Man of Steel at one point was meant to have a humorous post-credits scene...until Christopher Nolan apparently said otherwise.
Love him or secretly love him but loathe his fanatical fan following, Christopher Nolan continues to be one of the most interesting and unique voices in Hollywood. Trust me, whatever you end up thinking of Interstellar’s unexpected ending, it will leave you reeling in awe of a film that nobody else could have made (especially on that scale).
However, when it comes to superhero movies, including Man of Steel, which Nolan executive produced and shares a story credit on with David Goyer, there is a filmic viewpoint that not even all his fans necessarily share. This became especially clear in an extensive write-up that The Guardian did of the filmmaker in lieu of his intergalactic epic. During the piece, Nolan and even director Zack Snyder candidly talked about The Dark Knight Trilogy and Man of Steel, including when Nolan vetoed demands for a post-credits stinger on the latter.
Snyder recalled when Nolan offered him the opportunity to make Man of Steel, as well as Nolan’s suggestions that he study test footage from White Sands, New Mexico (a testing ground for nuclear weapons) to understand how objects move at high velocity. And when Warner Bros. requested that Snyder insert a post-credits scene of comedy—i.e. Marvel Studios’ bread and butter, and each Marvel film’s most talked about scene—Snyder recalls what happened. Nolan replied, “A real movie wouldn’t do that.”
Personally, I appreciate the intended distinction from the Marvel formulae. And quite frankly, a post-credits joke or tease on any of The Dark Knight films would seem misplaced and unnecessary…though it certainly couldn’t have hurt Man of Steel.
But what say you? Does post-credit fan baiting devalue filmmaking’s standalone integrity?
Also, a special thanks to ComingSoon for bringing this quote to our attention.
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