Nicholas Steele Discusses Director of the Year Award for ‘Bat FXXX’

LOS ANGELES — Nicholas Steele told XBIZ that “Bat FXXX: Dark Night” was a vision three years in the making.

Steele, who won the 2011 XBIZ Award for Director of the Year-Individual Project for his Bluebird Films epic, said the idea developed from numerous discussions with company owner Paul Chaplin.

“He’s a big comic-book guy,” Steele explained. “And what happened was we were planning on doing it and I said the only way I’ll do it is if I can do it based off of ‘Dark Knight.’ I thought Heath Ledger nailed it, and that’s more my style, something I could get turned on about.

"So the real vision was the performance of Heath Ledger in ‘Dark Knight’ and how that movie legitimized comic-book movies in the mainstream industry. And it was strictly all pushed along by Paul because he wanted to do Batman.”

Chaplin went on to play the lead villain Jo-Kerr in “Bat FXXX” in a stirring performance that helped lift the movie into its rarified air. What also defined the feature were the digital elements that came to life during the elaborate post-production process. The finished product also led to the Best Special Effects honor on Feb. 9 at the ninth annual XBIZ Awards at the Hollywood Palladium.

“At one point I had 23 people working on it in post. That was what made it real different from anything else,” said Steele, who took full advantage of Bluebird’s in-house resources, namely the company’s 60,000 square foot studio in Van Nuys. “There is no studio like it in our business. I call it a mini major. It’s run like a mainstream studio. I think it’s actually better.”

Steele said that the other big challenge was to effectively capture all the orgy scenes that highlighted “Bat FXXX.”

“I had sporadically shot a lot of ‘multiple’ scenes, but not a lot of orgies in 20 years. And I think there are six in the movie,” the director said. “I’ve always thought orgies were really tough to pull off. You have to keep the heat going without all these hard cuts and keep it natural … So that’s probably in the Top 3 or 5 of the accomplishments with this movie. I thought the orgy scenes were done well.”

Steele said shooting orgies is a delicate balance between planning and being “organic.”

“You have to not over-direct it and then capture it anyway,” he reasoned.

It took a full year to complete “Bat FXXX” from the first shot to the DVD hitting the streets. And the final six weeks of post-production called for numerous 20-hour days for Steele & Co.

“It’s a team really,” he said. “For the last 20 years that name Nicholas Steele is a conglomeration of a bunch of people that buy into a project. I have a great team. … They know when to call me in to approve something. I let them do their jobs. I don’t over-manage my team.”

Steele said he was gratified by the movie’s acceptance in the marketplace, “but No. 1 was the gratification I got with my partner Paul Chaplin in creating magic.”

“We took two different styles and combined them and came up with two really magical movies,” Steele said, referring to Bluebird’s period epic “Bonny & Clide” that also received critical acclaim in 2010.

Steele applauded Chaplin for allowing him space to do what he does best with “Bat FXXX.”

“He would get on set and say, ‘I’m talent. It’s your game,’” Steele said. “Of course behind the scenes we were talking. But he was very respectful of me as a producer and director interpreting what my vision was. He had a lot of work to do as a performer and he nailed it. He couldn’t have been sitting there micromanaging and producing and pulling off what he pulled off as a performer. So I got a lot of gratification out of feeling that Paul and I came together and made a magical movie. That’s something no one can take away from us.”

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Maitland Ward Featured in A&E's Docuseries 'Secrets of Celebrity Sex Tapes'

Multi-XMAs winner Maitland Ward is featured in the A&E documentary series "Secrets of Celebrity Sex Tapes."

Andi Avalon Stars in Latest From TeamSkeet

Andi Avalon stars with Scarlet Skies and Mike Mancini in a new scene for TeamSkeet’s “Shoplyfter” series, titled “Case No. 8004034 — Guards Need to Cool Off Too.”

Lovense Announces 'Moan Translation' App Feature

Lovense has announced the new Real-Time Moan Translation feature for its app.

Sarah Arabic Performs Her 1st Anal for Brazzers

Sarah Arabic performs her first anal scene alongside multi-XMAs winner Mick Blue in the latest Brazzers release.

Evil Angel Drops Angelo Godshack's 'Hardcore Gangbangs 5'

Evil Angel has released director Angelo Godshack’s “Hardcore Gangbangs 5.”

Getting the Band Together: The All-Star Team Behind 'Once Upon a TS Summer'

“I should have died on impact.” That’s Blake Lovely talking about a Nevada car accident she was in last December. We’re discussing her new feature, “Once Upon a TS Summer,” which premiered Thursday — but Lovely doesn’t just want to talk about the movie itself. She wants to explore the entire process that took her from being a relatively new, rising performer to becoming the driving force behind one of the major trans titles to drop in 2025.

Ariel Demure Stars in Final Installment of GenderX Feature 'Transpirella'

Reigning XMAs Trans Performer of the Year Ariel Demure stars in the final installment of GenderX's "Vampirella” parody "Transpirella,” directed by Jim Powers.

Coco Bae Makes Her Hentaied Debut

Coco Bae has made her Hentaied debut opposite Black Angel for studio brand Freeze in “The Power to Do Anything,” directed by Sofia Lee.

Electric Novelties Expands 'Blue Line C&B Gear' Collection

Electric Novelties has introduced 19 new items from its Blue Line C&B Gear collection.

Merida Sat Leads Latest From Immoral Productions

Merida Sat stars in a new Immoral Productions trilogy alongside John Price and studio honcho “Porno Dan” Leal.

Show More