nightwing Tim Seeley

Tim Seeley has spent the last few years penning the comic book exploits of Dick Grayson, both as a super spy in the series ‘Grayson’ and as a superhero in the Rebirth version of ‘Nightwing’.  Seeley is set to depart the latter book to take over writing chores on ‘Green Lantern’ just as word has emerged that Nightwing will be getting his own film as part of Warner Brothers’ DC Expanded Universe.  Seeley has some experience with films, having co-written the script for ‘Revival’ based on his creator-owned comic series, with Sarah Fischer.  That film comes from Shatterglass Films with Luke Boyce attached to direct.

When asked how he would approach a ‘Nightwing’ movie, Seeley said:

“I have it in my head actually.  I would do a very similar thing to what we did in the first six issues of Nightwing — the Raptor story. If the story is going to have to be about a guy who was trained by Batman going off to fight on his own, then having him fight a guy who wants to be his new mentor and changes, I think that’s the perfect story for it. I think the first act is, he’s dealing with a villain — it could be the Court of Owls or something but it could be anything else. The threat is a threat that affects Batman and the family, because you want to have some relationship with that, then he gets corrupted, and has to fight Raptor. I think that’s your three-act movie.”

He remarked about the use of Raptor as the villain versus, for example, Blockbuster:

“Not just because I would love the sweet royalties of having a character in the movie that I made up but also because [Nightwing rogue] Blockbuster would be really hard to film, I think. The reflection that is Blockbuster, he’s Hulk-powered, and having Dick fight him as an equal in a film I think would be hard to do. You could move up to it, but it would be a challenge.

“Barring them using Raptor, I think you could do a very similar storyline with Deathstroke if you wanted to — although the hard thing about Deathstroke is that he’s an assassin so believing that Dick would follow him is tough.  I think making it Raptor and having him be somehow attached to Dick’s past, to his mother, I think that’s how you do superhero movies. I think it would work pretty well.”

Let’s hope he was joking about that last part, or just taking a jab at the much-mocked ‘Batman V Superman’.

Deathstroke has been co-opted in various media.  He’s been a villain (times two) on ‘Arrow’ and for a time, Joe Manganiello was attached to play the villain in ‘The Batman’ but with the current status of that movie in limbo, it’s possible that either the part has been written out or that Manganiello has moved on.

But it’s easy to forget that Deathstroke originated as a villain for the Teen Titans, which included Dick Grayson as first Robin, then Nightwing.  If he should be used in a film, it would be suiting that it be in ‘Nightwing’ versus ‘Batman’.

Chris McKay is directing ‘Nightwing’ based on a script by Bill Dubuque.  The film does not yet have a release date.

What do you think?  Would the Raptor storyline make for a good ‘Nightwing’ movie?  Is Raptor the right villain?

Source: ComicBook.com