All things Batman and the big screen.

[EVA]

THE DARK KNIGHT was after THE PRESTIGE, so I think your thesis is slightly flawed.

And, man, I have no idea where you're getting that as the moral of TDKR. That movie doesn't even have a moral. That's one of the reasons it doesn't quite measure up to TDK. TDK knew exactly what it was about. TDKR invokes a lot of class issues but doesn't have a consistent ideology at all.

[Brian Fowler]

Both TDK and TDKR had a slight but persistent right-wing tone, but that doesn't bother me, because Batman has always had a slight but persistent tilt towards fascism, at least since The Dark Knight Returns in the 80's.

[Newb82]

INCEPTION was also after THE PRESTIGE.

[EVA]

I can accept INCEPTION as a point of contention, even though I liked it. Nobody fucks with THE DARK KNIGHT, though.

[Newb82]

The Batman character is pretty ideologically mixed. Being rich and beating the shit out of people that piss you off is a hard-right conservative wet dream. They might not agree with the "no guns, no killing" policy though. Plus, from what relatively few comics I've read, he seems to hold out hope that even his worst enemies can be rehabilitated.

[Burgundy LaRue]

So Batman is Liberatian, more or less?

[The Unholy Dragon]

So, with the slate cleared, if you could pick anyone to direct a Batman reboot for the Man of Steel DCU, who would you go with?I'd love to see a Steven Soderbergh Batman movie even though I know it'll never in a million years in a million universes happen.

[Brian Fowler]

Well, obviously, my answer to anything is Joss Whedon.

 

Um...  God, I'd still love to see Arnofosky do Batman, or any superhero film, really.

 

Soderberg missed the window.  When Clooney was Batman, it would have been the time.

[Elsalvajeloco]

So, with the slate cleared, if you could pick anyone to direct a Batman reboot for the Man of Steel DCU, who would you go with?I'd love to see a Steven Soderbergh Batman movie even though I know it'll never in a million years in a million universes happen.

I have to believe that everyone's shortlist includes a bunch of people that have never had a budget over 60 million dollars. I'm talking about people that would be available to do it and not people already attached to projects or big budget summer films. If Transcendence does well (who knows with Depp nowadays), Pfister might get the gig. Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion) has already did two $100 million+ films. But his films are the most beautifully shot pieces of boring shit I ever saw. I don't know how true the Rian Johnson rumor was, but it's been a long period of time since that I think they may go big instead of smart. A Justin Lin directed DCU movie isn't that much of stretch anymore given that he has already made Universal a shitload of money without good actors. 

 

My shortlist: George Nolfi, Nicolas Winding Refn, William Friedkin (at least give him Green Lantern, fuck), Neil Blomkamp

I would've included Del Toro, but he is already doing Crimson Peak and trying to revive At the Mountains of Madness

 

Who will probably get it: Wally Pfister, Joseph Kosinski, Justin Lin, Gary Ross, Rupert Wyatt, Brad Bird

[Brian Fowler]

The big question is tone.  Do they want to continue down the gritty, plausibly realistic path that Nolan built, or do they want to lighten Batman back up a bit?  That will go a long way towards determining who is on the shortlist with Warner gets around to building one.

[odessasteps]

If they darkened Superman, and looking at the people shaping the choice (johns notably), i cant see a brightening of any DCU movies.

[Brian Fowler]

I don't know, two straight years of losing the box office battle against lighter-hearted more fun Marvel superhero movies might very well lead to a change in direction for WB as it pertains to the DC movies.  With Avengers making roughly all the money, and IM3 kicking Man of Steel's ass, Hollywood is nothing if not a gang of copycats.

 

(Of course, GL was fairly light-hearted, and it wasn't very good and it bombed, so maybe not.) 

[EVA]

DUDE, are you still trying to convince people that TDKR was a disappointment????

[Niners Fan in CT]

I still believe the shooting in Colorado had an impact.

[Brian Fowler]

Well, since it performed below expectations, it was.  Clearly.  It's not a debatable point.  It made less money in the U.S. than was expected.  It's a disappointment.

 

But, no, that wasn't the point at all.  The point was that The Avengers kicked the ever-living shit out of it at the box office, much like IM3 has done to MoS.

[EVA]

I don't think IM3 to MOS is really a fair comparison. IM3 is a victory lap for the most successful brand in Hollywood going right now, while MOS, as I put it on the old board, is still in the "prove to us you don't suck anymore" phase with America.

A better comparison for IM3 is actually TDKR.

The best comparison for MOS is BATMAN BEGINS, another "prove to us you don't suck anymore" film, but that was so long ago and the game has changed so much with 3D and IMAX and the international boom that it's tough to compare. Perhaps the most relevant comparison then might be THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (which was the "prove to us we actually need this reboot" film).

[AxB]

 

THE DARK KNIGHT was after THE PRESTIGE, so I think your thesis is slightly flawed.And, man, I have no idea where you're getting that as the moral of TDKR. That movie doesn't even have a moral. That's one of the reasons it doesn't quite measure up to TDK. TDK knew exactly what it was about. TDKR invokes a lot of class issues but doesn't have a consistent ideology at all.

 I think The Prestige was better than the Dark Knight, and I didn't rate Inception at all. Empty spectacle. It's basically, take the things people don't like about Michael Bay, then cross that with the things people don't like about M Night Shyamalan, and you get this portentous, over-serious things that forgets action movies are supposed to be fun, and you're supposed to wish you were more like the hero.If you could live Bruce Wayne's life, or Tony Stark's life, which would you choose? Stark, right? That's why Iron Man films are better than Batman films.

[The Natural]

So, with the slate cleared, if you could pick anyone to direct a Batman reboot for the Man of Steel DCU, who would you go with?I'd love to see a Steven Soderbergh Batman movie even though I know it'll never in a million years in a million universes happen.

 

Guillermo del Toro. I remember a del Toro interview on one of Blade II's DVD special features. del Toro doesn’t treat comic book fans as retards as he feels that’s the wrong and common perception of them. I really like all three del Toro comic book films I've watched: Blade II, Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Be interesting to see what the brains behind Batman: The Animated Series (Paul Dini and Bruce Timm) would do. Edgar Wright's 3/3 when it comes to films.

 

I agree with Brian, the tone for the next Batman film is the most intriguing thing for me.

[MORELOCK]

If you could live Bruce Wayne's life, or Tony Stark's life, which would you choose? Stark, right? That's why Iron Man films are better than Batman films.

That is an extremely strange and narrow way to judge a film.

[Brian Fowler]

I think as far as trilogy to trilogy goes, I'd say Iron Man and Batman Beings are fairly close, I'd give a slight edge to Iron Man 3 over TDKR, and a HUGE edge to The Dark Knight vs. Iron Man 2.

[The Z]

  I think The Prestige was better than the Dark Knight, and I didn't rate Inception at all. Empty spectacle. It's basically, take the things people don't like about Michael Bay, then cross that with the things people don't like about M Night Shyamalan, and you get this portentous, over-serious things that forgets action movies are supposed to be fun, and you're supposed to wish you were more like the hero.If you could live Bruce Wayne's life, or Tony Stark's life, which would you choose? Stark, right? That's why Iron Man films are better than Batman films.

Hah, Inception is actually by far my favorite Nolan movie, even above TDK. The Prestige on the other hand is my least favorite of all Nolan movies, that ending is just completely unforgivable.

[The Natural]

I think as far as trilogy to trilogy goes, I'd say Iron Man and Batman Beings are fairly close, I'd give a slight edge to Iron Man 3 over TDKR, and a HUGE edge to The Dark Knight vs. Iron Man 2.

 

Batman Begins and Iron Man are the two best comic book origin films. I rate Batman Begins the better of the two, a huge gap between The Dark Knight vs. Iron Man 2 and I liked The Dark Knight Rises more than Iron Man 3.

 

Hah, Inception is actually by far my favorite Nolan movie, even above TDK. The Prestige on the other hand is my least favorite of all Nolan movies, that ending is just completely unforgivable.

 

I'm with you on The Prestige, my least favourite Christopher Nolan film.

[Bustronaut]

If you could live Bruce Wayne's life, or Tony Stark's life, which would you choose? Stark, right? That's why Iron Man films are better than Batman films.

Honestly?  I'd rather have my parents die as a child than live with shrapnel in my chest after an IED goes off in Afghanistan AND my parents are dead.

[AxB]

Well, you be the guy who pretends to have sex with supermodels, and I'll be the guy who actually does have sex with Supermodels, and everyone's happy.

 

Except you.

[MarcosLoura]

I'm interested to know why people don't like The Prestige's ending.