Superman, Justice League and Batman Film Franchise Post-Holiday Rumblings

Posted: Thursday, January 3, 2008
Posted By: Kevin Powers

The following comes from Variety's Anne Thompson regarding DC/WB's films. Check it out here: http://weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood/2007/12/notes-chris-nol.html
Or below.

"Last weekend, I ran into youthful Dark Knight director Chris Nolan at a Christmas party in the Hollywood Hills. He was enthused about shooting entire sections of the movie in IMAX--entirely his idea. It's now possible to show the movie on some 150 IMAX screens that aren't just at science museums or in Las Vegas. He shot using IMAX cameras, which are four to five times heavier than 35 mm cameras--the first Hollywood film to do so. The opening first six minutes are being shown in front of I Am Legend in special IMAX locations. (Here's one ecstatic fan review.)

While the trailer makes the movie look pixel-big, the pic is character-driven PG, Nolan said. That way The Joker has to be really scary without resorting to real violence. The trailer is focused on creepy Heath Ledger as The Joker (played in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman by Jack Nicholson in a broadly comedic interpretation), not on district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who is also a key player in the movie. There are plenty of intimate scenes of people talking, as well as a few big-scale set pieces.

(This week while cruising the channels we happened upon Joel Schumacher's ridiculously over-wrought penultimate 1995 Batman Forever, starring Val Kilmer, Chris O'Donnell sporting an earring as Robin, Nicole Kidman as a sexy therapist, a hyped-up Jim Carrey as The Riddler, and Tommy Lee Jones in piles of makeup as Two-Face. Give us Christian Bale and Nolan, please!)

Speaking of DC Comics pics, it is highly unlikely that Bryan Singer will return to shoot the next Superman movie. (The director is finishing up Tom Cruise's Nazi film Valkyrie, and prepping The Mayor of Castro Street). The next Superman we will see on the big screen will not be Brandon Routh, but a younger Superman among a cast of youthful superheroes in The Justice League. That movie will likely not be shot, however, until after the WGA strike is resolved. Warners is so happy with Dark Knight that their fondest hope is that Nolan will return to do another Batman. "

Analysis: Well it's a no-brainer that the JL film has been delayed. There's no end in strike to the WGA strike and fan outcry over the JL movie has grown louder in the past month. Put the fact that the Dark Knight trailer is stunning on top of all of that and maybe WB/DC is getting their heads on straight. Nolan stated in a Wizard interview that he was unsure of his future with the Bat-franchise. I'm sure it all depends on the film's success and whether or not the WB moves to include Robin.

Singer not directing the Superman Returns sequel isn't totally surprising although I think the WB needs to get this film into the fast lane. Spider-Man 4 is in the works and it would seem as though all DC's got is the Bat-franchise, which has died a horrible death before.

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