What's next for Batman...

[RoJoHen]

My roommate just bought "Lego Batman 2," so that's what's next for Batman in this household.

[Warped9]

Classic Batman! It's time we get to see him.

[Eddie Roth]

DWF wrote:

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Maybe they're rally interested in doing a JLA movie, they could spin off whomever play Batman in that movie into a new series of Batman movies. That'd be something of the reverse of how Marvel Studios built up to the Avengers movie.

And that's I think what they're likely to do. But I'm just not sure if that's the best way to go. I personally felt that The Avengers would've fallen completely apart if it hadn't been for most of these characters' introductions in their own films. With some of the JLA characters being much more unknown to a general audience (any myself, frankly), how can you do them justice AND Batman AND Superman?

Besides, how much Batman could there even be in such an ensemble piece?

But the studio seems hellbent on replicating the Avengers success with their own brand, so this is what we'll get. I myself would like to see another fanciful Batman - not a campy one, mind you, but one that is both dark and comic-book big, allowing also for the somewhat supernatural elements. Sorta like Tim Burton's approach, but without the Burton craziness shtick. A gothic Gotham (gargoyles, I need gargoyles!), a noir-ish quality, Batman as detective, mystery and a great villain, etc. So many of the comic books have done that so perfectly: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, for example. There's gotta be a way to do that today, even now that the "near-real world Batman" by Nolan is all the rage.

[Captaindemotion]

Warped9 wrote:

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It could be interesting if WB weren't hung up on being tied to the Justice League feature.

Who says they're hung up on it? I've never seen a single quote from them to suggest that they're even planning one, never mind 'hung up on' it?

[Gotham Central]

Eddie Roth wrote:

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And that's I think what they're likely to do. But I'm just not sure if that's the best way to go. I personally felt that The Avengers would've fallen completely apart if it hadn't been for most of these characters' introductions in their own films. With some of the JLA characters being much more unknown to a general audience (any myself, frankly), how can you do them justice AND Batman AND Superman?

Besides, how much Batman could there even be in such an ensemble piece?

But the studio seems hellbent on replicating the Avengers success with their own brand, so this is what we'll get. I myself would like to see another fanciful Batman - not a campy one, mind you, but one that is both dark and comic-book big, allowing also for the somewhat supernatural elements. Sorta like Tim Burton's approach, but without the Burton craziness shtick. A gothic Gotham (gargoyles, I need gargoyles!), a noir-ish quality, Batman as detective, mystery and a great villain, etc. So many of the comic books have done that so perfectly: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, for example. There's gotta be a way to do that today, even now that the "near-real world Batman" by Nolan is all the rage.

The think about the JLA characters unlike most of the Avengers is that actually the audiences DO know who most of them are (or at least have a passing familiarity and think they know them).

Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman really don't NEED another introduction (though Superman is getting one and we just finished a fairly comprehensive interpretation of Batman's origins). The Flash and Aquaman are also on fairly solid ground in terms of recognition depite little deep understanding (Aquaman might need a movie just to address the popular ridicule...but a JLA movie could fix that first). Green Lantern (I was actually surprised at how few people know the character) is also getting a soft relaunch film. Martian Manhunter, who is in almost every version of the League, is usually introduced in a league related story anyway since he rarely has his own stories. An that's the core JLA 7.

Thus of the 7, only The Flash and Aquaman could probably use an intro...however I could also see WB deciding to wait and see how audiences react to them in a JLA movie before green lighting solo films.

They may also go the JL(U) route and add another woman...or gasp...a person of color (Hal...might not make it to the league if they do that). In which case we might get either Black Canary, Hawkgirl or Vixen (there we go, two birds with one stone ).

[ClayinCA]

As far as including the origin, Denny O'Neil used to have this great way of including a small mention of it in a panel or two every so often; not enough so that you'd get tired of it, but enough to (a) give new readers a quick refresher and (b) remind readers that yeah, this is what happened, it's basically his raison d'etre but we're not going to dwell on it. Seems to me like the cinematic equivalent, whatever that might be, is the way to go.

[Warped9]

Bale has already stated he'd be willing under the right conditions. That right there offers up a possibility. If the demand is there and the right story presents itself then it could conceivably happen. In Hollywood "never" only counts until someone changes their mind.

I personally don't demand there be a followup to effectively make a quadrilogy (although assuming it was good it would make for a sick accomplishment to have four solid consecutive films in one franchise). I would like to see a Catwoman standalone or tie-in with Anne Hathaway. But if there's a solid story to be told then why the hell not? After all the comics are full of stories that end dramatically and somewhat definitively only to be followed up by a new story. Same with Batman in the DCAU features.

If there isn't a fourth film then we'll get a relaunch sooner. My concern then is what form it would take. If it's a lukewarm reboot like The Amazing Spider-Man then I could very well pass.

[tighr]

Gotham Central wrote:

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They may also go the JL(U) route and add another woman...or gasp...a person of color (Hal...might not make it to the league if they do that).

Wouldn't they just have John Stewart? It would still be Green Lantern, just not Hal Jordan.

[Gotham Central]

tighr wrote:

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Wouldn't they just have John Stewart? It would still be Green Lantern, just not Hal Jordan.

That was my point. The only thing that works against that idea though is if they do a soft reboot of the GL movie wich was unfrotunately about Hal. It would not make much sense to make another movie about Hal and then show a different GL in a JLA movie. They COULD do that, but I seriously doubt that they would do it.

[Carcazoid]

tighr wrote:

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Wouldn't they just have John Stewart? It would still be Green Lantern, just not Hal Jordan.

Here's your new GL: Coby Bell, from Burn Notice.

[Captaindemotion]

^Pretty cool. But after the last movie did so poorly at the box office, there's no way that they'd entrust the franchise to a tv actor, unproven as a cinematic draw.

[Set Harth]

Warped9 wrote:

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Bale has already stated he'd be willing under the right conditions.

But aren't those conditions unlikely given the statements of others?

[tighr]

I could see them coming out with a new Green Lantern film, in the same cinematic universe as the first, with a new character in place of Hal Jordan (i.e., not Ryan Reynolds), instead of a complete reboot. Similar vein to XxX: State of the Union, swapping out Vin Diesel for Ice Cube.

[Captaindemotion]

^Given that that movie flopped and killed the franchise (a mooted return by Vin for xXx3 notwithstanding, that doesn't bode too well. Of course, since the original GL movie didn't exactly set the world on fire, recasting couldn't really make things too much worse.

Perhaps the Bourne Legacy might prove a better comparison?

[Warped9]

I can now think of two franchises with three solid films to them: the Bourne trilogy and now Nolan's Batman trilogy. If the forthcoming The Bourne Legacy is good then it'll be one helluva quadrilogy.