Earlier this week the internet exploded with the rumour that Warner Bros. had handed Christopher Nolan the keys to a DC movie universe, with various reports circulating suggesting that Nolan would serve as producer on the studio’s long-rumoured Justice League adaptation, or that Christian Bale’s Dark Knight would team up with Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel for a World’s Finest movie. As yet, nothing has been confirmed, so while fans ponder the possibilities of Nolan returning to the DC universe post-The Dark Knight Rises, Deadline caught up with Marvel Studios’ own ‘godfather’ Joss Whedon, who shared his thoughts on a possible DC movie universe:
“I don’t keep that close an eye on it. But I loved Batman Begins so much and thought Christopher Nolan nailed Batman in a way that nobody ever had,” said Whedon ahead of an appearance at SXSW, where he will screen his latest (non-superhero) film Much Ado About Nothing. “It couldn’t be more different from The Avengers, and the Marvel and DC universes are different animals. If they actually crack the code which has not been done in terms of creating a shared sensibilities where all the movies are interesting and come together, I’m going to be thrilled. I have no fear that we’re going to be stepping on each others’ turf.”
Whedon then went on to touch upon the subject of a Wonder Woman movie, which he attemped to get off the ground himself back in the mid-2000s: “It’s not easy. It’s not a simple trick. The Marvel properties with the exception of Batman who has often been described as the Marvel character in the DC universe are much easier to translate to a modern audience. Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern are so far above us and their powers are amorphous and that makes it 10 times harder. Even when you’re doing a fight, it’s harder to write a fight for Thor than it is for Captain America because he’s that much stronger. I loved what I was doing on Wonder Woman. Clearly I was an excited party of one. I wrote the movie, I felt good about the characters, the structure needed work, I did another outline, they read it and were done. There wasn’t even a phone call.”
The filmmaker also outlined his duties as ‘creative consultant’ on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is about to embark upon Phase Two with the release of Iron Man 3, building to Whedon’s The Avengers 2 in 2015: “I understand what Kevin [Feige] is going for and where he’s heading, and I read the scripts and watch cuts and talk to the directors and writers and give my opinion. Occasionally there could be some writing. But I’m not trying to get in anybody’s soup, I’m just trying to be helpful. Every time you work on a project it’s a little vacation from the project you’re working on the other 23 hours. That’s the thing – it replenishes you to do something else. And they’re very aware that if I’m too tired or busy to help with anything, that’s fine. But if I can help and not get in the way of the actual filmmakers, that’s what I’m going to do.”
And finally Whedon also touched upon the recently completed pilot episode for S.H.I.E.L.D., and while we’re yet to hear if the show has been picked up for a full season, he’s certainly talking like that’s the case: “That was fun to do, but again, too much work. The idea of the Little Guy is something that I am very fierce about, and there has never been a better Little Guy than Clark Gregg. That intrigued me, this world around the superhero community. It’s the people whose shop windows get blown up when the Destroyer shows up. It’s the more intimate stories that belong on television that we can really tap into the visual style and ethos, and even some of the mythology, of the Marvel movies. I think we’ve put together another really great ensemble headed by Clark. And how much it’s actually seeding or hinting or reacting to what’s going on in the movies is something we’ll let play out as we go. For me the most important thing is that people fall in love with it on its own merits, rather than constantly asking, ‘Is there gonna be an Avenger?’ Well, there’s not gonna be a Hulk because that guy’s too expensive… I will be as involved as I can be – mostly on a story level. On the TV show I can say, ‘No, do it my way.’ I’m just trying to keep it exciting and meaningful and surprising.”
Originally published March 8, 2013. Updated December 13, 2019.
