The Dark Knight Trilogy: 18 Cool Behind-The-Scenes Details You Didn't Know

18. Emma Thomas Told Nolan's Agent That He Wouldn't Be Interested In Batman

Nolan's wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas, has worked with him on every single film he's ever made, from 1998's Following to 2020's Tenet.

Back when Warner Bros. was searching for a filmmaker to reboot Batman in the early 2000s, Thomas - knowing that her husband's movies were dark, mature, and completely focused on story and character - actually told Nolan's agent that he simply wouldn't be interested in making a Batman movie.

She based this opinion on the Batman movies she'd already seen, which, at that point, had either been gothic (Tim Burton's efforts) or bright and goofy (Joel Schumacher's efforts) - basically, about as far from Nolan's style as it's possible to get.

Fortunately, she did then mention the Batman project to Nolan himself, and he expressed excitement at the prospect of making it, believing that there was a Batman story that hadn't yet been told on film.