The last few days have been incredibly exciting for DC fans. Not only has Matt Reeves returned as the director of the solo Batman movie, but we were also recently treated to the announcement that The LEGO Batman Movie's Chris McKay has been tapped to helm a Nightwing film. Nightwing is a fan-favorite character that DC geeks have longed to see on the silver screen for decades, and McKay has officially promised that the movie will be as engaging and compelling as Dick Grayson's comic book stories. McKay explained that he wants to create a
Really interesting, intriguing, action-packed character movie.
I think it's safe to say that all of those adjectives are exactly what we want from a film centering on Dick Grayson. Chris McKay has already proven that he has the chops to helm a more comedic, animated take on Batman's first sidekick, so we have plenty of faith in his ability to take the reigns and properly helm a badass Nightwing movie. The director's recent comments during an episode of the Shanlian on Batman podcast promise nothing less than a perfect introduction into the DCEU, so now we're all just counting down the days until more information about the project comes forward.
When it comes to an older and more seasoned version of Dick Grayson, there's quite a bit of room for exploration on Chris McKay's part. The closest we have ever really come to a live-action depiction of Nightwing on the silver screen is Chris O'Donnell's Robin in Batman & Robin, so there's very little precedent for how to properly bring him to life for the first time.
If you ask me, there's no better source of inspiration than Batman: The Animated Series with regards to an excellent take on this character:
Of course, at this point, it remains important for us to temper our enthusiasm and excitement with a certain degree of cautious optimism. Chris McKay is involved in the development of a Nightwing movie, but the film is still very much in the earliest possible stages of its existence. The director explained:
There's not much I can talk about about the movie. I don't even have a contract. Anything can happen.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that Chris McKay signs on the dotted line and gets a contract as soon as possible. The announcement of a Nightwing movie promises an interesting change for the entire DCEU, and it could be exactly what the silver screen DC Universe needs at this stage of its existence. After all, a renewed emphasis on The Bat Family seems like a strong indication that DC and Warner Bros. want to play to the strengths of this universe.
We will bring you more information related to the Nightwing solo movie as more details become available to us. For now, check out Chris McKay's recent work with Dick Grayson in The LEGO Batman Movie, which is currently in theaters.
