Nolan now in total control, and Bale will return as Bats

[Booji]

Getting Star Trek tech from Fox to magically pull fingerprints does not equal detective work.

 

[DigificWriter]

Am I the only one who realizes the significance of the fact that the Hollywood trades haven't touched this supposed scoop?

 

[Starbreaker]

I can get behind Nolan being a producer on Justice League, but I don't see him coming on to direct a Justice League film. I know that Bale has said before that he would don the cape again in Nolan was the director, so many WB just backed up to their houses with a pile of cash if true.

 

[The Doctor]

Cripes. If this is true, the metric tonnage of money that just got dumped on Nolan would beggar the imagination. As for how it would work, I'm seriously on the fence. To my mind, Batman only works in a world without the super-human. That's why Nolan's movies worked so well for me, because it was a world of heightened but familiar reality. Alien invaders and Superman just don't fit into that world. Even the two most useless Avengers did more ridiculously super-human stunts than Bale's Batman on his best day.

I guess that's why I'm not really a fan of the JL movie concept in general, regardless of Nolan/Bale's involvement.

 

[Dream]

Am I the only one who realizes the significance of the fact that the Hollywood trades haven't touched this supposed scoop?

They know how fake this news is. It was probably started by hopeful Nolan/DC fanboys.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Getting Star Trek tech from Fox to magically pull fingerprints does not equal detective work.

I thought the idea of reassembling a fragmented bullet was ingenious. Makes me wonder whether it could actually work, and whether the fingerprint would survive everything that happens once the round is fired.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Getting Star Trek tech from Fox to magically pull fingerprints does not equal detective work.

I have a feeling any that any examples I give of detective work from the movies you will respond with "No, that's not detective work."

 

[Gaith]

Getting Star Trek tech from Fox to magically pull fingerprints does not equal detective work.

Yes, it does.

I thought the idea of reassembling a fragmented bullet was ingenious. Makes me wonder whether it could actually work, and whether the fingerprint would survive everything that happens once the round is fired.

Oh, hell no!

Am I the only one who realizes the significance of the fact that the Hollywood trades haven't touched this supposed scoop?

Nope. Even the fairly rumor friendly AV Club hasn't featured it.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Interesting comment on this "news" here.

Ok, I've had enough time to let this rumor marinate. When I learned Sunday night that Christopher Nolan was rumored to be coming aboard as producer for a Justice League movie with Christian Bale coming back as Batman, I was filled with all sorts of emotions. At first, I couldn't believe it. I was in utter disbelief. Just to hear the names Nolan, Bale, and Batman again in one sentence was enough to pique my interest; but, to hear that they might be coming back to team up with Henry Cavill's (Man of Steel) Superman, got me thinking about whether this was a good idea or not.

Warner Bros. had reportedly put the idea of a Justice League movie on hold in recent weeks after reports came out that the studio was so unhappy with Will Beal's script that they were considering scrapping it and going in a completely different direction. But, the early buzz surrounding Man of Steel is that it is an action-packed ride that finally gives Superman his day on the screen. And, with the film seemingly destined for box office success, the thinking at Warner Bros. has once again shifted towards a Justice League film and how to approach it.

Now, I understand Warner Bros.' desire to bring Nolan's Batman back to team with Cavill. Financially, it makes sense: Warner Bros. had become a laughingstock as of late with talk of their desire to create a Justice League movie for 2015, even though they had no script, no cast, and no director attached. It was clear that they were trying to find a way to counter the success Marvel had gained with The Avengers, but their approach seemed way off. Instead of creating individual films that developed each character the way Marvel did, Warner Bros. decided to first create a superhero film that introduced everyone with the idea that they'd spin each character off into their own franchise.

Furthermore, if you bring back Nolan's Batman and team him with Cavill's Superman, you need no introduction. It would seem to be the perfect idea on how to approach Justice League--make a movie with Batman and Superman first before bringing everyone else onboard. But, the more I've thought about it, the more I've come to realize that this is a terrible idea because it would destroy what Nolan created with Batman.

Here's why:

WORLD'S APART
Even if Man of Steel turns out to be everything we'd hoped for it would still be hard to incorporate Nolan's Batman into this world. While Man of Steel will do its best to ground the character in reality, the fact of the matter remains that if you have a movie with Superman in it reality, as we know it, goes out the window.

What made Nolan's Batman trilogy so iconic was the fact that we were able to relate to Bruce Wayne and his world. Here was a guy who suffered a tragedy, had no real superpowers, and used modern technology (and a nice bankroll) to become a crime-fighting vigilante. Nolan's Gotham was a representation of any city in the world, and the fact that we were able to connect with Bruce Wayne as a person and to Gotham as a city was what made those films successful.

Reality was the basis for his world: there were no aliens, no Green Lanterns, and namely, no guys in blue spandex and red capes. Having the Batwing in The Dark Knight Rises rubbed some people the wrong way initially, because they felt that it broke the mold of Nolan's world. Having a flying vehicle seemed to tread a fine line between reality and fantasy when it came to the world Nolan had created. If you bring his Batman back and team him up with Cavill's Superman, every time we watch his Batman trilogy that sense of reality and normalcy will be tainted because we know that somewhere out there, there's a Kryptonian alien flying through the skies.

LOOSE ENDS
Let's face it: The Dark Knight Rises left a lot of questions unanswered, namely how did Batman escape that atomic blast at the end? If they team Bale and Cavill up, I pray they don't attempt to answer this by saying Superman saved him, which would be a major cop out.

And, how do you bring Batman, and more importantly Bruce Wayne, back to Gotham? Batman is supposedly dead and has a new successor in John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Wayne Manor is now home to orphans. Are they simply going to have Bruce Wayne come back and tell both Blake and the orphans to hit the pavement? Unlikely.

Another issue that would arise if this new Batman/Superman team coexisted in the same world is one that a lot of fans would be asking of Superman: where the hell were you when Gotham was being held hostage by a terrorist and atomic bomb for months? Granted, the bomb was concealed in a truck lined with lead and Superman can't see through lead, but with his powers you have to think he would have been able to do something. Plus, with Gotham being held hostage and every news outlet in the world covering it, wouldn't the Daily Planet have sent a certain Clark Kent to cover it?

I feel that a Batman-Superman movie would have to spend at least the first half explaining all this.

DESTINED TO DO THIS FOREVER
While he wasn't in The Dark Knight Rises, or even mentioned for that matter, I have to point out the fact that if Bale returned as Batman for a Justice League trilogy, there would have to be some reference or appearance by the Joker at some point. I know that eight years passed between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises and in that time we were supposed to assume that any trial and sentence handed down to the Joker had already come to pass. But, as Heath Ledger's, Joker ominously told Batman at the end of The Dark Knight, while he was hanging upside down: "I have a feeling you and I are destined to do this forever."

When I heard Ledger say those lines I got chills for a few reasons: one was because it reminded me of the sad fact that he had passed away, but also because I knew that Nolan was acknowledging the eternal connection between Batman and his greatest foe. We've learned from the comics that no jail can hold the Joker for long, and if a Justice League team formed to battle alien threats, you don't think the Joker would want in on it?

I realize it is a touchy subject since Ledger's performance as the Joker was one for the ages, but he would have to make an appearance in some capacity. I'm not saying the Joker needs to be a central villain by any means, but if you make a new Batman trilogy sans the Joker, is it really a Batman trilogy?

The decision to team Bale's Batman and Cavill's Superman, should it come to pass, changes the landscape of comic book films entirely. It immediately makes Warner Bros. and DC relevant again and steals the spotlight away from Marvel. People would love to see this Batman/Superman combo on the big screen, and Forbes has even said that early projections for this type of film could be around $2B in worldwide box office sales. But again, bringing back Nolan's Batman comes with risks and jeopardizes everything Nolan and Warner Bros. did to resurrect Batman after the disaster that was Batman & Robin. Maybe it's best to leave Nolan's world alone and move on in a new direction. While I trust Nolan implicitly when it comes to anything Batman, this type of Justice League movie would put that trust to the test.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I stopped reading at:
"What made Nolan's Batman trilogy so iconic was the fact that we were able to relate to Bruce Wayne and his world."

Do people REALLY still think this? That it's impossible to fit Superman into a world where a man dresses as a bat and glides around a city, drives cars ON TOP of rooftops, has the technology of the Enterprise and is easily able to recover from a broken back by doing the complete opposite of what common sense can dictate? All the while trying to fight off villains using microwave weapons to release fear gas into a city, ancient warrior clans and men dressed as a clown that are basically psychic and can know what the hero is going to do before the hero even knows?

This isn't the world I've grown up in, not even close.

I like these movies as much as anybody, for real, but this isn't a documentary and I don't understand why people try to convince themselves otherwise. It's as grounded in reality as Iron Man and any other superhero movie. I'd argue less so than even Burton's Batman! But there's nothing wrong with that!

Bring in Superman. Bring in GL and Flash. It can all work. And if it's a well made movie, nobody except 12 nerds will fold their arms and say "This can't be! Batman is real and Superman is not!!"

 

[The Doctor]

I stopped reading at:
"What made Nolan's Batman trilogy so iconic was the fact that we were able to relate to Bruce Wayne and his world."

Do people REALLY still think this? That it's impossible to fit Superman into a world where a man dresses as a bat and glides around a city, drives cars ON TOP of rooftops, has the technology of the Enterprise and is easily able to recover from a broken back by doing the complete opposite of what common sense can dictate? All the while trying to fight off villains using microwave weapons to release fear gas into a city, ancient warrior clans and men dressed as a clown that are basically psychic and can know what the hero is going to do before the hero even knows?

This isn't the world I've grown up in, not even close.

I like these movies as much as anybody, for real, but this isn't a documentary and I don't understand why people try to convince themselves otherwise. It's as grounded in reality as Iron Man and any other superhero movie. I'd argue less so than even Burton's Batman! But there's nothing wrong with that!

Bring in Superman. Bring in GL and Flash. It can all work. And if it's a well made movie, nobody except 12 nerds will fold their arms and say "This can't be! Batman is real and Superman is not!!"

There is a fundamental divide here, and it's the dude who flies and has heat vision.

Yeah, driving a multi-ton tank on rooftop was dumb. Yeah, the magic chriopractor in Bane's prison made very little sense. However, these things stretch our reality, but they don't break it. A flying alien who looks human and is oddly anonymous despite the fact he looks exactly like a certain nebbish newspaper reporter is that bridge too far.

Yes, a version of Batman can (and does) work in a world populated by aliens, magic and countless super-powered heros and villains. That Batman is not Nolan's.

 

[Kelthaz]

Yes, a version of Batman can (and does) work in a world populated by aliens, magic and countless super-powered heros and villains. That Batman is not Nolan's.

Why not Nolan's?

 

[Icemizer]

One of the ways I could see it working is if Batman came first and Superman came second. Nolans Batman has to come back out of his self imposed fake death to investigate this new super-man in Metropolis. This eliminates(mostly, kinda, dont think about it so much) the why didnt Superman come to help Batman vs Bane arguements. Also establishes a good reason for the Bat to return. I cant recall if I have ever seen or read about Batman coming onto the scene before Superman in a story but it could work in this instance.

 

[Kelthaz]

I cant recall if I have ever seen or read about Batman coming onto the scene before Superman in a story but it could work in this instance.

The Animated Series.

 

[Set Harth]

Am I the only one who realizes the significance of the fact that the Hollywood trades haven't touched this supposed scoop?

They know how fake this news is. It was probably started by hopeful Nolan/DC fanboys.

Luckily that kind of thing would never happen in Star Trek circles.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Yes, a version of Batman can (and does) work in a world populated by aliens, magic and countless super-powered heros and villains. That Batman is not Nolan's.

If the tone is consistent, then it most certainly can work and not only would nobody complain, the box office would support that people wouldn't mind it.

They just have to treat the story as serious as they've treated the rest of the franchise.

 

[Samurai8472]

"Nolan now in total control"

Lol that sounds so ominous


reporter - Nolan's tanks have stormed Burbank California!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Bah, Nolan's got Batman and Superman.

J.J. Abrams has the military forces of entire galaxies at his command.

 

[Gaith]

Happy Friday! Just a friendly reminder that Nolan is not now in total control, Bale will not return as Bats, and "they" are not going ahead with a Justice League movie.

... Hope everyone has a super weekend!

 

[Mr. Adventure]

One of the ways I could see it working is if Batman came first and Superman came second. Nolans Batman has to come back out of his self imposed fake death to investigate this new super-man in Metropolis. This eliminates(mostly, kinda, dont think about it so much) the why didnt Superman come to help Batman vs Bane arguements. Also establishes a good reason for the Bat to return. I cant recall if I have ever seen or read about Batman coming onto the scene before Superman in a story but it could work in this instance.

It may be a non-issue at this point but I was thinking along your lines myself as to how they could try to do this.