark Knight feels so complete that it would almost be redundant or repetitive at this point. Some people may feel that the ending leaves it wide open for a sequel, but if you pay attention to the comics, you know that Batman has never been fully trusted by the police. Gordon is his one true ally, and even Gordon has had his issues with Batman's methods. Plus, without Heath returning to be the Joker again, any other villain would seem anti-climactic by comparison. For now, let's just bask in the amazingness that is The Dark Knight, and if a thrid film happens with Nolan on board, so be it. I, like Nolan himself, am just worried about the threequel curse, and you can't ask me to watch Batman be ruined again. Not again, not ever. He's at his high point right now, let it stay that way. :)
ReplyDeleteI am perfectly OK with them leaving the series alone. Of course, I would love to see what the Nolans can do in a third film, but I'm content. I think Batman Begins and the Dark Knight more than make up for Forever/B&R. I don't have that sour taste in my mouth about the Batman franchise, so I can die a happy person.
ReplyDeleteThe Nolans don't sign on for crap. There is always something great in the movies they write/direct, so I wouldn't expect anything less in a possible third Batman film. But, the pressure to release should only be coming from corporate execs who want to milk the franchise. Batman fans should be content!
Agreed. I just hope WB doesn't force him into a project he doesn't feel comfortable doing. Though I doubt they would be stupid enough to do it, the absolute worst case scenario would be that they go find another director to take over if Nolan decides not to do a third film, then rush it into production to capitalize on the success of The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight deserved ever bit of acclaim and every bit of money it has earned, and Batman is not something that I can bear to see ruined for the sake of making a quick buck on a poorly made sequel.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that worries me is that if Nolan decides not to make a third film, it will once again put all other WB-DC Comics franchises on hold. WB/DC Comics even said that they are making a third Batman film the first priority, and will plan out the Superman reboot and other franchises after they get a Batman 3 pinned. That, and I hope they don't try to make all their other franchises dark and brooding and realistic like The Dark Knight. Stay true to the characters, not what studio executives think is a good direction.
I would be so utterly disgusted if The Dark Knight got nominated and Wall-E didn’t.
ReplyDeleteAnd people think David Fincher is overdue, I’d say Pixar is overdue. Classic after classic after classic every year and no recognition.
The thing is that despite how good Wall-E is, it won't be nominated. The Academy created the Best Animated film category after the huge backlash over Beauty and The Beast was nominated for Best Picture. Wall-E may have been great, but it's ultimately an animated movie nonetheless, and thus can't be nominated.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, why are you so opposed to The Dark Knight being nominated for Best Picture? Did you not like it?
I'm so torn, because as much as I would love to see this series continue, I think I am more concerned about them screwing it up. I would rather have no third movie than a bad one, especially after the veritable masterpiece that was The Dark Knight.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I think we may agree on: If Heath Ledger was still alive, and willing to do the next movie, we all would be somewhat less hesitant about it.
Yeah, were Heath able to come back for one last battle with the Batman, I would be all for it. But without Joker or Two Face returning, there aren't many incredibly compelling villains left. It would be hard to make The Riddler or Catwoman so compelling that they could help carry a film, but if there's anyone who can make a villain other than Joker just as compelling, it's the Nolan brothers. Sadly, because Heath's performance was so incredible, any other actor would have a nigh impossible bar set for them. Then again, the bar for the overall quality of the film has been set so high at this point that it would be nigh impossible to live up to it as a whole anyways. For now, I am happy with The Dark Knight.
ReplyDeleteTrying to follow a classic is nearly impossible to accomplish (See Nas and Illmatic). The LOTRs franchise might be a notable exception, but the books were already well laid out, and probably did not require as much tweaking as a potential third batman script will require. I'm pretty confident a third movie will be made, but if Brett Ratner is attached to the film (in any capacity, not just directing), then I'm not going to see it. If Nolan doesn't do it, then Paul Thomas Anderson or some director of very high caliber should direct it. Even still, I probably won't go see it because Nolan's direction (and the writing of both he and his bro) is quite distinct and unique for anyone to replace him.
ReplyDeleteThey won't find a replacement for Heath Ledger unless they raise him from the dead. Since that seems impossible, I can't see the franchise moving beyond his performance. I love Seymour Hoffman and Depp, but the character of the Joker is probably the most important aspect of a Batman story. I don't see any other villain bringing what the Joker (and specifically Ledger) brought to the table. But, I do have faith in the Nolans. So, if they get behind the helm, then I'm all for a third film. If not, then they should just let the franchise rest.
Of course, the financial success of the Dark Knight complicates my analysis. However, if there is enough backlash pre-production (assuming a poor script is leaked and a terrible director attached), then maybe the film won't even get made, and those corporate execs who pushed for it will be burned at the stake or beheaded.
Neo: WALL-E–it’s a masterpiece, it’s perfect, a clasic...I want that recognition for Pixar.
ReplyDeleteDark Kniht possibly gets that nomination, but i think the performance is over the movie...Great screenplay, direction, cinematography, story and supporting role, but a nomination for Best Motion Picture of the year is to much.
Martin(uruguay)
Even there is an Animated Feature Category, Wall-E can be nominated.
ReplyDeleteWall-E Bes motion Picture!
Martin(uruguay)
Wall-E is not getting a nomination. It's competition is really only the Dark Knight. I'm pretty confident the academy will only nominate one "unconventional" film. Besides, the buzz for Wall-E is fading faster than the Rays chancing of winning the World Series.
ReplyDeleteOn top that, there is a category that recognizes the best animated feature. Theoretically, it's possible that it can get nominated for both the Best Pic and Best animation, but a double nom would mean (to the academy) that one of the categories didn't suffice in honoring a film.
I'm pretty sure they're not willing to admit (or even allude) to such a conclusion because then it would only mean that their categories are both redundant and unnecessary. In order for the best animated feature to have any credence, the exclusivity of its nominees seems paramount.
Let's fight the good fight, and hope that at least one out of the two is nominated. I am certain the Dark Knight has a better chance of receiving a nod, hence I am throwing my support behind the Cape Crusader.
What he said.
ReplyDeleteLove WALL-E to death, but realistically, it makes more sense in the category reserved for animation. Although according to this article, that's not going to stop Disney from trying:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/movies/28stud.html?_r=1&ref=movies&oref=slogin
It's worth a shot. But, Tropic Thunder and Iron Man are doing it too? If anything, that's going to hurt the chances of the Dark Knight and Wall-E. They weren't bad movies, but they weren't particularly ground breaking either. I feel if an unconventional film is going to get invited to the big dance it has to be more than just a really good action flick or funny comedy. This might tick academy voters off. On first thought, it doesn't seem like a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI expect the logic behind pushing Iron Man and Tropic Thunder is that even though this has been his year, Robert Downey Jr's big Oscar vehicle, The Soloist, was delayed til next year. As such, it may be a combined effort to get him something for his efforts. It makes sense in theory, and while he was great in both, it wouldn't feel right. So if either movie gets anything, it'll be for him (in the Big 8 anyway).
ReplyDeleteYeah I think they are simply pushing for Robert Downey Jr. now that The Soloist got delyaed.
ReplyDeleteGod I hate the Weinsteins.
I don't think campaigning for Robert Downey Jr. in those two films will hurt The Dark Knight, simply because The Dark Knight was on a whole other level.
As for the anonnymous poster's thoughts, sadly, Wall-E is not going to be nominated. They created the Bets Animated film category to honor films like Wall-E, which, despite being animated films, still stand out as excellent. But they wouldn't have created the category unless they had a reason.
The Dark Knight was ground breaking and simply incredible. Yes, to those who were simply casual viewers, the individual aspects including performances, direction, writing, etc were good but not amazing. However, practically every critic out there loved the film and have called it a masterpiece. Even those who don't call The Dark Knight a masterpiece have acknowledged that it is ground breaking and thus far the best film of the year, and the greatest comic-book film ever made, as well as shattering the genre's conventions beyond anyone's expectations.
Look at it this way, if The Dark Knight is nominated for Best Picture, and even wins, and Wall-E is nominated for Best Animated Picture, and inevitably wins, wouldn't that be a great day? When both are honored? Don't pit one against the other, let them both have a fair chance of being nominated and winning. That, to me, is why they created the category, so as to give great animated features a fair chance, as well as due recognition.
Keeping all this in mind of course, the large majority of the Best Picture prospectives have either underperformed, been delayed to next year, or have not been screened. So we're basically placing all our money on Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road, Doubt, Australia, Milk, Defiance, The Reader, etc. Just from plain common sense, not all of these can be Oscar-material. If enough of them sink below expectations, there's a vague (and I mean very very vague) prospect that, if Disney campaigns hard enough, WALL-E could be nominated if only because there's hardly anything else out that's worth nominating. Now this is very much a worst-case-scenario (in terms of the aforementioned films), but it is something to think about.
ReplyDeleteI still hold that WALL-E goes to Animated and stays there (it's already guaranteed to win anyway).
for your consideration...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/walleawardsad.jpg