Hey all,
You may know that, with Man Of Steel most likely kicking off a DC Cinematic Universe, I've been working on crafting my own take on what that would look like. So far, I've posted plot outlines and fancasts for World's Finest, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. With Man Of Steel finally hitting theaters this week, I decided to post my next installment, in which I tackle the inevitable Batman reboot. I took a lot of influence in for this one, ranging from The Dark Knight Trilogy and 1989's Batman to Batman: Gotham Knight, Batman: Under The Red Hood, the DC Animated Universe, and Scott Snyder's current run. I especially was influenced by the upcoming video game Batman: Arkham Origins, even going as far as recreating what was seen in the first trailer. I wanted to do some things differently for this latest incarnation, including kicking off with a previously unseen villain and some supporting characters not seen in Chris Nolan's series. Here goes nothing...
THE BATMAN
-New Scene: Zoom in on Gotham City. As usual, its streets and citizens are active. A businessman is seen walking out of a building and entering the back seat of a black car. This man was clearly displeased over something, and rather irritatingly told the driver to drive and where to go. The car was driving for a few minutes. Suddenly, another car comes speeding up on the left and slams into the first car, sending it flying several feet. The impact hit the car on the driver's side, killing the driver instantly. The passenger's left door was caved in by the corner of a nearby building, and the vehicle happened to have landed next to a manhole cover on that side. Before anyone could approach the damaged car, it caught on fire and exploded.
-New Scene: The Gotham News station ran this story, with the headline, "Roman Sionis, Former Chairman Of The Second National Bank Of Gotham City, Killed In Car Crash". The report from newcomer Vicki Vale then addressed the recent bailout of the Second National Bank of Gotham City by Wayne Enterprises, as it became bankrupt due to Sionis' poor leadership. Just before his car crash, he met with Wayne Enterprises CEO Bruce Wayne to finalize the bailout. Wayne would then appoint somebody else to replace Sionis in an attempt to rescue the bank. Many people attended Sionis' funeral, including Wayne.
-New Scene: Cut back to the car crash. Roman Sionis managed to get into the nearby manhole just before the vehicle exploded. He recently planned this "accident" since he first heard that he was losing his job, which pushed him over the edge of the insanity that he has been holding in all his life. He sees flashbacks of his wealthy parents, who were more concerned about their social image than caring for their son. They even befriended and associated themselves with the Wayne family to establish a more favorable view from the public, and Roman is seen forcefully befriending Bruce Wayne as a child. With this hypocrisy in mind, and all the failures in life so far, Sionis decided to fake his death and become a new man.
-New Scene: After traveling through the sewers, Sionis finds an underground area that he would use as his base. He puts his suitcase on the table that's present, opens it and pulls out a skull. This is the skull of Janus Sionis, Roman's father, who was a successful industrialist. Also in the suitcase is a shiny white business suit and a bottle of superglue. Roman had previously painted the skull black, and reworks it so it could be large enough to place a head into it and be more mask-like. He glues it onto his head, forever having a new face. He adopts the name "Black Mask", and within the next seven to eight months, he becomes a ruthless mob boss and establishes a rather large following.
-Cue Opening Credits
-Background Check: Cut to the present day, five months after the events of Justice League and the near-apocalypse which brought the team together. Despite agreeing to stay a team to combat other major forces, they also decided to temporarily go separate ways to continue protecting their respective home bases. Batman in particular was in favor of this idea, as he put defending Gotham above any other place.
-New Scene: Cut to nighttime Gotham. A group of thugs wearing masks were robbing the First National Bank of Gotham City and were attempting to leave the scene. Cops led by Lieutenant Harvey Bullock surround the building, and threatened to fire if they refused to surrender. Suddenly, a dark figure (which is then revealed to be Batman) swoops in and tackles a couple thugs. A couple thugs begin shooting at the cops, and Batman then throws Batropes which bound their arms and legs. The Dark Knight gets into a brawl with the rest of them. He jumps up and kicks one in the face, and smacked down another. The last one attempted to creep up behind him with a loaded pistol. Bullock begins to warn him, but Batman quickly backhanded the robber in the face. This broke his mask, and Batman acquired a couple of pieces to examine later, and places them in a pocket on his belt.
-New Scene: As the thugs are being loaded into police cars, Harvey Bullock and police commissioner Jim Gordon talk with Batman on a rooftop about this group. The Batsignal is located on this rooftop. Bullock asks if this could be another gang of The Joker's (since they also liked to wear masks/make up), but Batman doubts it. He promised to keep them in the loop about any potential discoveries he may make. He gives Gordon and Bullock each an earpiece to wear to properly communicate/stay in touch, but assured them that it wasn't a tracking device. Batman takes out his grappling hook and flies away.
-New Scene: As they're walking towards a police car, Bullock tells Gordon that he still had his doubts about the Caped Crusader. Gordon merely tells him to continue working with him cautiously. He also note that he somewhat trusted him, since he has proven to be reliable support in crime fighting. The commissioner is one of Batman's allies in his war on crime, and the only cop he trusts.
-New Scene: Cut to the Batcave. Batman had recently returned from the brawl and is sitting at his Batcomputer looking up various files. Among them was a list of weaknesses of the Justice League, which he would use against them if they ever went rogue. Batman was also researching recent group robberies and comparing them, hoping to find a point of origin of the thugs he took down earlier. While he was usually able to deduce which villains inspired which henchmen, he wasn't able to do so with this recent wave. He then pulls out a piece of the broken mask he acquired earlier from his belt, and places it underneath a highly advanced microscope. Again, he couldn't get a lead from it, as the material wasn't anything special.
-New Scene: Batman hears an opening into the cave, and goes to attend to it. His trusted butler, Alfred, starts climbing down the stairs that led from Wayne Manor's grandfather clock to the cave floor. Batman tells him what he has been working on, and Alfred simply tells him to stop and rest for the rest of the night, as he had been very active that day. Batman, realizing that he hasn't found a lead yet, figured that a short break would suffice. He starts taking off his costume beginning with his cowl and gloves/gauntlets.
-New Scene: Cut to a dark room just outside of the main city of Gotham, which is a part of Black Mask's underground base. One of his henchmen told him what happened at the bank robbery earlier that day, and that Batman stopped them. Angrily, Black Mask sought to hire somebody to "exterminate the bat". He sends a messenger to Slade Wilson, a middle-aged mercenary who worked as an assassin under the name Deathstroke. The merc is then seen entering the base; he walked into what looked to be a shack, and a platform descended into a room crawling with thugs. After he came in, Black Mask complimented Slade for his impressive accolades, and asked him to take Batman out for a $50 million reward. Slade agrees to do so, and walks out the door to the base (which is heavily guarded by thugs).
-New Scene: Cut to another assassin, who's loading his assault rifle in a room near the top of a building. This is Deadshot, a hired gunman who held a grudge against Batman. He was once a leader in the crime underworld of Gotham before the Dark Knight defeated him and locked him up in Arkham Asylum. He has since become a hitman who would kill targets when assigned. Deadshot is seen aiming his gun at the mayor of Gotham, who is throwing a fundraiser in a building that's at least 50-60 feet away. He fired the gun, marking a perfect shot as the bullet rammed into the mayor's forehead, killing him instantly. Of course, this caused much panic in the room. Deadshot moved away from the scene immediately afterwards, having accomplished his latest assignment.
-New Scene: Jim Gordon arrives at the scene, as an ambulance loads the mayor to bring to the hospital. He asks witnesses to describe what happened, and he quickly deduced that a shooter fired the bullet from far away. He is then seen turning on the Batsignal, not only to contact Batman but to remind other people that the Caped Crusader is around.
-New Scene: After finding another place to hide in Gotham, Deadshot is confronted by another gunman, who told him that he has a job offer. Deadshot is later seen entering Black Mask's base. He talks with the mob boss, who also offers him $50M if he killed Batman. Deadshot happily agreed to it.
-New Scene: Cut to a dark bedroom. Bruce Wayne is seen sleeping in bed. He randomly wakes up, and walks into the main room of Wayne Manor dressed in a robe. Alfred is on a chair, watching the news. Bruce joins him. The channel was covering the assassination of mayor Peter Sandberg by an unknown shooter. Again, Vicki Vale was giving the report, and is shown asking Harvey Bullock about the murder. Bullock said that they hope to find the shooter sooner rather than later. Alfred sees the Batsignal in the window and turns to Bruce, giving him a "you better get busy" look. Bruce hurriedly walks away, and approaches the Wayne Manor grandfather clock. He presses a hidden button on it, and it opens.
-New Scene: Cut to the Batcave. Bruce is descending the stairs, and gives a voice command to bring his current Batman suit up. A case then rises from the floor, featuring the costume. Bruce then suits up as Batman in a montage. After placing his cowl on, Batman enters the Batmobile and drives through a waterfall. After getting onto a platform, the Batmobile is raised up to the edge of the cave from the outside, and proceeds to drive off. The cave's edge was then covered by fake bushes, which were moved away when the Batmobile drove through.
-New Scene: Gordon is on the rooftop next to the Batsignal, and Batman drops in behind him. Gordon doesn't notice him until he begins to speak. Startled, he told Batman not to scare him like that, but then remarks that scaring others was what he was all about. Batman said that Gordon could've used the earpiece, as it's expensive. The commissioner replied that he was just used to working with the Batsignal. They engage in conversation about the assassination of the mayor, and Batman affirms that he'll be looking into it. He gets his grappling hook out, hooks onto a nearby building and flies off.
-New Scene: Cut to about three henchmen in a Gotham City warehouse. They appear to be looking for goods to steal. Suddenly, one of them was randomly pulled into one of the darker corners of the building and disappeared. Alarmed, the other two figured it was Batman. A shadow was moving, and the henchmen began shooting. An arm then tore through the floor, pulling one of the thugs down. The third was obviously frightened at this point, and he seems to see shadows moving all over the place, firing his machine gun until he ran out of ammo. To his shock, he turns around and sees Batman, who grabs him and throws him into a wall. The Dark Knight started to interrogate him, asking who he was working for. Suddenly, a gun is placed onto the back of his head. It's a trap!
-New Scene: Shown in slow-motion, Batman quickly move his head out of the way, prompting the gun to fire. However, the bullet hit the third henchman and killed him. Batman turned to face Deathstroke (who revealed that he was hired to terminate the Bat) and knocked his gun out of his hand. The two began fighting and are fairly matched, as both are experts in martial arts. Deathstroke was using his sword, and Batman's gauntlets deflected it. The sword catches one gauntlet, and Batman plants his fist into Deathstroke's chest, sending him flying through a wall.
-New Scene: They take the battle outside, where large boxes of cargo were stored. Batman knocked Deathstroke to his feet, and was about to interrogate him too. However, a gunshot is suddenly heard, and Batman looks up to see a large cargo box about to fall on him. He grabs Deathstroke and vanishes before the box crashed onto the ground.
-New Scene: Deathstroke pulled out his second gun and, while the Caped Crusader was glancing away, began shooting Batman in the chest and abdomen. Thankfully, he was wearing a bullet proof suit. Batman smacks the gun out of Deathstroke's hand and asked him who hired him. Knowing his reputation, he also asked him if he had anything to do with the mayor's murder. Of course, Deathstroke wouldn't answer. The two are at the edge of the docks. Out of the corner of his eye, Batman sees another assassin loading his gun, and leaps upward as soon as the shot is fired. Batman flings a Batarang at Deadshot (the other assassin), knocking him out. By the time Batman landed back into the ground, Deatstroke somehow disappeared, presumably rolling off the edge of the docks and into the body of water below.
-New Scene: Jim Gordon is in his office, looking at some paperwork. Suddenly, a voice in his ear says, "Gordon, can you hear me?" Gordon confirms, with Batman saying that he has Deadshot and wants him to be taken to Arkham. He speculated that this was the man who assassinated the mayor, since he consistently makes perfect shots even from far away. After being given the coordinates, the commissioner sends out some cops to arrest the assassin. But when they got to the area, Batman was gone, and Deadshot was all tied up. They loaded the assassin into a police car and took him to Arkham.
-New Scene: Cut to Black Mask's base. The mob boss is sitting on his chair, its back facing the table. Deathstroke comes in, and after being welcomed by Black Mask, criticized him for "allowing one of your other assassins to get in the way" of his job. Black Mask then retorted that he heard that Deathstroke was losing anyways, which caused Slade to turn around and walk away in anger. At the door, he tells the guard to open it or he'll gut him. The door is opened immediately. Afterwards, a henchman informs Black Mask that Deadshot was arrested, and asked if he had any other targets (preferably "easier" than Batman) in mind to eliminate. He contemplates for a moment, and then he simply says, "Yes."
-New Scene: Cut to the Wayne Enterprises building the following night. Bruce Wayne is hosting a party, where the billionaire sees an attractive young lady and starts talking to her. He identifies her as news reporter Vicki Vale, who moved to Gotham last year. Bruce commended her work and clearly took a liking to her immediately. The two begin a conversation about the city, Batman and the alien invasion that occurred in Metropolis a few months back. They proceed to dance alongside other couples at the party. Alfred is busy attending to guests. Suddenly, gunfire is heard in the room. A large group of thugs, who looked just like the ones robbing the bank the other day, broke in. They shot and killed three Wayne Enterprises executives, and announced plans to murder Bruce as well. Wayne told Vicki to hide herself, and he went right up to the thugs. He asks them to only hurt him and not anyone else, as he's the one they're after. They decide to have some "fun" with him first, and Bruce is struck down by the butt of a rifle.
-New Scene: Two henchmen hold Bruce while another beats him. People in attendance, including Alfred, are in shock at what they're seeing. Bruce then breaks the thug's hold on one side, and manages to break loose and punch the other. He fights off some others, but not near as aggressively as he would as Batman (so he wouldn't draw suspicion). One thug pulled out a knife, and before it could stab Bruce, the billionaire held it away from his chest. Another henchman grabs a table and slides it into Bruce, pushing him and the knife-wielder through the glass wall. The two begin a perilous fall.
-New Scene: While falling, Bruce knocks out the thug by slamming his head into his knee. He tries to find a way to save himself, but by that time, he was past anything he could grab on. Plus, he didn't have any of his Batman gear on him. He tried to use the thug's knife to stab into the building, but the knife was then broken in half. Suddenly, a rope binds and holds Bruce, saving him from a fatal fall. He looks up and sees a dark figure with a large blue bird icon on his chest. He knew this was Nightwing, his former sidekick who left a couple years ago to establish himself as a separate hero. Nightwing helps Bruce onto the ledge of the building, untied him and said that he saw two guys falling, rescuing them both in the same fashion. [Cut to the henchman tied up below them.] Bruce thanked him, and told him that there were more thugs in the top room of the building. Nightwing asked if he needed anything else, and Bruce simply said, "a car".
-New Scene: The next shot sees Bruce driving away in one of his sports cars, as Nightwing climbs up the building to finish the battle. When he lands in the room, three thugs started shooting at him. Nightwing dodged/deflected all of these bullets with his two blue rods. He throws one of them into the final loaded pistol, and it exploded, bouncing it back into his hand. He knocks out these three henchmen and proceeds to attack the rest of them (there are a total 15-20 thugs). He turns to see one thug, and suddenly, a Batarang is thrown into his gun. As it explodes, Nightwing sees Batman descending into the room, crashing in from the glass roof. The two proceed to knock out every one of the assailants. Nightwing remarks, "This reminds me of old times." Batman didn't reply.
-New Scene: Batman interrogated one of the thugs, asking who were they all working for. The thug admitted that they were hired by Black Mask to kill Bruce Wayne, but wouldn't say who else. Batman gives Jim Gordon the heads up, thinking that Black Mask has called for the deaths of multiple figures (including the Gotham City mayor).
-New Scene: The police came up and arrested all of these thugs, and Batman told Gordon and Lieutenant Bullock what he found out, speculating that Deadshot was hired by Black Mask to kill the mayor. Gordon told all the cops to stay active and attempt to find Black Mask at any cost. He also told Batman that they were going in to interrogate Floyd Lawston (Deadshot) at Arkham, and invited him along. Batman said that he had other requirements to take care of first, and flew off via grappling hook. Bullock says that the Dark Knight still scared him.
-New Scene: Cut to the training room in the Batcave. Bruce is out of costume, shirtless and in sweat pants. He's performing acrobatics and then punching a punching bag. When he finishes, Nightwing (who was in the cave for a while) walks in, and the two begin talking. As they walk out of the room, they reconcile any differences they had when Dick Grayson left to become a new hero. After consideration, Bruce reveals to Dick and Alfred (who had just entered the cave) that he'll being going undercover. Until he defeats Black Mask, Bruce Wayne will be off the radar. He told Nightwing to stick around in case of an emergency. He realizes that Bruce Wayne's public presence would put any of his loved ones in danger. Alfred tried to convince him otherwise, but Bruce had made his decision. He gives a voice command, and out of the floor comes a new armored Batsuit. Bruce puts it on, hops into the Batmobile and drives through the waterfall at the edge of the Batcave.
-New Scene: Nightwing starts to talk with Alfred, looking back on old times and when Dick Grayson was Robin, the Boy Wonder. He mentioned how he missed the Batcave. Dick takes his mask off and recalls an incident a year ago where he confronted the man who killed his parents near a circus. Thoughts of his parents falling to their deaths during a circus act (made to look like an accident, but a crime organization set it up) when he was 16 came to mind, as Dick was about to deliver a fatal blow to Ryan Wilson. However, he suddenly refused to exact vengeance on him (despite every bone in his body wanting to do so). When Dick finished telling this story, Alfred pats him on the shoulder and commends him for his wise actions.
-New Scene: Cut to a dark room. Floyd Lawston is sitting at a table unmasked, hands cuffed. Harvey Bullock and Jim Gordon enter the room, and the former begins asking questions (including whether or not he was working for Black Mask, and where he was during the assassination of Mayor Sandberg). Of course, Floyd refused to talk, and even mocked the two for not doing well at this job. He suggested that they should get Batman to interrogate him.
-New Scene: Cut to the Batmobile driving at the edge of Gotham City. Batman starts to sweat, knowing that those whom he love are now in danger as Bruce Wayne is in danger. He's determined to find Black Mask as soon as possible. He hears Jim Gordon's voice in his earpiece, telling him to come to Arkham and that they can't get Deadshot to talk. Batman just said, "I'm busy. Batman out." before turning off the earpiece. [Back at Arkham, Gordon checks his earpiece and is annoyed at the apparent lack of Batman's cooperation. He tells Floyd that the Dark Knight was currently unavailable, at which the assassin scoffed.] Suddenly, multiple explosions erupt around the Batmobile.
-New Scene: Deathstroke is seen on top of a building, determined to kill Batman even if he now isn't getting paid for it. Batman gets out of the Batmobile, which was ruined by a series of land mines activated by Deathstroke. He jumps up and throws a Batarang at the mercenary, who grabs and crushes it with his bare hand. Slade jumps down to meet him, and the two engage in another battle. Again, both are in an evenly matched brawl. At one point, Batman grabs Deathstroke, grabs his grappling hook and flies off.
-New Scene: Cut to Black Mask's base. The boss is told that Batman is currently engaged in a battle with Deathstroke, but there has been no sign of Bruce Wayne since the attack at Wayne Enterprises. His messenger then details exactly what happened then. Black Mask was furious to hear that his own men would be so dumb, and punched the messenger in the face. As he was down, he was repeatedly punched and kicked by Mask, who was calling his army "dogs" for not defeating someone as simple as a billionaire and saying that they should step up their game. Those who heard nodded in agreement (and fear).
-New Scene: Batman and Deathstroke are battling on a bridge outside of the main city. Slade Wilson overpowers the Dark Knight and knocks him onto his back and puts a small sword to his neck. Deathstroke asks, "Any last requests, Batman?", to which Bats replied, "Hold your breath." Batman pulls out a bottle of toxin (which he then explains is a sample of fear gas created by the Scarecrow) from his utility belt and sprays it into Deathstoke's face, causing him to cough heavily. Batman, wearing a gas mask, then drops a smoke bomb so he couldn't be seen. Frightened, Deathstroke asks what's going on. He fires his gun everywhere he could, but Batman wasn't hit. The Caped Crusader then proclaimed, "I have been one with the darkness for nearly all my life. For I am vengeance, I am the night, I am Batman!" He emerges from the shadows and leaps towards Deathstroke, who sees Batman as a large demonic bat. Batman tackles him and punches his head into a wall, crushing Slade Wilson's mask and knocking the mercenary out. Batman takes off his gas mask, puts cuffs on him and holds him up by a rope, so the police could capture him.
-New Scene: Batman glances and sees a henchman running away from the end of the bridge, and proceeds to go after him. He locates the thug and tackles him onto the top of a building, crashing through the ground in the process. When they landed and got out of the rubble, Batman asks him where his boss was, and a mysterious voice said, "Right here." A figure in a white suit emerges from the shadows, revealing himself to be Black Mask. Batman, relieved that he had finally found him, tried to tackle him, but a stream of gunfire poured onto him as Black Mask ran away. After activating a mouthguard from within the cowl, Batman then saw that he was surrounded by Black Mask's entire thug army as the mob boss mysteriously disappeared. Despite being shot repeatedly, Batman took out many thugs rather easily. However, his arm was shot in one of the few areas on his suit not covered by armor, making his battle a little harder. He calls in Nightwing, who told him that he was on his way. Nightwing is then seen with a GPS on a motorcycle, which labeled Batman's location. One thug seemed to be getting the upper hand over the Caped Crusader, but a blue rod suddenly whacked him in the face. Batman looks up and sees Nightwing swooping in, and the two defeat the entire army. As soon as all the thugs were defeated, Batman proceeds to track down Black Mask.
-New Scene: Black Mask is in a room, holding a picture of his parents that was one of his few personal belongings. He has a flashback of murdering them and burning their mansion down years ago, but he managed to escape without ever being accused of the crime. A thought comes to mind suggesting if he had been wrong all along, and he even wondered if becoming Black Mask was what he really wanted. Suddenly, Batman slams the door open. Black Mask pulls his pistol out, but it's grabbed out of his hand and crushed by Batman's. He head butts Batman, breaking his cowl and sending him back a bit. Black Mask sees that it's Bruce Wayne, to his shock. He sees flashbacks of meeting him as a child, and how he always disliked him. Bruce recognizes Mask's voice, and realizes that it's Roman Sionis, who apparently died a few months ago. When asked why he faked his death, Sionis simply said that he wanted to start over in life, as he thought he failed at being Roman Sionis and believed he would be more successful at being Black Mask. Bruce offers to help, but Roman punches him down, saying that he's done enough.
-New Scene: Nightwing enters the room, and is surprised to see Batman unmasked. He fights off Black Mask, and Bruce binds him with a rope and knocks him out. He stomps Black Mask in the face, crushing his skull mask and revealing his true identity. Bruce turns on his earpiece and tells Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock that he has Black Mask/Roman Sionis.
-New Scene: Cut to Arkham. Gordon is relieved that Black Mask was defeated and will soon be behind bars. At the same time, he's shocked to hear that Roman Sionis is still alive. Without getting anywhere in their interrogation, he and Bullock leave Floyd Lawston's prison cell.
-New Scene: A large group of police cars surround Black Mask's base, but Batman can't go out there without a mask. He summons the Batwing to hover over the base with a remote, grapples onto it, and is rapidly brought up into the vessel. He then flies away. Nightwing simply disappears.
-New Scene: With guns drawn, Jim Gordon and a couple of cops enter the base. They discover a red-faced Roman Sionis next to a pile of rubble and shattered picture frame of his family, and proceed to arrest him and the rest of his crew. They intend to bring them all into Arkham Asylum. But once again, Deathstroke has escaped after apparently cutting the rope he was bound by and swimming off to an unknown location.
-New Scene: Later that night, Batman meets Gordon on the rooftop next to the Batsignal. He tells the commissioner that Roman Sionis faked his death "for a second chance." Gordon is intrigued to hear this, and confirmed plans to bring him and Deadshot to court soon. He thanks Batman for bringing out the truth, and tells him that he trusts him unlike many. The Caped Crusader simply said, "Likewise. You're one of the few." He then jumps off the building and glides away into the night.
-New Scene: Cut to the next day, at a Wayne Enterprises meeting. Bruce Wayne has emerged from his absence after his near assassination. When asked by board members how he survived, he simply said that a friend helped him out. They then express their gratitude for seeing him alive.
-New Scene: Bruce walks out of the Wayne Enterprises building, and he runs into Vicki Vale, who is also happy to see the billionaire alive and active. The two engage in a conversation, which led to Bruce asking her to dinner. She accepted the invitation.
-New Scene: Cut to Alfred entering the library in Wayne Manor. He approaches the grandfather clock and presses a button, opening to a stairway. This led to the Batcave, where Bruce is toying around with new gadgets and costume designs. Bruce tells Alfred that he needs a new Batmobile, and the butler tells him, "I'm sure Mr. Fox can take care of that." He then tells Bruce that he was worried about him during his battle with Black Mask, and that he was relieved to see his surrogate son come out on top. Bruce didn't say a word.
-New Scene: Cut to a small graveyard outside Wayne Manor. Bruce stands in front of two graves that are labeled Thomas and Martha Wayne, his parents. He sees brief flashbacks of the night they were murdered, setting him on the course to become Batman. He places a rose at their graves and gets onto his knees, teary eyed. Alfred sees this from inside Wayne Manor through the window. Dick Grayson, in civilian clothing, comes up, saying that he and Bruce are much more similar than some may think. Bruce turns around and says that not many people can sneak up on him like that. He thanked Dick for helping him out yet again, and asked if he'll be staying in Gotham for a while. Dick said that he will for the time being. After a longer conversation, the two shake hands, and Dick walks away.
-New Scene: Cut to inside Wayne Manor, where Bruce is watching television. Vicki Vale gave the report that Deadshot was declared guilty for murdering the mayor of Gotham, Peter Sandberg (who will soon be replaced), but he wasn't hired by Black Mask (the real employer's identity is unknown). Meanwhile, Roman Sionis is seen being moved into his Arkham Asylum cell, and he angrily claims that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Alfred is watching this report as well, and looks at Bruce when the accusation is heard. The Arkham guards shrugged it off, saying that Sionis was crazy. Alfred was relieved, and Bruce says that he shouldn't worry. Vale then comments on Bruce Wayne's return to the public two days after the attempt on his life by Black Mask. Alfred compliments Vicki, with Bruce agreeing. Bruce then sees the Batsignal in the sky, and tells Alfred that he needs to go. He mentions that he's taking the Batcycle.
-New Scene: Cut to nighttime Gotham. The Batsignal is in the sky. Batman stands on top of a building, and he leaps to the expansion of his cape. He glides over the city searching for crime, and spots a car chase going on. Final shot: in slow motion, Batman descends into the camera, offering a close and detailed look at his costume, as he jumps onto the Batcycle (which drove itself out of a dark corner) and joins the car chase.
-Post-Credits Scene: Slade Wilson is seen swimming and crawling onto an unknown piece of land. A figure approaches him and helps him up. To his surprise, Slade looks up and sees that this is Lex Luthor, who was imprisoned over two years ago. When asked how he got out of prison, Luthor wouldn't say ("I have my ways.") and proceeds to offer Slade another job. Something that would be much bigger and more deserving of his talents.
Now, onto the cast.
Director: Rian Johnson - Johnson became a fan favorite to take over from Christopher Nolan as director of the
Batman series ever since his acclaimed sci-fi thriller
Looper was released. That film had a tone that would work very well for a new take on the Caped Crusader. Plus, Johnson knows how to direct action and write character development/plot.
Screenwriters: Rian Johnson and David Koepp - As Johnson has additionally written all of his films so far, it'd make sense for him to write/rewrite a
Batman reboot if he's hired to direct. As for Koepp, he has plenty of great titles in his credits (such as
Jurassic Park and
Spider-Man) and would be a welcome addition to the Batman franchise. *Note: While he wouldn't actually work on the script, I would have Scott Snyder (the current writer of the main
Batman comic book series) be a creative consultant for this particular
Batman movie incarnation.
Composer: Graeme Revell - Revell has quite a bit of comic book movie experience after working on
The Crow,
Sin City,
Spawn and
Daredevil. While I don't see him (or anyone really) topping Hans Zimmer's work on
The Dark Knight Trilogy, Revell can deliver the dark, moody musical atmosphere that's needed for a
Batman film.
*I would like to thank
nailbiter111 for suggesting both Revell and Koepp for this project.
Producers: Charles Roven, Zack [Executive Producer] and Deborah Snyder, Bruce Timm, Geoff Johns [Executive Producer]
A DC Entertainment production, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Batman/Bruce Wayne - Richard Armitage (
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
Character Bio: Billionaire/inventor Bruce Wayne has been battling crime as Batman for about nine years now. He has fought many villains in his career, but a new foe, Black Mask, appears to be one of his more challenging and personal enemies at this point in his career.
Costume Details: The first costume in the film is the same as the one he donned in Justice League. However, he later wears a suit that's very similar to the Arkham Origins costume (but with white lenses).
Armitage is a wonderful choice to play an older, more experienced Batman. Not only does he have the looks/charm for Bruce Wayne, he also has the intensity needed to play the Dark Knight. He also has blockbuster experience in Warner Bros.'
The Hobbit trilogy and a minor role in
Captain America: The First Avenger.
Black Mask/Roman Sionis - Luke Evans (
Fast & Furious 6)
Character Bio: Having a troubled childhood and unsuccessful business career, Roman Sionis decides to fake his death and begin a new life as the crime boss Black Mask. As the mob leader, he's ruthless, intense, and always demanding to get his way.
Costume Details: All white suit with a black collar. Basically the same look as in Arkham Origins.
I've seen a lot of people suggest Luke Evans as the next big screen Batman, but as much as I like him, I don't quite see him as the Dark Knight. However, watching the trailers for
Fast & Furious 6 convinced me that he can play a great villain. So, when looking for someone who can fill the role of Black Mask, Evans came to mind and I couldn't shake the idea off. He can play intimidating, intense, etc. very well.
Alfred Pennyworth - Kenneth Branagh (
Valkyrie)
Character Bio: Alfred has served the Wayne family as a butler for decades, and became a surrogate father of Bruce's after his parents' murder. Now, he also helps Bruce in his ongoing mission as Batman.
Branagh may have directed a film for Marvel in
Thor, but that doesn't mean that he can't move over to DC in an acting role, seeing that he's excellent in both fields. I wanted to choose somebody different for Alfred, and I feel like Branagh fits the bill (especially for a slightly younger Alfred). The only major issue I have is that he's 52 as of this writing, while Richard Armitage is 41. Bit too close of an age gap, but perhaps makeup can help make this less noticeable.
Jim Gordon - Dennis Quaid (
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra)
Character Bio: Jim Gordon has been Gotham's police commissioner for many years. He has fought crime firsthand, and is also an unlikely ally of the Batman.
For Gordon, I wanted to cast someone a little more original than say, William Macy or Bryan Cranston. I suggested Quaid a while back and I stand by it. He's a good actor, and one who would do a great job as Gordon if given the right script (and mustache!).
Deathstroke/Slade Wilson - Thomas Jane (
The Punisher)
Character Bio: A former soldier, Slade Wilson has since become a mercenary/assassin who is one of the most highly trained individuals around. His latest mission as Deathstroke is to take down the Batman, who may just be his equal.
Costume Details: Heavily influenced by the Arkham Origins costume, plus hints of the Teen Titans suit.
I really made an outside of the box choice here. I wanted to choose somebody other than frequent names Stephen Lang and Sean Bean, as well as somebody who would realistically be the right age to play Deathstroke on the big screen in the near future. After much searching, I decided on former
Punisher Thomas Jane. He has the comic book movie experience, and he has the acting/action chops that are vital to Slade Wilson.
Deadshot/Floyd Lawston - Logan Marshall-Green (
Prometheus)
Character Bio: A hitman/assassin, Deadshot is known for his consistently perfect shots in his kills. He's also given an opportunity to kill Batman. Will he succeed?
Costume Details: Gray silk mask that runs down to the bottom of the neck. Wears a small red right eye. Red and gray bodysuit.
I've seen this idea suggested before, and I think it's rather ideal. Marshall-Green is a young up-and-coming actor, having delivered a solid performance in
Prometheus. Deadshot would be a different role, but I believe he has the chops to bring the assassin to life properly (again, given he'd have the right script).
Nightwing/Dick Grayson - Alex Russell (
Chronicle)
Character Bio: Having started his crime fighting career as Robin, Dick Grayson left the shadow of Batman when he became Nightwing and departed for Bludhaven two years ago. His parents were murdered in an "accident" during a circus act when he was 16, and he was since taken in by Bruce Wayne.
Costume Details: Black armored bodysuit with the classic blue emblem. Very similar to the Young Justice design.
Dane DeHaan is playing Harry Osborn in next year's
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, while Michael B. Jordan has been rumored for the Human Torch role in the 2015
Fantastic Four reboot. So when will Alex Russell, the third member of the
Chronicle trio, land a role in a major superhero movie? The idea of his playing Nightwing came to mind, and I really like it. Russell's a very good actor, and currently at 25, he would be ideal for a big screen take on a slightly older Dick Grayson in the near future.
Vicki Vale - Evangeline Lilly (
Real Steel)
Character Bio: A recently added reporter for the Gotham News channel, Vicki Vale always had an interest in the Batman character. She also meets billionaire Bruce Wayne, and takes a liking to him almost immediately.
Lilly's a good actress who hasn't quite made her big break yet. She'll likely gain many new fans with her role in
The Hobbit sequels, and if so, Warner Bros. could be interested in reteaming with her for a superhero movie. She'd fit the role of Vicki Vale just fine.
Harvey Bullock - Oliver Platt (
X-Men: First Class)
Character Bio: The lieutenant of Gotham's police force, Bullock is a frequent partner to Commissioner Jim Gordon in action. He's also understandably hesitant of working with Batman, even though the two seem to share similar goals.
Bullock was a hard role to fill, especially as I was looking aggressively for an original choice that made sense. I stumbled upon Oliver Platt, and I liked the idea right away. Platt's a pretty good actor, one of the few bright spots in
2012. He also looks somewhat similar to the comic book version.
Small Roles/Cameos: Lex Luthor (Jon Hamm), Peter Sandberg (N/A), Ryan Wilson (N/A)
Well, that's that. Feel free to share any thoughts, comments, constructive criticisms and suggestions below.