The DC Extended Universe is a tricky place. In stark juxtaposition to the methodical releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC has attempted to quickly pay catch up in order to hold a candle against its competitor. But The DCEU has had a habit of announcing exciting new projects and/or directors, before things ultimately fall through. A handful of directors have dropped major projects in the universe, like Rick Famuyiwa or Zack Snyder. Now it's happened again, as Joss Whedon has officially left the Batgirl movie. The internet basically exploded with this revelation, and now Nightwing director Chris McKay has revealed the only way he'd ever depart his upcoming superhero movie.
I'm pretty sure WB are going to have to fire me if they want me to leave Nightwing.
Well, that's one director who we can expect to stick with his project. Considering how often the Lego Batman Movie director tweets out about Nightwing, he better follow through for the fandom.
Chris McKay's tweet revealed his determination to make Nightwing is sure to be a relief for the many DC fans who are dismayed by Joss Whedon's recent departure from the Batgirl movie. News of Whedon's involvement set the internet ablaze, despite his less than stellar outing completing Zack Snyder's Justice League. Considering his tenure working on strong female characters like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Black Widow in The Avengers, Whedon seemed like the ideal choice. Unfortunately, he announced his separation from the project yesterday after failing to find a proper story to tell.
Similarly, Chris McKay seemed like an excellent choice to direct Nightwing, due to his prior work within the Batman mythos. The Lego Batman Movie was met with critical acclaim and box office success, and showed what a massive Bat-fan McKay is. As such, he's a great choice to bring Dick Grayson aka Nightwing to the silver screen for a new generation. The closest thing we got was that Chris O'Donnell in Batman & Robin, and it wasn't the character's finest showing.
The DC Extended Universe, while still very much in its infancy, has had a very hard time nailing directors down. While Zack Snyder built the universe through his work in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, he ended up departing Justice League in the wake of a family tragedy. Ezra Miller's Flash movie has faced similar struggles, having already lost its director twice. This started with the departure of Seth Grahame-Smith, which was followed by Rick Famuyiwa. Finally, Jaume Collet-Serra departed Suicide Squad 2 a few months ago, leading to uncertainty in the DCEU.
At least for now, the development of Nightwing is continuing and Chris McKay is planning on holding onto the project with white knuckles. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
