Lego Batman Would Have Been Like The Godfather 2, Says Director
Lego Batman 2, which won't be happening, would have been structured similarly to The Godfather 2.
The Lego Batman Movie director Chris McKay claims that the now cancelled sequel would have been structured like The Godfather Part 2. In a recent interview with Uproxx, McKay explained that Lego has signed a deal with Universal Pictures, essentially cancelling any future Lego Warner Bros films such as Batman or the Justice League. This news is highly unfortunate, as McKay had previously brought on Loki creator Michael Waldron and Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon to write the script for the now-dead sequel.
Mckay explained “the sequel would’ve been a quasi Superfriends movie and the structure was going to be a sort of Godfather II kind of thing with Batman and the Justice League facing a modern-day problem… while at the same time flashing back to the reasons why Batman and the Justice League – and in particular, Superman – have bad blood. It was going to explore Superman and Batman’s relationship in a very different way than you’ve ever seen it portrayed, including Superman’s alienation from humanity.”
While speaking with Uproxx about his upcoming Nic Cage-led vampire film, Renfield, McKay discussed a number of other projects still hanging in limbo. One of which is the sequel to 2017’s The Lego Batman Movie, which dominated the box office, bringing in over $315 million for the studio.
Lego has since signed an exclusive deal with Universal for all foreseeable film outings, making the odds of getting another Lego Batman film in the future nearly impossible. This marks the second film in the DC comics franchise that Chris McKay has been unable to get off the ground after his Nightwing film has been trapped in development for several years. Nightwing refers to Batman’s first-ever sidekick, Dick Grayson, who left the role of Robin to begin his own crime-fighting spree.
McKay claims that DC’s revolving door of leadership has left the film on the back burner since the early days of Zack Snyder‘s reign. Of course, there is a chance that James Gunn will still bite on the idea, though there has been no announcement of a Nightwing film from the studio at this time. While McKay claims the Nightwing film could still happen, he has confirmed that Lego Batman 2 is officially dead.
This is a real shame, as the film sounds like it would be an excellent addition to the franchise based on what little we know about it. While The Lego Batman Movie may not have had the gritty realism of Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight trilogy, the film still served as an excellent family-friendly outing for the character, with a laundry list of A-listers in the cast, including Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and Zack Galifianakis. Add the inclusion of writers Dan Harmon and Michael Waldron, and it seems impossible for the sequel to fail.
Furthermore, McKay’s comparison to The Godfather Part 2 wasn’t made thoughtlessly. While many film buffs may scoff at the thought of comparing a Lego Batman sequel to one of the greatest films ever made, Chris McKay clearly believes that he had a hit on his hands, and describes the general structure of the film following a similar layout to that of the Francis Ford Coppola classic. Based on the above quote, it sounds like the film would have turned out significantly better than Zack Snyder’s poorly received 2016 outing Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Though Chris McKay is at a standstill on his Nightwing film, and Lego Batman 2 will almost certainly never see the light of day, the director also has some exciting news. With Renfield opening next week and McKay’s previous film, The Tomorrow War, dominating on streaming, McKay’s star is on the rise. This may provide him enough leverage with studios to get his next few projects greenlit with very little hesitation, or at least get his Tomorrow War sequel into theaters as soon as possible.
