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Wonder Woman headed to the small screen

^True; she's only 5'4". On the other hand, Hugh Jackman is way too tall to play Wolverine, but that didn't stop them.
 
I didn't like the last two Batman movies period.

They hurt.

It wouldn't matter who played Batman with those scripts and Joel giving direction.

I saw a behind the scenes cast interview of Oceans 11 several years ago, where Matt Damon was all "Gee shucks, I'm just happy that some one was willing to take a chance on me since my last couple movies hadn't made any money"' when Clooney pats him on the back condescendingly and remarks: "Get back to me after you're killed a Franchise kid."

Talk about smug.
 
^Well, I've seen George mock himself a few times over the B&R fiasco and he's often said that he himself is to blame for the failure of the movie. I think if anything, he's too hard on himself. The godawful script, neon sets and campy tone are far more to blame than his acting - which admittedly wasn't great.
 
I think that of all the modern big-screen Batmen, George Clooney is the one who could've been the most convincing Bruce Wayne given the right script and direction. I mean, Bale's good, but he just doesn't look like Bruce Wayne to me. And Keaton? Kilmer? I still don't know what the hell those directors were thinking. I can't buy either of them as Bruce/Batman.
 
^ I read Dark Victory around the same time as I saw American Psycho and from then on, I always had Bale down as my first choice for Batman. But Clooney was definitely a wasted opportunity, that's for sure.
 
Michael Keaton was pretty good as an intentionally odd choice (which is doubtless what Burton was going for). His Bruce Wayne's a dull cipher and he's a queer sort of fellow who dons a Batsuit to fight crime because he's not entirely right in the head.

It definitely worked better then the more obvious choice of Jack Nicholson as the Joker, who phoned in his entire performance.
 
I think that of all the modern big-screen Batmen, George Clooney is the one who could've been the most convincing Bruce Wayne given the right script and direction. I mean, Bale's good, but he just doesn't look like Bruce Wayne to me. And Keaton? Kilmer? I still don't know what the hell those directors were thinking. I can't buy either of them as Bruce/Batman.

I'm going to disagree with you on Bale. However, I think you're on the money about Clooney. The guy can successfully play both a badass (Dusk to Dawn, Three Kings, the American) and a suave playboy (Ocean's 11). With the right script he would have nailed the part better than anyone. In fact, if he'd been in the first movie, people would probably consider him the definitive Batman.

On another note, back in the day I always thought it was a damn shame Burton didn't cast the other male lead in Beetlejuice as Batman: Alec Baldwin. Every time I watch the Shadow it just depresses me that he could have been Bruce Wayne.
 
I should clarify that my issue with Christian Bale is specifically his appearance. Like I said, he just doesn't look like Bruce Wayne to me. He's not square-jawed but has a leaner, more oval face. Clooney's features are more angular than Bale's and thus more Bruce-like. Not a comment on performance, just appearance.
 
I too think that George would have been an amazing Batman had Joel chosen to continue the dark motif of the Burton films instead of paying homage to the 60's Batman TV series. I disagree that Bale doesn't look like Bruce Wayne, while he doesn't exact how Bruce has been drawn recently or in the past he's pretty damn close. I thought Christian would have been a great Bruce after I saw him in "American Psycho".
 
On another note, back in the day I always thought it was a damn shame Burton didn't cast the other male lead in Beetlejuice as Batman: Alec Baldwin. Every time I watch the Shadow it just depresses me that he could have been Bruce Wayne.

Agreed. Funny enough, not only did his future wife play the female lead in Batman but apparently his brother William was Joel Schumacher's second choice to replace Michael Keaton.

I should clarify that my issue with Christian Bale is specifically his appearance. Like I said, he just doesn't look like Bruce Wayne to me. He's not square-jawed but has a leaner, more oval face. Clooney's features are more angular than Bale's and thus more Bruce-like. Not a comment on performance, just appearance.

I think the Bruce of Dark Victory often has a longer more angular face like Bale's, which is what put me in mind of him.

If you've read A Lonely Place of Dying, there's a pic of Bruce where he looks exactly like a young Bruce Campbell, IMHO.
 
Clooney could have done a good batman or a good Bruce Wayne but he didn't really treat that as two different people which was a huge mistake. It's like if reeves didn't wear the glasses. Waynes glasses is disaffected manchild sexy rhompings.

Does no one remember the Episode of South Park where George Clooney's acceptance speech at the Oscars turned into a killer sumg cloud that was going to destroy half of America if the wind didn't blow it out to sea?
 
I think he just didn't understand what the character of Batman is about. I remember an interview coming up to the release of the movie, where he said something like 'Well, it's time for Batman to lighten up. He's got millions of dollars, a cool car and he dates hot chicks, what's he got to be angry about?'

I thought 'Uh-oh' but I still had no idea how bad the movie would be!
 
Why are you guys talking as though it was Clooney's decision? He was the actor. Joel Schumacher was the director. It was Schumacher's decision to have Clooney portray Bruce the way he did. If Clooney gave an interview explaining how the movie chose to portray Bruce, that doesn't mean it was Clooney's idea; it just means he was the one who got asked the question by the reporter.
 
Yeah exactly. It was Joel's decision to depict this performance from George. As I said had Joel chosen to make a dark Batman movie, George would have been great.
 
I beleive the most adorable quote from Joel on the topic was "We've had enough of the sad angry Batman, it's time for a Happy Batman."

Snap draw Ice skates.

Batscapades.
 
Why are you guys talking as though it was Clooney's decision? He was the actor. Joel Schumacher was the director. It was Schumacher's decision to have Clooney portray Bruce the way he did. If Clooney gave an interview explaining how the movie chose to portray Bruce, that doesn't mean it was Clooney's idea; it just means he was the one who got asked the question by the reporter.

I don't remember saying it was Clooney's decision. But movie-making is an ensemble effort. The actor has to bring something to his interpretation of the part too. WB wanted a lighter movie as B Forever made way more money than B Returns, Schumacher went along with that, so did Akiva Goldsman and so did Clooney. The blame needs to be spread around.
 
I hardly think Clooney's performance is one of the film's outstanding problems. On the contrary, it's one of the few bearable things about the movie. I have no problem in theory with a lighter approach to Bruce and Batman; Adam West and the makers of his show did it superbly in the '60s. The problem isn't that Schumacher went light, the problem is that he did it so badly. The Schumacher films are a bizarre mishmosh of dark melodrama and overdone camp. They should've picked a tone -- either one -- and developed it organically rather than trying to force those opposite extremes together.
 
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