Directors Christopher and Jonathan Nolan have become major Hollywood players, with Jonathan recently winning the Best Director Oscar. But their rise to success may not have been possible without the success of the “Dark Knight” trilogy.
After the poorly received “Batman and Robin” film in 1997, Warner Bros. decided to reboot the Batman franchise. They brought on then up-and-coming director Christopher Nolan to helm the new series. However, Nolan was initially hesitant to take on the job.
In a recent interview, Jonathan Nolan revealed that it took some convincing to get his brother to return and make a sequel to the first “Batman Begins” film. “Chris was on the fence about making another one,” Jonathan said. Nolan was worried about becoming “a superhero movie director.”
But Jonathan was able to persuade his brother that they had more stories to tell in the Batman universe. They decided to take the franchise in a different direction, making “The Dark Knight” more of a crime thriller than a typical superhero movie.
The Nolan brothers’ bold approach paid off, as “The Dark Knight” became the first billion-dollar superhero movie and won two Oscars, including a posthumous award for Heath Ledger’s performance.
The success of the “Dark Knight” trilogy cemented the Nolans’ status as major Hollywood talents. Christopher Nolan went on to direct acclaimed films like “Inception” and “Interstellar,” while Jonathan won the Best Director Oscar this year. Their collaboration on the Batman films was a crucial step in their rise to the top of the industry.