Christopher Nolan Reveals ‘Batman Begins’ Was Going To Be A Standalone Film And The Trilogy’s Inspiration

The Dark Knight trilogy features some of the most popular comic book movies of all time (and certainly some of the most popular from the DC universe), but director Christopher Nolan recently revealed that he hadn’t planned on doing a sequel to Batman Begins. As Collider reported, the Batman director recently participated in a two-hour panel at the Cannes Film Festival and spoke of the iconic comic book trilogy.

Fans reportedly pushed, yelled, and shoved their way into the event, and they gave a rockstar-like ovation when the filmmaker took the stage. This was Christopher Nolan’s first time at Cannes, and he was there to debut a 70mm print of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Stanley Kubrick film is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and it was a big inspiration to then 7-year-old Nolan in becoming a filmmaker. While discussing A Space Odyssey during the event, Nolan also provided some revelations on The Dark Knight trilogy.

The director said that he hadn’t planned on doing a sequel, but that he was drawn to the character of Bruce Wayne. He gravitated toward Wayne because he was relatable and human; he wasn’t a character that had superpowers beyond being extremely wealthy, and that “really, he’s just someone who does a lot of push-ups.”

Christopher Nolan remarked that every entry into the trilogy represents a different genre. Batman Begins was designed as a straightforward origins story, and he said the second entry was made in the vein of a Michael Mann picture. The Dark Knight Rises was designed to feel like a “historical epic.”

He also commented that each movie was defined by a different villain, making it easier to shift between genres. By utilizing a variety of genres, he was able to show the audience something different about Bruce Wayne in each movie.

The Oscar-winner also revealed that he wanted to make the trilogy as captivating as a 007 film. He said that they mercilessly stole from the James Bond movies and acknowledged that Lucius Fox is like Agent Q; both characters support their respective hero by providing them with innovative gadgets. Christopher Nolan added that he would like to make a 007 movie one day, but only when the franchise is in need of a reboot (like he did with the Batman franchise).