Ben Affleck To Team With DC’s Geoff Johns On Standalone ‘Batman’ Film - Part 3

[2kt09]

I thought Andy Serkis and his studio was the forefront of the Apes' CGI capabilities.
WETA does a host of movies, it even did BvS.

 

[thebatfan5194]

Didn't WETA do Doomsday...?

 

[Boom]

Weta is pretty much booked up for the forseeable future, isn't it?

 

[The Shape]

There's been a lot of talk about Weta and CG in this thread.

Personally, I'm hoping this film won't be nearly as CG-heavy as films like MOS and BvS were, and I honestly doubt it will be.

 

[Limonade]

There's been a lot of talk about Weta and CG in this thread.

Personally, I'm hoping this film won't be nearly as CG-heavy as films like MOS and BvS were, and I honestly doubt it will be.

Me too.

Unless, the villain is a reimagined Killer Croc, I'd expect a much more grounded approach to the film. (closer to Nolan rather than the Schumacher or Snyder approach)

 

[2kt09]

Yeah, it depends on the villain.
As soon as people thought Matt Reeves,
they figured there would be creature/more out there character fx involved.

 

[shauner111]

I guess this is the logic everyone follows now. Working at WB/DC lowers the quality of your movies.

These directors don't have full creative control. A lot of it depends on the vision and script that they're working with. Sometimes it's just a matter of one filmmaker not being good at one genre or budget, but if WB are hiring bad writers then there's only so much a director can do with crappy material like that. Casino Royale had a different set of producers, writers and the original novel for source material. It's a good environment for Campbell to excel in. You stick him with a bunch of jabronies at Warner Brothers and Geoff Johns, guess what? Campbell doesn't stand a chance. Plus it was a very CGI heavy movie.

It absolutely has to do with the environment you're working in, for directors like this who aren't auteurs.

 

[Jekecy]

There's been a lot of talk about Weta and CG in this thread.

Personally, I'm hoping this film won't be nearly as CG-heavy as films like MOS and BvS were, and I honestly doubt it will be.

Eh, we just had a decade of a grounded Gotham-verse.

I don't need to go to balls-to-the-wall insane with its otherworldliness, but I want a healthy dose of supernatural fantasy injected back to this franchise. BvS and SS blew the doors wide open for all sorts of possibilities in this universe, I want it to be utilized.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

These directors don't have full creative control. A lot of it depends on the vision and script that they're working with. Sometimes it's just a matter of one filmmaker not being good at one genre or budget, but if WB are hiring bad writers then there's only so much a director can do with crappy material like that. Casino Royale had a different set of producers, writers and the original novel for source material. It's a good environment for Campbell to excel in. You stick him with a bunch of jabronies at Warner Brothers and Geoff Johns, guess what? Campbell doesn't stand a chance. Plus it was a very CGI heavy movie.

It absolutely has to do with the environment you're working in, for directors like this who aren't auteurs.

This is so much bs. There are hundreds of cases where a good director makes a good movie out of a crappy script and an average director takes a great script and makes a crappy movie

 

[shauner111]

Sure but it doesn't happen often. And I don't think you can make a great film out of a crappy script. It's impossible. You can make a decent one or solid at best with the right director and cast. But great? No.

If the script is terrible , Reeves will not be able to make a great film, period. If there's no solid foundation at all , especially with Batman where the CHARACTERS are very important, forget it.

 

[terry78]

Most CG will come from the cityscape, crowds or maybe spectacle where stunt people just can't do it. Now if we're getting Clayface or Man-Bat or some **** then yes, WETA will have to be on their game.

 

[shauner111]

Eh, we just had a decade of a grounded Gotham-verse.

I don't need to go to balls-to-the-wall insane with its otherworldliness, but I want a healthy dose of supernatural fantasy injected back to this franchise. BvS and SS blew the doors wide open for all sorts of possibilities in this universe, I want it to be utilized.

You can have all of that and not deliver a movie where everything looks fake like a lot of the action in MoS, BvS and SS.

Not overdoing the CG, and using more practical effects doesn't mean "grounded universe".

 

[Kane52630]

I tried rewatching the Doomsday fight and man there's zero weight to the CGI. Everything felt bouncy.

 

[Tra-El]

Great to see a director of Reeves' caliber be landed for The Batman. That was literally the best case scenario and WB pulled it off. Kudos.

 

[The Shape]

Eh, we just had a decade of a grounded Gotham-verse.

I don't need to go to balls-to-the-wall insane with its otherworldliness, but I want a healthy dose of supernatural fantasy injected back to this franchise. BvS and SS blew the doors wide open for all sorts of possibilities in this universe, I want it to be utilized.

Yeah, I'm not suggesting this film has to be delivered with a hyper-realistic, Nolan-esque grounded universe that is all shot on location.

However, after battling Superman and Doomsday in BvS and then battling alien parademons alongside a team of fantastical superheroes in Justice League, I don't think it is at all necessary for Batman to be facing off against a fantastical or supernatural CG-heavy monster/threat in his solo outing. I certainly don't think that is what most of us (if anyone) want from this film.

While the scope of this film should still be large, I'd much prefer they dial it back a bit and deliver a thrilling story that focuses more on Batman himself and something that is more along the lines of a non-metahuman, street-level threat that is at lease somewhat more grounded than what we saw in BvS and what we'll soon be seeing in Justice League. It's entirely possible for "The Batman" to inject a dose of supernatural fantasy when it comes to certain characters and plot points, without becoming a large-scale CGI extravaganza.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

That's why I think Deathstroke is optimal. He sits on that border or fantastical/grounded. Most of the spectale will be coming from fight choreography and wire work.

Yeah, I know he might not be the only villain. But a villain like Deathstroke is the right direction to go in.

 

[Benal]

I tried rewatching the Doomsday fight and man there's zero weight to the CGI. Everything felt bouncy.

Has nothing to do with CGI. It's the weird choice to make the final fight a music clip. huge chunks are missing because of the editing back and forth, There were no quiet moments and the sound editing was pushed to the side.

 

[green]

Great to see a director of Reeves' caliber be landed for The Batman. That was literally the best case scenario and WB pulled it off. Kudos.

Agreed. I honestly think Affleck taking himself off as director is the best thing for this movie. He's seemed pretty worn out lately from taking too much on.

 

[Kane52630]

eh, it was a combo of both.

 

[shauner111]

That's why I think Deathstroke is optimal. He sits on that border or fantastical/grounded. Most of the spectale will be coming from fight choreography and wire work.

Yeah, I know he might not be the only villain. But a villain like Deathstroke is the right direction to go in.

Its only the right direction to go in if the story calls for a Deathstroke-Batman showdown. Not just because he's a good villain to throw in there, acting as a link between fantasy and ground level action.

Killer Croc was a good choice from that perspective. Bridging fantasy with a certain level of grit. Especially with that interpretation from Suicide Squad. But he was random in the story and a random addition to the Squad. He wasn't even needed and I'm sure there were a bunch of other characters they could have used to fill that spot.

I don't want to see Deathstroke as a villain for the sake of some cool fight scenes we could witness.

 

[Chesterfield]

Is there? Just because they make some superhero movies that aren't reviewed well?

https://www.quora.com/Which-studio-has-won-most-Academy-Awards

And this means what? A bunch of Oscars doesn't mean jack. You forget an Oscar winner wrote Batman and Robin. In any case, as things are, otherwise top talent are dropping the ball big time over at WB, especially when it comes to the DCEU. The current executive and management team over there are acting like they have no concept of proper business acumen.

 

[Jekecy]

However, after battling Superman and Doomsday in BvS and then battling alien parademons alongside a team of fantastical superheroes in Justice League, I don't think it is at all necessary for Batman to be facing off against a fantastical or supernatural CG-heavy monster/threat in his solo outing. I certainly don't think that is what most of us (if anyone) want from this film.

I've said nothing about monsters or CG-heavy threats. I'm referring to taking full advantage of the established rules in this universe; magic, aliens, and the supernatural are in full display and now known.

Ironically Nolan used up a lot villains who are used to their fullest potential in worlds not so restrained by the "gritty and grounded" approach. People like Scarecrow, Ra's, and Bane (though I did love Hardy so much).

While the scope of this film should still be large, I'd much prefer they dial it back a bit and deliver a thrilling story that focuses more on Batman himself and something that is more along the lines of a non-metahuman, street-level threat that is at lease somewhat more grounded than what we saw in BvS and what we'll soon be seeing in Justice League.

There's a scale to this, I just don't want them moving backwards in the story. While we didn't see it, it's clear MOS was the catalyst to the next stage of Bruce's career. What made the concept so intriguing of Batman as the first veteran hero is he's never operated in the realm of these literal gods and monsters. To go from the events of BvS and JL "back" to the street-level thuggery is too much of a backpedaling for my taste. I don't want that for this Batman at this particular stage of his career.

It's entirely possible for "The Batman" to inject a dose of supernatural fantasy when it comes to certain characters and plot points, without becoming a large-scale CGI extravaganza.

Sure. I never really wanted a large-scale CGI extravaganza either, though it's something never been attempted and I'd be extremely curious as to what that would look like.

 

[Chesterfield]

Great to see a director of Reeves' caliber be landed for The Batman. That was literally the best case scenario and WB pulled it off. Kudos.

Here's hoping the clowns over at WB don't neuter him.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

Its only the right direction to go in if the story calls for a Deathstroke-Batman showdown. Not just because he's a good villain to throw in there, acting as a link between fantasy and ground level action.

Killer Croc was a good choice from that perspective. Bridging fantasy with a certain level of grit. Especially with that interpretation from Suicide Squad. But he was random in the story and a random addition to the Squad. He wasn't even needed and I'm sure there were a bunch of other characters they could have used to fill that spot.

I don't want to see Deathstroke as a villain for the sake of some cool fight scenes we could witness.

I don't think that's the case. Have you read about Mangeniello's latest comments on Deathstroke?

He's being put in for character reasons. He goes on to talk about how if Batman/Deathstroke made different choices in their pasts they could easily swap places. It got me somewhat excited because it seems like Deathstroke won't be a meathead for fight scenes, but will be used as a juxtaposition to Batman.

 

[mclay18]

David Silverman is out at WB, and Toby Emmerich is a more filmmaker-friendly producer. They'll probably give Reeves more creative leeway like James Wan.