Due to the fact that Batman is 75 years old, mutiple incarnations of the dark knight has graced the big screen to pleasure of fans. From shark repellent, to stiff rubber necks, to bat nipples, tumblers. Whether West, Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney, or Bale; it doesn't matter we've seen it all. At least that is what we thought. Last year at comic con DC sent shockwaves throughout the CBM community when they announced the next person to dawn the cowl and smear on mascara. While some weren’t happy with the decision, most were too excited about the idea of a new reboot of our favorite caped crusader. So enough with my rambling, let’s get to the fun stuff.
Prologue: This movie would ideally take place a few years after Batman V. Superman and before the Justice League movie. Even though I don’t know DC’s shared universe plans; I think the best way to lead into this movie is either Superman dies or banished from Earth at the end of BvS. This would be a great lead into a Justice League where Batman has to team up with the other heroes to bring back Superman and fight a greater evil like Doomsday or Darkseid; but that’s a story for another day. Another thing that needs to happen is, Batman needs to tell Superman, Wonder Woman, and all the superheroes that DC can cram into BvS, to stay away from Gotham. This element is important because it adds to Batman’s loner character and makes sure that fans won’t cry foul when the other superheroes don’t show up in this franchise.
Synopsis: After the events of Batman v. Superman, middle aged Bruce Wayne must end his hiatus and once again dawn the cowl after his former arch nemesis, Joker, returns and guns down Commissioner Gordon’s daughter Barbara. Meanwhile, respected cryogenicist, Victor Fries loses all sense of morals when he turns to a life of crime in order to fund unorthodox methods to save his ill wife. These events cause Bruce to realize that he must face his inner demons and clean up crime in Gotham before it burns to the ground.
Notes/Important scenes:
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The movie opens with Barbara Gordon getting shot by Joker while getting ready to go on a stakeout with Nightwing. Bruce Wayne is at a Gala during all of this.
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Parts of Batman’s origin will be shown through short flashbacks brought on by events going on in the story. Unlike Man of Steel, the flashbacks will be short and won’t take up most of the story. Hopefully, Batman V. Superman will flesh most of this out so we don’t have to waste time
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Nightwing and Batgirl were inspired by Bruce Wayne’s vigilante work during his original run as Batman and pledged to protect Gotham once he left. Batman knows about their work but doesn’t condone them following in his footsteps. Maybe they could have a small cameo in Batman V. Superman saving people during the final battle.
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Batman will spark a lot of controversy because he’s a lot more aggressive and his methods are much more brutal than before. For instance, during an interrogation with the Penguin on Mr. Freeze’s whereabouts, Batman breaks off the bottom of a vodka bottle and shoves it in Penguin’s eye.
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In a post credit scene, Mr. Freeze is in a cell at Arkham Asylum with Joker and Killer Croc as his next door cellmate. While Joker annoys Freeze with his constant rambling, Dr. Harleen Quinzel, the best doctor at Arkham, walks in to examine her patients.
Cast:
Batman/Bruce Wayne- Playboy by day, masked vigilante by night, Bruce Wayne lived a secret double life for almost sixteen years. After seven years of neglecting all responsibilities and becoming a recluse, Bruce Wayne returns to his crime fighting ways in a Gotham at the brink of destruction. Bruce realizes that his disregard to Gotham’s decay caused the fall of people like Victor Fries and the rise of crime.
Ben Affleck- Like most people, Affleck wasn’t my first choice to play the Bat, but I was never against the casting. He was great in Argo and the Town, he’s the one of the hottest stars in Hollywood, and he’s the most physically accurate Bruce Wayne we’ve ever seen. Unless he bombs in BvS then I’m perfectly fine with him as the dark knight. Let’s just hope he doesn’t go the Bale route and wheeze like a seventy year old with asthma.
Nightwing/Dick Grayson- An unapologetic daredevil who is inspired by Batman to team up with his girlfriend to go out and fight crime. Dick learned to fight during his stint in multiple foster homes before being rescued by Commissioner Gordon. He is smart enough to design and build his own weapons, but not enough to realize that fighting crime is a bad idea. Nightwing and Batman rarely see eye to eye and lack the trusting bond we’re used to seeing. He builds a relationship with Alfred who he meets one night when he sneaks into the Batcave.
Jake Gyllenhaal- When I first started making this tetralogy, before BvS was announced, he was my original pick for Batman. He’s a very talented actor, has the determined look of a vigilante, and isn’t recognized by the general audience. His performances as a hard-hitting cop in both End of Watch and Prisoners showed he was perfect for Batman; but I digress. He’s amazing in almost every role he does and this one would be no different.
Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze- A gentle and loving cryogenicist who will stop at nothing to safe his ailing wife, Nora. When the cryogenics department of Wayne enterprises fails and Nora’s condition worsens, Victor turns to the Penguin to fund his attempts to save her. Victor Fries’ whole world comes crashing down when Batman shuts down the operation and accidentally causes him to become the coldhearted monster we all know and love. Now the callous and dangerous Mr. Freeze, must race against the clock and find a new way to save his wife before she die.
Stanley Tucci- What more can I say about Stanley Tucci that you haven’t already heard before; Tucci is a gem. Stanley Tucci looks like he’s has fun in every performance he gives and always brings his A game. I can’t recall if he’s ever played a bonafide villain, but it doesn’t matter because Tucci would find a way to kill this role.
Batgirl/Oracle/Barbara Gordon- The commissioner’s daughter and a savvy technical genius, Barbara is a bright young girl who only lives to help people. Too bad her noble deeds are repaid with a bullet in her spine and paralyzed for the rest of her life. Even with her shortcomings, Barbara still protects her city by serving as Batman’s eyes and ears. Barbara even has a better relationship with Bruce than with her father, Commissioner Gordon.
Emmy Rossum- After years of being told how great the show is, I finally gave in and watched the hit show Shameless. While the show isn’t on my favorites list I will say, Emmy Rossum is amazing. Once I saw her I knew that she was awesome and thought she should be in much more. I can just imagine all the snarky comments she would spout into Batman’s ear when he really needs her help or doesn’t listen.
Commissioner James Gordon - A hardened cop who is the last person in charge who hasn’t fallen to corruption. While he doesn’t agree with Batman’s methods, Gordon doesn’t attempt prosecute him until Hady forces him to. Hady argues with Gordon on if Batman was the cause of Joker’s attempted murder on Barbara.
Ethan Hawke- Ethan Hawke is overlooked by the general public no matter how many good films he’s in. Whether it’s the recent movie Boyhood, or the Before sunrise series, or Training Day, the Hawkeman always seems to get the short end of the stick. But it doesn’t matter because he constantly deliver great performances and would make Gordon more relatable to the hard working everyman in all of us.
Alfred Pennyworth- If Oracle is Bruce Wayne’s ears and ears, then Alfred is his arms and legs. Without Alfred nothing would get done around the mansion. He is a veteran marine and an expert medic. Alfred is very blunt and tells Bruce whenever he’s acting like a jerk. Alfred immediately grows a bond with Dick Grayson after he catches him sneaking into the Batcave because Dick reminds him of a young Bruce.
Jeremy Irons- Okay I know nobody is going to believe me but I had Irons locked as my pick for Alfred before BvS was ever announced. He is one of the last great thespians in Hollywood and he has an iconic voice that is perfect for giving expert insight, even when nobody asks for it.
Sebastian Hady- The corrupt and money hungry mayor of Gotham city who doesn’t care if it burns to the ground. He doesn’t have any sense of morals and is willing to completely change his opinion for the right price. Hady has the citizens of Gotham eating out his hands and can lead them to believe whatever he wants. Hady was able to convince the citizens that Batman was bad for Gotham’s economy and to turn on him causing Batman to go on a hiatus in the first place.
Jeff Daniels- Just watch the show the Newsroom. No I’m serious, just go on Netflix or YouTube and watch one scene of Jeff Daniels in action and you’ll know exactly why I picked him.
Vicki Vale- The hard hitting news reporter who goes to great lengths to get the scoop. She can sometimes be annoying with how serious she is about her work. Also, her and Bruce to date so maybe a relationship between the two can be explored in one of the sequels.
Elizabeth Olsen Kristen Hager- Originally I casted Elizabeth Olsen because when I heard there was an Olsen who could actually act I was shocked. But when I actually saw Elizabeth Olsen I was even more shocked. She has personality, she can act, she’s beautiful,
she can act, as you can see I don’t expect much from the Olsens. But in all seriousness, I decided to recast her because of her obligations to another superhero cinematic universe. But don’t let her being my second choice fool you; Kristen Hager is wonderful. She was spunky and charming as Nora in the highly underrated, and one of my favorite shows, Being Human. Kristen Hager is a great unknown actress to round out this all star cast.
Cameos:
Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin- A ruthless mob boss who basically owns the underground crime syndicate that runs rampant in Gotham. He is the one and only person who can fund Mr. Freeze’s attempts to save his wife. Because of this Cobblepot, a coldblooded dwarf with a cockney accent, takes advantage of Freeze and abuses him.
Kevin Spacey- Now I know what some of you are thinking, “Spacey no he’s too tall, someone shorter has to play him”. Forgetting that they made dwarfs in the hobbit or John Leguizamo into a fat slob in spawn, who cares if he’s tall? Spacey is a hilarious talent who is in expert at making sure every character is different in each film he’s in.
Roman Sionis/Black Mask- Roman Sionis is an old friend of Bruce who appears at the Gala at the beginning and parts of the first half of the movie. He has just inherited the second largest company, Sionis industries, from his recently murder father and he buys out the failing parts of Wayne enterprise. He only appears as Roman Sionis, for now.
Idris Elba- I really like this pick and feel like patting myself on the back for thinking of it. Elba is suave, charming, and has a commanding presence that could really give a classic performance as the spoiled mob boss if he ever was the lead villain.
Joker- Batman’s maniacal arch-nemesis who relishes in the destruction of Gotham and suffering of its citizens. Joker remerges to cause terror by shooting Barbara Gordon and vandalizing her home. He gives himself up, with a smile on his face, and gets sentenced to life in Arkham Asylum.
Fran Kranz- If you guys don’t like this pick then please feel free to bash it all you want because quite frankly I don’t even know why I picked him. Okay let me explain, Fran is a good actor with great comedic timing, the ability to bring charm and heart to a character, and he has some fun performances in Dollhouse and Cabin in the Woods. But even without those I credentials my guy still has the feeling that he would be an awesome Joker. Call me crazy but if he was casted tomorrow as the new Joker I guess I would be the only one not losing sleep over it.
Before I wrap this up, here are two posters I wouldn’t mind seeing on billboards to promote this movie. Let’s see if you can figure out which one I made.
Thank you for reading and if you like my ideas hit the read glove. Comment on your Batman reboot ideas and stay tune for my Batman sequels. Check out some of my other articles.
Plastic Man: The Movie - http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fan_fic/news/?a=103540
Star Wars Episode VII: A Rogue's Odeyssey - http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fan_fic/news/?a=99433
The Amazing Spider-man 2 Fan Plot - http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fan_fic/news/?a=81554
Have a nice day!