The Dark Knight wasn't the best picture nominee the Oscars deserved but the best picture nominee the Oscars needed, according to Steven Spielberg. Well, not exactly in those words, but that was the overall effect.
In his over 40-year-long career, he's picked up nominations and wins for everything from crowdpleasers like E.T. and Raiders of the Lost Ark to more serious picks like Schindler's List and War Horse. His latest film, the semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans, is nestled into the Best Picture nominations for this year's awards, sharing space with the likes of Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick.
Speaking to Deadline, Spielberg commented on two box office-smashing films being recognised at an award show not usually famed for its inclusion of popcorn faves. “I’m really encouraged by that", he said, adding “It came late for the film that should have been nominated a number of years ago, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight”.
According to Spielberg, the second in Nolan's Batman trilogy would have been a sure bet for an Oscar nomination had it been released this year rather than in 2008. The film definitely wasn't edged out of the awards, racking up eight nominations and winning two — Best Sound Editing and Best Supporting Actor, which was awarded posthumously to Heath Ledger who tragically died following his role as The Joker. Nolan, however, was edged out of the running, with no nod for Best Director or Best Picture. “That movie would have definitely garnered a Best Picture nomination today, so having these two blockbusters solidly presented on the top 10 list is something we should all be celebrating", says Steven Spielberg.
Looking back, it is almost baffling to try and understand why The Dark Knight wasn't considered an Oscar-worthy film despite its clear artistic merit at the hands of an auteur like Nolan. No stranger to the awards, Nolan has been nominated (but, shockingly, never won) for the likes of Dunkirk and Inception, two films incorporating much of the same aesthetic vision as the Batman trilogy but just without the albatross of them being a comic book adaptation around their necks.
The Oscars' unwillingness to embrace superhero films has been a talking point for years, especially as the genre becomes more and more the de facto type of movie occupying cinema screens. In 2018, Black Panther became the first Marvel film to be nominated for Best Picture, and this year Angela Basset nabbed the studio's first acting nomination for her role in its sequel.
It's clear that, given the breadth of superhero films on offer over the years, Nolan's vision for Batman has come the closest to a singular vision from a director. They were gritty, dark, and violent, not dissimilar to the newest iteration of the caped crusader in The Batman from Matt Reeves (notably also lacking in nominations bar sound, make-up and visual effects).
2023 might be a step in the right direction for big-budget blockbusters getting their props in the major leagues, and Nolan's Batman will just watch along, lurking in the shadows as the dark knight does best.
