The Dark Knight writer is bored of superhero movies
He might've co-written two Batman movies, but Jonathan Nolan is now tired of the superhero film genre and is predicting its downfall.
Nolan, co-showrunner on Westworld, compared the genre to the once-popular Western model at a screening of his HBO show's second season finale last night (June 19).
"I certainly hope we get sick of comic book movies at some point," said the writer, who collaborated with his brother Christopher Nolan on both 2008's The Dark Knight and its 2012 sequel The Dark Knight Rises.
"We're currently in a glut of them now. Having contributed to the superhero movie genre a couple of times, I'm not terribly sure how well that genre will age. There's some weird subconscious stuff informing a bunch of actors dressing up in tights beating the crap out of people."
Nolan was far more complimentary when it came to Westerns, though admitted that it was "terrifying" launching Westworld with the knowledge that the series was inspired by a "dead" film genre.
"Even when [Michael] Crichton wrote the original film, in 72 / 73, the Western was clearly on its way out," Nolan said. "But I think for him and for us, as a genre. it's so consistent, so simple...
"There's some fantastic films made in the genre – I grew up a fan of the Sergio Leone spaghetti Westerns as a kid – and they all have this underlying structure that is really interesting. It's an investigation of good and evil, and free will, and people trying to build ethical systems out in the back end of beyond when there's nothing else to support them.
"It's a fascinating genre, and it's a shame that we're done with it."
Westworld's season two finale will air this Sunday at 9/8c on HBO in US, with Sky Atlantic simulcasting the 90-minute episode from 2am in the UK. The finale will also be repeated on Sky Atlantic at 9pm on Monday.
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