There has been wildfire reporting about the upcoming DC superhero movies in the last few weeks, with the biggest bit of news being that The Dark Knight team of Chris Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer will be bringing us the Superman reboot, which is currently titled The Man of Steel.

While (most) fanboys have been LOVING that news since it broke, people have also been wondering what’s to be done about Batman 3 and how Chris Nolan plans to juggle two superhero properties. Well, Nolan recently broke silence to speak about that very subject (and more), and we have details to share.

SUPERMAN REBOOT

Speaking to LA Times Hero Complex, Chris Nolan talked about the Superman reboot:

“It’s very exciting, we have a fantastic story…And we feel we can do it right. We know the milieu, if you will, we know the genre and how to get it done right…A lot of people have approached Superman in a lot of different ways. I only know the way that has worked for us…Each [film] serves to the internal logic of the story. They have nothing to do with each other.”

Apparently, Nolan’s passion for a Superman project arose from a moment when he and David Goyer were (ironically enough) kicking around ideas for Batman 3:

“[David] basically told me, ‘I have this thought about how you would approach Superman…I immediately got it, loved it and thought: That is a way of approaching the story I’ve never seen before that makes it incredibly exciting. I wanted to get Emma and I involved in shepherding the project right away and getting it to the studio and getting it going in an exciting way.”

Superman vs. Brainiac?

In our own op-ed piece, “How to Reboot Superman” we touched on the narrative gold mine of Superman having his humanity challenged when an extraterrestrial threat (Brainiac?) comes to Earth, insisting that Superman is Kal-El, an alien, and not the human being (Clark Kent) he pretends to be.

So is that the route Nolan and Goyer are going with the story? The rumor mill has been hinting as much…unfortunately Nolan (in his usual fashion) isn’t giving up details. He also wouldn’t confirm the rumor that he is consulting on this Superman reboot as a way instilling DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. with the confidence to let Jonathan Nolan direct the film. And no mention of the rumor that Chris will direct a Justice League movie down the line.  Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

BATMAN 3

From the information provided above, we know that the Nolans and Goyer are kicking around ideas for Batman 3 – but how far along are they? Says Nolan:

“My brother is writing a script for me and we’ll wait to see how it turns out…he’s struggling to put it together into the epic story that you want it to be…Without getting into specifics, the key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story…And in viewing it as the finishing of a story rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story.”

“Viewing it as an ending, that sets you very much on the right track about the appropriate conclusion and the essence of what tale we’re telling. And it hearkens back to that priority of trying to find the reality in these fantastic stories. That’s what we do.”

So there you have it. Other juicy bits of Superman reboot/Batman 3 info buried in the interview:

• The Superman reboot is currently looking to get underway around 2012 – likely after Nolan has completed his work on Batman 3.
• The supporting cast from the first two Batman films will be back for Batman 3.
• No announcement of what Batman villains they’re playing with, although Nolan promises that Mr. Freeze is out of the question.

So there you have it – Nolan has officially established that he is indeed the “Godfather” of DC movie universe. Call me a brown-noser if you want, but considering that Marvel has many of its prime properties currently in the wrong hands (Sony, Fox), while DC holds all of its properties and has the talents of guys like The Nolans, Goyer and Martin Campbell (Green Lantern) on their side… This next decade of the new millennium could be the one where DC/WB conquers the superhero movie genre. Marvel’s Avengers project suddenly has some serious contenders to clash with…

Oh well, it all works out great for us super hero movie fans!

Be sure to check out Hero Complex for more of this great interview with Chris Nolan. And be sure to check back with us regularly for updates on both Superman: The Man of Steel and Batman 3.

Source: LA Times Hero Complex

Artwork Source: Superman/Brainiac by Gary Frank

In the last two weeks we were subjected to some news regarding director Christopher Nolan and what was reported to be his involvement in another Batman film, rounding out his trilogy, and more interestingly, his involvement in the next Superman feature.

This news was epic for a lot of reasons, but mainly as it potentially laid down the beginnings of what would be a foundation for the DC Universe coming to silver screens in full force, much like it currently does over at Marvel Studios.

If Nolan was involved in the Superman project, that would mean he was no longer interested only in his Batman universe and keeping it isolated. With Green Lantern coming out, at Batman 3 and a Superman reboot could throw out some cross-over opportunities that could lead into more character films and what everyone wants to see, a Justice League film.

Unfortunately for comic and movie fans everywhere, the new DC President Diane Nelson denied the rumors. MTV News spoke with Nelson recently and this is what she had to say about the Nolan involvement with Superman rumors:

“Wouldn’t you like to know!… We don’t have any plans about that, and as I’ve mentioned, in the coming months we’ll be making a lot of announcements about what our content plans will be,” she added. “But right now, that’s nothing but rumor — and we frankly don’t say a whole lot more about rumor than that, so…”

While not exactly a flat out denial, it does put a damper on the hype generated by that news. The good part here is that she indicates that we’ll be hearing a lot more news in the coming months so hopefully that also means we’ll see some confirmations on what projects are next to be developed at DC Entertainment and maybe we’ll get to see some new stuff at Comic-Con this summer.

With David Goyer working on the script to Batman 3, don’t be surprised if one of those announcements pertains to Christopher Nolan rounding off his Bat-trilogy. We know his tendency is to make room for his passion projects between that Batman movies as we saw with The Prestige after Batman Begins and now with Inception after The Dark Knight. If the pattern is exactly that, Nolan should be prepping for Batman 3 in the near future.

The other rumor out there regarding Batman 3 is that it’ll likely feature The Riddler as the villain and may introduce the character of Dick Grayson. Join in our our Ridder & Robin discussion for more.

Continue to part 2 for more on Watchmen 2!

Ever since we heard that DC Comics and Warner Bros. were forming a new venture called DC Entertainment, a lot of us have been wondering one thing: what’s the new game plan going to be?

Well, we’re still waiting to hear announcements from DCE about some of our favorite superheroes’ chances of being on the big screen, but today we’re at least getting a clearer picture of who will be making the decisions that put them there (or not). And some of these names are ones that comic book geeks know all too well…

Thanks to Deadline, we now know that on the creative side of things, Dan Didio and Jim Lee have been named co-publishers of DC comics, while Geoff Johns has been named Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment. On the business side of things, John Rood has been named as DCE’s Executive Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Business Development, while Patrick Caldon has been named Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration. Each of these new positions will report to Diane Nelson, the current President of DCE.

Said Nelson about the new appointments:

“DC Entertainment’s new executive team is a creative ‘dream team,’ with accomplishments and talent unrivaled in the business…This announcement continues and underscores DC’s legacy as the ultimate destination for creators. We’ll benefit enormously from the deep experience this team represents, while re-energizing the direction and focus of the company. I’m excited and honored to have each of them with me at the helm of DC Entertainment.”

Any comic book fan knows the work of Jim Lee. He’s probably one of the best known (and loved) comic book artists ever, who catapulted to fame in the 90s by working on Uncanny X-Men and helping Marvel launch its sister title, X-Men. Lee left Marvel in 1992 to join other former Marvel writers/artists in the creation of Image Comics; under the Image banner Lee created Wildstorm Productions, which he sold to DC Comics in 1998. Lee has drawn iconic art for just about every popular superhero around, and has ushered more than a few new characters into the limelight.

Green Lantern as written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee

Any serious comic book fan of the 2000 era is equally familiar with Geoff Johns. Johns came aboard DC Comics in 2000, co-writing the JSA comic book along with Batman Begins/The Dark Knight screenwriter, David S. Goyer. From there Johns broke loose and put his own stamp all over the DC Universe. He “rebirthed” both the Silver Age Flash (Barry Allen) and Silver Age Green Lantern (Hal Jordan); he made the latter one of the most popular comic book superheroes of today, with epic events like “The Sinestro Corps War”, which recaptured old-school superhero adventure while updating campy mythology with a more sensible modern edge.

Most recently, Johns penned the Smallville television event “Absolute Justice,” which was a ratings monster and featured the JSA. Before this official promotion, Johns has been working behind the scenes as a consultant on just about every DC/WB movie project in the works, including Green Lantern and The Flash.

Geoff Johns Brought the JSA to Smallville

Dan Didio, who got his start in television, has been the Senior Vice President and Executive Editor of DC in the 2000 era. His name most recently appeared on our radar when it was rumored that he has been considering giving the green light to spinoffs/prequels/sequels to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, which is currently the bestselling title in DC history. With his new title will Didio push a Watchmen sequel through? Time will tell.

John Rood spent a decade working as SVP of Marketing for Disney ABC Television Group; before Disney he worked for Warner Bros. Consumer Products, negotiating advertising deals often using DC characters. Patrick Caldon has a long career working various VP positions for both Warner Bros. and DC Comics.

DCE’s mission statement has been clear: to develop all future DC and/or WB superhero projects under a united banner with multimedia development as the ultimate goal. After all, why plan a new Superman comic book when you can plan that same project as a comic book/movie/cartoon/video game/merchandising venture?

Diane Nelson

Forgetting Didio, Rood and Caldon for a moment (the suits), I’m so glad that Diane Nelson and DCE has tapped Jim Lee and Geoff Johns to sit in the big chairs. Lee and Johns are some of the greatest things to happen to comic books since the 80s era (which gave us Alan Moore, Frank Miller and “dark Batman”) and both men are certainly two of the best minds DC has on its roster.

So what can we expect from this new “dream team?” Well, I for one expect Lee and Johns to continue as they have (for the most part): bringing kick-ass ideas to the table which both reinvent – and at the same time preserve – the greatness of DC superheroes. Rood and Caldon I expect to work with Lee and Johns, turning their ideas and concepts into big-budget realities (more TV movie events, more Dark Knight-quality movies, more awesome animated features, toys, video games – the works).

Didio? Well, as editor of DC in the 2000 era he has allowed creative innovators like Lee and Johns to flourish. If Didio steers clear of this Watchmen sequel business, he’ll have my confidence; if he doesn’t, then he will know my wrath (which basically amounts to an angry blog post ).

However, while all this news about DCE promotions is nice, I know I (and most of you) are still waiting for the real announcement: which DC superhero movies we’ll be getting next.

Screen Rant will keep you posted.

Source: Deadline

Since the release of The Dark Knight in 2008 the internet has been going crazy with rumors about the next Batman film. Following the tragic death of Heath Ledger we can assume that The Joker won’t be making a return to Gotham, but there is now a rumor circulating that The Riddler might me the next villain to tackle Batman, but he shouldn’t worry as Dick Grayson (aka Robin) will be on hand to help out!

Believe it?

I don’t – any news at this point on a Batman film is probably a load of BS.

Nolan will be keeping his cards close to his chest , and I severely doubt that any sort of plot or character leak would be made at this early stage.

The not always reliable Comic Book Movie has an an anonymous source named TT who states the following facts:

1. The plot should be outlined in time for the screenwriting to begin in February.

2. The Riddler is the primary villain and he figures out Batman’s identity.

3. Arkham Asylum will figure prominently in the story.

4. Several classic villains will cameo, including the Penguin and Mr. Freeze (though as Dr. Fries, not as the supervillain).

5. Barbara Gordon will have a featured role.

6. Commissioner Gordon will mention Metropolis and possibly Lex Luthor.

7. Dick Grayson may be in the movie (though probably not as Robin).

This news isn’t a huge surprise considering Goyer’s recent departure from FlashForward and because Nolan is completing work on Inception, so fans and other assorted folks will start throwing out ideas and casting theories to pass the time. Here are my thoughts:

• The Riddler is a likely candidate to take on some bad guy duties (but who isn’t at this stage).
• Arkham Asylum will feature in the film – really? Not a surprise as it played a big part in Batman Begins.
• Classic villains will cameo? Again not surprising – but I doubt that Mr Freeze (or Dr. Fries) will. He doesn’t really fit into Nolan’s world, and does anyone remember a film called Batman and Robin?

Barbara Gordon will have a featured role – wait – isn’t she already married to Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon? As for a daughter, the time frames just won’t add up.

Commissioner Gordon will mention Metropolis and Lex Luthor – flip a coin Two-Face style for the chances of that. I’d bet on it not happening, even with Nolan “godfathering” the new Superman film.

As for Dick Grayson – Nolan and Christian Bale have stated before that their Gotham has no place for the boy wonder. As for a mention of the character or his name – I really doubt it!

If Christopher Nolan’s third Batman film does move ahead in the coming months prepare to be inundated with (even more) rumors of villains and Superman cross-overs.

Much like the plots of his films, Nolan likes to keep us guessing, so I’d buckle-up and prepare to be taken on a wild journey of rumor and innuendo for the next year or so until something is confirmed by Nolan or Warner Bros.

More on Batman when we get it.

Source: Comic Book Movie

[Update: This news has been officially been knocked down to Rumor status. Go HERE for details.]

Great news folks!

It looks like Christopher Nolan is now Warner Bros. new go to guy for bringing DC Comics superheroes to the big screen. The Dark Knight and Inception director has now been hired to “godfather” the new Superman film through production process.

The ever-knowing Nikki Finke has discovered that Nolan has been brought in to shepard the Man of Steel in the right direction for critics and fans in the same way that The Dark Knight scooped major box office and critical plaudits.

Deadline Hollywood says that a new Superman film is in the early stages of development but that it is unlikely Nolan will direct the film and that it  ”would definitely not be a followup to Superman Returns.”

Having said that an insider at the studio also said:

“Bryan [Singer] or Brandon [Routh] are not completely out of it yet. But Warner Bros doesn’t have a handle yet on it, either. Jon Peters is trying to make something happen since he stands to benefit financially. But they [the studio] need to hear a great story that makes sense.”

I’m sure that the studio will be happy with Nolan’s take on the film as they put Inception into production despite a $200 million budget and,  after the amount of money that Nolan made for them with the last two Batman films, I can only assume that they’ll be interested in the acclaimed director’s take on the property.

I doubt that Singer or Routh will be returning for the new film, although maybe Singer will get a producing credit on the film like Tim Burton did with Batman Forever.

The real question is what will Nolan’s “godfather” duties entail? Will he be merely be overseeing the development of the script, or will he be in charge of finding a director and cast?

Who knows, but I’d guess that Warner Bros. will give him all the freedom he wants – after all, it worked for The Dark Knight!

Deadline Hollywood also reports that Nolan has indeed started work on Batman 3 with David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan, while also finishing up work on Inception. All has been quiet on the Nolan/Batman front and we can only assume that this means good things for the future of Batman, Superman and Nolan’s accountant.

What the storyline will be for this new Superman film is anybody’s guess but it would be interesting if Nolan decided to try and tie it into his Batman series, which is something that many thought unlikely. However, with Nolan on board it looks like there might just be a way of making Superman edgy and dare I say it – slightly darker.

One thing is for sure, it’s going to make fans of Superman and DC comics happy that a director of Nolan’s skill and caliber has now been brought onto what has to be the holy grail of comic book properties.

It’s still early days yet, but I can only assume that Nolan won’t fail in the same way that McG, Brett Ratner, Tim Burton and (to an extent) Bryan Singer all did when trying to bring Superman to a cinema near you.

More on Christopher Nolan’s Superman at Screen Rant when we get it!

Source: Deadline Hollywood

Things haven’t been going as well as hoped with ABC’s Lost-esque mystery series, Flashforward. It debuted to 12-plus million viewers but has since dropped to half that number. I guess it was the initial curiosity of “How and why does everyone in the world black out at the same time?” that made people watch and then half of the audience fell away when it failed to live up to initial premise.

For those still sticking with the show (like me) some sad and rather annoying news dropped a while ago that production was halted and then we found out the show won’t be coming back on until March 18th this year. That’s an almost four months wait after a fairly big cliff-hanger (watchers of the show will know what I’m referring to).

To add insult to injury, last October we found out that one of the showrunners, Marc Guggenheim had left the show and now news has just hit that a second showrunner is leaving, too. After some reported, “in-fighting and backbiting,” David S. Goyer (story writer on both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) has left the series with just five episodes of season one left to shoot. Here’s what Goyer had to say about it:

“As my feature projects have started ramping up again, I felt I was being pulled in too many directions… I’m proud of the show and excited about the relaunch. It’s in great hands.”

Either that’s a cookie-cutter answer to shield the real reason for his departure (as stated, there was reported “in-fighting”) or it really was a natural departure with no problems whatsoever. Yeah, like that ever happens… Goyer will supposedly remain “involved” as the remaining episodes of the 23-episode first season are finished.

So I bet you’re wondering where the Batman 3 in the title of this article comes into play? Well, buried within Deadline Hollywood’s report of Goyer leaving Flashforward is the following:

“Of course, Goyer’s feature career is really heating up, since he co-wrote Batman Begins, and penned the story for The Dark Knight, and is now writing the third Batman installment with Chris Nolan’s brother Jonah.”

Now that could always be a general comment on Deadline’s part assuming that Goyer will be involved once again with the story for the third Batman (he was involved with Begins and TDK so I wouldn’t be surprised). But for us fans scrambling for any news related to Batman 3 info this is good enough to discuss.

So what do you think: Is that line about Goyer working on the Batman 3 script true or was it just a throwaway piece of info that shouldn’t be given any credence? Are you disappointed Goyer will no longer be showrunner on Flashforward? Are you one of the people who has stuck with the show or did you give up early on?

Flashforward returns to screens on March 18th, 2010. There’s currently no word on when Batman 3 will be released.

Source: Deadline Hollywood

For a few days now, Collider has been sharing a the knowledge they gained from a lengthy talk with producer Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes, Terminator Salvation). We recently posted a snippet of Lin talking about Terminator Salvation’s ending, and today we’re going to follow the conversation into the subject of DC/WB’s slate of upcoming superhero movies, including  Justice League, which has been stopping and going and stopping again for a few years now.

The word from Lin: Justice League is still on hold. However, it may not stay that way for too long – just one of many things we should hear more about in early 2010, as we now have further confirmation that DC/WB will be unveiling their superhero movie plans to the masses!

If you think back a year or two ago (can people still remember things that far back?), you’ll recall that DC/WB had a plan to do a Justice League movie first, and then use that group movie as a springboard for individual films featuring their second-tier characters (Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman, Wonder Woman…).

However, with the formation of DC Entertainment, the original game plan has apparently been altered and DCE/WB will now be following the Marvel blueprint. According to Lin, “it seems like they’re (Warner Bros.) building to Justice League instead of going with the team movie first and doing individual movies after that.”

Now, yesterday we heard some wild RUMORS surface about the possibility of a Hawkman movie going into the pipeline. Those same sources assured us that this rumor would be cemented as fact early in 2010, as DCE/WB was going to be making some ‘major announcements’ regarding their superhero properties. I can’t confirm the first part of that rumor (the Hawkman movie), but, according to Lin, “they’re [WB] unveiling their DC strategy in January.”

For more on Dan Lin talking about possible DC/WB projects, go HERE.

So, between what Lin has said and the rumors circling the water cooler, it seems as though we’ll know much more about the fate of the Justice League movie (and many other DC superhero movies that we’ve been anticipating) sometime early next year. Until then, let’s bust open the comment section for discussion:

What DC Superhero movies would you like to see first and foremost? And how should they approach a Justice League movie?

Source: Collider

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)

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

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…

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

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?

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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…

]]> http://screenrant.com/batman-3-two-face-joker-kofi-23093/feed/ 332 http://screenrant.com/batman-3-shot-imax-rob-23004/ http://screenrant.com/batman-3-shot-imax-rob-23004/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:40:18 +0000 Rob Keyes http://screenrant.com/?p=23004

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

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.

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?

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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.

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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?’

]]> http://screenrant.com/chris-nolan-batman-3-characters-villains-plot-story-kofi-19537/feed/ 467 http://screenrant.com/batman-3-status-gary-oldman-jumped-the-gun-ross-19203/ http://screenrant.com/batman-3-status-gary-oldman-jumped-the-gun-ross-19203/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:44:36 +0000 Ross Miller http://screenrant.com/?p=19203

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)

[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!

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

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

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