Batman Movie franchise after Nolan

If you've been following my twitter feed, then you know that after The Dark Knight Rises the Batman movie franchise will be rebooted. Produced by, yet seperate from, Chris Nolan.

The question is where to go?
In my opinion, another origin story would be redundant. Bring in Robin. Not Grayson, not Todd. Tim Drake.

Keep the stigma of Batman and Robin distant with a Robin that mainstream audiences aren't familiar with, but that still plays the familiar role (albeit with a modern edge).

In 2002/3, I began to write my own screenplay for a Batman movie which would feature the death of Jason Todd and how that affected the relationship between Bruce and Tim. I included Dick as an after thought and had made notes upon how to include him more fully in the next draft. I stopped writing it purely because Batman Begins was announced, but now that we are in a Batfilm-void situation again (or soon will be) should I have a bash at rewriting?

The first two-thirds of the very rough first draft can be read on the Writing Showcase page or downloaded directly here.

Let me know what you think, shall I give it a rewrite and send off a sample?

Gary Oldman reveals The Dark Knight Rises secret ending

Ah, word play, tricked you here thinking that I had the leaked ending to TDKR?
Well, you'll never see one, because Nolan has intentionally left it out of the script. That's right, the ending has been written in Nolan's head, not on paper. That's how seriously he is taking secrecy on this flick.



Source: Slash Film via arkhamcity.co.uk
or Batman on Film

Green Lantern actors talk special effects

Not much info here, but a couple of lines about the upcoming movie. Empire obviously asked Mark Strong if he'd seen a rough cut yet. It's things like this that made me stop reading Empire - of course he hasn't! He's an actor and it's three months away. That's another month or so to finalise effect shots, firm up a rough cut and screen test leading another month to do the final edit and record the score before the printing and distribution process begins.
Anyway, looking forward to the movie. Very pleased to have War of the Green Lanterns to tide me over until June.

With only three months before Green Lantern is scheduled to debut in theaters, long-time fans of the DC Comics character are anxious to see footage featuring the finalized effects for the film. The first trailer, which premiered last November, was met with mixed reactions; and there is currently no official date as the release of the second trailer or even theatrical posters. Ryan Reynolds -- who recently was named the 2011 CinemaCon Star of the Year -- briefly commented about his role in a project with such heavy-handed computer generated imagery to Variety.com:
"On a movie that's coming out on a size and scale like this, you realize how insignificant the actor is. I'm an important cog in a very large machine

"I was on a greenscreen stage with a hundred other crew members...and it's those people whose efforts created what will later be known as the film."
Mark Strong plays the alien hero Sinestro in the film, and acts as a mentor to Reynolds' Hal Jordan. Though he tells Empire Magazine he hasn't seen a full cut of Green Lantern yet, he has high hopes for the final product:
“I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve seen the artwork and if they can get that right, it’ll be astonishing. It's very similar [to his other CG heavy film John Carter Of Mars] in sense that they’re like trying to make a jigsaw puzzle with two thirds of the pieces missing because so much of it is CGI. As Andrew Stanton says, ‘I’m not in post, I’m in principle digital photography.'
"On Green Lantern two thirds is on Earth and a third is in space. All my stuff is in space, so all my scenes were in a big green room."
Green Lantern, directed by Martin Campbell, stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett. The film is scheduled to hit 2D and 3D theaters June 17th, 2011.

Source: DailyBlam

Amy Adams cast as Superman's Lois Lane

After all that pish a few months ago about no Lois in Zack Snyder's Superman reboot,  here she is.

I think that Amy is a fantastic choice - partially because I had never thought of it! The age is spot on, so we won't see a repeat of the Bosworth paradox and she definitely has the acting chops. She's been bubbling under for a good few years now and here is her push into superstardom.

Great news. With Costner locked in as Pa Kent, I hope that this is just the start of the casting news heading our way.

This just in — three-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams will play journalist Lois Lane in Hollywood’s revival of “Superman.”

The 36-year-old star got the news on Sunday from director Zack Snyder, who phoned her from Paris, where he was promoting his just-opened film, “Sucker Punch.” There had been a crush of Hollywood interest in the lead female role in the Warner Bros. project but Snyder said that after meeting with Adams, she was the clear choice to take on a character that dates back to 1938 and has long represented the strong, professional woman who can hold her own against any man – even if he can leap tall buildings in a single bound.
“There was a big, giant search for Lois,” Snyder said. “For us it was a big thing and obviously a really important role. We did a lot of auditioning but we had this meeting with Amy Adams and after that I just felt she was perfect for it.”
Snyder declined to discuss the precise prominence of Lois in the story or any plot details about the film but he said the role is “a linchpin” to the project and that he considers it essential that Lois — an FDR-era creation – arrives on screen in 2012 with contemporary appeal and spirit.
“It goes back to what I’ve said about Superman and making him really understandable for today. What’s important to us is making him relevant and real and making him empathetic to today’s audience so that we understand the decisions he makes. That applies to Lois as well. She has to be in the same universe as him [in tone and substance].”
Adams has shown an affinity for finding the plucky but pitch-perfect center of old-school roles; in the cartoonish ”Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” she brought a surprising amount of yearning emotion to the role of a simplified Amelia Earhart and she won rave reviews for the role of Giselle in “Enchanted” and its sly send-up of Disney princess traditions that date back to “Snow White,” which premiered just six months before Lois Lane hit newsstands in the pages of Action Comics No. 1.
Adams is coming off an Academy Award nomination for her work in ”The Fighter,” the David O. Russell film that took her into far darker territory; she played a bartender named Charlene who is fire-tested and fierce in her love for a down-but-not-out boxer portrayed by Mark Wahlberg. The film earned an Oscar win for Christian Bale, who played Wahlberg’s deliriously drugged-out brother, and he will be in the other big superhero film of 2012, “The Dark Knight Rises,” which will see Bale back in the cowl of Batman.
The big breakthrough for Adams was “Junebug,” which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where Adams won a special jury prize for her performance. The star’s other notable credits include ”Doubt,” Julie & Julia,” “Sunshine Cleaning,“ “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “Charlie Wilson’s War.” Later this year, she will be seen in both “On the Road” (an adaptation of the famed Jack Kerouac novel) and in Disney’s new Muppets film.
In the still-untitled Superman film, Henry Cavill will play Clark Kent and the Man of Steel. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are set to play the Kents, the adoptive parents of the last son of Krypton.

Source: LATimes

An open letter to DC editorial

Dear DC Comics,

         To say that I have been a Batman fan all my life is barely hyperbole, as some of my earliest memories involve watching my heroes Batman and Robin on the TV and then pretending to be them with my friends at playgroup (preschool). Anyone who knows me closely knows of the time that I tried to go to school with my Superman costume (including cape) on under my normal clothes, they know how traumatised I was when my sister sat on Batman, breaking off his leg, and more recently, they see my array of DC Comics t-shirts on a nearly daily basis (my wife now recognises the Sinestro Corps symbol).
        Unfortunately, I am writing with a complaint. Since the end of Batman RIP we have been suffering with a group of books that work really well with each other and a lead book that feels disjointed and distant from the rest. This separation felt small at first, but has grown larger month by month. Batman & Robin started out well, but by the time we got to the Blackest Knight arc, it had moved to the bottom of my reading pile. When Bruce's Batman turned up to save the day in B&R#16, I groaned. This should have been great, but Dick and Damian needed saving by a character who had been external to that story arc because no thought had gone into how they could have solved the problem themselves. How is that going to make any sense to people who just read trades? Printing a message like "Oh, by the way, you also need to go and buy Return of Bruce Wayne for this book to make sense." just doesn't cut it.
         Whilst I understand that changes need to be made to push a series forward and provide new challenges, I think that the Batman Inc idea would have worked fine without Grant ripping off the end of Ironman. Bruce Wayne is too careful to let such an obvious link to Batman be made (especially not by himself!). Now we have a fairly obvious Bat family/Wayne family connection that even the slowest fictional journalist could surely put together.
         Yesterday, I actually put my copy of Batman, Inc. #4 down in disgust without finishing it. I have never done this with a comic before, so I waited until I could stomach it and finished it off. Awful, truly awful. What was the point of getting rid of all these things that didn't work in Crisis on Infinite Earths, only to have one man drag them back into continuity? Honestly, I've had all I can take from Grant Morrison. I could put up with messing continuity, as well as other writers and artists, around if the stories were full formed and coherent. Instead we are treated to half-baked ideas and segues that lead nowhere. Sticking prefixes like 'hyper-' or 'meta-' onto words doesn't make one a genius; lets make sure that it works as a story before trying to show how clever we think we are.
         I suppose what I am trying to say is, please edit Grant Morrison. If he turns in his work late, then dock his fee. If it's late then he isn't giving you or the artists time to do your jobs. I'm sure that all it would take sometimes is someone asking "Where is this going?", saying "I don't think that ____ would do that." or pointing out "Grant, this doesn't make sense." for the stories to find a more natural flow. This then results in a much lower quality product and less satisfying stories. Most of all, it makes the readers feel like they are being jerked around. If he can't take the criticism, then that is his problem. If the stories don't make sense, then that is yours.  He may produce strong sales, but if things continue to spiral out of control they way they are then not even Batman will be able to save the title.

Yours,
Chris, a concerned fan, aged 26

Welcome to the Decade of DC: DC Comics foothold on Cartoon Network

DC Comics have had a long standing success in animation, from Fleischer's 40's Superman to the Emmy Award winning 1992 Batman The Animated Series and beyond to the original animated movies. Now DCEntertainment are branching out further under the banner of DC Nation at Cartoon Network. DCE's Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns, has mentioned different media types including CGI, traditional 2D animation, stop motion and live action 'to suit the character'.
It looks like DC are really upping the ante. They have the best selling (and rated) comicbook movie and videogame. They are lining up a reboot of Superman and a sequel to this Year's Green Lantern. The comicbooks themselves are going strong, with some titles the best they have ever been. The animated properties have been excellent since the 90s and they are expanding on their strengths.
It's taken a couple of years for the effects of the DC Comics-->DC Entertainment reshuffle to truly be felt, but 2011 is shaping up to be the start of something special.
Welcome to the Decade of DC.

Press release:

Debuting in 2012 as a multi-platform franchise, DC Nation will be the exclusive home for original DC animation properties. Backed by the production, publishing and marketing resources of Warner Bros., DC Entertainment and Cartoon Network, DC Nation will be an on-air and online programming block populated with event programming, interstitials, exclusive behind-the-scenes of theatrical production and an insider look into the world of all things DC.

“DC Nation on Cartoon Network will be the first-ever dedicated broadcast destination to showcase the depth and breadth of the DC Universe,” said Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment. “We and our partners at WBTV are thrilled that fans will be able to immerse themselves in DC’s phenomenal stories, experience a wide spectrum of amazing characters and stay up-to-date on the latest happenings of the world’s greatest superheroes and their creators, both on-air and online.”

Source: DC The Source

Really, more delays on Batman, Inc. ?!?!

Am I the only person waiting for DC to say 'No' to Grant Morrison?

The delays behind [Batman Inc.] are a combination of slowness on Grant and Yanick’s part. Yanick does all of his work on a digital pad and his art process requires a whole lot of lead time that Grant Morrison just doesn’t give him. On the Saturday morning, Grant had just e-mailed Yanick 12 pages of script for issue #5 when Yanick’s deadline for the art is in 1 week…so yeah, expect some more delays for issue 5 unless they get a fill-in artist.

—ComicBookDaily.com’s David Diep, reporting from this past weekend’s Wizard World Toronto convention, on what he learned about the future of DC’s flagship Bat-book, Batman Incorporated—presumably straight from artist and con guest Yanick Paquette himself.

A look at the solicit as posted on DC’s website shows that the book is scheduled for release on April 20. But the company still has it running with a J.H. Williams III cover that was actually used on issue #3 when it finally came out two weeks ago, likely because that issue was originally supposed to come out in January and thus had an “iconic” cover as part of that month’s line-wide cover gimmick, which was obviously no longer in effect. Issue #5 is now slated to run with the cover you see above, also by Williams…who is himself the co-writer/co-artist of the even more delay-plagued Batwoman. On the other hand, the company just signed the prodigiously talented artist Chris Burnham, who made a splash as the co-artist of the climactic Batman & Robin #16 and was already on board to draw Batman Incorporated #4, 6, and 7, to an exclusive contract. So there’s still some joy in Gotham after all.

Source: CBR

Abin Sur crashes onto the net

Temuera Morrison as Abin Sur in June's Green Lantern.

Source: DailyBlam

Arkham Asylum Batmobile from Hotwheels

Hotwheels are releasing the Batmobile from Batman: Arkham Asylum (last seen ramming Bane into Gotham river) this April.

I can't believe that this looks better than it did in the game. I did think that it looked too small in the game though.

Source: Gotham Knights Online

War of the Green Lanterns: Tony Bedard interview

Wow. Today has been really busy for a Monday.
Newsarama have interviewed Green Lantern Corps writer, Tony Bedard. Green Lantern Corps is my favourite title in the GL umbrella, so I was happy to see this pop up. war of the Green Lanterns is shaping up to be interesting, although I'm a little worried that one of the Earth-born Lanterns may snuff it. There will almost definitely be someone switching sides. The obvious would be Guy Gardner going to the Red Lanterns, but I suspect that we might see Hal Jordan join the Sinestro Corps.

Anyway, check out the interview here:

Newsarama: Tony, what's it been like coordinating "War of the Green Lanterns" with the other writers involved with the universe?
Tony Bedard: It's been the sort of teamwork I really hoped for when I first signed with DC. I've worked at plenty of publishers who flew by the seat of their pants, but Geoff Johns is a man with a plan and I'm happy to follow his lead. Doing conference calls with Geoff, Pete Tomasi, and editors Eddie Berganza and Brian Cunningham is great fun as we build upon the hottest franchise in comics. And what we're planning for the Corps in "War of the Green Lanterns" is a real shake-up.

Nrama: How important is the upcoming movie to the timing of this event? Has the editorial staff taken the movie into consideration as you make plans for the comics? Or is that not affecting the main titles, staying relegated to the movie prequels?
Bedard: The movie is definitely important to our plans. The month the movie hits will also present readers with good jumping-on points in all three Green Lantern monthlies. But we're not reinventing the comic to follow the movie. It's more that the entire Green Lantern franchise is coordinated so there's a synergy between the different media, be it print, feature films, animation or online.

Nrama: Let's talk about the last issue of Green Lantern Corps, which ended with quite a surprise. The decision by Weaponer to join the Sinestro Corps wasn't predictable at all. Was his decision made because he was so moved by Sinestro? Or does he have other motivations?
Bedard: That ending actually came out of one of these conference calls between myself, Eddie and Geoff. I think my original inclination was to have the Weaponer become the new leader of the Qwardians, but when you write these multi-chapter epics, you want to leave room to improvise. So when we were discussing the Weaponer's final fate, I think it was Geoff who suggested having him join the Sinestro Corps, and the minute he said it, I knew that felt right. This is a guy who felt cheated of his rightful destiny by Sinestro. Now, after years of lonely exile, he's offered the chance to feel special and be part of a team. Still, I wouldn't be surprised to find the Weaponer plotting against Sinestro somewhere down the road. It's a real love/hate relationship between those two, which may explain why the Weaponer got along with Soranik Natu so well.

Nrama: Will we ever find out how he was wielding the white light? Will that come into play later?

Bedard: I think that having created the yellow ring so long ago, the Weaponer was experienced with creating ways to wield energy from the emotional spectrum. He may well be able to create a green ring or violet ring, etc. But he found the unique White Energy which doesn't dissipate, and that's what he had to work with.

Nrama: The Weaponer's sudden alliance with Sinestro feels like it's a precursor for what we'll see in "War of the Green Lanterns." Is the testing of alliances part of the theme as the corps head toward war?

Bedard: Well, "War of the Green Lanterns" is more of an internal thing within the Green Lantern Corps. It's more of a brother-against-brother sort of thing, so in that way, we'll definitely test alliances and friendships. Coming out of the War, the friendships between our four main Green Lanterns will definitely be strained or even broken in some cases. The Corps hung together against Sinestro's forces and against the Black Lanterns, but the "War of the Green Lanterns" will push them further than those two events did.

Nrama: One of the strangest links we've seen in the GL Universe is between Atrocitus, Ganthet and Guy. Will you be exploring this or any similarly strange upcoming alliances as the war begins to rage?

Bedard: That pact between those three characters pays off big-time in the War, and the fact that those three would be in cahoots gives you an indication of the threat they are up against. I don't think we have any stranger team-ups, but the repercussions are huge.

Nrama: It's obvious from upcoming covers and solicitations that there's going to be a problem between John and Kyle. Is there anything you can tell us about what would make these two characters clash? Where are their heads right now?

Bedard: In the opening pages to Green Lantern Corps #58, I have Kyle observing how different he and John are, and yet how well they partner up. He says they are the Yin and Yang of the Green Lantern Corps — the complimentary opposites. But there's a lot that goes unspoken between them, especially because John is more internalized, less likely to express his feelings. But all of John's problems with Kyle will explode to the surface when John and Kyle are forced to choose very different paths to fight the threat posed by Krona, the renegade Guardian.

Nrama: Since there's also trouble brewing between Hal and Guy, what can we expect for the four Earth lanterns as the war begins, particularly in your comic?

Bedard: We've felt that through all the trials of the past few years, the four Lanterns from Earth have stuck together extraordinarily well. "War of the Green Lanterns" is about testing that brotherhood and taking it beyond the breaking point. We'll be feeling the consequences long after this particular story arc is over.

Nrama: The relationship between Kyle and Soranik has turned into almost a "triangle," because of the dominance of her father, Sinestro. Will their conflict continue to play a role in your title — and in War of the Green Lanterns?

Bedard: Yeah, I want to keep exploring that. In fact, the events on planet Qward damaged Kyle's relationship with Soranik more than he realizes. We'll explore that fallout more in the months to come.

Nrama: Sinestro, because of his "fatherly" protectiveness and the truce he's drawn with the Green Lanterns, has been an odd combination of aloof and sincere recently. Would you agree? And is that a characteristic we'll see more in upcoming stories?

Bedard: Sinestro has long had that interesting mix to me. Geoff did a great job of both humanizing him and making him even more badass than he had ever been before. The truly great villains like Lex Luthor, Dr. Doom and Magneto usually have that mix of nobility and utter ruthlessness. They're the heroes of their own stories, and Sinestro definitely sees himself that way. And I think Sinestro will continue to surprise folks with what he's capable of, both good and bad. Sinestro may be the most interesting character in the Green Lantern universe.

Nrama: While the earth Green Lanterns have made some questionable decisions lately (which we can only assume will add to their conflict), Soranik seems to be maintaining a certain level of integrity despite being Sinestro's daughter. How would you describe Soranik's thoughts right now, and can you tell us anything about her upcoming journey during "War of the Green Lanterns?"

Bedard: Soranik’s role in "War of the Green Lanterns" will become clear early on in the story. She's a neat character, though, and I'm really enjoying exploring her. She's a brilliant surgeon, so there's plenty going on in her mind. She also remembers well Sinestro's reign of terror over her homeworld Korugar. Only recently did she learn that "space-Hitler" is really her father! There's a lot to work through there, and I personally connect to a character who feels a need to make up for his parent's misdeeds. Also, Kyle has had some great girlfriends before, but no one quite like Soranik. In a way, I think she's out of his league intellectually. So maybe Sora takes a harder look at her boyfriend and rethinks whether she wants to be with this guy, especially considering the changes he'll experience in "War of the Green Lanterns."

Nrama: What other characters will be playing central roles in "War of the Green Lanterns?"
Bedard: Well, it was recently revealed in Green Lantern that the big bad guy collecting all the different Corps' Entities is the renegade Guardian of the Universe, Krona. He's certainly a prime mover in "War of the Green Lanterns," and since he was there at the founding of the Corps, Krona poses the most serious threat ever seen to the Green Lantern Corps. He also has an interesting motivation and goal which becomes even clearer in the War.

Also important to this tale are the Guardians themselves, especially Ganthet. But I don't want to get much more specific since there are some great surprise twists in the story that I wouldn't want to spoil.

Nrama: Geoff told us a few months ago that "War of the Green Lanterns" changes some of the Green Lantern universe characters in "pretty dramatic ways." Will we see big changes for the characters who are the focus in your title as well?

Bedard: There's a big turn between Kyle and John that I think really illuminates both their characters. Other fallout from this conflict will become clear in the months following the war.
Nrama: The first solicitation after "War of the Green Lantern" concentrates on John Stewart. Will we see him getting some attention later this year? (And you had hinted in the past that he might have time for a relationship — is there still hope for that?)

Bedard: John's new love interest will be explored following "War of the Green Lanterns," but in general I want to keep giving him defining moments. I loved having him leading Qwardian Thunderers in the Weaponer arc. He's developed into a formidable warrior, but I want to give him a rich inner life too.

Nrama: A lot of reviewers have remarked recently about the growth of the artist on Green Lantern Corps, Tyler Kirkham. What do you think he's bringing to the title?

Bedard: Oh, Tyler's pouring his soul into this book! His stuff has this great energy, he never skimps on detail, and yet everything is so meticulously rendered. I wonder if the guy ever sleeps! It's always fun when new pages come in from Tyler.
His design for the Weaponer was awesome — just the sort of cosmic blacksmith character I had hoped for. And his Soranik is sexy and spunky. It's hard to draw her with that short hair and not make her too masculine. Ty hits just the right note with her.
I think he came to the book with mad skills, and if people are remarking on his growth, I think that's just the learning curve that comes with taking on the Green Lantern Corps. The more familiar he is with these characters, the more Ty brings them to life. I'm really enjoying this collaboration and look forward to meeting him at the Philly convention.

Nrama: The cancelation of R.E.B.E.L.S. disappointed your fans. Do you know if any of those characters will show up anywhere else this year? Did you at least raise their profile to the point that they'll be seen in DCU books — or maybe even the Green Lantern universe?

Bedard: My main mission on that book was to raise the profile of Vril Dox, the Omega Men, and so on. I think we did accomplish that, and now we have to keep building on it. I have a project in the works that will have a cosmic scope and will revisit some of these non-Lantern DC space characters, but it's too soon to discuss. We may have cameo appearance in Green Lantern Corps too, but the focus will remain on John and Kyle in that book.

Nrama: Is there anything else you want to tell readers about what's coming up in Green Lantern Corps?
Bedard: Just stick around after "War of the Green Lanterns," because we're going to pay off on some Lobo-centric storylines that have been brewing over the past few months. I love me some Lobo, and the Main Man has been wearing a certain red power ring around his neck, so...

Source:Newsarama