Chris McKay still wants to make his Nightwing movie, though he hasn’t spoken to DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn. Since Gunn and fellow co-CEO Peter Safran took the reins, the DCU has undergone a major shake-up; the duo announced their first stage of projects – part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters – earlier this year, and the line-up includes the likes of a new Batman and Robin movie and a new Superman film.
Speaking to SFX Magazine in the new issue, which features Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on the cover, McKay gave an update on the DC film, which centers on Dick Grayson, Batman’s former sidekick. The project has been lingering in development hell for many moons – but McKay hasn’t given up hope. “Look, I am still hoping to do something with it,” McKay says. “Now that James Gunn is involved… I haven’t had any conversations with him or anybody over there, but I love that character. I hope I can do something with him. That would be amazing.”
McKay’s next film, though, is Renfield, which stars Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his beleaguered assistant, with Awkwafina playing a human character named Rebecca.
A decade ago, Universal Studios had plans for a revived cinematic universe where all their iconic monsters coexisted together. Dracula Untold unoffcially kicked it off. Tom Cruise’s The Mummy was set to cement this Dark Universe until it fizzled at the box office, forcing the studio to move on. But with the success of Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man, Ryan Gosling reportedly tackling The Wolfman, and the release of Renfield, could a cohesive universe once again be on the table?
Frankly, it seems unlikely. “We haven’t had any conversations about it,” McKay says. “From the studio’s perspective, this is a one-off thing. I figure they don’t look at this as some kind of franchise-starter. The thing for me, personally, is I loved the relationship between Renfield and Dracula. I loved the relationship between Renfield and Rebecca. I love the idea that if Dracula is out there, are there other monsters out there, in a world where Renfield is now empowered to fight off people’s monsters?
“That’s not necessarily where the movie goes,” he adds. “I see more stories in Renfield and his relationship with Rebecca, Dracula and possibly other monsters out there.”
Not a subscriber to SFX? Then head on over here to get the latest issues sent directly to your home/device! (opens in new tab)
Renfield hits theaters this April 14. That’s just a snippet of our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX Magazine with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on the cover (opens in new tab), available on newsstands this Wednesday, March 22! For even more from SFX, sign up to the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
