This year, Christopher Nolan said goodbye to the franchise he resurrected from the dead to the tune of (another) billion dollars. With Batman's farewell in The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan was treated as a prince by critics and fans everywhere for his emotional departure from the genre that cemented him as a legendary contemporary director. Of course, this was not without tragedy, as the Aurora, Colorado shootings were the headlines that stole away the Batman's thunder in the Friday paper. Despite the horrific incident, the Nolan picture continued on and eventually made its way past the billion-dollar mark. Now, Nolan is godfathering DC's other power player, as he settles into a producing position on Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. You'd most likely be putting down a safe bet to ensure Nolan's got a good track record continuing into 2013. And with his cinematographer in crime, Wally Pfister, grabbing his own film, it isn't a far thought to think Nolan might be getting a spoonful of that success, as well.