It appears that an upcoming DCU superhero movie is no longer happening.
Amidst the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU reboot, and a string of box office flops, Warner Bros.' previous plans and projects have been in flux or axed altogether.
Despite hopes that a certain DC superhero movie would survive development and leadership changes, that no longer appears to be the case.
Anticipated Warner Bros. DC Movie Is 'Dead'
According to The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez, Chris McKay's Nightwing movie, a solo story based on Batman's one-time sidekick Dick Grayson, was scrapped.
On X (formerly known as Twitter), and in reference to McKay's Nightwing project, Gonzalez confirmed "that project is dead."
News that Warner Bros. was developing a Dick Grayson superhero movie was first announced in 2017 with The Lego Batman Movie's Chris McKay attached to direct.
While originally expected to serve as a spin-off of Ben Affleck's unrealized Batman film, McKay also expressed his interest in a stand-alone story that doesn't "necessarily connect to certain things."
In 2022, casting rumors claimed actor Dylan O'Brien was being considered for Dick Grayson.
This was followed by an interview in 2023 where Chris McKay expressed his hopes for Nightwing within the DC reboot, saying, "...I love that character. I hope I can do something with him:
“Look, I am still hoping to do something with it. Now that James Gunn is involved… I haven’t had any conversations with him or anybody over there, but I love that character. I hope I can do something with him. That would be amazing.”
Interestingly enough, the director wasn't the only one anticipating a Nightwing story.
In a poll about which DC heroes and villains fans would most want to see, Nightwing landed among the top ten characters who received the most votes.
James Gunn Has His Own Nightwing Plans?
With so many big-screen Batmans, the loss of Nightwing is disappointing as it would've given audiences a Batman-esque story but through a new lens and a different hero.
It's even more unfortunate knowing Chris McKay's longtime passion and commitment to the project and that he felt the film could've worked within Warner Bros.' new DC regime.
However, there may be an obvious reason why Gunn and Peter Safran shelved Nightwing, and that's their upcoming Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters movie, The Brave and the Bold.
According to DC Studios, The Brave and the Bold won't only feature Batman and Damian Wayne but "other members of the extended Bat-Family."
Therefore, it's possible that the DC Studios co-CEOS have their own vision for Dick Grayson or at least want to hold off on his introduction until then.
There's also further evidence suggesting Nightwing - just not the original Nightwing movie - may be on the way.
In regard to that poll where Nightwing landed among the top ten anticipated DC characters, Gunn not only reposted it online but commented with "Will 5 of 10 do?"
The Brave and The Bold has yet to receive a release date.
LATEST NEWS
TRENDING
