David Goyer Teases the Next Batman Film!

[Admiral_Young]

Ooops Morena Baccarin not Monica lol. Rachel Weisz would be an excellent choice for Selena Kyle...in fact I'm surprised that I didn't think of her myself. I'm sticking with Kate Beckinsale for Talia...think she would be amazing...it also wouldn't surprise me if Nolan decided to cast complete unknown actors for any villan roles.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I like Morena Baccarin as much as the next guy but seriously...acting along with Oscar caliber actors? Nope. Maggie Gyllenhaal could barely handle the screen with Bale, Ledger and Eckhart. For Catwoman, you need someone like Jolie, Rachel Weisz, Kate Beckinsale, Emily Mortimer or Cate Blanchett.

You shouldn't blame Gyllenhaal (or Holmes for that matter) for having the thinnest amount of material to work with. Rachel Dawes wasn't written even half as meaty as any of the other parts.

Agreed about Rachel Dawes, but I would say Maggie Gyllenhaal held up her own with the rest of the acting giants of the film. However, while Katie Holmes acted well, she did stand out a bit, but she was by no means bad.

 

[JacksonArcher]

I actually almost preferred Holmes. Gyllenhaal wasn't bad, but Lapis Exilis is right: the character was thinly written and just plain uninteresting, in both films.

 

[Lapis Exilis]

I actually almost preferred Holmes. Gyllenhaal wasn't bad, but Lapis Exilis is right: the character was thinly written and just plain uninteresting, in both films.

I don't know that she was uninteresting, so much as just not fully fleshed out. Rachel and Jim Gordon are kind of the only pure souls in either story. A love interest for Batman, who is not simply a fanboy fantasy projection, as Catwoman and Talia tend to be, that is a love interest that it makes sense Bruce Wayne would fall in love with, is a rare and difficult thing to come up with. Rachel works for Bruce Wayne as conceived in these stories. She represents the innocence of life before his parents' deaths, so he wants her, but he's too deeply changed for her to ever understand who he is now. The problem is he doesn't seem to fully understand who he is either. He keeps wanting to go back - his whole desire to pass his mantle to a "hero with a face", even though that's impossible. So there's a really tragic edge to their relationship that adds a lot of poignacy to the stories. Still, she's underwritten as a character in and of herself, especially in TDK.

 

[JacksonArcher]

To me, she was uninteresting. Yeah, she has her purpose in the films, but most of the time, and this is even as much apparent in The Dark Knight, I found her presence to be even obnoxious on occasion. Like, her "death" instead of making me mournful at her demise made me relieved that she was not longer onscreen (however I did feel for Bruce especially).

 

[Skywalker]

My Talia

Sarah Shahi

Strange coicendence, your Talia is my girlfriend.....lol

A perfect choice... she looks like the image in my mind's eye. How tall is she? If she's 5'9" or taller, I'd say 100% spot-on.

I'm also noting the last name, which is definitely a middle-eastern name...

She's of Persian/Hispanic descent, IIRC. She'd be my choice for Talia, too, but I remember reading that Shahi is only around 5'3" or so. That information could have been wrong, of course.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Rachel was pretty much uninteresting to me as it seemed like there was no chance of a relationship with Bruce ever due to his ongoing committment as Batman. Rachel was an interesting aspect though, Bruce in the old comics never seemed to have any childhood friends, Tommy Elliot aka Hush has been recently introduced into the comics. As I've stated many times and will continue to elaborate...I think it would be more interesting if they had introduced Talia into the monstary, perhaps Ra's introduces her as visiting.

I've heard or seen of Sarah Shahi somewhere before but I can't quite remember...she definately looks the part. Although she would need to bulk up a little bit, she looks too skiny. Talia is athletic looking.

 

[Aragorn]

Sarah Shahi is currently on "Life." Before that, she was on "The L Word" if you want to see her naked and making out with chicks. She also had a stint on "Alias." And before that, she was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and appeared on the cover of theri 2000 calendar, according to Wiki.

Pictures don't do her justice. She looks incredible in motion.

 

[Cartoonist]

If this is to be the last Batman with this crew, I would say "Legacy" would be a good theme. Move the timeline up a decade. Introduce Robin.

Christian Bale has already said on several occasions he would quit before he'd make a movie with a Robin character in it. Besides, I don't see how you introduce a side-kick in this version of Batman without it coming off cheesy.....

Make it Nightwing without Bruce as part of his origin. Make him one of those copy-cat vigilantes who's studied Batman, but who actually turns out to be competent. After the events of TDK, he felt betrayed and decided to one day apprehend Batman.

I wouldn't necessarily find that cheesy.

 

[Kegek]

Niles Nygma: There you are! [Batman looks up] Yes, I'm talking to you, strudel boy! No one seduces my wife and gets away with it! You probably thought because of my refined bearing and swimmer's build that I wouldn't put up a fight for the woman I love. But you're dead wrong, because real men have a thing called "honor!" [Batman stands up and is significantly taller than Niles] Yow! You wouldn't know about that, would you?
Frasier Nygma: Niles...
Niles Nygma: You wouldn't know how decent people behave.
Frasier Nygma: Niles...
Niles Nygma: You wouldn't know the meaning of the word "rectitude!"
Frasier Nygma: Niles, he wouldn't know the meaning of the word "dog," "cat," or "pencil!" He doesn't speak English, remember?! [Batman growls in his gravely voice]

Love that scene. Also, I do think Hyde Pierce would make a good Riddler. Now that he's sadly no longer in the Hellboy pictures it'd be nice to see him roped in elsewhere.

(Oh, and the guy playing Dent in this last movie... the fact that he's an virtual unknown clearly explains the HORRIBLE box-office this movie is doing.)

Aaron Eckhart is hardly an unknown, unless you're continuing with the sarcasm.

Yep. I remember being floored by, as I often note, his performance in Thank You For Smoking. I'm sure people are sick of me mentioning that movie, but it's one of the best experiences I've had in theatres this decade and that is that. Probably because it reminds me so vividly of myself, but I disgress. Eckhart may not have had a consistently stellar career, but I think he's a great actor and he acquitted himself admirably in TDK.

I actually almost preferred Holmes. Gyllenhaal wasn't bad, but Lapis Exilis is right: the character was thinly written and just plain uninteresting, in both films.

Definitely agree. But now that she's dead, Catwoman seems the natural choice to appear in the third movie. She's a very well known character, one who could easily work in Nolan's more realistic films, and a potential love interest. The film will probably have some kind of love interest for Batman, I think she'd be ideal, especially as she could be more fleshed out and have a more interesting dynamic.

I don't know who Talia al Ghul is, but if she does appear, I think it would be a little incongruent for her to be Arabic - assuming she's to be the natural child of Liam Neeson's character, or Ken Watanabe's character, or even the other proxy that replaced Watanabe. The (mispronounced) Arabic name was about the only thing Arabic about al Ghul in Batman Begins.

 

[JacksonArcher]

I definitely think that Catwoman is the next step. Especially with Batman now an outlaw, it would create an interesting dynamic between the two.

 

[Hicks]

Ra's wasn't well known, but Batman Begins was about Batman, not the villain. Once you establish Batman in your franchise, then the draw is most likely going to be the villain.

How do you figure that? Did the general audience go see X-Men because Stryker was in it? Did they go see Spidey 2 because they were dying to see Doc Ock? (I'd never heard of Doc Ock) Did they go see Star Trek IV because there were whales in it? Franchises work because people want to see the next X-Men, Spider-Man, Star Trek, or Batman movie. Everyone will go see the next Batman movie even if the villain is Soft 'n' Fuzzy Puppies because they'll remember that they enjoyed TDK and so they'll probably enjoy this one too.

Those are solid counterpoints, but I think Batman tends to be an exception to the rule. Sure, we all like Batman, but at this point aren't we more interested in seeing how he deals with a new problem? That new problem will (mostly) be centered around a villain.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Even if some say that a third film isn't necessary because "The Dark Knight" tied up everything there is alot to explore. You can't just leave batman on the run.

Also, no one in Hollywood can walk away from truckloads of loose money.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think Robin would work, but not as an actual sidekick like he is in the comics. Have him be something like: a cop, a rookie member of the GCPD who secretly aids Batman by passing him information and stuff.

And I doubt they'd do this either, but I'm always a sucker for alternate universe stories. Can you see Christian Bale playing Owlman?

 

[The Old Mixer]

I don't know who Talia al Ghul is, but if she does appear, I think it would be a little incongruent for her to be Arabic

Not if her mom is.

Make it Nightwing without Bruce as part of his origin. Make him one of those copy-cat vigilantes who's studied Batman, but who actually turns out to be competent. After the events of TDK, he felt betrayed and decided to one day apprehend Batman.

Me likey that idea! I had also been thinking that one of the copycats could be an orphan named Dick Grayson....Of course, once he's proven his competence, Batman could realize that in order to maintain his symbol, he needs an eventual replacement, so he takes the young man (not necessarily a child) on as an apprentice.

 

[Kegek]

I don't know who Talia al Ghul is, but if she does appear, I think it would be a little incongruent for her to be Arabic

Not if her mom is.

True. But if her mom is Arabic, why does Dad have an Arabic name? Is there a connection or is it just a coincidence?

 

[The Old Mixer]

He's an arabophile? (No, I can't promise that's really a word.)

 

[Cary L. Brown]

I don't know who Talia al Ghul is, but if she does appear, I think it would be a little incongruent for her to be Arabic

Not if her mom is.

True. But if her mom is Arabic, why does Dad have an Arabic name? Is there a connection or is it just a coincidence?

I believe that Ra's Al Ghul was born in the middle east in about the 8th century AD... prior to the rise of Islam but instead during the time of the greatest cultural success in the region. During that period, what we now call the Middle East was a thriving, bustling region... really the center of the world, with trade from Africa, the west, and the east all going through there.

My point? It wouldn't be all that surprising for someone from Asia or Europe to have settled in that part of the world at that time. The fact that after the fairly bloody rise of Islam throughout that region, most of those people had either fled or been killed, doesn't negate the fact that there were people from throughout the "civilized" world living there at the time.

Now, the guy's actual name need not be Arabic... because I'm sure that nobody would actually name their child "Head of the Demon" (which is what Ra's Al Ghul" means) He took the name and forgot his original name... and since he's only been called Ra's for many centuries now, that is, effectively, his "real" name now.

He led an organization created in the middle east which became a "shadow" organization when it was driven underground during the rise of Islam, and which acts exactly as described in the film... as an agent of "justice" in the world (as seen by its members and its leader).

When Denny O'Neil created the character, he made him Arab, but realize that this was before the "politically overcompensation" we have today where we can never talk about any Arab people (which is, by the way, not the same thing as Muslim people necessarily!) in any negative way whatsoever. Movies made from Clancy novels must substitute "white supremacists" for Arabs because it's not acceptable to have Arab villains, ever, now...

Which is every bit as racist as saying that every Arab is a villain, when you stop and think about it, isn't it?

This, I'm sure, was central to making Ra's either a far-eastern asian or a Frenchman (with an english accent) for the film. It doesn't matter... RA'S is still Arab. And thus, so is his daughter. No matter what the nationality of the actors playing them happens to be.

 

[Kegek]

This, I'm sure, was central to making Ra's either a far-eastern asian or a Frenchman (with an english accent) for the film. It doesn't matter... RA'S is still Arab. And thus, so is his daughter. No matter what the nationality of the actors playing them happens to be.

Irish accent, actually. And, as started, the name was never pronounced correctly in Arabic. Nor (in the film) is there anything mentioned about him being a Westerner who was born and raised in Arabia in the eighth century - it's strongly implied that there's a myth of al Ghul's invulnerability and this myth is the result of him using decoys; which augurs against the notion in my opinion.

Anyway, if Ra's is an Arab in spite of being played by Liam Nesson, then is there any reason that his Arab daughter be played by someone of that skin complexion?

 

[Aragorn]

When Denny O'Neil created the character, he made him Arab, but realize that this was before the "politically overcompensation" we have today where we can never talk about any Arab people (which is, by the way, not the same thing as Muslim people necessarily!) in any negative way whatsoever. Movies made from Clancy novels must substitute "white supremacists" for Arabs because it's not acceptable to have Arab villains, ever, now...

Which is every bit as racist as saying that every Arab is a villain, when you stop and think about it, isn't it?

Vince Flynn, who I guess is a cross-between Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler, had a studio head ask him if he could change his Middle Eastern terrorists to Filipino.

In the season six threads of 24 in the general tv and media thread, someone was upset by some of the terrorists being Middle Eastern and actually asked why they couldn't have been white instead. Of course, he wasn't upset by the Chinese terrorists.

Anyway, if Ra's is an Arab in spite of being played by Liam Nesson, then is there any reason that his Arab daughter be played by someone of that skin complexion?

Hey, Lee Adama looks like his mom and not his dad.