Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns Animated

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Ironside, Stallone or Roarke.

And its not worth making if you cut **** out, just make it 4 hours long.

Not feasible with the budget these DVD's get....

 

[Watchman]

I'd rather have Dark Knight Strikes Again adapted.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

as cool as this sounds, the fact its going before the killing joke is a crime

 

[Watchman]

Does The Killing Joke even have enough material to fill the already way too short runtime given to these movies?

 

[Drz]

Not only that the Killing Joke depends too heavily on narrative story telling and has close to 0 action. Killing Joke would work in the same way Thor&Loki: Bloodbrothers is working out. Make it a motion comic with some CGI and hire Mark Hamill as the voice actor to get comic nerds purchase it.

Year One is too short to be made into a movie, so they're adding some stuff of their own to it. Again this could be done with Killing Joke but like i stated, the story depends way too heavily on Joker's narration and the general audience would just snore to that.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

this sounds good to me either way, just glad were getting the opportunity for it to happen.

 

[Nave 'Torment']

Clint Eastwood. Make it happen Warners!

 

[KRIM]

No one else feels wary about this? Alongside Kingdom Come, this is one of those classic stories where the 90 minute timeframe is way too short to do the entire story justice. They're going to have to cut significant parts out just to keep the gist of the story in tact.

I'd really love to see an animated film from Timm and Co., but those budget and time constraints dampen my anticipation.

 

[Drz]

I don't mind it consider they got the "essence" for All Star Superman, not to mention do people really want all the political comedy and tension outside of the nuclear bomb in this movie? Infact what if they try and modernize it and instead of Soviet Russia have someone else with the cold war tension. Really they just need to keep the essence of the TDKR and it's all good, like the TDKR tribute in BTAS where they merged the two Mutant leader fights into 1 fight.

 

[theMan-Bat]

I'm not really worried. I'm confident that they will fit in the most signification and memorable iconic parts. Bruce Wayne retired with the mustache, Two-Face having had plastic surgery and appearing to have reformed, Batman coming out of retirement and fighting street crime, the interrogation of Femur, the fight with Two-Face. Gordon shooting the Mutant gang member, Batman fighting the Mutant gang kidnappers, Carrie Kelley as Robin, the integration of the Mutant member, the general's suicide, Batman fighting the Mutant leader at the dump, Batman returning to the cave with Carrie, Carrie undercover as a mutant gang member telling them to meet at the pit, Batman defeating the Mutant leader in the mud pit. Batman disguised as a homeless old woman and fighting Bruno, Superman interrupting, Batman and Robin going to Abner's apartment and the doll bomb explodes, Clark's talk with Bruce outside Wayne Manor, Gordon's retirement and Ellen Yindel becomes the new Police Commissioner and issuing an arrest order for Batman, Joker released from Arkham, Batman fighting the police, Joker using mind-control lipstick on Selina Kyle and escort Elsie who uses it on Congressman Noches, Batman disguised as Lieutenant O'Halloran, Batman and Selina's kiss, Batman fighting the Joker at the County Fair, Joker's death in the Tunnel of Love. Superman and the nuke and the black out and riot, Batman and Robin and the Sons of the Batman on horses. Batman's showdown with Superman with help from Oliver Queen's kryptonite arrow, Bruce faking his death, funeral and Clark's wink.

What they likely will cut out are most of the news reports and Lana Lang and Dr. Bartholemew Wolper, and others debating about Batman on television, the Mutant gang members putting the bomb in the mother's purse in the subway, the news reporting that porn star Hot Gates is starring in Snow White, Superman's chats with Ronald Reagan and Reagan's televised press conferences, Arnold Crimp shooting in the porn theater while watching My Sweet Satan, Iron Man Vasquez's story, the mayor meeting the Mutant leader and getting murdered, Gordon's talk with Ellen Yindel, Byron Brassballs' complaining on television, David Letterman and Paul Shaffer and Dr. Ruth murdered, the Mutant's splinter group the Nixon's, Jeff Stricken on television, the Catholic priest and others on television telling their experiences during the riot, etc.

 

[Max Shrek]

The Two-Face stuff needs to go. On its own, I love those scenes; GREAT ideas, and a great reinterpretation of the character. And it fits... in a four issue comic. But a film needs to work on its own, and it needs to have three strong acts.

1. Mutants rule Gotham City. Batman comes out of retirement, kicks Mutant ass.
2. Batman is back! The different ways this effects Gotham, including the Joker.
3. Things have escalated out of control, and Superman is brought in.

 

[theMan-Bat]

The Two-Face scenes should definitely be included in the film! Those are iconic Dark Knight Returns scenes and won't take up too much screen time. Fans are definitely going to want those scenes. There's even fan made animation of part of the Batman versus Two-Face scene.
[YT]a73uAii1EWs[/YT]

 

[Drz]

I'd rather lose the mutant leader fights over Two-Face scenes, tho the 1st mutant fight scene has the pivotal moment of Robin joining Batman, but again if they really need to cut something, why not merge the two Mutant leader fights and get the Sons of Batman moving faster in to the movie? And again i'm pretty sure they'll cut the political comedy and plenty of the tv reporter stuff in favour for Batman iconomism.

 

[El Payaso]

Gah, make a movie for every chapter of TDKR!

TDKR is one of the best Batman comics I've ever read.

 

[FCEEVIPER]

Gah, make a movie for every chapter of TDKR!

TDKR is one of the best Batman comics I've ever read.

Signed.

 

[EliteF50]

I pray they go for A list casting (Conroy, Ironside) instead of some new guy.

Oh man... hearing that beautiful Old Bruce voice from Kevin again would be amazing!

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

I just find TDKR overrated frankly, and I don't think it should be as revered as it is. There are many other Batman stories I place ahead of it. I always hated Frank Miller's take on Batman. Year One is pretty good, but I found the story a tad bland. I just think some of Miller's ideas, like his foolish insistance that Batman and Superman need to have an adversarial relationship, are stupid. Since they are making it, I'd love to see Kevin Conroy for this one, especially since he is a tad older.

 

[FCEEVIPER]

I just find TDKR overrated frankly, and I don't think it should be as revered as it is. There are many other Batman stories I place ahead of it. I always hated Frank Miller's take on Batman. Year One is pretty good, but I found the story a tad bland. I just think some of Miller's ideas, like his foolish insistance that Batman and Superman need to have an adversarial relationship, are stupid. Since they are making it, I'd love to see Kevin Conroy for this one, especially since he is a tad older.

TDKR Overrated?? BYO bland?? Really?

Wow, just wow.

 

[EliteF50]

I wouldn't say TDKR is overrated, not at all, but I do dislike the art.

 

[Indy Flash]

Clint Eastwood. Make it happen Warners!

Cool That it's coming out. Eastwood Perfect Choice.

 

[Two-Face]

Clint Eastwood. Make it happen Warners!

Hell yes!

 

[antsman41]

I want Keaton to do it...

 

[FCEEVIPER]

New York Comic Con: Animation Legend Bruce Timm on BATMAN: YEAR ONE

At last weekend’s New York Comic Con, we got a chance not only to speak to voice director Andrea Romano, but also to legendary Warner Brothers animator Bruce Timm, an executive producer on the just-released Batman: Year One DVD and Blu-Ray.

Timm is the co-creator (with Paul Dini) of what fans call the DC Animated Universe, comprised of Batman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited and much more. To the extent that DC competes with Marvel for recognition in film, that’s largely Timm. And the way DC manhandles just about everyone in terms of creating enjoyable animated fare? That’s Timm as well.

Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller (who later brought the world Sin City and 300) and artist David Mazzuchelli, the film takes a very street-level view of Bruce Wayne’s early career as Batman, and that feel had to be reflected not just in the story but in the animation, according to Timm.

“This one is really unique in that when I think of Batman Year One, I think of it as being almost like a live-action version of Batman, but super-seriously realistic–low key. There’s almost no larger than life element in this movie. It’s Batman versus corrupt policemen and corrupt criminals and corrupt government officials. It’s not about Jokers and Mr. Freeze and any of that really larger-than-life stuff,” Timm explained, then added, “I mean—there’s not even a Batmobile in it!”

As with the graphic novel, the look of the film reflects that philosophy as well, with a subdued color palette and figurework that harkens back to the Fleischer Superman cartoons.

“To me that’s the thing that’s the overriding principle to every aspect of the production,” Timm said of that kind of realism. “We wanted to keep all the performances really naturalistic and really believable. In a lot of our other productions, we have a lot more leeway and we can go more over-the-top with the villains or even sometimes with the heroes but here it’s all about maintaining an even strain.”

He added that the philosophy extended past the voice acting into the visual style, the staging and the music; Timm said that when he sat down with composer Chris Drake, he didn’t want the music to sound like a Batman movie, and that he instructed Drake specifically to avoid riffing on the various well-known scores to the Hollywood films. Timm’s directive was, “It should sound like a cop movie.”

Of course, there was already an episode of Batman: The Animated Series that featured a Frank Miller-esque Batman briefly, but that’s a very different vision of the Bat than we see in Batman: Year One. “Each piece is 100% true to itself. To this day I’m still amazed that both of those two awesome comics came out of the same guy because they’re like night and day,” Timm said of Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. “Dark Knight [Returns] is like opera, and Batman Year One is like jazz.”

He added that The Dark Knight Returns (which has been announced as a feature they’re making in the near future) plays everything so big and over-the-top that it allows for a bit of self-parody and that even the original comics contain some comedic elements along with their central narrative. That’s pretty common to Miller (as evidenced when Tim Burton cited The Dark Knight Returns as the inspiration for his bombastic, gothic and campy 1989 Batman film), but largely absent from the Scorcese-esque gritty realism of Batman: Year One. Timm said that it was really fun to go from the gritty and low-key feel of this film and move onto the over-the-top and operatic feel of The Dark Knight Returns.

Batman Year One is available via Video-On-Demand services as well as on DVD and Blu-Ray now. Timm and company’s next feature film is Justice League: Doom, based on the popular JLA: Tower of Babel story. The trailer for that film is below, courtesy Film Is Now.

 

[EGADComics]

Stallone? Hmmm....Rocky Batman voice.....I dunno....

 

[hopefuldreamer]

I just find TDKR overrated frankly, and I don't think it should be as revered as it is. There are many other Batman stories I place ahead of it. I always hated Frank Miller's take on Batman. Year One is pretty good, but I found the story a tad bland. I just think some of Miller's ideas, like his foolish insistance that Batman and Superman need to have an adversarial relationship, are stupid.

Agreed completely.