Did the Dark Knight director take a cheap shot at the competition while promoting Interstellar?
Update: BuzzFeed News is reporting that a quote attributed to him in a Guardian profile about the Marvel Studios superhero productions not being “real films” because of their post-credits codas does not reflect his real views on the subject: “The quote is inaccurate,” the Interstellar filmmaker reportedly told BuzzFeed, after clarifying that “I would never say someone else’s film isn’t ‘a real film.'”
Elsewhere, Badass Digest (one of the many sites along with this one to run stories based on the quote) points out that the Guardian quote is actually an out of context second-hand account of Nolan’s words on the matter from Zack Snyder.
Original Story: Christopher Nolan may have left the superhero movie scene behind (he’s not listed as a producer of any further DC Comics properties after Man of Steel,) but it seems the onetime Batman-auteur isn’t above taking a departing swipe at the distinguised competition.
In a lengthy Guardian profile building up the famously-private director’s mystique in advance of his hotly-anticipated sci-fi drama Interstellar, Nolan reveals that Warner Bros had asked him if a comedy coda (read: post-credits stinger) could be added to Man of Steel. According to Nolan, his response was:
“A real movie wouldn’t do that.”
Ever since the original Iron Man ended with a “secret” scene wherein Nick Fury revealed the existence of a broader Marvel Universe and “The Avenger Initiative,” post-credit scenes revealing new characters or just goofing around have been a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; while Nolan’s superhero adaptations (encompassing the Dark Knight Trilogy and the first Man of Steel) were frequently positioned as a “dark and gritty” alternative in the fandom press.
At this time, there has been no indication as to whether Nolan’s particular distaste for such scenes will continue to carry over into the post-Man of Steel DC Universe films, including Zack Snyder’s Dawn of Justice and Justice League features which take place directly after the Superman reboot.
Sources: BuzzFeed, The Guardian
