Category Archives: DC Comics

The Batman: In Production now!

I am way behind on keeping tabs here on the latest happenings relating to the new “The Batman” film from director Matt Reeves – I apologize. I previously posted about Robert Pattinson signing up to take on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman back in June. Production for the film officially began on January 27th which was marked by this photo tweeted from Matt Reeves:

Warner Bros. also released a press release that didn’t give a description of the movie but did lay out the cast of characters in addition to Pattinson as Batman:

  • Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle (aka “Catwoman”)
  • Paul Dano as Edward Nashton
  • Jeffrey Wright as GCPD’s James Gordon
  • John Turturro as Carmine Falcone
  • Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson
  • Jayme Lawson as mayoral candidate Bella Reál
  • Andy as Alfred Pennyworth
  • Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot (aka “The Penguin”)

Since production began, Matt has been sharing tidbits from the production. First – we gout our very first look at Robert Pattinson in the new batsuit!

As part of that video, we learned that the absolutely fantastic Michael Giacchino. The music you hear in that video is from Michael as he begins thinking about the score for The Batman. I have loved Michael’s scores for movies like the latest Star Trek movies (Kelvin Universe), Jurassic World, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

I won’t make a habit of pointing out leaks, rumors, or speculation BUT if you want a better look at the batsuit, Variety put up an article on some leaked photos of a scene being filmed.

Leaked shot of Robert Pattinson’s stunt double filming a scene of The Batman. From Variety.

I really like the new batsuit. I like rudimentary look of it. You can tell this version of Batman is just beginning his crime-fighting detective days and that it was pieced together. I am actually wondering if we will see this version of Batman evolve his batsuit over time in the movie and or in sequels (assuming the movie does well of course).

And finally – THE NEW BATMOBILE!

As a longtime Batman fan, I am very excited for this film and to see what kind of take Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson have on the characters. I hear a lot of “Oh no, not another Batman…” In the comics, different writers and artists come in to do different “runs” of stories for comic book characters like Batman. Writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo did a 5-year run of the Batman comics telling a very specific story arc. Then writer Tom King took over and had a different take with different stories. And most recently – writer James Tynion IV has taken over. The movies are the very same way. A director and actor will come in and tell a very specific Batman story or set of stories with a certain style (like in the case of The Dark Knight Trilogy with director Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale as Batman). I am always interested in seeing the different takes directors and actors have on this character. And I can’t wait to see what Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson (and the entire cast of characters) bring to the big screen!

Robert Pattinson is the new Batman

At the end of May, Warner Bros. officially closed the deal with actor Robert Pattinson to play Batman/Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” film.

Yes, its the same Robert Pattinson who played “that vampire” in the Twilight movies. Each time a new actor has been cast as Batman, there is always a group of people who go “He’s not Batman” dating all the way back to when Michael Keaton was announced as Batman in Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman”. I remember when Christian Bale was cast and a bunch of people lost it. But not as much as people lost it when Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” and he ended up being the best version of the character to appear on screen to-date. I think its important to reserve any judgement on Robert as Batman until we see him in character in Matt Reeves’ movie. There’s a reason he was cast. And Matt has a specific vision for Batman he’s going for. Let’s wait to see it come to life first before judging.

In the meantime, check out this blog post I made that re-caps most of what we know about Matt Reeves’ “The Batman”.

Next Batman movie slated for Summer 2021

Back in August, I pulled together a bunch of the latest details on the next Batman movie coming from director/writer Matt Reeves. As a huge Batman fan, I am very interested to see what kind of “Dark Knight” Matt will bring to the big screen so I’m following its developments very closely. And today we got a little bit more information as pre-production for the movie continues.

First: In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Matt discusses his take on Batman which is currently still tentatively titled “The Batman”:

“It’s very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale. It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it’s going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I’d love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it’s going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.”

Matt Reeves via The Hollywood Reporter

I cannot begin to describe how excited I am about seeing a version of Batman on the big screen that’s in “detective mode”. In the comics, Batman is known in the DC Universe as the “world’s greatest detective”. Batman is a crime fighter but also a crime solver. He comes in and investigates a crime that has all kinds of clues that are like puzzle pieces that need to be put together. He’s super smart and has a lot of technology that helps him in his investigation. I think there is a common misconception with Batman that he just goes around punching criminals but that’s not the case. He investigates then punches or punches as he investigates. But he always makes sure the evidence proves a person did the crime.

Matt provides some other tidbits in the same interview:

  • He says that that his Batman movie will feature a Rogues Gallery. But he did not reveal which villians would be part of that gallery. Back in August, it was rumored that
    Star Wars star Oscar Issac was in talks for the lead villian role but it is unknown if he actually signed on.
  • Speaking of casting, Matt says the casting process would begin shortly. So that Oscar Issac rumor seems a bit odd as back in August the script wasn’t even close to being finished and probably not ready for casting. But who knows.
  • He also says doing another pass on the script and beginning “some long-lead stuff to start developing conceptual things”.
  • And finally, he says the film is targeting a Summer 2021 release.

Second: It was revealed today via Deadline that Ben Affleck will officially NOT be returning as Batman/Bruce Wayne for Matt Reeves’ Batman movie which he also confirmed himself on Twitter.

Looks like we no longer need to debate on that. This gives Matt the complete freedom to create his vision of Batman and I can’t wait to see who he finds to put on the cape and cowl. However, Ben Affleck did put alot of work into the story so he may carry some sort of credit on the film regardless.

So there you have it! That’s the latest on the new Batman movie. I’d expect to see some casting news in the coming months and maybe even some sort of presentation at San Diego Comic-Con this summer from Warner Bros.

Again, I suggest following Matt Reeves on Twitter to stay updated on the latest going on with “The Batman”.

Latest details on upcoming Batman movie

News broke today that Star Wars star Oscar Issac is in talks for a role in the new Batman movie – possibly as the film’s villain. If this turns out to be true, I’m all for this as I believe he’s a fine actor and could be a pretty good Batman villain. But which villain? That’s the mystery.

To catch folks up to speed – Warner Bros. is currently developing a new Batman movie, tentatively called “The Batman”, with director/writer Matt Reeves signed on. Reeves previously directed the last two “Planet of the Apes” movies and “Cloverfield”. He’s been hard at work on finishing the script for the movie.

I was surprised at some of the sloppy reporting seen in many of the news articles that hit the web with the Oscar Issac news. For example – many of the articles are reporting that Matt Reeves’ Batman movie would be (loosely) based on Frank Miller’s “Batman: Year One”. No – it’s not. Many of the articles also state this is the beginning of a standalone trilogy that would stand separately from the already existing DC Universe movies such as Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. No – it’s not. It’s not hard to go out and do a little fact-checking on what’s been said by the movie’s director/writer.

Here is what we currently know about Matt Reeves’ “The Batman”:

  • It won’t be a origin story. This is the direction Matt says his Batman movie will take: “We’re doing a story that is definitively Batman though, and trying to tell a story that’s emotional and yet is really about him being the world’s greatest detective and all the things that for me, since I was a kid, made me love Batman.”
  • It will be a story that is all about Batman. Matt wants to avoid having the movie filled with cameos servicing other stories.
  • It will be part of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) of movies. However, that doesn’t mean the movie won’t take place in the “early days” of Batman and feature a younger Batman than what we saw in Justice League.
  • Ben Affleck is still involved – per Matt Reeves.  In which capacity he’s involved remains unknown. Even if Matt goes for a younger Batman for his movie, Ben’s involvement could be at the Executive Producer level. Or perhaps the movie starts with Ben’s Batman telling the story of an earlier adventure.
  • Production looking to begin late spring, early summer 2019. But it’s all depending on the script.

I am a huge Batman fan  – of both the movies and comics. I am really looking forward to seeing what Matt Reeves has in store for the Dark Knight. And I’m also a fan of Ben Affleck as Batman. He fits the version of Batman seen in the comics. I think we haven’t had a chance to see him truly *be* Batman yet on the big screen  and hopefully we get that chance. (There’s been some good scenes but I don’t think the storylines in Batman V Superman and Justice League really gave both actor and character “justice” – pardon the pun.)

I suggest following Matt Reeves on Twitter to stay updated on the latest going on with “The Batman”.

Collecting Designer Series Greg Capullo action figures from DC Collectibles

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have been the masters of DC Comic’s Batman series since it re-launched in 2011 as part of the “New 52”. Scott serves as the writer for the Batman comics and Greg is the artist that draws the stories. I’ve been a HUGE fan of their run with Batman. They’ve done some fantastic stories such as Death of the Family, Court of Owls, Zero Year (a reimagining of how Bruce Wayne became Batman) and Endgame which features the epic final battle between Batman and The Joker — for good. Now, they’re hard at work on a brand new storyline that features an All-new Batman, new characters, and new villains — which has been interesting to read (I’ll write more about this in another blog post). I’ve been collecting the DC Comics Designer Series Greg Capullo action figures from DC Collectibles which do a great job celebrating Greg’s fantastic artwork on Batman. I’ve nearly completed the entire collection! I’m only missing Two-Face.

Designer Series Greg Capullo Batman Action Figures

I also discovered that DC Collectibles sells action figure base — which you can order here from Amazon for $12 for 20 bases. I just got these today as well and they work awesome (however, I have an issue where the Catwoman action figure doesn’t like to stand properly with these bases).

At SDCC 2015 last week, DC Collectibles unveiled two new action figures to come as part of this series — Wonder Woman and Endgame Joker. You can bet I’ll be picking these up one they are out but apparently we’ve got a long wait for these as they won’t hit until next summer.

UPDATE 3/14/17: I finally found Two-Face and picked up the rest of this line-up! I’ll post a follow-up about these figures at some point. 

The Batman Exhibit on the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Batman by DC Comics. I have always been a huge Batman fan as a kid and loved Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. I’m currently reading the latest Batman comics. And yes — I’m also excited to see Ben Affleck as Batman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. As part of the 75th anniversary of Batman, DC and Warner Bros. have been doing a variety of activities to celebrate. One of those is a special Batman exhibit as part of the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour. I’ve done this tour at the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank a few times and it is simply awesome. But with the new Batman exhibit only running through the end of this year, I had to get down there. And I did.

The Dark Knight by Brandon LeBlanc on 500px.com

They had all the costumes from all of the Batman movies all the way back to Tim Burton’s Batman first Batman movie in 1989 right up to The Dark Knight Rises. They also had props from all these movies and all of the Batmobiles (although the Batmobile from Batman and Robin was not out for some reason when I did the tour). I was in Bat-nerd heaven. It was amazing to see all this together and in person. As you can imagine, I took quite a bit of photos.

You can check out my entire set of photos from the Batman exhibit at Warner Bros. Studios here on 500px.