Caped Crusader: New Batman Film Rumors

[Winslow Leach]

I don't think the fine performances from Ledger or Nicholson warrant retiring the Joker from film, but I am in favor of allowing Nolan's Joker fade from view in his pictures. There are creative ways around it, but I don’t think enough of the public would accept a recast in this telling.

Oh, I'm fine with the Joker eventually returning in another film sometime down the line...I was surprised that Ratner, supposedly a true Bat-fan, would start "his" franchise with such a familiar, recognizable and iconic character. Especially after Heath Ledger's astounding performance. Batman's rogues gallery is rich with villains...why not start with someone who hasn't appeared yet?

I always thought Crispin Glover would make an excellent Joker myself, but after seeing TDK, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role (for now anyway) but Heath Ledger.

I agree that origin stories aren't always necessary. I liked that we didn't know much (if anything) about the Joker's true origins in Nolan's film, and how he would change his story every time he asked, "wanna know how I got these scars?"

As for Hannibal Rising, it was a good read and a pretty good film, but Thomas Harris didn't really need to tell us how and why Lecter became Lecter.

 

[MrsPepper]

Of course this is a fanboy director talking of a dream project, but still...

I'm not much of a Ratner fan. His track record:

Money Talks (with Chris Tucker and Charlie Sheen)

The Rush Hour films

The Family Man (with Nicolas Cage)

Red Dragon (the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs & Hannibal, which was already made by Michael Mann as Manhunter, but with a much smaller-name cast and budget)

X-Men: the Last Stand

Ratner is currently in production on a remake of The Incredible Shrinking Man starring Eddie Murphy. Wonder how much of Richard Matheson's novel, or the 1957 film will be retained...aside from the shrinking man, of course, lol.

Um, can we keep this guy away from Batman, please? He already destroyed X-Men for me.

(The things in bold are what made me think to myself, "Wow, what a bad idea!" For the record I like The Family Man... but Batman is NOT a Family man! >_<)

 

[Drtooth]

Ratner is currently in production on a remake of The Incredible Shrinking Man starring Eddie Murphy. Wonder how much of Richard Matheson's novel, or the 1957 film will be retained...aside from the shrinking man, of course, lol.

Oh no! No no no no no! No way! Uh Uh!

Personally, unless Nolan really really really wants to do another Batman after the Caped Crusader (or even the Caped Crusader itself), I think we should put the character away for a little while and focus on something else. We're gonna wind up with someone either doing their own thing out of step with Nolan, or someone trying hard to be Nolan, but not being able to measure up...

If there's one thing I don't wanna see is a Batman and Robin style camp fest trying to continue the story line of Batman Begins.

 

[frogboy4]

Ratner's X-Men film didn't bother me as much as it did others. It really should have been done correctly and as two films. That way the Pheonix personas could have adequately been separated and more complex plot points wouldn't have needed to be slapped together. That way it would have been more satisfying to core fans while giving moviegoers another flashy X-movie.

Ratner has stated that he’d have rather helmed Singer’s Superman movie. I don’t know why that gets such bad press. It turned a profit internationally, but it was just so needlessly expensive and long. A sharper focus, tighter budget and shorter running time would have saved Singer’s Superman a lot of grief. We’d likely be awaiting the sequel to it by now if not for all the time spent referencing the Reeve films. Ratner says he would have focused on the life and politics of Krypton. Interesting, but not necessarily super enough for the character’s return. I’m still concerned over the Man of Steel sequel vs. the total reboot trilogy idea. I’m just glad the Justice League film was nixed. That could have put all the DC characters in limbo for a long time.

I do think that comics/graphic novels have the distinct opportunity to follow vastly different tellings of the same characters while maintaining strong brand identity in a way that film cannot. I do think there's enough juice to at least explore Arkham while this other stuff is going on as long as the Bat doesn't make an official appearance. Maybe that's where they could stick Robin! Maybe Batgirl too. But definitely Harley Quinn!

 

[ryhoyarbie]

If there's one thing I don't wanna see is a Batman and Robin style camp fest trying to continue the story line of Batman Begins.

Wait! You did not like the beginning of Batman and Robin where they're putting on their suits and the camera is showing their behinds?

























Okay, I didn't either.......

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I've been pegged to play the role of Poison Ivy in the next Batman movie!

Of course not, but it's all interesting news and I can't wait to see where they take the film next time. I thing The Dark Knight is going to be HARD to top. Sadly, Heath Ledger is the ONLY person who ever got the character of The Joker right!

I'm very interested to see where Nolan takes the Bat next, because I've been uber impressed with his work so far!

 

[Drtooth]

Ratner's X-Men film didn't bother me as much as it did others. It really should have been done correctly and as two films. That way the Pheonix personas could have adequately been separated and more complex plot points wouldn't have needed to be slapped together. That way it would have been more satisfying to core fans while giving moviegoers another flashy X-movie.

Maybe it's because I caught them on television, but the 2 X-Men movies I saw didn't leave an impression on me at all. It's not that they were bad, but just not as good as the hype set it up to be.

I’m just glad the Justice League film was nixed. That could have put all the DC characters in limbo for a long time.

A Justice League movie would be all sorts of corny. I think if Paul Dini wrote the script, and they worked closely with others who worked on the cartoon series, it may warrent fans to go see it... but the only was a JLA movie will really make money is if they directly animate it and release it theatrically.

 

[frogboy4]

Maybe it's because I caught them on television, but the 2 X-Men movies I saw didn't leave an impression on me at all. It's not that they were bad, but just not as good as the hype set it up to be.

A Justice League movie would be all sorts of corny. I think if Paul Dini wrote the script, and they worked closely with others who worked on the cartoon series, it may warrent fans to go see it... but the only was a JLA movie will really make money is if they directly animate it and release it theatrically.

The X-Men fims are actually really good. The first one is too short to really get things going, the second one is a lot of movie that's maybe a beat or two too long, and the third one tries to jam too much into it that character motivations and continuity miss the mark. Seeing any of those films edited for the small screen and jammed between ads for zit cream and soda pop does not do any of them justice. Singer actually directed the first two. The direction they are going in now with the individual character films is probably the way to go. So is the new cartoon. Has anyone seen the trailer for it? Wow! It's not a DVDtoon it's an actual series!

Anyway, I digress. It appears that Johnny Depp is already pegged to be Tim Burton's Mad Hatter in his live action & CGI version of Alice in Wonderland. I don't think that would conflict with any Batman schedule as it appears that will take some time for momentum. I doubt that we'll hear much until around or after the Oscar season. I still hope Depp is cast as the Riddler.

 

[Winslow Leach]

Anyway, I digress. It appears that Johnny Depp is already pegged to be Tim Burton's Mad Hatter in his live action & CGI version of Alice in Wonderland. I don't think that would conflict with any Batman schedule as it appears that will take some time for momentum. I doubt that we'll hear much until around or after the Oscar season. I still hope Depp is cast as the Riddler.

Depp certainly has a full plate ahead of him.

He signed on for three Disney films: Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Carribean 4 and The Lone Ranger, which will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. But Depp isn't playing the Ranger. He's actually been cast as the Ranger's sidekick, Tonto.

There's also a rumor that Tim Burton wants to direct an adaptation of the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, with Depp as vampire Barnabas Collins.

I'm really looking forward to Michael Mann's Public Enemies, based on the excellent non-fiction book by Bryan Burrough. The book chronicles the crime spree in the early 1930s, in which John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly and the Barker Gang all rose to infamy, and gave birth to the modern FBI, headed by J. Edgar Hoover.

Depp is Dillinger, Billy Crudup is Hoover, Channing Tatum is Pretty Boy Floyd, and Christian Bale is Melvin Purvis, Hoover's #1 crime-busting golden boy.

Then there's The Rum Diary, based on Hunter S. Thompson's 1959 novel. This film has been rumored for years, with Depp playing Thompson. Of course, he already played the good doctor in Terry Gilliam's faithful adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, in which Depp did a spot-on portrayal of Thompson (or rather his alter ego, Raoul Duke). The film co-starred Benicio Del Toro as Duke's attorney, "Dr. Gonzo," and Del Toro is rumored to direct The Rum Diary.

Hopefully in between all this, Depp will sign on as The Riddler, if indeed Mr. Nygma is to appear in the next Batman film...

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Oh wow-oh wow! The new X-Men cartoon looks so purrrrrddy! It's so shiny... *Drools vehemently*