Leonardo DiCaprio Reveals THE DARK KNIGHT Is His Favorite Christopher Nolan Movie
Superhero movies often get brushed off as flashy entertainment with little depth, but every now and then a film comes along that completely changes that perception.
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight did exactly that, redefining what a comic book movie could be and earning the respect of both movie geeks and serious film buffs. And now, it turns out Leonardo DiCaprio, counts it as his favorite Nolan film.
The revelation came during a recent interview with Collider, where DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro were promoting their new film One Battle After Another. The two were asked to name their favorite movies from various legendary directors.
When Nolan’s name came up, DiCaprio didn’t hesitate and he picked The Dark Knight. Del Toro quickly agreed with him.
It’s a pretty interesting choice, especially considering DiCaprio’s past comments about superhero movies. Back in 2021, Timothée Chalamet told The New York Times that DiCaprio once gave him some simple but memorable advice:
"Well, Leonardo DiCaprio said to me, 'No superhero movies, no hard drugs.' Which I thought was very good. I follow them both! But the movie that made me want to act is a superhero movie, The Dark Knight. If the script was great, if the director was great, I'd have to consider it."
Despite seeming cautious about joining a superhero franchise, DiCaprio has come close more than once. Back in the ’90s, James Cameron had a Spider-Man movie in development and wanted DiCaprio as Peter Parker. In a 2015 interview the actor recalled how close he actually got:
"Not very close, but there was a screenplay. I know he was semi-serious about doing it at some point, but I don't remember any further talks about it. We had a couple of chats. I think there was a screenplay that I read, but I don't remember. This was 20 years ago!"
Years later, Zack Snyder even met with DiCaprio about playing Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Snyder shared, "Leonardo DiCaprio, I talked to about [Lex Luthor]."
When asked if DiCaprio was interested, Snyder explained: "Eh, I think so. I think DiCaprio... he had a lot of great ideas, actually, just in the meeting. I think in the end, he was like, 'Eh, you know, I don't know,' but he was really smart about the material, and really smart about the character.
“And then, really, in a lot of ways, I think... I think he was the one that mentioned to me this idea about Superman fighting the Justice League at some point, and I was like, 'Oh, that's cool.'"
Host Josh Horowitz later confirmed that DiCaprio is actually a comic book fan. And apparently, Warner Bros. once wanted him to join The Dark Knight trilogy itself. Batman Begins co-writer David S. Goyer revealed that studio execs were eager to see him as The Riddler:
"After The Dark Knight, the head of Warner Bros. at the premiere said, 'You got to do the Riddler. Leo [DiCaprio] is the Riddler. You know, saying to me, 'You got to tell [Christopher Nolan], Leo is the Riddler.' And I just [said], 'Dude, that’s not the way we work.'"
So, while DiCaprio has yet to make a superhero film, it’s clear he’s got a genuine appreciation for the genre, and The Dark Knight stands tall as a film that even one of the world’s greatest actors can’t resist admiring.
What about you? Do you agree with DiCaprio’s pick? What’s your favorite Nolan film!?