In recent years, superhero films started to raise questions about their quality and struggled at the box office more than once. Aaron Eckhart shared his thoughts on how to improve this situation in an interview with Screen Rant. Referencing Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, he said:
“It’s not what I would tell them. It’s what’s on film. It’s what Chris did. If you take what your question right there and break it up and analyze it, and you say, ‘The Dark Knight,’ which is Chris Nolan, ‘brought [superheroes] back,’ from where? Where did he bring them back from? He brought it and put it right in reality.”
He Wants Reality And Truth In Movies
Along with Eckhart, the second film in Nolan’s Batman series featured Heath Ledger as Joker. The late actor’s version of the character was notable for his homemade-looking makeup of white and red face paint. So, the Two-Face actor commented:
“He put it in truth, in reality, and made it concrete and real and tangible. It was in fantasy land. And I haven’t seen a lot of those movies lately, but I think it’s gone back into fantasy land. Look at Heath’s performance. Look at his makeup. His makeup looked like he did it at home, right? And that’s what we want.”
Then, he added:
“We want a superhero that’s grounded in reality, and we want villains that are grounded in reality. And Chris did that perfectly. I think it set a benchmark for that, so I would say just get back to truth. Truth is where it’s at.”
Superhero Films Changed A Lot After ‘The Dark Knight’
Warner Bros. chose Nolan to reboot Batman after previous DC superhero films like ‘Batman & Robin’ and ‘Catwoman’ failed. This brought along the success of 2005’s ‘Batman Begins,’ but its sequel, ‘The Dark Knight,’ was what boosted the superhero genre on screen.
‘The Dark Knight’ came out the same year as Marvel’s ‘Iron Man.’ While both films became blockbusters, with their themes focusing on serious matters like terrorism, Marvel’s later movies added more fantasy elements to the storylines. DCEU followed the path Nolan’s trilogy made in realism to an extent in most of its early projects.
The two studios will likely stick to their current styles in the near future, as Marvel Studios is moving on with its Multiverse Saga, and DC Studios, led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, is creating a new set of films and shows.
