Posted in: 20th Century Studios, Aquaman, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: 20th century studios, aquaman, jeff nichols, the bikeriders, Warner Bros

The Bikeriders Director Jeff Nichols On His "Different" Aquaman Idea

The Bikeriders director Jeff Nichols has opened up about his "quite different" Aquaman idea and why he thinks it would have "sold hundreds of dollars worth of tickets."

Just because something is based on a comic book doesn't mean that the pitch is a good one. We have seen this happen a few times over the years with stalled or failed superhero projects, and there are probably more lurking in the depths of various writers' hard drives that we might never know about. However, it is always interesting to hear what certain writers and directors would do with established characters and what unique traits they would bring to something familiar. Or, in the case of The Bikeriders director Jeff Nichols, something not as familiar since his pitch was about Aquaman. Before the film went on to crack a billion dollars at the box office, the character had been the butt of many jokes over the years, and no one thought a film about the character would work. Nichols recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast [via Variety] and spoke about his Aquaman idea and why he thinks it would have sold "hundreds of dollars worth of tickets."

"I still have scenes from ['Aquaman'] in my head that would've been good," Nichols said. "They would've been quite different from the film that was made. It wasn't ever feasible…I liked the older Aquaman, like when he had a harpoon for a hand. He was a fallen king, and his son had died. He was in mourning. Obviously, from this brief pitch, you can see it would've sold hundreds of dollars worth of tickets. … That stuff is fun to noodle on, but we got a lot of those movies now. There are a lot of stories in the world. It's ok to spend time time telling some other ones."

The superhero and comic book genre is a tough one because there is room to do something completely unique and take established characters in new directions, but that isn't always what studios want at that time. The machine behind these massive cinematic universes is driven by planting flags for the next film now, even more so than it was during phases one or two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with little focus on the movie in front of us. Maybe it's one of the reasons that this phase seems to be stumbling and why more and more directors and writers don't want anything to do with established IP.

The Bikeriders: Cast List, Summary, Release Date

From writer-director Jeff Nichols (Loving, Midnight Special, Mud), 20th Century Studios, and New Regency, The Bikeriders is a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members, starring Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, The Last Duel), Austin Butler (Elvis) and Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant).

Inspired by Danny Lyon's iconic book of photography, The Bikeriders immerses you in the look, feel, and sounds of the bare-knuckled, grease-covered subculture of '60s motorcycle riders. Kathy (Comer), a strong-willed member of the Vandals who's married to a wild, reckless bikerider named Benny (Butler), recounts the Vandals' evolution over the course of a decade, beginning as a local club of outsiders united by good times, rumbling bikes, and respect for their strong, steady leader Johnny (Hardy). Over the years, Kathy tries her best to navigate her husband's untamed nature and his allegiance to Johnny, with whom she feels she must compete for Benny's attention. As life in the Vandals gets more dangerous, and the club threatens to become a more sinister gang, Kathy, Benny, and Johnny are forced to make choices about their loyalty to the club and to each other.

The cast, most of whom did their own riding on an array of period-correct bikes, also includes Michael Shannon (Bullet Train), Mike Faist (West Side Story), Boyd Holbrook (Logan), and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead). Sarah Green, p.g.a., Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, p.g.a., and Arnon Milchan are the producers. Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Sam Hanson, David Kern, and Fred Berger are the executive producers. The Bikeriders opens in U.S. theaters on December 1st.

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