With James Gunn taking over the DCU, fans of the franchise are hoping the Suicide Squad director can breathe new life into the flailing universe. While most of the online chatter around his new era has been positive, some DCU-heads are worried the franchise reboot will fall into the same old patterns we saw blight the Zack Snyder years, especially when it comes to Warner Brothers ignoring what could be interesting and innovative stories for guaranteed (but generic) money-makers.
One of the reasons fans are so worried about this stems from the constant pushing back of a Nightwing film, which has allegedly been in the works for over half a decade now. While many believe Gunn is likely to eventually get the cult hero character on our screens, the fact it’s taking so long is making some online a bit antsy, especially as The Lego Batman Movie director and huge fan of the character Chris McKay is incredibly keen to be involved.
Given fan service is a key part of these comic franchises, you’d think greenlighting a Nightwing film would be a no-brainer for the execs at WB and Gunn himself, but the powers that be remain mysteriously silent. McKay has confirmed his interest publicly, but also noted he hasn’t spoken to Gunn about the film, nor has anyone from WB reached out to him.
We know that fan pressure has worked before when it comes to getting DCU content out there, most notably with regard to the Snyder Cut, which was released after a highly effective and well-publicized online campaign. As a potential Nightwing film has been officially in the works since 2017, it might take yet another barrage of tweets and blog posts to get WB and Gunn to give the fans what they want.
Fans have even been committed enough to figure out where in the DCU timeline a Nightwing film could be placed, noting it would fit in snugly just before Batman: The Brave and the Bold. And, as always, plenty have been fan-casting, although not everyone being touted for the role is happy about being considered.
The good news for lovers of the DCU is that Gunn appears to have a lot more creative control than his predecessors, meaning he might be able to override the studio’s clear apathy for a Nightwing feature film, or even a television series. But, for now, Gunn remains annoyingly silent on the prospect — so if you’re a fan keen on seeing Nightwing on the big screen, keep tweeting at him!