Legendary Filmmaker Admits His Most Iconic Movie Line Wasn't Even Written By Him
Few — if any — superhero films are held in higher esteem than the seminal 2008 Batman film “The Dark Knight.”
Between the mature sense of gritty realism that the movie brought (the Batman franchise had largely been known for campy live-action movies prior to the Dark Knight trilogy) and an absolutely iconic portrayal of the Joker by Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight” has more than earned its place in the pantheon of superhero films.
But of all the memorable aspects of the film, it’s perhaps this singular line of dialogue that has best stood the test of time:
“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain.”
The line, uttered by Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent (who goes on to become the tragic Batman villain Two-Face) has been recycled and re-used countless times since it was uttered on the silver screen in the late aughts.
And why shouldn’t it?
Few movie lines have proven to be as eerily accurate and foretelling as the above quote.
One would think that the film auteur who directed these magnificent Batman movies would be thrilled about that iconic line enduring the way it has, but there’s just one small issue.
Director Christopher Nolan, also known for smash hits like “Tenet” and “Interstellar,” never even wrote that line of dialogue.
The 53-year-old director spoke to Deadline in late February about “Oppenheimer” — the latest in a long string of critical and commercial successes from Nolan.
During the course of that wide-spanning interview, Nolan revealed that not only did he not write that specific line, but he didn’t even understand it at first.
“I’m plagued by a line from The Dark Knight, and I’m plagued by it because I didn’t write it,” Nolan told the outlet.
“My brother [Jonathan] wrote it. It kills me, because it’s the line that most resonates. And at the time, I didn’t even understand it. He says, ‘You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain.’
“I read it in his draft, and I was like, ‘All right, I’ll keep it in there, but I don’t really know what it means. Is that really a thing?’ And then, over the years since that film’s come out, it just seems truer and truer. In this story, it’s absolutely that.
“Build them up, tear them down. It’s the way we treat people.”
(And as any big brother can attest to, there is surely a slight sting at having your younger brother come up with a bit of brilliance like that. Christoper is about six years older than Jonathan.)
According to multiple outlets, including Variety, many in Hollywood are expecting Nolan to adapt the British miniseries “The Prisoner” as a follow-up to the smashing success that “Oppenheimer” turned out to be.
“The Prisoner” follows a kidnapped government agent who is taken to a peaceful, little village that turns out to be some sort of a prison.
That sounds like something right up Nolan’s alley.
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