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Loner Batman is my favorite too, but we’ve had 80 years of solo Batman movies and they range from enjoyable nonsense to cinematic perfection. Nearly 70 years after the release of the first Batman serials, the unprecedented success of
The Avengers prompted the notoriously risk-averse WB to finally shake things up. The subsequent abysmal response to
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and
Justice League halted those ambitious plans in the burgeoning “DCEU”. So what does WB do? They play it safe with their golden goose and decide to do another gritty early days reboot trilogy from a director with a clear creative vision. On paper, the Pattinson film has a lot in common with Nolan’s highly successful trilogy, and it is a smart business move.
The Batman is to
Josstice League what
Batman Begins was to
Batman & Robin.
The Batman looks phenomenal, and is exactly what I want from a solo Batman film, but it’s familiar and safe nonetheless. “Batman” and to a lesser degree, “Batman and Robin” as a duo have long since been proven commodities, while “Batman and the Justice League” is a different beast. Audiences aren’t sold yet, but I’m happy to see more people embracing this long beloved side of the character that was previously limited to comics and animation.
The current Bat
MEN situation is comparable to the 3 different Bruce Wayne’s in the DCAU. Bruce Wayne/Batman was the central figure in that universe; we witness his story from beginning to end. DC Films can do something similar by making Batman the central figure of the
multiverse. I’m envisioning three separate Batman-centric franchises as the film division’s answer to three of the most beloved staples in the DC animated library:
Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, & Batman Beyond.
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The Batman series with Robert Pattinson is our answer to
Batman: The Animated Series. A gritty, back-to-basics approach to Batman in his early days. A noir, detective story featuring many of the first conflicts between Batman and his most famous rogues. For many, this series is the definitive take on the character, and one of the writers involved in
The Batman is a self-proclaimed fan of the animated series.
The Batman is said to take influences from several other non-DC sources, such as
Se7en, Chinatown, and
Taxi Driver.
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Justice League 1, 2, & 3 are naturally our
JL/JLU equivalent. But the influences go beyond that, it more closely resembles
Lord of the Rings in regards to the epic scope and tone. Here, we see Batman as a human in a world with gods, aliens, monsters, and magic. It makes sense to section this Batman off when the stakes are so different in a
Batman movie vs a
Justice League movie. Fans have dreamt of seeing the Batman/Superman bromance onscreen for years, there is a ton of potential still left on the table with this franchise. I dearly hope it continues to a satisfying conclusion with sequels.
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Finally
, The Flash movie plants the seeds for a third potential franchise; a
Batman Beyond film with Michael Keaton. The fondly remembered animated series has earned the respect of a sizable portion of Batman fans; no small feat considering
Batman Beyond was a new story with a teenage Batman. There are reports that Michael Keaton is in talks to return in a
Batgirl film as Barbara Gordon’s mentor. Whichever way it shakes out, I am all in on Michael Keaton getting another
Batman movie. As far as tone and influence, the original animated series was highly inspired by
Blade Runner. Blade Runner visuals mixed with the insane tone and look established by
Batman & Batman Returns sounds unbelievable.
It’s a good time to be any type of Batman fan. We’re all getting what we want.
