Christopher Nolan, known for his movies such as E.T., The Dark Knight, Dunkirk, Inception, Interstellar, and many more, was hesitant and didn’t want to make The Dark Knight as he didn’t want to become a superhero director. Warner Bros. asked the director to direct the first Batman film, Batman Begins, with Christian Bale playing the titular character of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The movie became a hit and a commercial success. However, the director was hesitant to make another superhero film and didn’t want his career pigeonholed.
Jonathan, Christopher Nolan’s brother, who has worked with him on The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, revealed in a podcast that it did take a bit of convincing for Chris to agree to make the sequel. “Chris was on the fence about making another one. He didn’t want to become a superhero movie director. Chris was very proud of Batman Begins, but to me, it was like we built this amazing sports car, and I’m like, ‘Let’s take it for a drive. Don’t you want to make another one?'”
The Dark Knight turned out to be a cult classic, breaking records and becoming a commercial success. It paved the way for other movies in the DC universe and has become one of the most acclaimed comic book films.
Christopher Nolan recently received an Academy Award for Best Director for Oppenheimer.