Director Rian Johnson On If He's Game For Rebooting BATMAN

Director Rian Johnson On If He's Game For Rebooting BATMAN

The acclaimed director talks about whether he'd be interested in Warner Bros. reboot of the Caped Crusader. Would you be happy if WB turned to Johnson to reboot Batman? Read on to find out what Johnson thinks about the possibility.

By MarkJulian - Nov 11, 2012 01:11 PM EST
Filed Under: Batman
Source: FlickeringMyth


Rian is coming off the critically acclaimed Looper which earned approximately 4.5 times its budget of $30M. Sitting down with FlickeringMyth.com, Johnson responds to the hypothetical question of what he would do if Warner Bros. called him up to discuss rebooting Batman---

"I like that hypothetical. You know I love Batman, I didn't grow up reading the comics but Batman movies, when that first Tim Burton Batman movie came out that kind of defined, in kind of like a weird way for the generation that I was in, that first Batman movie in a way it defined what a blockbuster was for me, more so than any of the 70s movies. When that first Batman movie hit it was like this cultural volcano that defined what the superhero blockbuster was in a way that was just completely drew me in as a kid. So Batman is definitely the one superhero movie franchise that I'm 100% just completely in love with, and I love [Christopher] Nolan's so much man. Right now I'm just focusing on doing my own thing. And that hypothetical that you mentioned has so many variables to it in terms of what kind of movie they're looking to make and all of that so, you know, that call hasn't happened and in the meanwhile I'm not gonna sit by the phone, I'm just gonna keep writing my own stuff."

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DukeAcureds
DukeAcureds - 11/11/2012, 1:23 PM
Right on! 1989 was when cinema got real.
Although I don't think this guy should do the next Batman. Looper was great and all that, but I think they have to get a director much better than Nolan for the next one. Nolan's changed the game a little on Batman. I think a good director could do an interpretation. Not a reinvention. Just great artists doing Batman. Terence Malick, Aronofsky, guys like that.
genesis609
genesis609 - 11/11/2012, 1:23 PM
id rather see a nightwing movie with joseph gorden levitt being nightwing
GuardianAngel
GuardianAngel - 11/11/2012, 1:31 PM
Getting sick of Batman. Nolan's films were near perfect. Give it another 10 years before a new Batman.
marvel72
marvel72 - 11/11/2012, 1:34 PM
i wouldn't mind seeing his take on batman,i want him to do star wars episode 7.

@ theyoungman

have you got time machine how do you know it won't be as good or even better.

i'll admit it would be hard to be better than the first two but not much of a challenge to be better than the third.
Giznad
Giznad - 11/11/2012, 1:37 PM
Did anyone notice in Nolan's "Following" there was a Bat symbol on one of the apartment doors? That's called magic, baby!
AC1
AC1 - 11/11/2012, 1:38 PM
I'd rather Batman not get any solo films for a while. WB are making this shit sounding Justice League film anyway, just have Batman as a member of the League and no solo films related to it or separate from it. Just leave Batman alone for a while.

Nolan's last Batman film was released less than half a year ago, and people already want more. Give it a rest. Plus, it's a tough act to follow, especially so soon. As much as I found The Dark Knight Rises disappointing, there's no arguing that Nolan's Batman films are the best superhero trilogy to have been made so far. I don't think anything can compete with them (mainly the first 2) in terms of quality filmmaking in a superhero movie.
Marvelboyliam1981
Marvelboyliam1981 - 11/11/2012, 1:39 PM
I think they should wait longer but to say oh they won't top nolans is wrong to sa t bear in mind when they hired Nolan for batman begins people said oh ok he's a great director but they won't be better then burtons batman. And of course they were wrong so you never know what will happen. I'd be happy if they just waited a while and let the next film be an off shoot of the JLA film. Est a world and then let that batman live with in a world that the JLA movie made. Nolans batman would fit in a JLA movie as he was so as I said do it the other way. Let that world dictate how the heroes are. Just my opinion. Take some notes from what marvel did with the avengers.
sinsear912
sinsear912 - 11/11/2012, 1:40 PM
Chris nolan trilogy sucked ass. Other than the dark knight, the other 2 films were alright at best. Batman has the greatest rogues gallery and should have been used. I think they should get a director that knows how to juggle action, drama, scifi and thriller all in 1 movie.
jimpinto24
jimpinto24 - 11/11/2012, 1:40 PM
1989's Batman was a classic.
sinsear912
sinsear912 - 11/11/2012, 1:41 PM
Take the joker outta the picture and you got a pretty lame ass batman trilogy
GUNSMITH
GUNSMITH - 11/11/2012, 1:44 PM
WHOEVER FOLLOWS NOLAN'S DARKNIGHT RUN....




GOOD LUCK MAN...GOOD LUCK..
thebatspider
thebatspider - 11/11/2012, 1:46 PM
I would like to see another batman version but comic book style, bale was great batman, but whats the point of have this great batman if they not going to use it for justice league? This is my problem with nolan trilogy, just becuase batman doesnt have superpowers doesnt mean all his Universe have to be realistic, im just asking a batman film connected to the DC Universe.
marvel72
marvel72 - 11/11/2012, 1:47 PM
@ theyoungman

lets just use rotten tomatoes rating system.

batman begins 85%
reviews 224
rotten 39
7.7/10

the dark knight rises 87%
reviews 258
rotten 38
8/10

the dark knight rises had 34 more reviews,but its actually a lot closer than you think.

2% overall rating & 0.3/10 not exactly a landslide is it.
Asterisk
Asterisk - 11/11/2012, 1:51 PM
Alright, this is a great article and on (and he's NOT a bad choice IMO) but can you PLEASE separate the words 'He's' and 'Game' in the title?! It's bugging the CRAP out of me
XavierLehnsherr
XavierLehnsherr - 11/11/2012, 1:53 PM
Robin John Blake as Batman. Let's see some continuity.

Have his Batman in the Justice League movie, too.
KingEmperor
KingEmperor - 11/11/2012, 1:53 PM
If WB reboots Batman this soon, it'll be just like the new Spider-Man franchise. It will not be given a chance to stand on its own.
IIIAdamantiumIII
IIIAdamantiumIII - 11/11/2012, 1:54 PM
ugh give ol' bats a rest for a few years
KnobGoblin
KnobGoblin - 11/11/2012, 1:55 PM
@Giznad; There's also a Batman, and a Superman logo in the background of Memento when Leonard is being chased by Dodd.
Supes17
Supes17 - 11/11/2012, 1:57 PM
Woah @marvel72
STFU you don't know nuthin':P
The Dark Knight Rises got 87% that's 2 % higher
That automatically makes it a billion times better than Batman Begins.

You know, because 2% is a big difference
Rotten Tomatoes is also the most reliable site when it comes to measuring a film's value:P

marvel72
marvel72 - 11/11/2012, 2:02 PM
@ TheYoungMan

when i watch a film about batman,batman begins has it all.

-origin of batman
-best batman costume
-2nd best batmobile
-bat-cave
-two new villains we haven't seen before
-very good acting all round
-nice teaser to the next villain
-great soundtrack

if i ever have trouble sleeping i'll put on the dark knight rises & i'll be in a coma,the only thing that i found better in the dark knight rises than the previous films were the fight scenes.
95
95 - 11/11/2012, 2:03 PM
If I'm not mistaken, Batman will be reintroduced in 2015 for Justice League - and the solo outing isn't in sight. I hope that's the case. We've got a lot of great Batman films - Rises has really worn my excitement out. I could handle a decade without another. But if Warner Brothers must, then... I say get a VFX experienced director attached to an extremely well written script (kinda like Zack Snyder on Man Of Steel). Put a heavily-armored, grounded tech-laden Batman in a exaggerated Gotham (like Arkham City - for lack of an original example).

Anyway, everyone has their own opinion about this franchise - my personal goal is to get EVERY BATMAN FILM ON BLU-RAY.
Optimus83
Optimus83 - 11/11/2012, 2:05 PM
this my list of characters of Batman 4:



- Batman



- Alfred Pennyword



- Lucius Fox



- Commissioner James Gordon



- Dick Grayson/Nightwing



- Det. John Blake



- Joker



- Harley Quinn



- The Royal Flush Gang



- Agent King Faraday


- Amanda Waller
evilness
evilness - 11/11/2012, 2:08 PM
nolan's trilogy was a great resurrection of the character. now, let's get some real batman films.
thebearjew
thebearjew - 11/11/2012, 2:08 PM
@GuardianAngel ya while im no where near sick of batman i love him my fav superhero ever but ya i agree give it some time

@TheYoungMan ya! Man theyre going ro have ONE tough act to follow

@GUNSMITH ya eyre going to have a tough time following up nolans trilogy

Also, this dude should be in chae of batman reboot he doesnt have any knowledge of e comics thats sorta a deal breaker for me
95
95 - 11/11/2012, 2:09 PM
A screenwriter who originally was a comic reader or wrote comics should be more important than a director who (by some of your requirements) MUST be an avid comic book reader. Just handing them a collection of comics to draw storyboarding inspiration from is enough for me.
PapaEmeritus
PapaEmeritus - 11/11/2012, 2:11 PM
Would be an interesting choice. I'm cool with that!

@Marv72, we should analyse Nolan's trilogy as a whole piece. I did it with LoTR trilogy - the films are tied up.
marvel72
marvel72 - 11/11/2012, 2:12 PM
@ Supes17

:D hahahahaha yeah i know rotten tomatoes isn't the most reliable of sites,but i used them because their scores are based on all reviews & not just 40 odd on meta.
95
95 - 11/11/2012, 2:13 PM
Let David Goyer write the first draft.

...Okay, I got to stop this. I'm in 2012 - a Batman reboot isn't a real project just yet. Man Of Steel looks amazing!
evilness
evilness - 11/11/2012, 2:14 PM
@ManOfSuperguy

while i agree it might be unwise to reboot the character too soon. but completely rejecting the idea of a batman movie from hereon is a little absurd.

batman is greater than nolan. batman helped nolan, just as much (if not more) as nolan helped batman. the character has been around for decades. been around since before us, and will be around long after we're gone. he is a legacy that by his very nature must be passed on. placing one contributor above the character seems nothing short of absurd to me.

loved nolan's films. but looking forward to the reboot a few years down the line.
Kevwebsz
Kevwebsz - 11/11/2012, 2:17 PM
[frick] NOLANS LUNG CANCER BATMAN! BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM/ CITY CLEARLY SHOWED A TRUE BATMAN THAT CAN SATIFY ALL BATMAN FANS!!!!!
SageMode
SageMode - 11/11/2012, 2:18 PM
I'm just ready to see a TRUELY DEFINITIVE Batman movie trilogy. We haven't gotten one yet.
SageMode
SageMode - 11/11/2012, 2:21 PM
If the reboot follow a similar atmospheric tone and fantastical element-induced presentation found in the Arkham games, that would be awesome.

And BTW, Tahmoh Penikett for BRUCE WAYNE/BATMAN.

Vital
Vital - 11/11/2012, 2:24 PM
Who says they are making a Batman film anytime soon lol? This is all rumors and speculation.
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