Video Blog: The Oscars and The Future of Batman Movies

Posted on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta

Throughout the week I have super-geeky conversations with Steve from Collider, and we’ve decided to bring the conversations onto the site. In today’s video blog, we talk about Sunday night’s Academy Awards (for about four minutes) and then we have an in depth discussion about the future of the Batman franchise.

We talk about what is actually going on behind the scenes right now with the development with a third film. We talk about where The Dark Knight leaves off, and what the next film might bring us. What are some of the possible villains? Could Joker of Two-Face return? Could their be more than two big villains? What will Warner Bros do after Nolan leaves? Justice League? Could Zack Snyder direct Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns? How about a Batman Beyond film? What directors could carry on the Batman franchise after Nolan. And much more.

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Discuss: What Villains should be in the next Batman movie? What would you like to see happen? What director should take over the franchise after Nolan? Watch our video blow and leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Disclaimer: I know we said last time that our future videos would be between 10-15 minutes. Well… we got carried away. This video dwarfs that time limit, and we’ve split it up over two videos (one above and one after the jump) or we’ve even included an audio version of the conversation below. I finally got a working headset, but the audio levels are still a little wonky. The whole thing is a work in progress. Oh, and I obviously haven’t read Batman comics outside of the 4 big graphic novels (Arkham, Long Halloween, Dark Knight Returns, Year One) so please forgive my possible ignorance towards some of the comic characters mentioned.

Comments

nerdvana555

I really like the idea of the Black Mask as the first villain and I would go with the Riddler as the second. Also since The Dark Knight is outlawed at the end of the second, maybe they could incorporate Robin to help bring him back, it would be hard to tell the story of all the characters but if I trust anyone, it is Nolan. I like the idea of the title The Batman, and Christopher M mentioned "Gotham City" that is cool or you could just drop city and call it "Gotham".

batman

i think it would be great to have the riddler.. adding new characters like the black mask and hush would be great also.. either way, chris nolan will be think of something and im just awaiting for it.. it will be interesting..

batman

i would like to see the riddler, but it would be interesting to add a new character like black mask and it would be great to add hush also. adding alot of characters in a batman 3 movie wouldn't be a bad idea, but knowing christopher nolan, he is very smart and he will think of something..

jason B

i'm watching this months after terminator has been out, and after a lot of batman rumors have come and gone...holy fuck how time changes things!

-mcg needs to stay the fuck away from terminator and ESPECIALLY batman.

-there's some mistakes made about the comic books, but otherwise its a good discussion.

-justice league was a horrible idea, especially the way they were planning on doing it.

-a nolan created batman villain could be cool, but i'm not alone in thinking the black mask is a horrible idea for the nolan-verse. i'm pulling for a vicious take on the riddler, who in his recent years has been quite different from the joker.

-though steve didn't coin the 'in nolan we trust' phrase, he is absolutely right.

modelos

I like Peter's suggestion of "The Batman" for the next film's title.

modelos

I like Peter's suggestion of "The Batman" for the next film's title.

Tom

What is about Mr. Freeze? Dont you think he would be a nice opponent?

Ravenflesh

Harley Quinn would make a good second-tier villain, and would continue the Joker storyline without directly involving him. The main villain will somehow be tied into the theme of "Redemption".
Catwoman could make a couple of appearances as a low level thug without being a major plot point, and it would be interesting to see Nolan's non-cartoony version of her.
I don't think Nolan will invent a villain character.

batman7

I thought that the riddler was going to make an apearence at the end of the dark night. mabey Mr. Fox gets old and needs a little help so Bruce wayne highers Edward Nigma and he finds out about batman and his true identity and somehow becomes the Riddler

willie g

the dark knight redemption would be an awesome title. maybe even the batman redemption something with that theme or motif could work nicely

Tonberry2k

There are a few villain ideas I have;
Catwoman- we need a new female lead. They could minorly rework her character the same way they did Batman to make them more evenly matched.
Bane- Nobody thinks about him. He's a great match for Batman, but maybe he's better suited for a "breaking of the bat" scenario down the road.

Roshan111

I'm glad that someone else had the exact same feeling I did at the end credits of the TDK, the whole ending was tied in so well. Visually and Sonically, the music and monologue tied in so well. The Black mask will definitely be a realistic villain. If Zack Snyder decides to do batman he will rape the franchise with unnecessary signature violence and over the top VFX.

Kat

Taking a step away from the villains topic (sorry), I'm wondering about Robin-- First off, I think it'd be neat to have a "The Dark Knight Returns" film made after Nolan's Batman3, But I think we'd need to see more Robin before that film happens. How do you see that happening-- IF you see it happening at all? Or is it even necessary? Maybe they CAN just jump into TDKR with Carrie as the "new" Robin...

Taylor

The idea of Bob Hoskins as the Penguin would also work in the realm of creating a character angry with his city and his mob and turns to his own personal obsessions in order to cope but also uses violence to get what he wants.

Taylor

The Dawn Of Batman? Or The Dawning Of Gotham? Batman
James Cameron or Ridley Scott directing....
Phillip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin not only obsessing about birds but becoming obessed with a bat?
Don't like Johnny Depp for The Riddler or even the idea of him returning but another possible villain is the Black Mask for the sake of another real life villain.
Not only would i like to see a villain but a development of a character who knows the identity of batman/bruce wayne and a very close tie in to any previous villain. I think added pressure on the batman character could lead to somewhat the same type of suspence that was created by the joker in the dark knight.

Think it's any good?

Xater

I just wanted to say that I really like the Black Mask idea and for a second villian he should get a hired killer. For that you could use Deadshot or Dethstroke. Both fairly realistic and no strangers to the Batman universe. Deadshot even was in Batman Gotham Knight.

A Girl

Any of you guys ever heard of the gym?

raspedoits

Villains that just might work in a Nolan Batman flick if done properly & if tweeked majorly:

Mad Hatter: Jervis is highly psychotic, he would be a very dark character. take away the whole Alice in Wonderland nonsense. & mind control is not that far away from reality & his origin & look would have 2 b changed.

Mr Freeze: 2 b frozen in suspended animation is realistic, to have to wear a special suit so that you can survive in subzero temperatures is scientifically plausible. A freeze gun....unrealistic. Mr Freeze could work if done right.

Scarface: I dont expect to ever see Scarface in a Batman movie. the whole split personality thing would have to go, but you could have Arnold Wesker toying with his henchmen, pretending he has a split personality causing others to believe it thus fearing him; thats just crazy in itself. & once his chronies/henchmen leave, he throws the puppet on the ground & laughs his ass off.

Drop me a line & tell me what u think, do u agree with any of this?

raspedoits

Villains that would work in a Nolan batman movie:

Penguin: Realistic. A stout, gentlemen-like mob boss arms dealer who owns The Iceberg lounge where alot of crooked deals are happening. He also loves birds. take away the flying umbrellas & you got yourself a real threat. Bob Hoskins or Joe Pesci would play him well.

Catwoman: Realistic. a female cat burglar that wears goggles & cat ears, sounds plausible to me!

Riddler: Realistic.

Black Mask: Realistic

Villains that would Never, ever work in a Nolan Batman movie:

Clayface
Poison Ivy
ManBat
Killer Croc

AllyndDudnikov

I know Hush's origin would be too long for one movie. That's why I said he'd be Bruce's villain and be actual Hush in the sequel.

Landfill

The Riddler would be a good villain for the third film but I agree with Steve from Collider that he is too much like the Joker. If they did do The Riddler, they could make him something like a serial killer that loves to taunt the police. He could even be calling out Batman and taunting him with all kinds of things. We actually got to see Batman use some of his detective skills in the Dark Knight and if they could elaborate more on that, that would be nice.

I think that Gordon could be secretly meeting with Batman or sending Batman files of evidence so he can help out with the major cases, maybe even a special drop box of sorts.

Something big needs to happen that could end Gotham but have Batman come in and try to save the day in order to gain the city's trust once again. Right now they are afraid of him and the police are desperately trying to catch him. I think that Batman shouldn't be in too many scenes in this next movie because he is a wanted man and if he is around, have him like he was in "Begins".

i'msrsthefilmwudrock

The article I was referring to is here (on slashfilm heh):
http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/02/25/zack-snyder-t...

i'msrsthefilmwudrock

OHMYGOD DUDE! I agree with you SOOOO much!

Everyone immediately brushes off the idea of Riddler because he's too "similar" to Joker but that's only because people have a closed pre-defined idea of who the Riddler is. Open your minds and you will see that Riddler doesn't have to be a one-dimensional character! It would be easy to make changes to him(e.g. being a serial killer like you said). Out of all the characters in the franchise he's probably the one who nobody can legitimately say they know 100% (after all, his entire character is based on the unknown).

I totally agree that the cops being against Batman is nothing too threatening and can be treated just like it was in the first Nolan batfilm (with Gordon meeting in private like you said).
As for Joker being involved, I think they could briefly mention him here and there and in the end of the movie can even say that "Joker's escaped from Arkham!" much like the ending of the first one.
That way everything sort of comes full circle and still leaves the door open for future films made by other directors (i.e. Zack Snyder's "The Dark Knight Returns").
Did you read that Zack Snyder is considering adapting The Dark Knight Returns? You should read my comments! :P
I hope you read this because you've got the idea!!!

Landfill

Yeah I read that Snyder is thinking of doing it, which is a good thing to me, but I haven't read your comments there yet. I'm happy that you agree with me because they really can take the Riddler in any direction. Plus, if the cops were really after Batman, I think that in a certain level, they would actually fear him because he kills cops.

Oh yeah, and I would love to hear little things or subplots involving the joker if they didn't want to have him in the next film. It would be great if they were to say something along the lines of him escaping captivity and is out in the streets of Gotham once more. that one reason would give the people of Gotham a reason to turn to Batman once more since the cops couldn't catch the Joker the first time around.

i'msrsthefilmwudrock

Thanks man! You're awesome! I'm glad you're the top commenter on this site! heh

shoot hamaguchi

I like the whole Batman Beyond idea. Get Clint Eastwood as an old Bruce Wayne training a new Batman. You can also put Nightwing in the film.

darrin

batman 3 should be named, Gotham Chronicles.

optimusprime

I agree that we need new elements and new villains for the next Batman. I like the idea of Black Mask. He sounds like interesting character.

soundwave_17

I would like to see Mr. Zsasz, Firefly or Hugo Strange as one of the main villains, Firefly was cool and he's a pyro

freemachine

I think it's too far in the future to suggest a possible replacement for Bale. It will take a few years to make Batman 3, and even longer after that to find a replacement for Nolan and Bale. So we're looking at at least 6 years before people will be seriously talking about casting a new Batman. Who knows which actors (or directors) will be in their prime at that point.

C_Rhodes

I'd like to see what who you guys would like to play Batman after Bale.

since it looks like he might do more Terminator, will he still be Batman aswell?!

Lencho

I don't read the comics, but after seeing Black Mask on "The Batman," I've really liked the idea of seeing him on film. He seemed a lot darker than most of the characters on that show. Makes me wonder why we never saw him in the DCAU. Rights,
maybe? Anyway, I think the character would fit well with the "real" world Nolan and co. created for the Nolanverse and with how they'd like to use characters never seen on film before. I really don't like Catwoman since I don't think there's much to her besides being a love interest. And I think Nolan and co. suck when it comes to romance. Makes me wonder if they even care for it. So, if she's in the next film, I don't think her role will be too big. Sort of like how they handled Harvey when he became Two-Face. We'd probably see more Selina Kyle rather than Catwoman.

As far as beyond Batman 3, I'd like to see a different Batman universe. One that embraces the DCU more so than Nolan has. Even he says his Batman wouldn't work with the rest of the DCU. I'd love to see JLA happen. Oh, and we need to have a Batman Beyond film with Clint Eastwood as Bruce Wayne.

Mark

Thanks for the videos guys.
I love watchin' them. Doesn't matter how long they are.

Zinc

Three words for Black Mask: Daniel Day Lewis
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh118/ap_shake...

shadowfuries

I think it would be wise to stay away from a Batman/Superman movie.

freemachine

Have you read The Dark Knight Returns? It's friggin awesome. I would love to see it made into a movie, but I kind of agree that it could be too risky, even for a capable director like Nolan.

EvanJDeBiase

I was wondering why batman saved the joker like you mentioned in the podcast. He could have easily done the same thing he did with Ras Al Ghoul just letting him die. Any thoughts? I also feel like there wasn't enough closure for the joker so one of my thoughts was that you could have a really good joker doppelganger play him but you would only see the back of him in his jail cell. Thoughts on that? Great podcast, when it ended on the main page I was so disappointed but then rejuvenated when I found the second vid.

danielheard

The only director who should take the reigns from Nolan is Greengrass. Paul Greengrass.
He could maintain Nolan's hard "reality" superhero world, while upping the action quotiant to 11. And the first person who say says "wahhhh shakey cam " gets kneecapped.

freemachine

I have a possible title for Batman 3:

BATMAN: KNIGHT OF REDEMPTION

or

THE DARK KNIGHT OF REDEMPTION

Meaning by the end of the film (maybe it could take place in one night) he has saved Gotham from ? and is finally recognized as hero; no longer pursued for Dent's death.

Timothy

Yes, I want the Riddler to return!

It would be great to see two villains come together in the next movie. The Dark Knight was a really great film and I would love to see another movie that is just as good.

Timothy
Washington DC film school

Phillip J. Fry

i vote to see the ventriliquist and scarface in the new batman. would be good in this new gotham city that nolan created.

batman

batman doesnt kill people. ever.

Sitrom

hasn't yet. Watch Tim Burtons Batmans films. He kill dem.

imsrsthefilmwudrock

Oh whoops, sorry Batman. That came out wrong, I typed that with Ras Al Ghoul's death in mind from Batman Begins(where Bats just kinda lets him die). In all, I really meant that Batman would ultimately stop the bad guy.
The question is: Does Batman always get the right guy? (Riddler would still be loose)

_Christopher_M

well basically if Bruce had become a criminal he would be the Black Mask...it's kind of what the character is a dark version of Bruce....I understand what your saying...I first had Henry Cavill in mind since he had auditioned to play Bruce/Batman during Batman Begins casting...he might be a better choice he also auditioned for Bond and Superman

Travis

I do like the idea of just calling it "The Batman". Even before "The Dark Knight" came out I discussed with some friends what the eventual third film would be called. We all jokingly decided on "The Caped Crusader" and "The World's Greatest Detective". But just calling it "The Batman" would work if by the end of the film Wayne has fully accepted that this is his new life long crusade and that he is, more than Bruce Wayne, The Batman of Gotham City.

As far as villains I don't want to see either Two-Face or Joker. The Riddler is too similar to Joker, and I couldn't be any less interested in Catwoman. I'm still sticking by my first rediculous idea. This is also similar to how you guys discussed how Black Mask would fit into the story more as a Wayne villain than a Batman villain. I suggest Lex Luthor. This is what DC needs to do to help pull their universe together. Get Spacey to reprise his role and use Luthor as an economic rival to Wayne. This could also help setup towards the painfully teased at Batman/Superman movie, which could be a way to break from the Nolan-verse into a 4th film.

_Christopher_M

Peter,

what do you think of Sam Worthington playing Black Mask?....sort of the same age as Bale and could make for a decent Nolan villain...plus they have already worked together so they might have the chemistry needed to play off each other

Peter Sciretta

I don't know much about Black Mask but I like Worthington. I just think Warner Bros might want to avoid having the two star in another blockbuster film as adversaries. I think after Terminator comes out it would be too confusing.

Landfill

Hey Peter, I was wanting to tell you that I think alot of people would agree with you on the fact that Nolan let the Joker live. He could have done a quick edit and made it seem like he did die. Plus, remember in Batman Begins when Batman says to Ras that he won't kill him, but he doesn't have to save him either. I think that he could have easily thought like that in this movie and let the Joker die.

I think one of the reasons why Nolan ultimately decided not to kill the Joker was because he talked about the version that Heath would have wanted the world to see.

shadowfuries

I agree, Sam Worthington is a great actor, I just don't think that the politics of it would work. However, I have an interesting idea. How about Clive Owen as Black Mask?

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