Nightwing is the latest superhero to be added into the DC Extended Universe. While Batman has seen two other versions of him portrayed on screen, the character of Dick Grayson was last seen in film in Batman And Robin. The long wait has created a fervor with DC fans who have wanted to see their favorite hero in film. Nightwing is, to this day, one of the most popular characters from the Bat-family, even popular than Batman at one point.
Christian Bale had famously refused to do Batman with Christopher Nolan when the actor was offered the part. Nolan’s Batman went on to create a movement for the superhero genre, but the absence of Robin aka Nightwing was sorely missed for hardcore fans.
The entrance of DCEU has made past disappointments forgotten and the hiring of The Lego Batman movie director Chris McKay for the upcoming project seemed to only confirm the new path DC was heading.
McKay for his part, accepted the role of director for the Nightwing movie because he was just an interesting character to pass off. The director told the Shanlian on Batman podcast:
“Bruce Wayne in my mind came from privilege and I think that’s why he’s more dour and angry. He’s self-made as far as his becoming all of these cool things we like him for… Dick Grayson didn’t come from that. Dick Grayson came from a circus family. Essentially people who aren’t rich and they are self-made. They’re entertainers. They’re gymnasts. They’re people who live hand-to-mouth and that’s something that informs him and his attitude.”
McKay continued,”He’s a fascinating guy to me, because he had all the same things happen to him. He’s got some of the same negatives as Bruce Wayne and then from a society standpoint — obviously he was adopted into Bruce Wayne’s life… but he didn’t start that way. He’s this guy who has all these negatives and then even more negatives and yet he remains… Those are things why I like Dick Grayson, why I like the idea of Nightwing as a movie.” The director will hopefully translate that interest into a great film as he has done with The Lego Batman Movie.
