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THE DARK KNIGHT Director Returns!
Christopher Nolan talks to the press about the blockbuster and what's next By
Rob M. Worley
October 28, 2008
Source: L.A. Times Hero Complex blog
Christopher Nolan on the set of THE DARK KNIGHT
© Warner Bros.
It's the biggest movie of the summer and the second biggest domestic release of all time. 'The Dark Knight' shattered box office records and wowed fans. Then, director Christopher Nolan took a break, leaving fans, press and studio executives to gossip and speculate about what may be next for the director and his mega-franchise.
Now, Nolan has resurfaced and is talking exclusively to the L.A. Times and he's talking about the success of the first movie and where the next one might go.
"I can’t get my arms around it, to be quite frank. It’s mystifying. It’s terrific but at the same time it’s a little abstract, the numbers are so big," Nolan said of the near billion dollar world box office of 'The Dark Knight'.
"The biggest thrill for me would be, with the number of people who have gone to see the film, how 'The Dark Knight' stood on the shoulders of the first film, how we were able to build the audience up and build the story up from the first film. That was really exciting to see."
Nolan also said that, contrary to popular belief, he had no master plan for a part three that would prominently feature the Joker. However, Heath Ledger's amazing performance certainly made him consider it.
"Really and in truth, I only deal with one film at a time. I find myself sort of protesting this issue a lot. We’ve never attempted to save anything for a sequel or set up anything for a sequel," Nolan said. "That seems improbable to some people because, particularly with 'Batman Begins,' the film ended with a particular hook [with Jim Gordon showing Batman a Joker playing card announcing the arrival of a new villain in town]. But for me that was just about the excitement of people leaving the theater with the sense that now we have the character up and running.
"Then I got excited about seeing where that character would go. It was planned in advance, but it followed in that way. But we tried our hardest to really do everything in this movie that we would want to see the Joker do and to get that in the fabric of the story as much as possible. We wanted the Joker’s final taunt to Batman to be that they are locked in an ongoing struggle because of Batman’s rules. There’s a paradox there. Batman won’t kill. And the Joker is not interested in completely defeating Batman because he’s fascinated by him and he enjoys sparring with him. It’s trapped both of them. That was really the meaning of it. Of course what happened is Heath created the most extraordinary character that you would love to see 10 movies about. That’s the bittersweet thing. It was incredible characterization. It is a bittersweet thing for all of us."
So, is Nolan planning to do another one?
"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," the director said.
"On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question: How many good third movies in a franchise can people name," he asked, laughing. "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."
For the complete first part of Geoff Boucher's exclusive interview with Christopher Nolan, click through to the Hero Complex blog at L.A. Times.
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Man,
I though this title meant Nolan is back for a third Batman...
In any case, I don't think anything will make the third movie as big as the 2nd one. The unfortunate death of Heath Ledger has made this movie more popular then ever and the role itslef just solidified the meaning of having good acting in a role.
Now, people expect this same type of buzz over the movie so, I don't expect the same feeling for a third. It's nothing bad but, whatever they do, it will not be as ''magic'' as the 2nd one.
Time will tell.