Via
EW.COM, here's what Jeff Robinov of Warner Bros. had to say about MAN OF STEEL and the future of DC on film...
Is MAN OF STEEL the beginning of a cinematic DCU on film?
"I think youll see that, going forward, anything can live in this world. [Nolans] Batman was deliberately and smartly positioned as a stand-alone. The world they lived in was very isolated without any knowledge of any other superheroes. What Zack and Chris have done with this film is allow you to really introduce other characters into the same world."
Are any DC on film announcements coming from WB?
"Well announce something in the next several weeks that will hopefully position the DC characters and the movies were going to be making."
Do Chris Nolan's DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY of films stand entirely alone?
"They do. Or they did. Where we go in the future is a whole other conversation."
Is the rumor about Chris Nolan producing and Christian Bale starring in a Justice League film true?
"No, no its not."
Then there's the great David Goyer's take...
"One of the things we dealt with on the Batman films is, Chris dislikes it when you plan something, when you say, Im going to follow this up in the next film. Hes always said put everything you have into this film and then worry about the next film later. That gives the film its own integrity as opposed to being part of an overall plan. So of course the comic book fans, its hard not to think about [crossovers] but I, having done three Batman films and worked in that way, its definitely the approach we took with MAN OF STEEL."
OK, my turn...
Mr. Goyer and Mr. Nolan are damn right.
When you start to make a film and youre already thinking about and planning for whats next, youre setting yourself up for creative failure. The fact that Mr. Nolan really did take his Batman films one at a time, and was adamantly (in his own classy Nolan way) against the cross-pollination of DC on film, was a bold stance especially in light of Marvels success with everything that involved THE AVENGERS.
I believe that time will prove that Mr. Nolans blueprint for comic book movies will be the one thats followed in the future. Why? Because its the least creatively restricting path for any filmmaker worth his salt to take.
If youre a filmmaker who has a comic book movie story to tell, would you really want to be handcuffed by another directors vision and aesthetic?
Regardless, I have no doubt that if...IF...there there is a Justice League movie in the future, Henry Cavill will play Superman in it. However, I'm betting that we'll see a MOS sequel or two before any JL film.
Don't read anything into Robinov's "They do. Or they did." statement when it comes to Nolan's "Dark Knight Trilogy." It's over folks, period. And if if the studio could use (i.e. "hijack") "Nolan's Batman" in a potential JL film, they won't. Mr. Nolan doesn't want it to happen, thus, it ain't going to happen. Do you really think the studio would piss off Mr. Nolan over a Justice League movie? Please! Batman will be rebooted shortly with a Batman that can fit within a cinematic DC universe. Here's what the author of the EW story had to say...
"When Robinov said 'They do. Or they did,' I at first took that to mean he was leaving the possibility open to retroactively link-up those three most recent Batman films with upcoming DC-based films. But as I listen to the conversation again, I suspect what he actually meant was that upcoming Batman films wouldnt necessarily exist in their own closed-off world the way the previous ones did.
I doubt Nolans 'Dark Knight' series will be joined up with the new Superman or Justice League films because Nolan created a story that had a fully realized arc and a definite ending. Reintroducing Bales Bruce Wayne in a superhero team-up movie would necessitate answering questions the filmmaker deliberately left open-ended at the conclusion of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES."
"My prediction is that the studio will simply reboot Batman, creating another lucrative series that happens to be connected to Man of Steel and the other movies, while 'The Dark Knight trilogy' will continue to stand alone in its own self-contained universe, forever preserving Nolans interpretation while clearing the way for a new one to come along."
Absolutely spot-on. Anyway...
Folks, this is Warner Bros. doing some damage control here. Make no mistake, the desire by the studio to have Nolan in charge of DC on film and for Bale to return to the role of Batman was real. The thing simply fell apart for whatever reason (*cough* Nolan doesn't want his "Trilogy" messed with! *cough*) after the possibility was leaked to the press. Now, they're having to tighten things up. Basically, Warner Bros. is circling the wagons by publicly saying that Nolans Dark Knight Trilogy is safe, Batman on film is going to be rebooted, and there are more DC-based films coming after MAN OF STEEL.
Maybe.
