Christopher Nolan Reportedly Shut Down a Major BATMAN Spin-Off Project at Warner Bros. — GeekTyrant
According to The Wall Street Journal, that influence extended to the cancellation of a full-on Robin spin-off series. The show, which reportedly would've explored the early life of Robin, was axed at Nolan's request sometime in the late 2010s.
The report doesn't say much about the show's concept or timeline, only that it was being developed by a separate team of producers. It also doesn't explain why this particular project got Nolan's attention when other Bat-adjacent series like Gotham and Titans were greenlit without issue.
It's possible that the show may have been tying itself too closely to Nolan's universe, something the director was notoriously protective of. After all, Nolan made it clear years ago that The Dark Knight Rises was the end of his story.
Nolan's creative gatekeeping didn't stop there. WSJ also reports that during production on Joker , Nolan intervened when he heard that director Todd Phillips originally planned for Joaquin Phoenix's Joker to carve a permanent smile into his face, mirroring Heath Ledger's iconic version.
According to the report, 'Nolan felt that only his Joker should do that,' and the idea was scrapped. Instead, Joker's final moment leaves Phoenix smearing blood across his face, not slicing it open.
At the time, Nolan still had some clout at WB as he had produced Man of Steel and had a guiding hand in shaping the early direction of the DC Extended Universe. His presence was felt behind the scenes, even as other creatives took center stage. But that dynamic changed when Tenet collided with Warner Bros.' pandemic release strategy, leading to a public split between Nolan and the studio.
While things may have cooled since then, and there's always a chance they'll collaborate again, Nolan has firmly planted his flag at Universal for now.
It would be interesting to find out what WB was planning for this Robin project.
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