Nightwing director talks vision for live-action movie, how it differs from Batman

DC and Warner Bros. are pushing ahead with a Nightwing live-action movie, and director Chris McKay sat down with the Shanlian on Batman podcast team to talk about where he wants to take the character.

Nightwing — otherwise known as Dick Grayson, Batman’s former right-hand-man — Robin, debuted in January 1984 in Tales of the Teen Titans #44. Ten years later, the character got his first solo series, followed by a mini-series. Grayson has been the leader of the Teen Titans, a super-spy and the vigilante protector of Gotham’s neighboring city, Blüdhaven, and is renowned (this is neither a joke nor an exaggeration) for having “the best backside in comics.”

McKay said unlike Batman, Nightwing didn’t come from privilege and as a result, he’s not the same “dour and angry” hero as DC’s most iconic character. Instead, McKay continued, Nightwing came from a family of circus performers and as such, will maintain that type of exuberance while donning his superhero costume.

“He’s a fascinating guy to me, because he had all the same things happen to him,” McKay said. “He’s got some of the same negatives as Bruce Wayne and then from a society standpoint – obviously he was adopted into Bruce Wayne’s life … but he didn’t start that way. He’s this guy who has all these negatives and then even more negatives and yet he remains … Those are things why I like Dick Grayson, why I like the idea of Nightwing as a movie.”

Warner Bros. announced last week it was pushing ahead with a live-action Nightwing movie and McKay, best known for his work on The Lego Batman Movie, would direct. Nightwing will exist as part of the DC Extended Universe, which is currently populated by Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad.

There is currently no estimated release window for the movie.