7. The Dark Knight Trilogy Almost Lost Nolan (Twice)
The Films You Know: Love it or just like it a bit, Christopher Nolans trio of Batman films changed blockbuster cinema in a startling way. With reverential, but not obsessive attention paid to the source, it reaffirmed that comic book films could work for fans and newbies alike. But not only revolutionising the genre, they (along with Inception) pushed Nolan up to the biggest of leagues, to the extent where even the most passive filmgoer will salivate at any mention of his next project.
The Films That Almost Happened: Nolan is notoriously tight lipped about his films throughout all aspects of production. Theres still little to no word his next film Interstellar which comes out next year and he never discusses films heavily after release; were still waiting for that solution to Memento. In this vein, he also never tends to theorise ahead. Many directors will know what they're doing for the next decade, but Nolan focuses on nothing but his current work. For both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises he was reluctant to take up the reins and talk did stray that he was going to only remain as Executive Producer. In the end, he thankfully remained, but that didn't stop one of the greatest trilogies of recent years almost halting in it's tracks twice.