Steven Spielberg claims that Christopher Nolan’s Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, could be nominated for Best Picture on the Academy Awards if it have been made right now. The 2008 movie was nominated for a complete of eight Oscars, together with a posthumous win for the late Heath Ledger for his portrayal of the Joker, however the Best Picture nomination evaded it. At the time, solely 5 movies have been eligible for choice, whereas now ten movies might be nominated for the prize. Historically, blockbusters have not acquired many Best Picture nominations or wins, and this quantity decreases even additional when accounting for sequels.
Spielberg just lately spoke with Deadline about his personal semi-autobiographical 2022 movie, The Fabelmans, receiving the Best Picture nod. He expressed pleasure on the Best Picture Oscar nominations of 2022’s two greatest films, Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick, noting how encouraging it’s for blockbusters to be receiving recognition for Hollywood’s greatest prize lately. Spielberg was positive to recall The Dark Knight, a blockbuster sequel he is assured could be nominated in right now’s panorama. His full quote might be learn under:
Nolan’s The Dark Knight is extensively thought to be one of many best superhero movies ever made, and although it accrued a powerful eight Oscar nominations with two wins, it was not thought of for Best Picture. This was thought to be an enormous snub, resulting in one of many greatest reforms within the awards ceremony’s historical past. The following 12 months, the Best Picture class was expanded to 10 nominees to incorporate extra well-liked movies that have been additionally revered and acclaimed. This has seen extra blockbusters be chosen for the highest prize lately, together with Black Panther on the 2019 ceremony.
However, in contrast to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which didn’t obtain the identical feat, The Dark Knight set a precedent for sequels which were achieved by only a few movies within the historical past of the Oscars, making Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick’s respective Best Picture nods all of the extra spectacular, significantly contemplating they achieved this in the identical 12 months. Previously, solely two sequels have ever gained the Best Picture Oscar, and each are thought of among the many greatest movies ever made: The Godfather: Part II and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The Dark Knight’s shocking omission from the class paved the best way for blockbusters and sequels alike to have an even bigger likelihood of being picked, and these results are being seen right now. This is undoubtedly why Spielberg believes Nolan’s smash hit would obtain a nod right now.
Another Batman movie set to hit screens sooner or later is Matt Reeves’ The Batman sequel. His 2022 introduction to Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader has drawn comparisons with Nolan’s Batman trilogy by way of its darkish, gritty tone and grounded realism. Like Batman Begins, The Batman launched a brand new iteration of Batman and the Gotham backdrop. Having already revealed the Joker to be in Arkham Asylum, The Batman’s sequel might see him tackle a bigger function, as with The Dark Knight, although Reeves might wish to guarantee his trilogy does not merely repeat Nolan’s. However, the Joker unquestionably stole the present and was the primary motive for the sequel’s success; if Reeves creates a equally iconic adversary to face Pattinson’s Batman, maybe his personal sequel might attain related ranges of success.