Warner Bros. is planning more DC-related film and television projects than ever before, with multiple feature films including Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, DC's League of Super-Pets, and The Suicide Squad slated for imminent theatrical release. One project that was announced to be in development three years ago was a film based on Nightwing, the brooding alter ego of Batman's sidekick, Robin.
The project was shelved by the studio for a long period of time, but The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay, who originally signed on to direct the superhero film, has commented about the project in an interview with ReelBlend, stating that Nightwing is still in the works.
Chris McKay is one of the most exciting American film directors handling popular film projects at this time. McKay got his start by directing episodes of Moral Orel and Robot Chicken for Adult Swim, and after his big breakthrough with the critically-acclaimed LEGO Batman Movie, the filmmaker is attached to a sequel to LEGO Batman that is pegged for release 2022; not only that, but his Amazon action film The Tomorrow War starring Chris Pratt is slated for release later this Summer.
In the interview, Chris McKay clarified that while Nightwing admittedly fell into development hell, he doesn't believe that the film is dead yet. He stated that his Nightwing film is a "big, action-packed, emotional movie," and that while the film might not be a part of the established multiverse, or that it might not have the same budget as The Tomorrow War, the film will still have the "kind of action" and "kind of heart" in terms of the film's scope and scale.
McKay stated he was emboldened by recent decisions made by Warner Bros. to have hope for his Nightwing project—he did not specify which moves, but it is likely that the choice to greenlight films such as Batgirl and Blue Beetle (and release them on HBO Max) was what spurred McKay to express his optimism.
While seeing films based on Batgirl, Blue Beetle, and Nightwing on the silver screen would be preferable over watching them via streaming, there's something to be said about the advent of HBO Max that allows Warner Bros. to make a wider variety of DC-related film content per year. Audiences are hungrier than ever for superhero films, especially films about underrepresented people groups, meaning that most audiences would be appreciative to receive films about lesser-known heroes regardless of their platform of release.
Hopefully, more news about Chris McKay's Nightwing film is able to surface soon. In the meantime, Chris McKay's The Tomorrow War will be available to stream on Amazon on July 23rd, 2021.
Source: ReelBlend