What you need to know...
The movie is titled AKA Thaddeus Crane
Batman: The Animated Series, regarding Alfred, combines elements from pre-Crisis and post-Crisis continuities; Alfred has been serving the Wayne family since before Thomas Wayne's death and helped his young charge assume the Batman identity, but was also revealed to be a former agent for the British intelligence agency MI-6.
MI6: Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) supplies the British Government with foreign intelligence. It is frequently referred to by the name MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6). The existence of MI6 was not officially acknowledged until 1992.
The year, much like B:TAS, would be ambiguous.
The synopsis:
The movie begins with ONE scene, Medieval Times, depicting Sir Gawaeyne de Wayne, in armor, a crude bat, painted in a combo of blood and mud, across his chest, defending the Holy Grail (or, as stated, what he believes to be the Grail) to his death.
The next scene depicts Nathaniel Wayne, in Puritan Gotham, berating a woman, Tabitha Al Ghul, accused of being a witch and raising the dead, to which she is then burned at the stake, not before she curses his bloodline.
In modern times, a young couple bursts, drunk, through a huge door, into their huge mansion and are met by their butler, Jarvis, who tends to them.
A small discussion between the 3 informs us that the couple, newlyweds Thomas and Martha Wayne, battle between being the carefree party animals they've always been and the caring citizens they are becoming. With all of their wealth they've been far more charitable and very helpful as of late, in cleaning up the dingy streets of Gotham, though it's hard not to party for them.
Jarvis explains his son is coming to visit Gotham. He is nervous, not knowing what to expect. The last he knew of his son, he was a troubled, 18-year-old soldier in the British military.
Alfred, who never gives a straight answer as to what his name is: Thaddeus Crane, Alfred Beagle, Thaddeus Middleton, the Eagle, the Outsider, and Alfred Jarvis are all names he claims throughout the movie.
As it turns out, he's there to complete his final mission before retirement. He must hunt down and kill his former partner-turned rogue mercenary and drug lord, Sir Edmund Dorrance and his new partner, Wintergreen. The 2 men were there to score a major heroine trade into Gotham by striking a deal with the heads of the 3 major mafia families in Gotham, Luigi Maroni, Vincent Falcone and Lew Moxon, along with CPT Loeb of the GCPD.
There, Alfred meets and befriends the Waynes and their friends, the also wealthy Elliots and Leslie Thompkins, whom he falls for.
Thompkins and Alfred, however, are not as compatible as each would like. Each with a checkered past and Thompkins with her undying devotion to helping even the most dangerous, if in trouble, and Alfred with his action 1st, question later method make it hard for the 2 to actually fall in love rather than lust.
Along the way, Alfred is assisted with, seemingly, the only good cop in Gotham, in Slam Bradley. Bradley is useful with the Gotham mafia whereas Alfred is use to "bigger fish" and not comfortable with local irritants. The 2 make a formidable team.
Alfred's personality is more outgoing than what we are familiar with but his dry sense of wit is still there. He gets more uptight as the movie unfolds.
Roger Elliot drinks too much and is slightly abrasive with his frail wife throughout the movie. They are not to be liked
His father is killed by King Snake and his father's dying wish is that he tend to the Waynes. "They're just staring to clean uo Gotham and they need someone to guide them, protect them, and keep them on the alleyway of right and wrong (a small, subtle foreshadow)."
There would be loads of drama between Alfred and Snake, never mind Alfred and Leslie.
Thomas Wayne saves Alfred's life.
Alfred saves Slam's life.
Leslie nurses, and subsequently, saves Moxon's life. Moxon is arrested for his involvement and swears revenge on Alfred, Thomas and Slam. "I don't care how long it takes. They'll all go down. Don't ever rest. The day you forget about me is the day I'll strike. They'll be a chill in the air and, before you can blink, you'll be dead." (foreshadow)
Slam beats the crap out of Loeb, who gets away with everything anyway.
Alfred kills Wintergreen but Snake gets away.
Alfred agrees to become Thomas Wayne's personal assistant because he is "no man's butler."
Slam retires and moves. Alfred to Slam, " The only good cop in Gotham, gone. Who's going to protect the city now?" Slam to Alfred, "I'm not the only good cop in the world, you know. Someone'll come by. It may even take 2 or 3 the way things are going (foreshadow). I got a friend, Jones, who's thinking about a transfer to Gotham, but you got to be from another planet to want to work in this city these days." (foreshadow)
At the end of the movie both Martha and Maria announce that they are pregnant.
THE CAST
The Hero
Alfred is Jonathan Rhys Meyers
34 years old
The Tudors
An Alfred in his mid-30's is perfect for an agent of MI6. Clearly Alfred has grown from a troubled soldier to an ass-kicking agent in a top secret British organization that deals with world-class assassins. He will not be as amazing as James Bond, because I'd want to avoid that comparison as much as possible. He would be about as hardened as Smith and Lawrence from Bad Boys, but on a secret agent level, if that makes sense.
Meyers was on a very very short list of contenders for this role and I think he is perfect for it. I can imagine him growing older and looking like Alfred.
The Estranged Father
Jarvis Geoffrey is Alan Rickman
66 years old
Harry Potter
I was going for a brilliant actor that could also play Alfred, that hasn't been picked before and, that wasn't the spitting image of the art. What's funny is, Alfred is probably the most unique character in that I can think of no man that looks like him. I didn't want to hunt down someone that, when you saw him, you knew instantly he was Alfred's father but, instead, an actor that could make you believe he was the heart and soul that pushed the Wayne's in the right direction. Jarvis has to convince you that he was so important to both Alfred and the Waynes that his death would devastate them and Alfred, more so, enough to convince him to become a butler, of all things.
The Friends
Thomas Wayne is Gaspard Ulliel
27
Hanibal Rising
I was looking for a dark actor that could also be a suave kind of guy. Almost in the same way that I didn't want Jarvis to be an Alfred clone, I didn't want Thomas to be another fancast version of Bruce, you know, didn't want that "well he's my choice for Batman so I used him here" thing. Ulliel is a strong actor and I'd like to see him do this very much.
Martha Wayne is Ellen Page
25
Inception
Aside from my Wintergreen and Bradley choices, quite possibly the best actor in this cast. She has a very sweet natured look but can be feisty as well. I think these 2 could add so much depth to characters we know very little about.
Leslie Thompkins is Abbie Cornish
29
Sucker Punch
Older than her peers, she'd be able to relate to Alfred with slighter ease. Cornish is as pretty as she is tough and could, I believe, play well off of the rigid Myers.
Marla Elliot is Emma Roberts
21
Scream 4
1, I love her as an actress and she has a great pedigree, 2, she's at an age where the Martha and, especially, the Leslie characters could call her a friend but look after as a younger sister type. Roberts can also portray a slightly vulnerable type that could eventually develop into the mother that screws her son, Thomas, AKA Hush, up by letting herself and him get pushed around by Roger.
Roger Elliot is Jake Abel
25
Supernatural
Abel, again younger than Thomas, can become the younger friend who looks up to Thomas and slowly transform into the abusive drunk that fathers one of Batman's greatest enemies.
The Enemies
King Snake is Armie Hammer
25
The Lone Ranger
The funny thing about Snake is that he is seemingly young in the current comics (ya' know, before the Black Lantern thing, but yey, is the father of Bane). So, in this, he is young, and has already, or will shortly, father Bane. Hammer is a huge young actor with loads of potential and would be great in this role.
Wintergreen is Sean Bean
53
LotR
With Wintergreen, as with the whole cast, but more so here, their is a lot of freedom in casting. Yes, I try to pick a person that looks as if they are the younger version of the character they play but it is based more on acting ability and the assumption that they can play off of each other fittingly. I chose Bean as the mysterious Wintergreen guiding the younger, more viscous Durrance (Snake) because, and simply because, he is a great actor and could guide Hammer and JRM through the movie as only an A-list actor can.
The Mob
Vincent Falcone is Frank Vincent
72
Casino
Quite the opposite affect here when compared to choosing Thomas Wayne. Vincent Falcone is almost the spitting image of his son, Carmine. Therefor, in searching for the elder Falcone, I went for a character that could resemble a current Carmine. Dennis Farina is the actor I selected in my Long Halloween fancast so opted to choose a more fresh face.
Carmine Falcone is Jon Bernthal
35
The Walking Dead
My original choice was Andy Davoli of Knockaround Guys fame, however, having only seen him as a supporting actor in said movie, and although I've been wanting to see him more, and the fact that he is 5 years Berthal's senior, a positive thing, he is far less known. That, and Bernthal has proven his worth as an actor.
Lew Moxon is Jim Beaver
61
Supernatural
Moxon, as the aging ganster, is sent to jail for 10 years through Wayne's testimony. The day Moxon is released, he hires chill to murder Wayne. Moxon bares a striking resemblance to Beaver. I love Beaver in Supernatural and can only imagine how great an actor outside one of my favorite shows really is, having performed double duty on DeadWood and SN.
Luigi Maroni is Vincent Pastore
65
Sopranos
Because, Big Lou is the spitting image of Big Pu$$. Sue, he's a good actor, was wonderful in said role, but, when it comes down to it, there was no other actor better for the role.
Sal Maroni is Andrew Keegan
33
O
From Camp Nowhere to !0 Things I hate About You to O, Keegen was always a winner on screen. Some how he was able to steel every scene he was in in each movie. Maroni is depicted a thousand different ways so it's hard, or easy depending on one's perspective, to choose an actor that fits his appearance. My only issue is if people feel that Bernthal and Keegan resemble each other, I only say that as I've been told I look like both actors and could claim relation to either one. I don't think they look alike, but I hope it wouldn't come across that way.
The Dirty Cop
Loeb is Ethan Suplee
35
American History X
Suplee personifies the sleezy, going bald, getting fat, sloppy cop whose underhanded tactics will soon lead to a position of power as the Commissioner of Gotham PD. Suplee is an intense actor whose talents are widely recognized; therefor, no argument is needed.
The Good Cop
Slam Bradley is Matt Dillon
48
Outsiders
So many options were running through my head. Originally, I was trying to create a story starring Slam, but it was too hard considering there was a very small pool of supporting characters., hence the reason he is here. As I was saying, Dillon was among many contenders, all, I should admit, were obvious. Jeffery Dean Morgan to Jon Hamm to half a dozen others, Dillon, gruff, aging, eternally bad ass, and a choice that was not so obvious was where i happily ended. Dillon, is a phenominal supporting actor that adds so much depth to his roles without eclipsing ,only adding to, his fellow cast members.
Guest Starring...
Sir Gawaeyne de Wayne is Jake Gyllenhaal
31
Brothers
For Gawaeyne and Nathanial I chose the 2 runners up (IMO) for the title of Batman Begins. See, back in '03 I can vividly recall having a conversation with a friend stating that Bale and Boreanaz would both make the perfect Batman. Boreanaz for his role as Angel, essentially a vampiric Batman and Bale for his role as Bateman in American Psycho, playing a character whose every day persona was a fraud, hiding a much darker soul beneath, essentially an insane Batman ( or to update that, a crappy Frank Miller-esque Batman). Having said that, I was then familiarized with Gyllenhaal over the next few years, hind sight kicked in following my viewing of Donnie Darko, in which he played a psychologically troubled teen,The Day After Tomorrow where he portrayed a student caught in a cataclysmic event, Jarhead, as a Marine and, more recently, the aforementioned Brothers. Gyllenthaal would have not only been another outstanding Batman, but perfect as a Year One Batman. Bale and Boreanaz were both older than the rookie Bat. That's why he guest stars here. That is why Boreanaz guest stars there vvvvvvvvvvv
Nathanial Wayne is David Boreanaz
42
Bones