First sign of the next film?

[Bobthegoon89]

I dunno. How would Jack Nicholson's Joker work exactly? He's dead remember?! lol Last I saw he plummeted from Gotham Cathedral. If they used him that would pretty much be a retcon of the original Batman wouldn't it? It'd be a pretty strange, confusing oddity of a movie.

[LongLiveTheBatman]

Oh I thought Uslan meant like a story arc that isn't contuing from Batman Returns or the other Batman films.

[Bobthegoon89]

If they really managed to tempt Michael Keaton back to the role (a Batman movie event on a whole other level) I think it's would be insanely foolish not to follow on from his previous movies. It would be a huge huge missed opportunity to have a totally original, unrelated project to the Burton films. Unlike others I don't believe there is a wonderous "lost" third Keaton film that now needs to be made but having Keaton back would justify an excuse certainly to return to that world again in the here and now.

[The Dark Knight]

I agree about there isn't a 'need' for a third Keaton film. As far as I am concerned, B89 and BR well and truly assure his legacy. If he ever came back, sure, I'd be jumping up and down like a crazed clown. But I have resigned myself to it not happening. As awesome as it would be to have Nicholson back as The Joker alive and well, I would much rather keep Burtonverse continuity than have an off-shot. A dream sequence would be the go, Bruce waking up alone in a cold sweat.

[Silver Nemesis]

Keaton and Burton have both said they're open to the possibility of returning to the Batman franchise. But it's extremely unlikely it'll ever happen. Burton severed all ties with Warner Bros after the Superman Lives fiasco. I can't see him ever working on another DC property again. Maybe one day he could be persuaded to direct a segment of a Gotham Knights-style animated feature. But even the chances of that happening are remote. I think his Batman days are well and truly behind him.

Keaton stands a slightly better chance of returning, thanks largely to persistent fan support for the idea. He had a few close calls too. At one point he was going to star in Batman Forever. He was also rumoured to be making a cameo as Bruce Wayne in Superman Lives. And back in 2007 Kevin Smith outlined a plan for a Justice League movie centred on Keaton returning as Batman.

"For me, it's like, I would definitely cast Michael Keaton as Batman," he asserted. "I thought Michael Keaton was an awesome Batman. And in world where they don't want to crossover with what Chris Nolan is doing in 'Dark Knight,' I mean, why not cast Michael Keaton?"

Because he last played Batman nearly twenty years ago? Because, when he was chosen by Tim Burton as the Caped Crusader for the 1989 original he wasn't that popular to begin with? Because he's fifty-bleeping-six years old?

"It'd be nice if Batman was the older man," Smith countered. "He plays such an integral part in that movie, from what [I heard] – he's kind of the lynchpin upon which the entire machine turns. So it would be nice to see."

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/11/30/holy-retread-batman-kevin-smith-picks-michael-keaton-for-his-jla-cast/

But none of those things came to pass. And now I think the ship has sailed. Keaton would have been a logical choice for The Dark Knight Returns animated movies, but they decided to go with Peter Weller instead. I think that was probably his last shot at reprising the role.

If they were going to adapt The Dark Knight Returns with Keaton then the time to have done it would have been around 2000. Nowadays many retrospectives claim the public was fed up with Batman after 1997, and that it wasn't until Batman Begins was released that audiences grew receptive to more entries in the series. But that isn't true. Audiences were only fed up with Schumacher's Batman; they were always hungry for more dark Batman films. I remember talking to a friend of mine – who was also a diehard comic fan – back in 1998 about what we wanted from the next movie. And we both agreed – we wanted it dark and we wanted Keaton back as Batman.

Why do studios commission reboots in the first place, rather than taking a chance on redemptive sequels? Usually because the previous film in the series positioned characters and events in such a way that would make it problematic to continue the series. And that's what happened with Batman and Robin. The film ended with a happy-go-lucky Batman and a Bat-family that had outgrown the Batcave.

Solution? Adapt The Dark Knight Returns. That story begins with Robin dead and Batman suffering from a guilt-induced death wish. Change it so that both Robin and Batgirl are dead and the problem's solved. The movie would start with Keaton as the depressed, loner Batman, just like he was in the first two films. Only now he's older and meaner.

The Batman in The Dark Knight Returns is meant to be in his mid fifties. Keaton would have been in his late forties/early fifties around that time. And middle aged Keaton was much more physically intimidating than his younger self. I could easily imagine him in the role at that stage.

He would have made an even more "badass" Batman in 2000 than back when he made the first two films. And when you consider the advancements in costume design that had developed over the course of Schumacher's films, it's certain he would have had a better, more flexible Batsuit too.

Reboots aren't always the way to go. If the franchise has a decent foundation to begin with then sometimes it's worth persevering, rather than simply aborting the whole thing and starting from scratch. A good recent example of this would be X-Men: First Class. And I think they should have done the same thing with the old Batman series. We still could have had Batman Begins in 2005, but this way we could also have had a Batman 5 to conclude the old series.

But alas, the time for that has passed. Keaton's 61 now and judging from recent pictures I don't think he'd be physically convincing in the role anymore. The Batman in The Dark Knight Returns is meant to be a ferocious beast, but nowadays Keaton looks very much like an average guy. He was an average guy when he made Batman 89, but back then he also had youth and vigour on his side.

But he does seem to be gravitating more towards the action genre recently. I guess it started with The Other Guys, and now he has RoboCop and Need for Speed on the horizon. So maybe he'd be up for playing Bruce Wayne in a Batman Beyond movie. We'll just have to wait and see.

But in all honesty, I don't think it'll ever happen. Burton is definitely done with the franchise. And while there's a slim chance Keaton might return, the odds of it happening are getting slimmer with each passing year. Still, it's always a fun topic to discuss in a "what if?" context.

[greggbray]

Coming in late. Echoing both The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne love, and I too would purchase a trade about The Death of Batman. 

As for Keaton?  Were TPTB @ WB to go in the BB direction, I would be entirely down for it.  Doubtful, of course, and at this juncture I'd prefer a new series stemming from the possible JLA project.

[Bobthegoon89]

Absolutely delighted to hear the Justice League movie may be scrapped for the time being. Even further pleased with those glorious new Adam West figures from Mattel. A Burgess Meredith Penguin *woohoo!* Excellent news day.

This is your chance to do it properly Warners. Build up the new Superman first and create a new Batman series and then make the bloody Avengers team up/cash in if you so must.

In the meantime get started on the next Batman flick. With the League unlikely to appear by 2015 they can now sidetrack it and focus on the way more interesting next iteration of Mr Wayne.

[Azrael]

(The Joker, to the JLA movie)

"I'm glad you're dead"

[Catwoman]

And I thought the villains kind of sucked too. Did they ever use classic Bat villains, ever?

um look at how old bruce was. how could they use the classic villains? lol. they're all probably in a retirement home flinging cold mashed potatos at each other and sleeping 22 hours out of the day. or dead. or like bane because of all the poison he ingested.

[Bobthegoon89]

And I thought the villains kind of sucked too. Did they ever use classic Bat villains, ever?

um look at how old bruce was. how could they use the classic villains? lol. they're all probably in a retirement home flinging cold mashed potatos at each other and sleeping 22 hours out of the day. or dead. or like bane because of all the poison he ingested.

Well obviously. It was a rhetorical question I was asking. They did manage to bring back the Joker in a movie however so I wouldv'e thought why not some others too? Even if we just see them as retired.