As part of her scoop about Christopher Nolan becoming the ‘godfather’ to the Superman franchise, Nikki Finke revealed that he’s also working on Batman 3 with David Goyer and Jonah Nolan. On some levels this is a no duh story, but on others it’s a big revelation. And it isn’t even a complete story yet.
With Batman 3 Nolan faces the prospect of competing with himself and what is (now) the third biggest movie in history. It seems massively unlikely that Batman 3, even if it’s the best Bat-film ever, will break the record set by The Dark Knight (unless they release it on thousands of 3D screens and overcharge by half for those seats. Hey, wait a second!). On some levels it would make sense for Nolan to retire while he was ahead, handing the franchise off to the next young buck who doesn’t particularly like comic books.
And that may be what’s still happening – Finke only says that Nolan has cracked the story for Batman 3, not that he’s directing it. Don’t be wildly shocked to hear that Nolan steps into a producer’s role for this film and hands the reins to someone else. Of course he may just jump in with both feet and complete the trilogy – at this point no one really knows.
35 comments
Nolan should step aside and let Frank Miller direct. Just so we can get that panel in movie form. And Bruce can grow a beard in one night in the movie. And feed rats to Dick.
^^^^
he's not so far off…regular movie tickets in my city go for $8-9 and 3d tickets are $13-15 making the difference $5-7 which is upcharged by about 50%. sucks for you that the regular movies cost $12
Hey Nick, I live in Boston and Avatar was $8 on a normal screen and $13 in 3d. You lose:
http://boards.ign.com/teh_vestibule/b5296/187735858/p1/?7
If a highly rated cable show was the only place giving you the time of day, you would be pretty happy.
Go suck a Na'vi dong you loser.
Devin why be a giant pussy and take nicks comments down. Are you that thin skinned?
got a feeling nolan will direct; far too much riding on this one to let a new director take hold of the franchise. hopefully goyer's not going to actually write any of the final script – his clunky dialogue (psychotropic drugs! weaponized hallucinagens!) was one of the things that held down begins.
Seriously, how many Batman comics (in say percentage points) are there really worth "liking much"? You seem to be seeking the same sort of core "fanboy investment" vindication as the fucking Avatards are. Anyway, they have their hire-a-nerd in Goyer.
Wait, comments were removed? WTF? Did they divulge national secrets, or something?
It's a mystery to me why any director would want to make the same movie three times.
You fucking idiots hate Devin so bad, but you still read and comment on all of his articals, get a life.
Really? Do I have to be the only asshole nere massively excited about this? The day Nolan makes a bad movie is the day I start doubting him. I hope this one is Arkham centric. I vote Robin, but that's just me.
Come on guys, give Devin his snark. He's not much good otherwise, so a man's gotta go with what he does best. In this case, it's obsessively hate on popular films while baiting his readers. The pattern should be clear by now.
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Though deleting comments is a bitch move.
I'm there with ya, Duffy. Although, I do think there's room for improvement (and, well… editing…), seeing where Nolan goes from TDK is exciting to me.
Seriously, why do geeks feel the need to equate self-worth with their film's box office growth? Devin has a forum, you don't, get over it. Also, Batman FTW!!!
Which batman comic series is that picture from?
I always thought the 'No-Man's Land' saga could do well in a movie; 'cept they just rebuilt the batcave so trashing it right away again might be a little… repetetive. Personally I think the rogue's gallery in this one should include Scarface; y'know, if Nolan's determined to stick with the whole gangster/mob story deal..
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Bitch all you want about "overcharging" for 3D. People paid the extra cash, didn't they? Anyway, back to the topic at hand: I'm glad Nolan's pushing forward with Batman and shepherding Superman along. It fuels Devin's outrage, which is as entertaining as checking out Hannity or Beck after Obama proposes a new social policy. It's just fun to watch them foam at the mouth.
I can't believe idiots still want Frank Miller to direct ANYTHING. Keep Frank Miller out of the filmmaking process completely.
And why do people want these fuckin' literal translations to the screen? The Dark Knight Returns, for example, already exists as a piece of visual media (unlike adapting a book). It exists. As you love it. Why do you need to see it in motion? Are you that devoid of imagination? You really need people to act out what's there in panels in visual form for you? Why is that exciting? That isn't exciting at all.
Furthermore, Sin City is an inert piece of garbage.
And before you start railing on me for hating on Frank Miller, I own and enjoy plenty of comics he's been involved in. Including The Dark Knight Returns.
I'm just sick to death of people thinking that trying to put exactly what is on the page of an already visual medium on the screen is a cool thing. It's so fucking stupid.
..2012 should be a good year
I hate it when dorks say 'oh TDK can't be topped'. Of course it can be topped. And more challenging than the prior two if Nolan refocuses the story back to Batman. And it presents an opportunity to reinvent the Riddler who on paper sounds complex and frightening but in execution has somehow always fallen flat. Jim Carrey's portrayl is literally indistinguishable from Nicholson's Joker, and I don't know any comic book storylines where he's made a lasting impression(maybe the Hush storyline, but that's cutting it pretty thin) The Riddler to me will always be Frank Gorshin from the tv series, but again this gives Nolan an opportunity to make a bold imprint on the character.
#14: I THINK it's Knightfall and that's Azrael-as-Batman… But I haven't read much since then, and that was like 20 years ago.
That is Frank Miller´s Batman and Robin. Liked it, but not groundbreaking.
Uh oh, fatty's being sarcastic again!
Why do you even allow comments? It only leads to anguish.
And there I was reading along and thinking that he actually wrote something without being bitter about Avatar, but then ofcourse I was proven wrong. Ofcourse it is now obvious that this is utterly and deeply bothering him. More and more every day. And the poor bastard just can't let it go. Sad.
The title of this article is misleading. It suggests that Nolan will return as director, but the body of the article then just says what Devin has said in previous Batman 3 news stories, i.e. that Nolan will produce but may not direct, no one really knows. How can you keep writing exactly the same unconfirmed speculation every few months?
Comment #21- That's incorrect. It's from Frank Miller and Jim Lee's All-Star Batman & Robin, which has come under fire for making Batman out to be a complete prick (it's DC's version of giving a character Marvel's "Ultimate" or "MAX" treatment). The bigger problem is that it comes out on such an irregular basis (1 issue in the last year, maybe 2-3 in the last 2) and should just be canceled or handed over to a creative team that can meet deadlines.
Jesus, at this point you could just have redirect to http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/
Another Batman article, another Devin snarky jab. He whales on the Batman machine, but why? Because it’s not dead in the water like the Superman, Hulk, Ghost rider and Daredevil franchises? Because it hasn’t been ruined like the Spiderman and X-men franchises? Iron-man is currently the only character close to Batman in popularity and quality film wise, and I doubt Iron Man 2 will have the same impact the Dark Knight did (though I wouldn’t mind if it did. It is possible to like both Iron Man and Batman you know). I look back at Devin’s past articles on the new Batman films: of how he believes Batman 3 should NOT have a villain, his top 10 Comic book films (that conveniently left the Dark Knight off), and why Batman Forever was the best of the Batman films (admittedly that article took place before the Dark Knight was released, but come on). Is it possible Devin is just fucking with us? He’s a bored schoolyard bully throwing rocks at the AV Club? The other explanation: he just doesn’t “get” the Batman films, the way we didn’t “get” Land of the Lost. I know which boat I’d rather be in.
The only way TDK sequel would even begin to come close to matching or even beating TDK at the box office is if they cast a troubled drug addicted actor that dies from an overdose on the set, thus propelling it to great heights..
@#30 You really are a funny guy. What a cunt.
I just hope he brings Leo and Juno in to play Robin and Batgirl. That would be so totally awesome!
yeah, it would be funny to see the now Scorcese-ified DiCaprio playing a role he could have gotten fifteen years ago in his pretty boy days. ellen page is too ridiculously short to be batgirl. she and jonah hill succeeded in making me think a 5'9" michael cera was like 6'2" or something.
That retard Christopher Nolan fuckin' ruined the Batman franchise by rebooting the whole thing.
Here are some ideas about the next one:
Call it 'SHADOW OF THE BAT'
[Plot 1]
Introduce Robin. Yes I daresay that. Why? Because Richard Grayson is one of the most iconic DC characters since the Golden Age; right up there next to Batman, Superman, The Joker and even surpassing Wonder Woman in terms of popularity. Don't say that he doesn't go with Nolan's 'darker, more real' universe, because Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett did it very well in B:TAS' "Robin's Reckoning". Maybe we don't need 'Robin' but why not Dick Grayson? He is a tragic character; and Bruce training another to be like him wouldn't be very illogical as popular criticism dictates. Add in the noirish portrayals of gangster Boss Zucco, Black Mask and the such, and you have a sustained continuance of TDK. Get Vicky Vale as the photojournalist who took a 'clear picture' of the BatMan or something like that. Placing The Riddler here would allow screenwriters to adapt elements from Nygma's first appearances back when Bob Kane ran things. And a matured version of both Robin and Riddler, in live-action, hasn't been done yet.
And it would start the 'side-kick' trend in Hollywood's super-hero genre; an element considered IMPOSSIBLE to accept. Pray Nolan proves them wrong one. more. time.
[Plot 2]
Use Catwoman; Selina Kyle. The alleged daughter of the Falcone Crime Family (but avowed enemy of Gotham's mob). Her story was ignored in the past two films, she could further blur the lines between 'hero' and 'villain' and be comparable to Bruce's new struggle as Gotham's DARK knight. Gordon could slowly loose his trust on Batman due to this. The Riddler would stay.
Finally, I think the Batman should be played out as the antagonist of the film here. Let us DO take the final words of TDK literally… "you'll hunt me" – Batman faces Gordon. He's become a "political liability". "Set teh dogs on me" (note, the Joker was called a 'dog' many times – this could be stressed as the new 'freaks' are the ones that the police rely on to capture Batman, an obvious plot point but an interesting one nonetheless). Batman is now a "Silent guardian, a watchful protector"…that is, his status as an urban legend grows into obscure grounds: no one sees Batman, but they all feel his presence. Using Bruce as an antagonist to the story would be an interesting twist.
The way i see it, movie 1 was about Bruce's psychological preparation into becoming the bat (FEAR). Movie 2 about his political preparation (CHAOS/ANARCHY, role in politics). Movie 3 about his MYTHOLOGICAL preparation.
Furthermore, in Batman Begins, the antagonist did not have a notable presence; that's because Bruce was fighting CRIMINALITY. You had the mobster, the madman and the manipulator. Bruce was fighting the whole practice of criminality.
In TDK, the antagonist had a face…and it smiled through a Glassgow grin. Here Bruce was fighting A CRIMINAL. The sort he would be fighting for the rest of his career.
In movie 3, the antagonist would be HIMSELF. He would be fighting CRIMINALISM – the philosophy or ideal foe that lies dormant within us. If this sounds too much like Spiderman 3's advertising routine, just think about the clues in the end:
Begins spoke of 'escalation'. That happened in TDK.
TDK speaks of 'becoming the villain'. That will happen in SHADOW OF THE BAT.
Or atleast, that's just what I think COULD happen. I hope someone worthwhile read this. Since you read this far, please let me know what you think.
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