Screen Rant » batman 3

WB To Announce Batman 3 Plans Early Next Year?

Ross Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:03:58 +0000

The mega-successful and critically acclaimed Dark Knight had hardly hit theaters last year and already there was high anticipation (at least in the geek/online movie circles) for Batman 3. We have heard rumor after rumor after rumor about the third installment, including everything from Christopher Nolan not returning to Eddie Murphy playing The Riddler (I would have given up on life if that latter one was true), all turning out to have a distinctive lack of truth to them.

One of the biggest desires of Batman fans is that Nolan comes back to direct, since he did such a good job with the last two Bat-films, breathing fresh life into an effectively dead franchise with Batman Begins and knocking just about everyone’s socks off with The Dark Knight. But will he come back to direct the third? Well, we’re still not sure, but “a solid and longtime source” over at the usually reliable Batman-On-Film says that Warner Bros. will finalize plans for Batman 3 in January of next year.

BOF notes that it’s not certain that there will be an actual official announcement, but they don’t seen any sense in keeping some key points a secret. The main pusher on this is Nolan’s Inception, which hits theaters next July. Next January is about the time the marketing craze will start for Inception (the rumored $200 million budget demands nothing less, I think) and if Nolan is on-board, I don’t see why they wouldn’t announce him before Inception’s marketing starts. He’ll be getting asked Batman questions relentlessly during that time, so it makes sense for WB to announce their plans either way (”to direct or not to direct, that is the question…” ).

BOF’s source also points out the obvious in that WB will be going ahead with Batman 3 with or without Nolan at the helm. They’re apparently operating on the assumption that he will return to do another, but aren’t setting all their plans on stone to coincide with his return. Basically, they’ll have to workout everything they can around Nolan’s questionable involvement as director, before moving ahead with or without him when the time comes to make that decision.

I know I’m just one of many fans to say this, but I really, REALLY hope Nolan returns to direct Batman 3. What he did with Batman Begins was nothing short of a miracle, and he did the unthinkable after that and topped Begins with The Dark Knight. I know the performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker is what most people talk about when they discuss TDK, but it flat-out would not have been as good as it was if Nolan hadn’t directed it. I personally would like to see him return to direct one more, cap off his input to the franchise/character with a trilogy, and move on after that and let someone else have a crack at it. But that’s just me.

Do you expect to see an announcement from Warner Bros. early next year of their plans for Batman 3, including whether Nolan will direct or not? It’s probably a silly question with an obvious answer, but would you like to see Nolan return? If by any chance the answer is no, who would you like to see direct instead?

And of course, it’s never to early to start wondering: What will Batman 3 be about?

We’ll keep you informed on the validity of WB’s supposed planned Batman announcement. Stay tuned.

Inception hit theaters on July 16th, 2010.

Sources: Batman-On-Film (thanks to Film School Rejects)

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Who Should Play Catwoman? (Charlize Theron Shows Interest)

Paul Young — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:07:38 +0000

This just in! Charlize Theron wouldn’t mind playing Catwoman in the sequel to the second highest grossing film of all time, The Dark Knight. Well that entire last sentence would qualify for a big, fat “DUH!” Can you tell me one person that wouldn’t say “Yes” to star in a billion dollar franchise if asked? Megan Fox was recently rumored to be playing the feminine milk-drinking feline villain a few weeks ago but Warner Bros. execs were quick to shoot that down. It’s not a direct quote but I think the press release said something like, “Um, Hell No!”

During an STV interview that probably only consisted of some guy with a mini-voice recorder stalking her as she shopped for groceries, Theron said this:

“It’s news to me, but that’s kick-ass news. I like that… I think that what has happened to that franchise is amazing, and director Chris Nolan is a genius. So I would be an idiot to not consider that.”

Yes you would Ms. Theron; you would “be an idiot” to not consider being in Christopher Nolan’s film. The problem is that besides Megan “Jennifer’s Body Sucked” Fox, Angelina Jolie and Rachel Weisz have all been rumored to be slinking into the tight ripped leather pants and purr it up with Bruce Wayne. I’m almost positive that Theron is not the only woman in Hollywood that is lining up to be in the successful, revitalized Batman franchise.

Last December, we reported that Nolan planned on returning and there were rumors (ah, rumors) that Catwoman might be brought into the story. That makes sense because Bruce Wayne’s love interest was killed off at the end of The Dark Knight. We’ve already talked about the possibility of seeing Aaron Eckhart returning as Two Face and although we have discussed it, no official word has come down the return of The Joker.

If Theron does snag the role she will be following the likes of Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, Eartha Kitt and Michelle Pfeiffer. I know what you are thinking “Paul, you left out Halle Berry as Catwoman.” No! No I didn’t. That horrible excuse for an interpretation of Catwoman doesn’t deserve a mention.

We here at Screen Rant have been doing a lot speculating lately on what characters should be in up coming comic movies and the actors we think should play them. X-Men: First Class, Sinestro from Green Lantern, Fantastic Four reboot and more recently Captain America have all been popular areas for discussion. So let’s do the same thing for Catwoman.

Charlize Theron (Aeon Flux), Angelina Jolie (Tomb Raider),Rachel Weisz (The Mummy) and Rhona Mitra (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans) are all good choices (anyone notice I left out Megan Fox as a good choice?) but I’d rather see someone with much less exposure in the movie world. Not just bodily exposure (we’ve seen at least three of them topless or nude before) but also film exposure because all four have an extremely varied background in film and have been involved with at least one successful action film or franchise.

Of the four I just listed, Rhona Mitra is the only one I would consider for the role but let me give you the actress I would really like to see play Catwoman: Rosario Dawson. I think it would be nice to see the next Catwoman follow in actress Eartha Kitt’s shoes and be played by a black actress (I still refuse to acknowledge Halle Berry as an actress who played Catwoman). Rosario Dawson would be a solid choice because she’s attractive, can act and has done action films – the fact that she would look fantastic in leather doesn’t hurt either. She already has a pretty decent repertoire ranging from Sin City and Descent to Seven Pounds and the upcoming Unstoppable with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. If someone mentions Pluto Nash I will ignore you because I blame that failure on Eddie Murphy and not her.

What do you think of Rosario Dawson as the attractive villain/love interest Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman? If you don’t like my choice then who would you like to see in Catwoman’s leather pants? Vote in our poll and let us know:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Batman 3 is still in development and has no release date.

Source: Digital Spy

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DC Entertainment: What’s The Game Plan?

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:19:13 +0000

Yesterday we found out that Warner Bros. has created DC Entertainment Inc. (DCE) to better expand the DC Comics into a multimedia brand of steel . Now comes the inevitable question of “What’s the game plan?”

MTV Splash Page posted a nice piece declaring which DC properties should be put on fast-track under the DCE banner, and this being Friday and all, I thought I’d once again do a little call-and-response on the topic (I now consider Splash Page’s Josh Wigler to be something of a pen-pal).

So in response to the call, here’s my take on the DC Entertainment venture and what paths it should be considering…

BIGGER PICTURE BUSINESS

DC Entertainment Inc. President Diane Nelson has already been grilled by the press and thick-skinned exec has been pretty forthright with her opinions. As she told The Wrap earlier this week:

“…I’m the first one to admit, I’m not by my nature a comic fan. It’s not what I’m bringing to the party. We have so many experts who will remain the cornerstone of DC Entertainment. What I bring to the party is a skill at moving properties and brands through Time Warner as a company… additionally it will be about how invested our content distribution is in the DC library. If our businesses feel that they have greater access and enthusiasm for new characters to incubate.”

Now some people are going to read that quote and worry that Time Warner is going to “corporatize” (read: taint) their favorite DC properties. I’m going to keep in mind that Nelson is the same lady who helped transform Harry Potter from a lucrative book franchise into a multimedia/merchandising empire, loved by both Potter devotees and newcomers who just know the films. Nelson understands how to take what is at the resonating core of a character and/or story and fit it into the bigger profit picture.

For DC Superheroes, I suspect Nelson aims to give us more Dark Knight quality films and Arkham Asylum video games (read: ventures which transform the core appeal of the properties into commercial appeal), and fewer Catwoman disasters (read: failed ventures that tarnish both the core and commercial viability of the properties). And I see no reason at this point why she’d fail at the task.

DOING THINGS THE MARVEL WAY

No, I don’t want DC Entertainment to try to be the second coming of Marvel Studios, however, the latter did set an interesting precedent by linking all their Avengers related films – Captain America, Iron Man, Thor – in one shared continuity, complete with cinematic cameo crossovers.

Should Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe be disrupted for the sake of a Superman cameo? No. Should The Green Lantern maybe feature an appearance from Supes or (better yet) The Flash? Absolutely. And what would be the reasoning behind doing so? Remember a little project called Justice League that DC/WB tried and failed and failed and failed to get off the ground awhile back? If you want to expand your brand, getting your heroes onscreen together where everybody can revel in them is a great way to do it.

Click to continue reading about how DC Entertainment can expand its brand…

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Warner Bros. Creates DC Entertainment Inc.

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:49:39 +0000

After the Disney/Marvel merger DC Comics and longtime-partner Warner Bros. had to be shaking in their boots. “The House of the Mouse” is already looking like a force that few will likely be able to reckon with.

Well, in an effort to become one of those few forces able to take on Disney/Marvel, Nikke Finke reports that Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. has launched a new division, DC Entertainment Inc., in order to better expand the DC Brand.

Marvel fanboys have already been having heart palpitations wondering what the fate of their favorite characters will be in the hands of Disney. Now DC fans can officially share in that anxiety.

Diane Nelson will be the lady in charge of DC Entertainment Inc., as announced yesterday by Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer, and COO, Alan Horn. The mission statement of DC Entertainment Inc. will be to “strategically integrate the DC Comics business, brand and characters deeply into Warner Bros. Entertainment and all its content and distribution businesses.” Basically that constitutes Warner Bros. taking a more hands-on approach to developing DC Comic properties into successful film and TV franchises, interactive and new platform media, etc. In the midst of all this, DC Comics will remain as is for the most part, serving as the creative cornerstone of DC Entertainment Inc.

Of course this new structure means that DC’s comic book division has officially become a limb on a much larger body. As a result, Paul Levitz, President & Publisher of DC Comics since 2002, will vacate his exec post and return to a writing position, lending his three decades of experience to the “new DC” as a contributing editor and consultant.

Said Levitz:

“After so many roles at DC, it’s exciting to look forward to focusing on my writing and being able to remain a part of the company I love as it grows into its next stage. It’s a new golden age for comics and DC’s great characters, and I hope my new position will allow me to contribute to that magic time.”

Diane Nelson (Click Image for Source)

Nelson is leaving her post as President of Warner Premiere to take on the DC Entertainment job. If you’re wondering about her qualifications and experience: in her two decades working in creative brand management, strategic marketing and content development and production, Nelson has most notably had a big hand in adapting and managing the Harry Potter franchise for WB. Taking J.K. Rowling’s beloved novels and turning them into a juggernaut (read: cash cow) movie franchise is no small accomplishment; IMO, it demonstrates that Nelson understands how to maintain the balance between being true to source material, while making the needed changes to create successful multimedia ventures – an area where DC has admittedly had some trouble (See: Superman Returns).

Said Nelson:

“The founding of DC Entertainment fully recognizes our desire to provide both the DC properties and fans the type of content that is only possible through a concerted cross-company, multi-platform effort…DC Entertainment will help us to formally take the great working relationships between DC Comics and various Warner Bros. businesses to the next level in order to maximize every opportunity to bring DC’s unrivalled collection of titles and characters to life.”

For a great in-depth explanation of all this (with more quotes from the players involved) head on over to Deadline Hollywood.

Personally, I’m not at all upset (or surprised, really) about any of this. For better or worse, comic book fans, these are chicks we raised that are coming home to roost. We were the ones who pushed for so long to see our favorite heroes grace the big and small screens; our money fed the box office and gave rise to the “Era of Geek-Chic.” And in that proud era, our favorite comic books and superheroes have had their market value shoot WAY up – they are now worldwide icons and potential cash cows. When you think about it like that, it’s only logical that the big dawgs have come a barkin’ and comic book publishers have had to answer the call by stepping up into the corporate big leagues.

But will the source material – our beloved comic books – survive and flourish under these bright neon corporate banners, or whither and be forever tainted? As the zen master says “We shall see…”

What do you think about the creation of DC Entertainment Inc.? Will it be a good way for DC to catch up to Marvel in the multimedia market, or are you DC fans worrying that this is the end of the age of innocence for your beloved universe?

(And be sure to check our list of tags below to know which DC/WB movies are currently in the pipeline . Will this re-structuring affect them too?)

Source: Deadline Hollywood

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Should Two-Face & The Joker Return In Batman 3?

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:03:16 +0000

We here at Screen Rant recently asked the question, “What Will Batman 3 Be About?” The third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise is easily one of the most anticipated sequels ever – as evidenced by the HUGE outpouring of reader reaction our article is STILL receiving.

Out of the 350+ comments left by you Batman fans, two clear points of debate raged longest and hardest throughout the thread of discussion. After seeing the sparks of that debate, we thought it only fitting that we should fan it into a brush fire. So, without further ado I now ask:

Should Two-Face and The Joker be brought back for Batman 3?

THE NEW IMPORTANCE OF THE VILLAIN

One of the things I really appreciated about Batman Begins and The Dark Knight was that it was clear with both films that scribes Chris and John Nolan and David S. Goyer all truly understood the character of Batman and the universe that he inhabited. More than that, the writers also had a keen eye for what made all of Batman’s supporting characters and (most importantly) the villains in his rogues gallery tick. If I have one criticism of Burton’s Batman films, it’s that the villains were mainly evil foils for Batman, there more for (wonderful) theatrics rather than any sort of pointed reason.

In Nolan’s films, the villains (for the most part) have carried much more dramatic weight. Certainly that’s true for The Dark Knight: The Joker wasn’t just there for show of a trademark smile (cough, cough), he added actual thematic meaning to the story, as did Harvey/Two-Face. And for that matter, so did Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins (Bruce Wayne twisted by anger).

There has been some debate about whether Batman 3 should position itself as a direct sequel to The Dark Knight, or perhaps as more of a standalone story, set long after TDK. In either case, if Nolan is at the helm you know that whatever villain(s) go into the script will only be in there if they add weight and meaning to the story. And while it would be a novel kick to see a few new villains rolled out for a flashy sequel, if Batman 3 is to be set directly after Dark Knight then there is still a lot of narrative weight still hanging on both The Joker and Harvey/Two-Face.

So do you bring them back?

TWO-FACE

Ok, so fans have said it; Nolan has said it; and even Dark Knight star Aaron Eckhart (eventually) said it:

Harvey Dent dies at the end of The Dark Knight. End of story.

However, as many of our readers have pointed out, that “death” marks the end of Harvey Dent’s story. Two-Face has a story all his (their?) own to tell.

I’m going to be honest: I’ve already argued that Batman 3 should bring back Two-Face, so I’m not going to pretend here that I’m not already in favor of that option. TDK did a great job exploring Harvey Dent, what he meant to Gotham and what it meant when he “fell from grace.” Nonetheless, I feel like there is still so much to explore in the character of TWO-FACE, and who that character becomes after the last remnants of Harvey Dent are (seemingly) gone.

Seeing Harvey fully transformed into Two-Face would add the kind of weight and hopelessness which (I think we all believe) is going to be a necessary starting point for Batman’s character in the next film. Picture it: The Caped Crusader is low. He’s hunted. He’s alone. He’s sacrificed much. Lost so much. He’s trying hard to maintain but there is Two-Face, always staring back as a testament to his failure, as morally complicated and conflicted as Batman himself.

Suddenly this character doesn’t sound as creatively exhausted as people are claiming, does he?

Another point of convergence in a lot of our reader comments was that any Dark Knight sequel should involve a flat-out war for control of Gotham City. Of those who held such an opinion, a large percentage also thought that B3 should be titled Gotham City for that very reason. If that is the direction the film goes in, then absolutely Two-Face would be an important cornerstone of the story. After all, as a D.A. Harvey Dent knew the entire inner workings of Gotham city’s businesses, political network, banking network, legal system, prison system, etc… If there was some kind of epic showdown for Gotham, then Two-Face would be one of the most crucial pieces on the chessboard.

Black Mask in Batman 3? (Click image for source)

Of course a lot of people have said that B3 should feature the criminal mastermind Black Mask (above), a classic Bat-villain who has recently enjoyed something of a resurgence in the comic books. But I have to ask: why drag us all through yet another villain origin story, just to maneuver said villain into a position (a crime boss connected all over Gotham) that you could fill with a villain the audience already knows and (for the most part) loves? Putting Two-Face into play frees the story up to introduce whatever secondary villains it wants, without having to exhaust a lot of time getting into their origins.

For example: Two-Face could approach Black Mask, The Penguin or whoever, deliver a few expository lines of dialogue to fill us in on who the villain is, and how he/she fits into the scheme of Gotham (based on his knowledge as a D.A.), and bada-bing, bada-boom, we’ve got a new player in the game, no time wasted.

So where’s the down-side of bringing Two-Face back? “Because it’s boring?” “Because it’s beating a dead horse?”

IMHO, if you truly understand why the character has been so pivotal and important to the Batman universe (I’d rank him #3 behind The Joker and Catwoman), then you should also understand just how much cinematic juice is left in this character. How do you NOT go after that juice when you know you’ve got an actor (Eckhart) who can truly apply the squeeze? Do people really think performances like his just just come with every Summer Movie Blockbuster?

UPDATE: Here’s what Two-Face himself (Aaron Eckhart) has to say on the subject:

MY VOTE: Bring back Two-Face!

Continue reading for pro/con arguments on whether the Joker should return…

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Batman 3 Entirely Shot in IMAX?

Rob Keyes — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:40:18 +0000

Harry Knowles posted up a very interesting story yesterday on Ain’t It Cool News about the future of the Batman franchise and more specifically, what could happen with the eagerly anticipated Batman 3.

Remember the few beautiful scenes in The Dark Knight that were shot in IMAX? What if the next movie was entirely shot like that?

In Harry’s own words,

“The THIRD chapter of Christopher Nolan’s Caped Crusader’s saga could very well be FULLY shot in IMAX, not IMAX Digital – but the beautiful, stunning IMAX that we saw pieces of THE DARK KNIGHT in.”

This isn’t confirmed yet and while Mr. Knowles has acquired this info through his trusty sources, he carefully clarifies that this simply could be something that doesn’t end up working out because of the complications and costs of doing this for a large-scale full feature film.

Harry also points out that director Christopher Nolan has taken a break between each Batman movie to reset his creative mind, but in this case, it may be also to create some custom IMAX cameras for his use later. However, everything involved with using IMAX, from principal photography, setup, post and the lengthy time requirements of such a process are huge obstacles.

If a movie needs to be chosen to go full IMAX, Batman 3 is it. They’ve now got one of the largest built-in movie fanbases as a result of their massive success last time around and it’s a perfect movie to be shot in this way.

Warner Brothers wants more Batman films, and they want them fast! If they need to wait a full three-four years between these installments, then the IMAX format could help it be worth the wait.

Would you like to see Batman 3 in IMAX?

If you want to know more about the story of the next Bat installment, check out Kofi Outlaw’s brilliant article about what Batman 3 could be about.

Source: AICN

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Chris Nolan Leaves ‘The Prisoner’ (For Batman 3?)

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:59:34 +0000

Sure sign that you’re a smash-hit as a Hollywood director: people start analyzing every move you make. A lot of bloggers have been doing just that to Chris Nolan, ever since the first doubts arose about the acclaimed director returning to the Batman franchise after The Dark Knight.

When Nolan announced that his next film after Dark Knight was going to be the sci-fi thriller Inception, people were like, “Ok, he wants to do something non-Batman for a minute, that’s cool.” However, when word started circling that Nolan was also eyeing a big-screen adaptation of the 60s TV series The Prsioner, people started getting worried that Batman 3 was either a long way off or that the film was moving ahead without Nolan.

Now comes word that Christopher Nolan has left the The Prisoner, leading people to immediately jump to the conclusion that Batman 3 is the reason.

The guys over at Cine Fools were the ones to scoop this tidbit of news. While attending the Sydney, Australia, premiere of Funny People they caught up with the film’s producer, Barry Mendel, to ask him about the status of The Prisoner. That’s when Mendel let this little jewel slip:

Chris Nolan has dropped out of it but we have a first draft by David and Janet Peoples who wrote Twelve Monkeys and David wrote Unforgiven and it’s a good draft and we’re working on the script right now.

Note the way that Mendel phrases it, “dropped out…” If you know Chris Nolan, you know that he’s pretty reliable (read: dedicated) about the commitments he makes as a director. So if he WAS attached to The Prisoner, and suddenly detached himself from the project, there would have to be a pretty good reason for him to do so.

Could the lure of Batman 3 be too strong for Nolan to put off any longer?

We already had Gary Oldman spilling the beans at Comic-Con that the next Bat film would start shooting next year – only to have him retract the statement almost immediately afterward (must’ve pissed off somebody at Warner Bros.). Now comes this news about Nolan leaving The Prisoner… I’m not saying… I’m just saying…

Of course, the biggest indicator in all this has to be Screen Rant’s recent piece discussing what Batman 3 will be about. Surely Nolan and Co. read that article and the creative juices just flooded their brains!

Hey, I can imagine, can’t I?

For now this is all just speculation, but rest assured we’ll keep you up to date on every single move Chris Nolan makes from now until the cameras start rolling on Batman 3.

Source: Head over to Cine Fools for more info about the status of the The Prisoner movie.

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What Will Batman 3 Be About?

Kofi Outlaw — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:24:47 +0000

In the last month or so, there have been rumblings that Batman Begins and The Dark Knight director Chris Nolan might not return to finish off the bat-trilogy many had assumed he would be a part of until the end. Nolan himself has said in the past that it would take one hell of a strong story and excellent script to lure him back to Gotham City after the crowning achievement (and arduous labor) that was The Dark Knight.

David S. Goyer, story writer of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, has been a little more glib about the progress of Batman 3 (as it’s being called), telling a crowd at Comic-Con that “Bat-musings” were currently in the works.

As writers wrack their brains, and directors question if there is any creative juice left in the tank, and all this drama unfolds before the inevitable and unstoppable release of the next Bat-sequel, I find myself wondering: At this point, is the plot of Batman 3 really that much of a mystery?

BATMAN BEGINS / BATMAN: YEAR ONE

If viewers haven’t yet put the pieces together, some of the core storylines for Nolan’s Batman films have each found their inspiration in a famous Batman comic book storyline. Much of Batman Begins‘ take on Bruce Wayne’s early attempts to become the caped crusader was inspired by Frank Miller (Sin City, 300) and David Mazzucchelli’s “Year One” storyline, which first appeared in the pages of DC Comics’ Batman series (issues #404-407) in 1987. A re-imagining of Batman’s formative year, “Year One” was so popular that it was later reissued as the graphic novel Batman: Year One, which is still one of the most popular and enduring Batman stories to date.

Besides borrowing the “Bruce Wayne becoming Batman” storyline from Year One, Batman Begins similarly highlighted Carmine Falcone’s reign as crime-king of Gotham; Batman and (then) Lt. Gordon’s tenuous initial relationship; Gordon’s struggle to be a good cop in a corrupt department; and of course, the scene where Batman evades police by using a sonic transmitter in his boot to summon an army of bats.

Of course, Batman Begins had to also provide moviegoers with blockbuster thrills like a high speed rooftop chase and a (tacked-on?) third-act showdown with Ra’s al Ghul – but strip these big-budget spectacles away and much of what is left is purely Miller’s Year One. And, IMHO, Nolan’s film was better for the borrowing.

THE DARK KNIGHT / THE LONG HALLOWEEN

Almost a decade after Frank Miller envisioned The Dark Knight’s early days, Jeph Loeb (Heroes) and artist Tim Sale decided to jump back into the Year One sandbox with a new installment of early Batman called The Long Halloween. Published between 1996 and 1997, The Long Halloween picked up right where Year One left off (starting to get the picture?), as Batman, Commissioner Gordon and a new “golden boy” D.A. known as Harvey Dent tried to eradicate the last remnants of the Falcone crime family. All goes well until a mysterious serial killer known as “Holiday” starts picking off members off the mob on each and every major holiday of the year. Like Year One, The Long Halloween was reissued as a graphic novel and is still one of most popular Batman stories there is.

While the whole “Holiday Killer” plotline might’ve been jettisoned, you surely recognize the Batman / Gordon / Harvey Dent triangle as the underlying basis for The Dark Knight. Other echoes of Long Halloween that made it into Nolan’s bat-sequel: the character of underboss Sal Maroni (Eric Roberts); the notion of “escalation” (i.e., Batman inspiring costumed villains); Harvey Dent maimed into Two-Face as punishment for going after the mob; that (tacked-on?) third act where Two-Face seeks vengeance on Batman and Gordon; and of course, the whole “I believe in Harvey Dent” slogan, which is the chilling (and revealing) final line of The Long Halloween.

Now, before I get lambasted: David S. Goyer and Chris and Jonathan Nolan all did exemplary jobs re-fitting the storylines of Year One and The Long Halloween for two awesome blockbuster films. No doubt, no argument. However, it’s undeniable that a considerable amounts of both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight had been envisioned (tested and proven) long before the filmmakers sat down to hammer out those scripts. The Nolans and Goyer simply recognized good storytelling when they saw it and decided to build on a strong foundation.

So now, we again find ourselves faced with the question: What should Batman 3 be about?

Well, lucky for us all, the answer, as they say, is written:

Continue reading ‘What Should Batman 3 Be About?’

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Batman 3 Status: Gary Oldman Jumped The Gun

Ross Miller — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:44:36 +0000

A few days ago Gary Oldman, while on The Book of Eli panel at Comic-Con in San Diego, let a rather big piece of “news” slip: that the sequel to The Dark Knight, which is being referred to as Batman 3 (until titled otherwise) would be shooting next year.

However, later Mr. Oldman recanted his rather brash and out-of-left-field statement when he told Ain’t It Cool News, “Well, I’m sure they want to do another one… it might [be] 2 or 3 years…”

If what Oldman said was true, and assuming he didn’t mean the very end of the year, that would mean Batman 3 would start shooting just as Christopher Nolan was getting done with Inception, and right about the time that movie was getting it’s release next July. Nolan isn’t the type of director’s to rush (he’s only directed 7 movies to date if you include Inception), and a new installment in a huge franchise like Batman isn’t something to be hurried into.

What Oldman said was not only surprising but just didn’t make much sense because of the above reasons…

To further the “Nolan is busy” angle, David S. Goyer (who has a writing/story credit on both of Nolan’s Batman movies) said this to MTV:

“Right now, Chris is involved in filming ‘Inception,’ and when he finishes that, he will turn his studious gaze back to the Bat universe and we’ll see.”

Although Goyer doesn’t state it outright, we can take from his statement (or at least hope) that Nolan is going to at least consider returning to the Batman franchise for a third movie. Just because Nolan’s doing another movie totally unrelated to Batman with Inception (well, casting similarities aside) doesn’t mean he won’t come back to the “Bat universe” after it – after all, he did Batman Begins then switched to The Prestige and then back to Batman with The Dark Knight.

So there you have it, Batman 3 doesn’t look to be shooting next year as Oldman said. Ah, well, those who were shaking with excitement that the third movie in the franchise was finally getting going will have to wait a while longer for it to happen.

However, look at the bright side – the fact that it (most likely) won’t be shooting next year means that there’s more chance for Nolan to be on-board once again.

A long-gestating but quality Batman movie is better than a rushed crappy one, is it not folks?…

For now Batman 3 doesn’t have a release date. Inception is scheduled to hit theaters on July 9th, 2010.

Sources: AICN and MTV Splash Page (via LatinoReview)

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Will Batman 3 Start Shooting Next Year? [Updated]

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:24:11 +0000

[UPDATE: It seems that Mr. Oldman has backpedaled on his statement. According to Quint at AinItCool.com Oldman said "well, I'm sure they want to do another one... it might 2 or 3 years..."]

Live from the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, Screen Rant Editor-In-Chief Vic Holtreman has some major news about Christopher Nolan’s next Batman film.

Check it out here: Screen Rant Twitter Announcement

Gary Oldman did jokingly say “don’t quote me on this” to a crowd of 6,000 people.

And be sure to keep up with the Screen Rant Twitter Page for all kinds of up-to-minute news.

Don’t be the last to know!

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Chris Nolan On Batman 3: Worth the Wait?

Carl Lee — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:16:30 +0000

There hasn’t been much news revolving around Batman 3 as of late, but Batman-On-Film has an article shaking fanboys to their core. It involves Christopher Nolan and whether or not he’ll be at the helm of the next installment.

As you can imagine, Warner Bros. would desperately want Nolan to return – but the deal isn’t a given. Co-writers David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan said they would have to convince Chris again; since The Dark Knight was his first sequel ever, asking the director to make it a trilogy is another task entirely–a task that might nearly be impossible.

According to BoF’s source, there are a number of issues at play. The death of Heath Ledger “rocked Mr. Nolan hard.” Apparently so much so that it convinced Chris “TDK was going to be it for him and Batman on film.” The source also revealed the long speculated story point that “The Joker was going to return in Batman 3,” and Ledger’s untimely death puts the franchise “back to square one.” Though BoF is saying Chris is still developing story ideas, it won’t be “until AT LEAST 2012 before we see the Caped Crusader back [in theaters].” So the bottom line, with or without Nolan, we’ve got some time–but is it too long for Warner Bros. to wait?

The studio would likely want to strike while the iron is hot, so waiting 4 years might be pushing it. Three years passed between Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), and Nolan released The Prestige (2006) inside that time. A similar situation has been expected between TDK, Batman 3 and Inception; but the non-Batman film is set to be released in 2010, forcing a shift in the previous timeline. It also took two years to develop, shoot and promote TDK which went on to be the highest grossing film of the genre. With no established universe, like rival publisher Marvel, keeping anticipation high might not be easy, even with the success of the last film.

But the added time might turn out to be a good thing for the next Batman, and WB along with it.

Nolan already has the impossible task of topping the highest grossing film in the comic book genre – that isn’t going to change, so letting it slip off the radar wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Let fanboys and general audiences, in a sense, forget how good The Dark Knight was; get Nolan and Co. to come back with a good story [calling it The Caped Crusade, ], strong characters, and a plot that shakes audiences again.

Since owning a film studio is a money-making business I can see how having a film be delayed is a problem, but here’s something to chew on: I’d say opening box office weekend numbers are dependent on teasers and trailers, TDK had ridiculous amounts of marketing/advertising, but long-term gross is in the hands of word-of-mouth. Such is the case with the recent follow-up to Batman Begins – many people didn’t realize that TDK was a sequel. Sure, you can rope audiences by attaching a name and director (though it didn’t work for Watchmen) but give me a great film and I’ll tell all my friends, then I’ll watch it at least once with every one of them.

Not only has Nolan given fans the two best Batman films to date, he’s arguably the most acclaimed director to do a comic book movie (IMHO). Losing his storytelling to hit a release date is for me, simply out of the question.

As expected Warner Bros. has had a backup plan, a shortlist of directors to takeover the Batman franchise if the inevitable happens. Would you put plan B for the Batman franchise in motion now?

Source: Batman-on-Film

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Bale Will Do Next Batman Movie Without Nolan

Ross Miller — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:29:42 +0000

People who are dying for Christopher Nolan to come back for another Batman movie need not fret – this isn’t news that he isn’t coming back. But rather Batman himself, Christian Bale, saying that he has to do another one even if Nolan doesn’t come back (which, let’s not forget, is entirely a possibility).

In an interview with Total Film recently, Bale gave his latest thoughts on the next Batman movie, commenting on such things as his being tied to the franchise (for now, anyway), how Nolan might not come back and that the next movie should be just as good as the last one.

Here’s what Bale had to say:

“Will we do a third movie? It’s got to be the right story. You can’t make something like ‘The Dark Knight‘ and then come out with something disappointing.”

“I would like it if people say, ‘You’ll never make a good third movie.’ I say, ‘OK, let’s make a third movie in that case, let’s prove them wrong. But that’s just me. The fact is, I have to! I’ve signed up! Chris [Nolan] doesn’t. So I’m in a bit of a fix if he says he doesn’t want to!”

On a related note, Bale went on to talk about the issue of technology within Nolan’s Batman universe:

“With technology, there’s a balance with everything. In ‘The Dark Knight,’ the triangulation and the mobile phones, when Batman asks Lucius to use it, Lucius says, ‘After this I will quit. I will not have anything to do with this.’”

“It’s like the eavesdropping, the illegal wire tapping going on at the NSA. There are limits… It is technology. But as with anything, it should all be in moderation…”

Even though I’m sure Bale loves playing one of the best superheroes of all time (my personal favorite by far), and loves playing him in this new, more realistic and grittier world that’s been created, it sounds like what he enjoys most is working with Nolan. Using such phrases as, “I have to,” and, “I’m in a bit of a fix,” doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the fact that he honestly and truly wants to do another one without Nolan on-board.

However, as he says, he has to do it, because that’s what he signed up for. I think he probably did that thinking he’d most likely end up doing the three with Nolan, but as we all know there’s still that niggling fact that Nolan hasn’t actually signed up for the third one yet, so it leaves the possibility fully open that he may bail (get it?) on coming back to direct.

Which would be very disappointing, indeed. Nolan took a pretty much dead franchise and breathed new life into it with Batman Begins, a movie so damn good that many had doubts that he would be able to top it with the next one. And yet in an almost “Just watch how good I can make it,” way, Nolan delivered us The Dark Knight. Not only a film of technical brilliance, comic book movie or not, but that ended up being one of the most profitable movies in history.

So both fan and studio won on that one…

Do I think Nolan will come back for another one? I honestly think he will, not just because he’ll give in to the pressure (pretty much everyone wants him to come back…), but because I believe he truly loves making movies about the famous dark knight. I don’t have any doubt that a genuinely quality story can be conjured (there were even reports that Nolan and his brother Jonathan actually have the script underway already), an aspect Nolan has stressed on many occasions would be the true reason for doing another one, and perhaps they can even top what has come before.

It’s hard to imagine, though…

What do you think about Bale reluctantly doing another Batman if Nolan isn’t coming back? Do you think Nolan should do another one?

Source: TotalFilm

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Chris Nolan Re-Teams With The Scarecrow

Niall Browne — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:34:08 +0000

Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page are in talks to join Leonardo DiCaprio in Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming science fiction epic, Inception.

The film is described as a ”contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind.” What that means is anybody’s guess but with Nolan involved I can only imagine that it will be intriguing and not your usual simplified Hollywood product.

Irish man Murphy was one of Nolan’s final choices for the role of Batman and Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, before the role went to Christian Bale. However, Nolan was so impressed by Murphy that he cast him as The Scarecrow – a role that he returned to in last summer’s The Dark Knight.

Cotillard will next be seen opposite Bale and Johnny Depp in Michael Mann’s John Dillinger thriller, Public Enemies. Ellen Paige hit the big time last year following the massive Oscar and box office success of Juno.

It is believed that Nolan will direct Inception and then go on to direct the third film in the rebooted Batman franchise, much like when he sandwiched The Prestige between his first two Caped Crusader adventures.

Screen Rant will have more details on Inception when we get them.

Inception starts shooting this summer for a release in 2010.

Source: Variety

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Bale’s Batman Terminated By Worthington? Yeah, Right

Niall Browne — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:29:24 +0000

Rumors about casting on Batman 3 have been circling the internet since before the release of The Dark Knight – everything from Eddie Murphy as The Riddler to Cher as Catwoman have been mentioned so far.

The latest (and from my perspective, the dumbest) is that Christian Bale has been dumped as Batman / Bruce Wayne and his replacement will be none other than his Terminator Salvation co-star Sam Worthington.

According to Australia’s Herald Sun:

“Industry gossip now suggests the rising Australian star could score the part of Batman in the third instalment of the successful prequel franchise.”

“That could mean replacing Bale, his ‘Terminator‘ co-star and ‘The Dark Knight‘ lead, whose profile was damaged after his infamous ‘me, me, me’ meltdown on the ‘Terminator’ set, which recently hit the internet.”

Okay, now lets look at this rationally: Both the Terminator and Batman franchises are run by Warner Bros studios and I can’t imagine the studio ditching Bale from one franchise and keeping him in the other. Bale’s so called “melt down” would not be an issue for the studio, who have probably put up with worse behavior from stars who haven’t just given the studio their biggest hit – ever!

This sort of spin is just out there to sell papers and drum up publicity. It’s not doing Worthington’s profile any harm and I’m sure that Australians want him to succeed so billing him as a potential Batman is as good as it gets. I can only imagine that in 5 or 6 years he’ll also be mentioned as a potential James Bond candidate

Even though we’ve established that Batman is replaceable (with four actors in six films over 20 years) it’s only sensible for Warners to want some continuity in the franchise. After all, if it’s not broken – don’t fix it.

Also, I’d imagine that Bale and Worthington struck up some kind of friendship on the set of Terminator. That is of course unless they are “done professionally.” So I can’t imagine the Australian taking over Bale’s role if the studio decided to let him go. They do have to star in two further Terminator films if Terminator Salvation does well – so if they want to avoid irking Bale then this would be a bad move.

Now it could be that Christian Bale’s camp is negotiating his deal for Batman 3 at the moment and in Marvel style the studio could be playing hardball in order to lower his fee. Remember back before Spider-Man 2 Sony had Jake Gyllenhaal waiting in the wings to replace Toby Maguire when he became difficult negotiating?

I fully expect to see a Christian Bale starring Christopher Nolan directed Batman film in 2011 or 2012 at the latest and I don’t think that a minor bust up over lighting will stop that.

Sources: Herald Sun via Moviehole

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: February 22, 2009

Niall Browne — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:51:37 +0000

It’s the most important day in the movie calendar – and that’s just not because it’s time for the Weekend Movie News Wrap Up but it’s also Oscar night!

This week:

Tyler Perry tops the box office; Wes Craven talks Scream 4; The Dark Knight is mildly successful; Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigel know Five Killers (hint – it’s not their last few movies); Sandra Bullock has a Blindside (it’s the only reason for Hope Floats) and Martin Lawrence goes Back To Africa.

Box Office

Tyler Perry continues to surprise with each movie. Madea Goes To Jail should lock up about $40 million over the weekend giving the control freak a career best despite terrible reviews.

Liam Neeson’s Taken closes in on the $100 million mark with a weekend gross of $11 million. Did anyone imagine this film making that much money?

He’s Just Not That Into You shows pretty good legs for a romantic comedy managing another $10 million. People are just that into it!

Friday The 13^thhad a terrible drop which isn’t unexpected because horror movies usually suffer a huge decline on their second weekend and because it opened on Friday The 13^th. The remake should manage about $10million over the Oscar weekend.

Speaking of Oscars; Slumdog Millionaire should take another $9-10 million bringing it up to the $100 million mark. Expect that to increase when it grabs a few Oscars.

Comedy Fired Up had a weak $8 million debut. That’s pretty much what Kevin James’ Paul Blart: Mall Cop grossed this weekend. Who ever imagined that the phrases “Kevin James” and “good legs” would be used in the same sentence?

Movie News

1. Wes Craven has talked about Scream 4. It looks like he hasn’t ruled out directing the film, but if you’re a fan of the franchise I wouldn’t hold your breath. Craven told Bloody Disgusting:

“It would take it being really as good a script as the first one was and the pay day reflects what I’ve done for that company and what I’ve gone through on Cursed.”

Sounds like he’s playing hard ball. He should go work for Marvel!

Source: Bloody Disgusting

2. The Dark Knight has reached yet another milestone. The Caped Crusader film has now grossed $1 billion around the world!

The film has now banked $533 million domestically and $567 million overseas. Factor in DVD and TV sales and the film must have made some people very rich in these rough economic times.

I wonder what Joel Schumacher has to say about all this?

Warner Bros has apparently stopped production on Batman 3 due to the low grosses. Joke!

I can only imagine that this gross increases once Heath Legder wins an Oscar.

Source: Variety

3. Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigel will star in Five Killers.

According to Variety:

“The story kicks off when a woman meets the man of her dreams while on vacation. Married bliss is turned upside down when they discover that their neighbors may be assassins hired to kill them.”

The film will be directed by Legally Blonde and Monster In-Law director Robert Luketic.

I don’t think that I need to add anything else!

Source: Variety

4. Sandra Bullock will star in Blindside. The sports drama will be directed by John Lee Hancock, the man behind The Rookie and The Alamo.

According to Variety:

“The story follows Michael Oher, projected to be one of the first players selected in this year’s NFL draft. He was homeless as a teen and was taken in by a well-to-do family. Bullock will portray the matriarch of the conservative suburban household Oher joins.”

Sounds very boring!

Source: Variety

5. Martin Lawrence will star in the “comedy” Back To Africa.

Variety inflicts the following synopsis:

“The comedy centers on a working-class man from Queens who discovers he is heir to the throne of an African country and travels there to claim his birthright.”

Here’s a bit of advice – go and watch Coming to America in reverse. It’ll save time and money.

Source: Variety

That’s it for now. See you at the Oscars!

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Christopher Nolan’s Next Movie Is NOT Batman 3

Sabrina Cognata — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:51:44 +0000

Directing giant Christopher Nolan has signed on to direct an original screenplay he wrote called Inception for Warner Brothers. The script is described as a sci-fi action film and described as “a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind.” I certainly hope that doesn’t mean the film is going to be anything like the tragedy that was The Cell.

Nolan, the director of the extremely successful Batman franchise is set to start filming this summer with the hopes of releasing the film during the summer of 2010.

Warner Bros. Pictures Group president Jeff Robinov told the Hollywood Reporter:

Chris Nolan is a visionary filmmaker who continually raises the bar with each movie he makes. We are thrilled to be collaborating again with him and Emma on this exciting new motion picture.

I’m pretty surprised that it was even a question if this movie would get picked up. The Dark Knight brought in nearly a billion dollars. Shouldn’t Nolan be running Warner Bros., right now with his current record for box office blockbusters? Combined, Nolan’s films Insomnia, Batman Begins and The Prestige have brought in nearly half a billion in revenue.

The drawback of this entire deal is the fact that it will push back the production of Batman 3. At any rate, I’d like to see what else Nolan has up his sleeve. I realize that he’s not a one trick pony, but I like the idea of him directing an action film that has nothing to do with the Caped Crusader. In addition to the fact that it’s original content, which is always welcome when you’re dealing with the remakes that Hollywood continues to churn out.

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Warner Bros. Wants A Lot More Batman Movies

Ross Miller — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:37:49 +0000

The wheels of a sequel to The Dark Knight have only barely started turning, and yet Warner Bros. has already set its sights a bit further on than that.

Word is they are hoping for the newly rejuvenated Batman franchise to pull a Harry Potter and have sequel after sequel.

WB CEO Jeff Bewkes spoke out today on the company’s hopes for multiple sequels:

“We look at Harry Potter. It’s fantastic to have franchises that last that long. We want to do that with Batman and Superman and perhaps Sherlock Holmes. The sequels are as good, with new characters added, as were the originals. That wasn’t the case in the years ago. Warners has more tentpoles as an on-going strategy that very much lifts its distribution and performance. We think that’s going to hold up our slate in the 2009 – 2010 period. We’ve got four more big tentpoles coming this year.”

Now I know it may be a bit of an obvious piece of news that Warner Bros. wants sequels to one of the most financially successful movies of all time – but at least we have confirmation from the horse’s mouth now that they have official hopes and plans for more films.

I think it’s fair to guess that Christopher Nolan will sign on to direct Batman 3 and that he’ll call it quits after that. I’ve let it be known before I think this is a good idea; I think making a quality trilogy is a fantastic contribution to the legacy of the character on the big screen and we then can get a fresh director on-board for the fourth film to put their mark on the franchise.

And who could that next director be? Well it’s certainly a thinker, but our good friends over at /Film have put forth Zack Snyder as a possibility. They remind us that he has expressed interest in filming The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel (in case you don’t know that’s the one where Batman is 50-plus years old and fights Superman at the end – Imagine that happening on the big-screen!) and author Frank Miller has given his blessing.

I think Snyder is a great choice to pick up the reigns after Nolan leaves the franchise – it most likely would mean a more stylish approach than we’ve gotten from Nolan but I think that’s a good thing. Do you really want Snyder to just make it dark and brooding like Nolan just for the sake of it? And after all it looks like Snyder has probably done a fantastic job with faithfully and successfully bringing Watchmen to cinematic life; I think that gets him a lot of respect and a real shot and being the next Batman director. I would be really interested in seeing what a Zack Snyder Batman movie would look like.

So are you happy that there are plans for a lot more Batman sequels? And do you think Snyder would do a good job, if not then who could you see direct instead?

Source: /Film

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‘Batman 3′ Currently Being Scripted!

Ross Miller — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:44:26 +0000

For a while there after the release of The Dark Knight there seemed to be no information about the next one – would Nolan be back to direct? When is it getting made and when will it come out? Who will be the villain and who will play them? Questions with no answers abound – but we finally got our first glimpse of what’s going on the other day when Executive Producer Michael Uslan hinted at what year of release they’re shooting for.

And now adding to that we have the surprising and exciting news that the next film in the franchise is a lot further along in the development stage than we’ve all been led to believe: According to a trusted source of IESB.net it seems that the script is being worked on at this very moment! And by none other than brother writers of the last film Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, with David S. Goyer helping develop the story again.

During a recent interview, producer Chuck Roven was obviously tight-lipped about most things, but it’s interesting to try and read between the lines:

IESB: We’ve been told that Jonathan, Chris and David are working on the new Batman script. Do you know the direction they’re going or do you wait for them to formulate something more complete before you get involved?

Chuck Roven: The creative driver of the project at this point is Chris. There’s really nothing more for me to say about that. When he feels that he’s got something to talk about, then we’ll be able to talk about it.

IESB: I know you can’t tell us who the villain or villains are, but do you personally know?

[Big smile and a laugh] CR: I really don’t want to talk about that project right now.

IESB assures us all, “We’ve double checked and we are definitely hearing the script is being written as we speak.” And Batman on Film even says that this is “NOT to be taken with a grain of salt.”

Well this is just fantastic news but a little out of left field, I must say. I mean we haven’t even heard of either Nolan, but particularly Christopher, signing on for another one and yet they’ve secretly (until now) been working away on the frickin’ script? I mean it’s great news, obviously, but a bit jarring.

If this does indeed turn out to be true (and to me it seems legit) I think we’ll hear soon (within the next couple of months) that Nolan will be back to direct this next Batman flick. I think he’ll do one more and then call it quits – he will have made his contribution to the legacy of the character, completed the trilogy (which I’m sure he’ll do in The Dark Knight-like quality fashion) and he can then move on with other projects I’m sure he’s eager to start working on.

So it goes without saying this is fantastic news but are you as surprised by it as I am?

Sources: IESB and BOF

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The Dark Knight Sequel Coming In 2011?

Ross Miller — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:43:56 +0000

Straight after just about everyone on the planet saw The Dark Knight, we all thought (amongst praising the hell out of the thing) about when the inevitable sequel was going to get made. And there have been rumors abounding ranging from who will play the villain(s) to Christopher Nolan holding out on signing on the dotted line to get a bigger paycheck. But of course these were all rumors, even if some people out there took them as truth.

Well it seems we might have our first real glimpse as to what’s happening with a sequel via an interview with executive producer of The Dark Knight Michael Uslan (who will be back for the sequel):

Uslan will be onboard as executive producer for the “Dark Knight” sequel, which he estimates will be theaters by 2011. As for the identity of the next round of Batman’s supervillains and love interests, Uslan remains tight-lipped. “It’s one of those deals where if I told you, I’d have to kill you,” he says with a chuckle.

Now I wouldn’t think that someone in that position, who’s not only been involved in the revamp of the series but also with Tim Burton’s Batman, would say something like this unless there was at least some truth to it. If he indeed has something to keep “tight-lipped” about: That they’re in talks to see what direction they are going to take with Batman Begins 3 (for lack of a better title at the moment). Which also means Nolan is at least lending his ear as he is after all, the creative force behind the last two films.

2011 isn’t all that far away so my guess would be that you’ll hear more news over the next couple of months about Nolan signing on (it’d be a shame if he didn’t come back for at least this next one), possibly hints at who the villain will be and by this time next year they’ll be in pre-production.

Even if Uslan is just generalizing, this piece of news certainly sounds a lot more legitimate than the likes of Eddie Murphy being cast as The Riddler, now doesn’t it?

Source: CourierPost

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Aaron Eckhart’s Two-Faced Comment

Carl Lee — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:45:20 +0000

On the red carpet of last night’s Golden Globes, MTV News caught up with Aaron Eckhart and brought up his portrayal of Harvey “Two-Face” Dent. Apart from his past rhetoric, he had something new to say. And that “something new” could be something big for the chapter after The Dark Knight.

[Spoiler Alert: If you're one of the three people that haven't seen this movie yet, do not read any further. If you are, I'm sorry. And if I could suggest a small piece of advice, go see the movie!]

Contrary to his previous interviews and statements, Eckhart had a different answer to the Two-Face question. He said the following after quite a bit of laughing and a few “knowing” smiles.

“I think Harvey — if he’s not dead — is in a serious coma,” stated Eckhart, “and I’m not sure he’s coming out. They might pull the plug on him.”

Please note that although Eckhart does play the character in question, he is an actor and probably does not have any insight into development of the third film. And even if he had an idea, it’s still a bit early to say this is anything more than wild speculation.

And although many fans will hope against it, it’s quite clear in the script as it reads: “Dent lies at the bottom of the hole, his neck broken. DEAD.” Exactly as it’s printed here, “DEAD” is in all CAPS.

But now with this latest comment, I find myself wanting to be behind a semi truck–grumbling “Harvey, Harvey, Harvey Dent. Ohh, excuse me, I want to drive!” and hollow through this plume of smoke before it runs rampant.

Although it is ambiguous to many, Harvey Dent’s demise is obvious at the end of The Dark Knight. His completed story arc is a rare occurrence in comic book movies, which is part of the reason why the story has transcended the genre. Dent’s slip is both literal and figurative, as he’s labeled throughout the movie as Gotham’s White Knight but he eventually becomes the villain he alludes to at the dinner table with Rachel Dawes, Natascha, and Bruce Wayne.

From his first scene to his last, we witness his fall from grace. At the beginning, the newly elected District Attorney is fighting the good fight and going after the accused head of the Falcone crime family, Salvador Maroni. But this is one of the few great moments he has left. From unorthodox methods in attaining a suspect to using force and gun point to get the answers he wants, Harvey Two-Face finally emerges after losing his “blushing bride to be” in a massive explosion.

Egged on by The Joker, the Clown Prince gives him that little push to send him over the edge. He goes on to be judge, jury and (often) executioner to Detective Wuertz, Sal Maroni, his driver and Det. Anna Ramirez. He becomes the irrational villain and agent of chaos he once fought against. In his search for fairness, he leaves all of his decisions to a coin flip–50/50. The code of law he once believed in, is replaced by “unbiased, unprejudice, fair.” The Joker and the events leading up to the final scene are the last moments of Harvey and Two-Face is all that remains.

During The Joker infamous speech while hanging, he says:

“I took Gotham’s White Knight and brought him down to our level. It wasn’t hard. Madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push!”

Fearing the worst, Batman rushes to find Two-Face threatening Commissioner Gordon’s son. In a twist of Russian Roulette, Two-Face points the gun “at those responsible” for the death of Ms. Dawes. After flipping the coin, Batman isn’t so lucky and is hit with a bullet from Two-Face’s revolver. Two-Face isn’t at fault, nor is Commission Gordon (or his son) as the coin lands heads for the both of them. Before Gordon’s son is truly exempt, Batman pushes Two-Face and his captive off the edge. Two-Face lies without movement and his eyes are sightless, DEAD. Batman, after returning Gordon’s son to his father, has also fallen. He is the enemy Gotham now faces, though not the villain Two-Face or The Joker were, he is the common antagonist the city can rally against.

Even with Eckhart’s recent comments (or lack thereof), there is little room for Two-Face in the next installment of Batman. Although I once believed there was room for him as a puppet master of sorts, pulling the strings of a horde of villains, it is more fitting for him to have died here. The act of pushing his once ally and last hope at a normal life to his final resting place will undoubtedly be burned in his memories, haunting the masked vigilante. Batman will always stand between enemies and the citizens of Gotham, in his endless caped crusade.

Besides, wouldn’t you prefer a new villain anyway? Isn’t that what Nolan did after Batman Begins?

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