How many years should WB wait before making a Batman reboot?

[BH/HHH]

3-4 in my opinion, there's no need to reboot with another origin story so I don't think the gap needs to be as much.

[bullets]

I think 3 years. I don't want to see another origin story so hopefully they go the James Bond route with this franchise.

[Boom]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Then die.

I just watched an interview with Michael Uslan on SPACE network and he comments on how he is in awe of what Nolan has done in making Bruce Wayne a real character, and turning Batman into a property that isn't a 'comicbook film' per say, but a great film in general.

I really don't think Warner Bros are going to change the Nolan formula with the films beyond TDKR. It's almost a step backwards to go to the fantasy/stylistic comicbook approach.

Batman will stay grounded in gritty hyper-realism for as long as it's profitable and critically successful to do so.

I was more referring to Goyer being retained. He is arguably the weakest link of Nolan's franchise. I'd rather have a writer who can construct a solid three-act story.

[Majik1387]

Goyer is good at coming up with plots, I just rather another writer actually write it.

[Boom]

As for Nolan being an executive producer, I imagine he would have a hand in picking the director of the next franchise, and leave them to it. I don't see Nolan as the type that would force his style and filmmaking sensibilities upon another director. And if he is, then I will admittedly lose respect for the man.

If WB wants to justify rebooting the franchise again this soon, they have to go in a different direction. Replicating Nolan's style with another director spells disaster to me.

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by MessiahDecoy123

It's not a flawed comparison. You try to to recreate the magic of someone else's style of storytelling and it could ruin the movie completely.

No one knows the advantages of Nolan-verse like Nolan himself. If someone tries to imitate his vision it won't feel genuine.

It's better to wipe the slate clean and try a fresh approach from a talented director and writer. Sky's the limit.

You wipe the slate clean when a franchise fails.


When you have a billion dollar formula that works, the studio would be stupid to completely throw everything Nolan did with Batman out the window.

I wasn't surprised in the slightest when Robinov mentioned that Nolan and Thomas would produce the next Batman. Its the smartest move the studio could make with their property than risk going back to the 90s.


This film wouldn't be the Nolan-verse of course. We know Nolan's tale ends with TDK. I'm saying it's very likely Nolan's realistic approach will continue for the future films. Uslan said it's more successful than a comicbook-y stylized movie and that Nolan made Batman into something accessible for all audiences through this realistic format.

I don't seriously believe the studio will give up on this winning approach.

[The Morningstar]

The idea that gritty realism is inherently better than fantasy and style is laughable.

The next Batman series of movies will sell big no matter what style they are done in.

And i pose the question, what sort of director who is worth **** is gonna want to be dictated what style he can make a movie in by a studio? You'd end up with a studio yes man and the film would be crap.

[Bathead]

[QUOTE=The Morningstar;22562649]The idea that gritty realism is inherently better than fantasy and style is laughable.

The next Batman series of movies will sell big no matter what style they are done in.

And i pose the question, what sort of director who is worth **** is gonna want to be dictated what style he can make a movie in by a studio? You'd end up with a studio yes man and the film would be crap.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. Where would the franchise be if the studio had done that with Nolan? The biggest mistake the studio could possibly make is to try to reproduce what Nolan did. Let the next director create his/her own vision.

[Dark Raven]

I think only a soft reboot is needed. I think it can be more of a reboot in terms of style and actors. I don't want to have to suffer through yet another Batman origin story. I'd like to see something more akin to a comic-faithful Batman in terms of costume, Batmobile etc where fantasy elements can easily mesh with that world.

[AnneFan]

Originally Posted by Dark Raven

I don't want to have to suffer through yet another Batman origin story.

Neither do I. Differences aside, BB serves all of the Batman films in a way. The origins can be referenced (grave visit, etc) but we don't need anything more detailed than that IMO.

[MessiahDecoy123]

I hate the Begins origin. It makes Batman look like he learned almost everything from a bunch of ninjas after he'd already grown up. What happened to the child and teenage Bruce who trained under dozens of masters to specialize in everything from escape artistry to tracking to bomb defussion because he was dedicated to becoming the ultimate crime fighter? You know all the things he needed to master to be the world's greatest crime fighter?

So an adult Bruce Wayne is a lost puppy until Ras finds him and takes him to Ninja Mountain for a few months and suddenly Bruce is ready to be the world's greatest crime fighter? Nonsense. Bruce commits to hardcore training very soon after his parents are shot. It's because of this obsessive drive and varied training since childhood that he's becomes so good.

[Boom]

I feel like the only way we'll ever see Batman's origin fleshed out in full would be to have a television series.

He trained as a martial artist, detective, escape artist, forensic scientist, engineer, chemist, and so forth and so on. I just can't see them covering all of that (and doing it justice) in a two-hour film.

[MessiahDecoy123]

I'd just like one movie where there's an incredibly bad ass Batman prepared for every situation and everytime he uses some mindblowing skill you get a flashback of him training in some deadly situtation when he's in his early teens. Just to give the audience some perspective of how long and hard Bruce trained to become the best.

[CConn]

I honestly think the only truly fresh way to go next time around, would be to show an already established Batman - possibly with Robin, or some other sidekick - battling the villains that we haven't seen in the Nolan movies.

I mean, to do Joker again, or spend another one or two movies on how and why Bruce became Batman, would just start getting monotonous, IMO. We've already seen a lot of those elements in not only Nolan's movies, but Burton's as well.

Creatively speaking, I'd want someone to do a new thematic approach to Batman. We've already seen camp (Adam West), gothic (Burton), crime drama (Nolan)....I'd want to see something that explores a different genre of film, whether it be adventure, or noir, etc.

[Majik1387]

Originally Posted by CConn

I honestly think the only truly fresh way to go next time around, would be to show an already established Batman - possibly with Robin, or some other sidekick - battling the villains that we haven't seen in the Nolan movies.

This is pretty much how I would approach it if I were making the movies.

[CConn]

I've been thinking about what would be a good visual tone for another film.

What about something like this?



Sleek, shiny, yet sophisticated. It could almost be for Batman, what the Star Trek reboot was for Star Trek; stylistically, at least.

[Godzilla2014]

Originally Posted by The Morningstar

Realistic + gritty = worst possible way to do a Superman story... ever.

Snyder was brought on because of his "stylistic crap". It's his strength and something that was sorely missed in Superman Returns. You think WB would hire Snyder then tell him he can't do the thing he is primarily good at, which is amazing visuals?

I agree. Superman is not a dark character. He doesn't operate in a world of drug dealers and rapists, nor does he seek to instill fear in the hearts of criminals.

Originally Posted by MessiahDecoy123

I'd just like one movie where there's an incredibly bad ass Batman prepared for every situation and everytime he uses some mindblowing skill you get a flashback of him training in some deadly situtation when he's in his early teens. Just to give the audience some perspective of how long and hard Bruce trained to become the best.

Wouldn't that kill the tension?

[CConn]

Not necessarily.

Look at how on the ball awesome Liam Neeson was in Taken - heaven featuring him being able to predict the exact time in which he'd kill someone - yet there was still a sense of tension and drama.

[Godzilla2014]

Originally Posted by CConn

Not necessarily.

Look at how on the ball awesome Liam Neeson was in Taken - heaven featuring him being able to predict the exact time in which he'd kill someone - yet there was still a sense of tension and drama.

I still don't like the idea of Batman always being prepared for every situation, because if Bruce knows everything he will ever need to, how will he ever progress as a character?

Look at The Dark Knight. A massive part of that story is Batman facing a threat that defies his preconceptions about criminals and the way they work. He is wrong in his assumptions, and he pays very dearly for it. This makes him a flawed, human character with real depth.

[MessiahDecoy123]

Just because Batman is a perfectionist when it comes to crime fighting doesn't mean he isn't flawed. He is obsessive, cold, isolated and distant as Batman. His tactics are considered by some to be brutal and unlawful. He makes his own rules blurring the line between justice and abusive power. Emotionally he is gaurded and socially he is manipulative.

He is the perfect example of how a perfectionism itself can be a curse and flaw.

But psychological and personal flaws aside when it comes to crime fighting the audience should be in awe of Batman. I'm not saying that Batman should never get hurt or lose a challenge but when he does it will be because of the vastness of the challenge not due to weakness or lack of foresight of Batman.

Batman should be a phenomenom, the epitome of human ability and drive. His only failures should be due to the limitations and poor judgement of those around him.

For every scene we see Batman's falter we should see 5 where does the near impossible. He's supposed to be the ultimate bad ass, not Marty McFly.

[Godzilla2014]

Originally Posted by MessiahDecoy123

Just because Batman is a perfectionist when it comes to crime fighting doesn't mean he isn't flawed. He is obsessive, cold, isolated and distant as Batman. His tactics are considered by some to be brutal and unlawful. He makes his own rules blurring the line between justice and abusive power. Emotionally he is gaurded and socially he is manipulative.

He is the perfect example of how a perfectionism itself can be a curse and flaw.

But psychological and personal flaws aside when it comes to crime fighting the audience should be in awe of Batman. I'm not saying that Batman should never get hurt or lose a challenge but when he does it will be because of the vastness of the challenge not due to weakness or lack of foresight of Batman.

Batman should be a phenomenom, the epitome of human ability and drive. His only failures should be due to the limitations and poor judgement of those around him.

For every scene we see Batman's falter we should see 5 where does the near impossible. He's supposed to be the ultimate bad ass, not Marty McFly.

And I agree that Batman should be impressive, but I don't want to see a Batman who can't be surprised or challenged. It's the kind of problem I had with the Schumacher films: Whenever Batman got in a deathtrap, he could almost always pull out a gadget to escape that we have never seen before nor will ever see again, even in situations it would be useful.

I want to see a Batman who has to think on his feet and improvise to overcome his enemies. One who prevails because of his ingenuity, not because of his utility belt.

And I don't want Batman to be infallible, with any failures being the fault of others. It's okay for Batman to be wrong sometimes, that makes him human.

[The Morningstar]

Originally Posted by CConn

I honestly think the only truly fresh way to go next time around, would be to show an already established Batman - possibly with Robin, or some other sidekick - battling the villains that we haven't seen in the Nolan movies.

I mean, to do Joker again, or spend another one or two movies on how and why Bruce became Batman, would just start getting monotonous, IMO. We've already seen a lot of those elements in not only Nolan's movies, but Burton's as well.

Creatively speaking, I'd want someone to do a new thematic approach to Batman. We've already seen camp (Adam West), gothic (Burton), crime drama (Nolan)....I'd want to see something that explores a different genre of film, whether it be adventure, or noir, etc.

I really want the next films to be more noir. Heavily stylized, but still gritty and hard boiled. Along the lines of Sin City, but not THAT stylized where everything is clearly green screen.

Hell, I wouldn't even mind some Batman narration like the old detective stories.

Also agree that they should not do another origin story (although a lot of great stuff was missed with the Begins origin) and try some new villains. I think Ventriloquist could be interesting.

Originally Posted by CConn

I've been thinking about what would be a good visual tone for another film.

What about something like this?



Sleek, shiny, yet sophisticated. It could almost be for Batman, what the Star Trek reboot was for Star Trek; stylistically, at least.

Kingdom Come? Love it. I could totally dig something like that in the next films. I think a little less "clean" though if you get my drift.

[Majik1387]

I think we got enough noir with Nolan's movies honestly.

[The Morningstar]

Originally Posted by MessiahDecoy123

I'd just like one movie where there's an incredibly bad ass Batman prepared for every situation and everytime he uses some mindblowing skill you get a flashback of him training in some deadly situtation when he's in his early teens. Just to give the audience some perspective of how long and hard Bruce trained to become the best.

That is a really great idea. We don't want or need to see his origin again, but little flashbacks that are relevant to what he is doing at the time could be great. Showing all the skills he's picked up from various masters all over the world.

A master escape artist in Asia or something.

A renowned tracker from the Outback in Australia or the plains of Africa.

All with some nice, hard boiled noir narration from Batman

[The Morningstar]

Originally Posted by Majik1387

I think we got enough noir with Nolan's movies honestly.

Nolan's movies are noir? I wouldn't call them noir, at all.