A Spiritual Sequel to Batman & Robin

[Silver Nemesis]

We all know about Batman Unchained, and we've already discussed ways the film series might have course corrected in the late nineties. The premise of this thread is different. I want you to imagine that Batman & Robin was a huge critical and commercial success and that fans loved the direction in which the franchise was heading. They loved the expanded Bat Family, the multiple villains, the costume changes, new vehicles and general toyetic feel of the film. They loved the lighter tone, the Silver Age comic influences and evocation of the sixties TV show. They loved how cartoonish and over-the-top it all was, and they didn't have a problem with the way Bane was depicted.

Your challenge now is to brainstorm ideas for a spiritual sequel that would have been released around 1999-2001. It has to take all the things that characterised Batman & Robin and go even further with them. It needs to be toyetic. The Bat Family must be expanded further. There must be multiple villains, but you need to choose characters that will fit the increasingly goofy and family-friendly tone. There have to be costume changes and new vehicles, and you must come up with reasons to justify them. If you're going to adapt plot points from a comic, it should either be a Silver Age story or one that you can alter to fit the lighter tone. Above all, it has to be a marketable crowd pleaser catering to audiences that loved B&R.

The idea here is not to create a good film, but to create a popcorn movie that continues the B&R approach and satisfies your affiliates at the McDonald's Corporation. Imagine we're a bunch of clueless Hollywood suits sitting around a boardroom responding to focus groups and market research analysts who are all telling us the same thing: that audiences loved B&R and want more of the same.

Which character(s) would you bring in to expand the Bat Family? Batwoman, a new Robin, Azrael, Ace the Bat-Hound? In keeping with the increasingly cartoonish trajectory of the series, I'd have gone with Bat-Mite. There was a trend in the late nineties and early noughties for live action movies based on cartoon shows which often featured real actors interacting with fully or partially animated characters. The Casper films (1995-98), The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000) and the Scooby-Doo movies (2002-04) being just a few examples. Alan Cumming's performance as the Great Gazoo in The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas (2000) is a good example of a Bat-Mite-esque movie character from that era.

I'd make Bat-Mite entirely CG and have him serve as the movie's Jar Jar. Officially I'd say he was in the film to make audiences laugh, but his real function would be to annoy everyone above the age of ten. As for who'd voice him, I'm not sure. The Simpsons was very popular back then, so maybe someone like Dan Castellaneta, Harry Shearer or Hank Azaria. Or how about Burt Ward? His storyline would more or less follow his debut story – 'Batman Meets Bat-Mite' (Detective Comics Vol 1 #267, May 1959) – in depicting him as a well-meaning troublemaker who keeps getting in the way but ultimately redeems himself. He'd also get his very own suit-up montage.

I'd also bring in Aunt Harriet for extra comic relief. Doris Roberts would have been good in the role. There'd be lots of humorous scenes of Alfred trying to distract Aunt Harriet from what's really happening in stately Wayne Manor. Bat-Mite's shenanigans would naturally complicate matters.

For villains, I'd follow the B&R formula of having two main bad guys (Freeze and Ivy), a third henchman villain (Bane) and a cameo by a fourth minor villain (Floronic Man). For one of the main villains, I'd choose King Tut. Movies and TV shows with an ancient Egyptian flavour were popular around that time. For example, Stargate SG1 (1997-2007), The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001). Batman 5 could have adopted a similar aesthetic to those productions.

I'd skip Tut's origin story and have Gordon recap it verbally. That way he could show up fully formed like Two-Face and Mr. Freeze did in the previous Schumacher films. His hideout could resemble an ancient temple and be located in the abandoned Egyptian wing of one of Gotham's old museums.

My top pick for an actor to play him would be Jeff Goldblum. He would have been a box office draw at the time thanks to his lead roles in Independence Day (1996) and the Jurassic Park movies. It actually wouldn't have been all that different from his performance as the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), only he'd have been younger and a lot crazier.

His goons could have dressed like the Jaffa from the Stargate franchise.

Plot wise, you could adapt aspects of 'Secret of the Sphinx Sinister' (Detective Comics Vol 1 #508, November 1981), since the villain in that story, Pharaoh, was created as a stand-in for King Tut. There's also a scene in Bat-Mite's debut story where he conjures several giant objects in a warehouse, including a model sphinx. When the villains try to flee, Bat-Mite uses his powers to make the sphinx move. He does this in an attempt to assist the Dynamic Duo, but the plan backfires and enables the criminals to get away. I can imagine a similar scene occurring in the movie.

For the second main villain, I'd use Clayface. Only I'd combine elements from different versions of Clayface instead of basing the character on just one incarnation. To begin with, I'd use the alter ego of the fourth Clayface, Sondra Fuller (aka Lady Clay), so that we could have a glamorous female villain to play off against King Tut. Fuller's Clayface had all the same powers as the more famous Matt Hagen version, and that would allow for some spectacular special effects sequences.

I'd completely disregard Fuller's back story from the comics and instead base her cinematic origins on those of the Basil Karlo Clayface. Only instead of having her be a washed-up horror movie star, I'd make her more like Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) in Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd (1950) – a washed-up starlet whose looks have faded and whose career is on the rocks.

Roland Daggett could appear in a similar capacity to Woodrue in B&R. I'd present him as a corrupt cosmetics mogul who persuades Fuller he can revive her career through an experimental rejuvenation process (this whole storyline would derive influence from the Evelyn Grayce subplot in Batman: Bride of the Demon (1990)). The process would backfire and she'd be reborn as Clayface. Most of the time she'd resemble her beautiful younger self, but she'd occasionally revert to her monstrous clay form during action scenes or times of emotional stress. She'd kill Daggett (and as a nod to Sunset Blvd, I'd have her say, "All right, Mr. Daggett, I'm ready for my close-up" as she delivers the coup de grâce) before forming an alliance with Tut.

As for how and why Tut and Clayface would team up, I'd have it so that Fuller had portrayed Cleopatra in an old Hollywood epic, similar to Liz Taylor's performance in Cleopatra (1963).

She'd transform herself back into this guise and use the movie to convince the mentally unstable Tut that she's the real Cleopatra. Through her alliance with him, she'd set out to reclaim the glory that the film industry is presently denying her. For casting, I think Jennifer Lopez might have been a good pick. She was a rising star at the time and had great chemistry with Clooney in Out of Sight (1998).

Schumacher would have had a blast overseeing the design of all her glamorous costumes. There could even be a scene where she captivates King Tut by performing a big musical number from one of her old Hollywood movies. In fact J-Lo could have produced an entire album to tie in with the film like Prince did for the 1989 movie.

Is this all sounding terrible enough so far?

We've got Goldblum as King Tut and J-Lo as Clayface for our two main villains, with Daggett also making a cameo. For the fourth henchman villain I'd choose Solomon Grundy. He's big, dumb, strong and has comedic potential. To explain his inclusion, there could be a scene where King Tut reads from the Scroll of Life/Book of the Dead/whatever in an attempt to resurrect a mummy in the museum, but instead accidentally resurrects Grundy from the swamps outside Gotham. Since Tut was the one who spoke the sacred words, it would be to him that Grundy pledges his loyalty. I don't know who could have played him. Maybe the Big Show or another wrestler of similarly immense proportions.

Schumacher tended to apply a signature colour to each of his villains. For Riddler it was green. For Two-Face it was purple-red. For Freeze it was blue. And for Ivy it was pink, red and green. In keeping with that tradition, the dominant colours in my movie would be yellow and red: sand yellow/gold for King Tut and clay red for Clayface.

Moving on to our heroes, I saw this manip posted on another site.

I'd re-colour Clooney's costume to give it the classic grey and blue colour scheme from the comics, including the trunks. Robin would start out with his red and green outfit before becoming Nightwing halfway through the film and getting a new costume similar to his B&R suit (the more outfits, the more action figures we sell). Batgirl's outfit would need an upgrade too. It could be coloured purple and yellow like Yvonne Craig's or black and yellow like Dina Meyer's. Either way, the cowl could become a more permanent fixture of her ensemble.

We need some new vehicles too, so I'd have King Tut's master plan involve hijacking the newly launched Wayne Enterprises Watchtower space station (obviously based on the JLA Watchtower). Batman and Robin almost went into space courtesy of Mr. Freeze, but this time I'd have them go there for real. During the final act, King Tut would somehow reach the Watchtower and take control of it. Why? I don't know. Maybe he wants to use it to whip up a giant sandstorm or somehow distort time by manipulating Earth's gravity field. Something dumb like that.

Bat-Mite apologises for inadvertently frustrating Batman, Nightwing and Batgirl throughout the movie. To make amends, he magically creates new Bat-spacesuits and spaceships for them to use against Tut (and for WB to sell more toys). In a climax inspired by Moonraker (1979), the four heroes would fly into space and board the Watchtower for the final showdown.

They defeat Clayface and Solomon Grundy in zero-g combat and prevent Tut's plan from reaching fruition. Tut then flees the Watchtower in an escape pod locked on a collision course with Gotham. Batman pursues him in his own Bat-rocket, but as Tut is re-entering the Earth's atmosphere he bangs his head and reverts to his original identity of Professor William Omaha McElroy. Batman ejects from his own ship and glides to the outside of Tut's escape pod. He rescues the frightened professor, plants a Bat-bomb that destroys the pod at high altitude, then safely glides down to Gotham in time to watch the burning wreckage fall harmlessly into the sea.

Tut goes back to teaching, Clayface goes to Arkham, Grundy goes back to the swamp, Batgirl kisses Nightwing, Bat-Mite returns to his own dimension, and the heroes join Alfred and Aunt Harriet in time for breakfast at stately Wayne Manor. The movie ends with Batman, Nightwing and Batgirl running in front of the Bat-Signal like the final shot of B&R, only this time Bat-Mite appears in the air above them to tease his possible return in a sixth movie.

Running time 120 minutes. Rated PG for very mild violence and sensuality.

A few more ideas.

Batman mentioned Metropolis in Batman Forever, then namedropped Superman in B&R. I'd take it a step further and have him give a shout out to the Justice League in the fifth film. As they're flying up to the Watchtower, Nightwing could say something like, "Couldn't you have built this thing closer to home?" and Batman could reply, "I'll suggest moving it at the next JLA meeting." Something along those lines would be delightfully lame.

I also feel McDonald's should feature prominently in at least one scene. We saw the logo in the background of Schumacher's earlier films, but perhaps this time Batman, Nightwing and Batgirl could actually enter a McDonald's restaurant while pursing King Tut's men? Or at the very least we could have a scene where the three of them pass a drive-through, Batman flashes his 'Forever' credit card and Nightwing could shout "yoink!" as he and Batgirl grab the takeouts. We could then use that footage in the Happy Meal promos.

Finally, what about the title? Batman Immortal. Batman Resurrected. Batman: Age of Heroes. Batman Millennium. Batman Ascends.

Anyway, those are just a few of my ideas to use as an example. Feel free to expand on them if you like. Or if you can come up with a better (i.e. worse) idea for a B&R sequel, then go for it. Brainstorm something completely different if you like, using any villains or characters you think would be appropriate for this type of a film. Maybe you could have the finale take place underwater and have the heroes wear Bat-scuba gear as they pilot Bat-water-skis and a Bat-submarine. Maybe you'd like to bring in Tim Drake as the new Robin, or have Batwoman join the team.

But it's got to be camp, it's got to be toyetic, and it's got to sell Happy Meals.

[The Dark Knight]

I enjoyed reading that.

Leave the idea with me. I'll have to give this some considered thought.

[thecolorsblend]

Villains- King Tut + Killer Moth
New Hero- Batwoman, naturally
Vehicles- Batwoman cycle, new Batmobile, new Robin cycle, new Nightwing cycle, new Batgirl cycle
Costumes- Bright blue and soft gray Furst-style Batman armor, red and green and black Robin armor, blue and black Nightwing armor, purple and yellow Batgirl armor, red and yellow Batwoman armor

Kathy Kane returns to Gotham City following an extended archaeological expedition with her partner William Omaha McElroy. McElroy already has delusions of grandeur but that gets kicked into overdrive when an Egyptian hieroglyphic tablet falls on his head, causing a split personality to emerge. Armed with his goofy origin and believing himself to be an Egyptian pharaoh, McElroy wages a campaign of terror (or series of passing annoyances) on Gotham City.

Meanwhile, at stately Wayne Manor, Alfred announces that he's retiring, shocking Bruce, Dick and Barbara to their cores. With Alfred leaving, Barbara ponders whether or not it's time for her to move on as well. Dick isn't far behind Barbara in that respect either.

Elsewhere, Kathy Kane is the toast of Gotham City, becoming a regular fixture on Gossip Gertie's new TV show. Kathy adores the spotlight at first but when McElroy begins his rampage of aggravating Gothamites, she feels responsible for his condition and his actions because it was she who insisted he accompany her on the excavation. Assuming the identity of Batwoman, Kathy makes it her personal mission to capture King Tut and give him the help he obviously needs.

This brings Batwoman into conflict with the Terrific Trio. Batman, Robin and Batgirl seem determined to beat the snot out of King Tut and lock him up whereas Batwoman seeks his rehabilitation. Not only are Killer Moth and King Tut tripping each other up, so are Batwoman and the Terrific Trio.

Complicating Kathy's mission is Killer Moth, a Batman-style villain who thwarts law enforcement efforts to arrest criminals. Killer Moth's presumption that King Tut is a villain instead of a pharaoh offends Tut to his core, causing a rivalry between the two villains that threatens the city itself. There's also her new love interest, Bruce Wayne.

For his own part, Bruce sees the bat-family breaking up. So maybe it's time for Batman to retire as well so that Bruce can live happily ever after with Kathy?

The Terrific Trio and Batwoman's first showdown with King Tut and Killer Moth goes horribly wrong as the heroes are not working together as a team and essentially everybody is fighting everybody else with no real planning or coordination.

The relationship between Kathy and Bruce intensifies, as Kathy feels like a jerk for not telling Bruce her secret identity and him experiencing similar inner conflict.

Later, Batman, Robin, Batwoman and Batgirl find themselves overwhelmed with countering the combined forces of King Tut and Killer Moth. In Batman and Robin's first encounter with King Tut, Robin's motorcycle gets destroyed during a battle atop a giant typewriter... so it's time for an upgrade. Dick decides his days as Robin are over. It's time for him to assume the identity of Nightwing... and get a Nightwing-themed motorcycle.

As all that's going on, the rivalry between King Tut and Killer Moth intensifies, culminating in Killer Moth overpowering and capturing King Tut. Strapped to a conveyer belt, King Tut is about to get dropped into an industrial sized vat of McDonald's French fry oil*. Just in the nick of time, he's rescued by Batwoman and the Terrific Trio, who have put aside their differences to work together... one final time.

Batwoman rescues King Tut, who quickly turns the tables on her and subdues her. He's got the drop on her but before he can make another move, Batman smacks him in the head with something, restoring the McElroy identity. McElroy quickly surrenders.

In the middle of the battle, Batwoman and Batman discover each other's secret identities.

Meanwhile, Batgirl and Nightwing are overwhelmed by Killer Moth, his gadgets and his thugs until McElroy summons his own followers ("The Charioteers") and orders them to rescue the Batgirl and Nightwing, with assists from Batman and Batwoman.

Alfred retires and returns to England, Barbara goes with him initially, Dick goes solo (but promises to drop in on Bruce once in a while) and Batman's new partner is Batwoman. And Bruce's new girlfriend is Kathy.

The movie ends with Dick and Barbara going back to college together, where they both attend an Egyptology class taught by Professor McElroy.

Are we allowed a post-credit scene? After credits roll, the camera fades from black into the Batcave. Bruce and Kathy are enjoying an intimate dinner in the Batcave. Bruce reaches into his pocket and is about to pull out an engagement ring when out of thin air appears Bat-Mite, played by Gilbert Gottfried with the aid of CGI. He says "How could you ever think about retirin'? The fun's only just getting started!" Bruce and Kathy glance at each other in absolute shock, cut to black, end of movie.

* No, rly, that was the best McDonald's tie-in I could think of. Afaik, boiling in oil was more typically a Roman punishment than an Egyptian one. But, eh...

[Silver Nemesis]

Top marks, colors. Killer Moth's an appropriately colourful choice of villain, and your storyline offers a good way of introducing Batwoman while circumventing the problem of her non-relation to the Schumacher Batgirl. You also continued the Schumacher trend of ignoring the love interest (Julie) from the preceding movie, while the subplot about Dick and Barbara flying the coop, and Alfred retiring, would continue the family themes from the previous two films. That would add some heartfelt drama in between the action for those of us who appreciated the Alfred storyline in B&R.

I like the idea of Tut's goons being the Charioteers (cinematic heirs to the Hockey Team from Hell). After Freeze's Freezemobile in B&R, Tut would need a similarly toyetic vehicle for his own movie. Some kind of souped-up rocket-powered chariot would be ideal, with weapons projecting from the wheels like in Ben-Hur (1959). This would also offer the potential for an amusement park ride to tie in with the movie.

The giant typewriter is a nice touch. I was thinking about something like that myself. Some of the giant statues and neon signs in B&R were already veering towards a Dick Sprang-era Gotham. It wouldn't be too much of a leap to progress from those to a giant typewriter.

You also get bonus points for incorporating McDonald's into Tut's death trap. That scene would be a nice throwback to the cliff-hanger endings in the sixties TV show.

Gilbert Gottfried as Bat-Mite is a stroke of genius. I never even considered him, but now that I think about it he's clearly the best and only man for the job. I've got a grotesque mental image of a CG or puppet Bat-Mite with live action Gottfried's face awkwardly superimposed over its head.

I can just see the exasperated looks a head-bobbling Clooney would give him whenever he speaks.

You could sell Bat-Mite plush toys for kids, and when the owner squeezes his belly Gottfried's voice yells back at them. I somehow doubt it would be as loveable or popular as all the Baby Yoda merchandise we're currently seeing, but it'd make a great kitsch collectable.

A few more ideas. Chief O'Hara could appear in a minor role as Gordon's right-hand man.

BF and B&R both include a scene where the villains tamper with the Bat-Signal. In BF the Riddler turns it into a question mark, and in B&R Ivy and Bane steal it and adapt it into the Robin-Signal. This time I'd have Tut somehow project an animated scarab beetle into the sky which would crawl up and eclipse the Bat-Signal. It wouldn't make any scientific sense, but it'd be a cool visual image.

Should we also push for trophies in the Batcave? It could be explained that the dinosaur is a relic from Freeze's attack on the museum in B&R, and the giant coin could feature in one of King Tut's crimes.

[thecolorsblend]

Top marks, colors. Killer Moth's an appropriately colourful choice of villain, and your storyline offers a good way of introducing Batwoman while circumventing the problem of her non-relation to the Schumacher Batgirl. You also continued the Schumacher trend of ignoring the love interest (Julie) from the preceding movie, while the subplot about Dick and Barbara flying the coop, and Alfred retiring, would continue the family themes from the previous two films. That would add some heartfelt drama in between the action for those of us who appreciated the Alfred storyline in B&R.

I like the idea of Tut's goons being the Charioteers (cinematic heirs to the Hockey Team from Hell). After Freeze's Freezemobile in B&R, Tut would need a similarly toyetic vehicle for his own movie. Some kind of souped-up rocket-powered chariot would be ideal, with weapons projecting from the wheels like in Ben-Hur (1959). This would also offer the potential for an amusement park ride to tie in with the movie.

The giant typewriter is a nice touch. I was thinking about something like that myself. Some of the giant statues and neon signs in B&R were already veering towards a Dick Sprang-era Gotham. It wouldn't be too much of a leap to progress from those to a giant typewriter.

You also get bonus points for incorporating McDonald's into Tut's death trap. That scene would be a nice throwback to the cliff-hanger endings in the sixties TV show.

Gilbert Gottfried as Bat-Mite is a stroke of genius. I never even considered him, but now that I think about it he's clearly the best and only man for the job. I've got a grotesque mental image of a CG or puppet Bat-Mite with live action Gottfried's face awkwardly superimposed over its head.

I can just see the exasperated looks a head-bobbling Clooney would give him whenever he speaks.

You could sell Bat-Mite plush toys for kids, and when the owner squeezes his belly Gottfried's voice yells back at them. I somehow doubt it would be as loveable or popular as all the Baby Yoda merchandise we're currently seeing, but it'd make a great kitsch collectable.

A few more ideas. Chief O'Hara could appear in a minor role as Gordon's right-hand man.

BF and B&R both include a scene where the villains tamper with the Bat-Signal. In BF the Riddler turns it into a question mark, and in B&R Ivy and Bane steal it and adapt it into the Robin-Signal. This time I'd have Tut somehow project an animated scarab beetle into the sky which would crawl up and eclipse the Bat-Signal. It wouldn't make any scientific sense, but it'd be a cool visual image.

Should we also push for trophies in the Batcave? It could be explained that the dinosaur is a relic from Freeze's attack on the museum in B&R, and the giant coin could feature in one of King Tut's crimes.

Thank you! I sort of pulled the whole thing out of my... hat. But if it was to be a real movie, I would've wanted to go all the way with the late Golden Age influence. Stuff like Robin showing up in costume to give a lecture to college students or police cadets or something. I rather enjoy the absurdity of a masked vigilante giving criminology lessons to people who wield legitimate law enforcement authority and the training to match.

Yeah, loading the Batcave up with souvenirs is a must and the dinosaur from B&R was my guess for the origin of the thing. Maybe the giant penny could be a relic from Batman's first encounter with Two-Face that we never got to see? I'd also like to see glass cases containing the B89, BR and BF suits since the Golden and Silver Ages had a weird fetish for memorials, statues, etc.

I dashed my post off and I didn't want to labor over things too much. But I thought it might be thematically useful if Gordon also retired. Gordon's replacement, of course, would eventually be Chief O'Hara. The way I see it, O'Hara has been the chief for fifty years or something so he's due for a promotion.

As to the Charioteers, I figured they rode on vehicles sort of like Segways (with a chariot-themed "shell") that can race along at high speeds, drop smoke bombs, fire offensive weapons (that never seem to cause any real damage or death) and stuff like that for a high speed chase involving them and Batgirl and Robin.

Another idea was that yet another Batmobile gets destroyed. Batman looks at his growing list of allies and jokes about getting a "Bat-Minivan". Gotta have quips and stuff.

Even had an idea for Batman 6. Following along with the comics influence we're working of B89 and BR being the early Golden Age and BF-B5 being the late Golden Age, we could finally transition to the Silver Age. For that, I'd want to use Roxy Rocket more as a villain for Nightwing, Blockbuster as a villain for Batman and the new Robin (Jason Todd) and Professor Milo as a villain for Batwoman. Naturally, all of the villains would have to be connected to each other somehow. But I guess maybe that's a discussion for a separate thread.

[Silver Nemesis]

Yeah, loading the Batcave up with souvenirs is a must and the dinosaur from B&R was my guess for the origin of the thing. Maybe the giant penny could be a relic from Batman's first encounter with Two-Face that we never got to see? I'd also like to see glass cases containing the B89, BR and BF suits since the Golden and Silver Ages had a weird fetish for memorials, statues, etc.

We know the Schumacher Batman had battled Two-Face before the bank heist in BF, so there's no reason the giant coin couldn't be attributed to one of their earlier encounters. I'm surprised Schumacher didn't put trophies from the earlier films in the Batcave in BF. I know there's a Batman Returns batarang hanging in the armoury, but it's barely noticeable. Schumacher made sure to feature the Riddler and Two-Face costumes prominently in Arkham, so I think he'd have been on board with putting similar Easter eggs in the Batcave.

I dashed my post off and I didn't want to labor over things too much. But I thought it might be thematically useful if Gordon also retired. Gordon's replacement, of course, would eventually be Chief O'Hara. The way I see it, O'Hara has been the chief for fifty years or something so he's due for a promotion.

Introducing O'Hara in this way would give Schumacher the opportunity to put his own stamp on the police commissioner role. He inherited Hingle's Gordon from Burton, but he could recreate O'Hara from scratch in his own idiosyncratic style.

As to the Charioteers, I figured they rode on vehicles sort of like Segways (with a chariot-themed "shell") that can race along at high speeds, drop smoke bombs, fire offensive weapons (that never seem to cause any real damage or death) and stuff like that for a high speed chase involving them and Batgirl and Robin.

Lol. Now I'm visualising Tut's goons riding round Gotham on Segway-style chariots yelling "Ya!" and cracking the reins, even though there are no animals pulling them along. An Egyptian-themed Batman movie would be unironically awesome.

For Tut's first scene, I thought he could enter wearing a creepy Egyptian mask. The dramatic music would swell and the audience would be misled into thinking this is going to be a dark and sinister villain...

...then the mask comes off and underneath it's just, uh, a camp Jeff Goldblum, uh, simpering in an, uh, uh, unintimidating manner while his burly henchmen look on in embarrassment. He'd have to play it exactly like this (except Tut wouldn't actually kill anyone):

This version of King Tut would be the perfect successor to Arnold's Mr. Freeze and a suitable foil for Clooney's Batman.

Another idea was that yet another Batmobile gets destroyed. Batman looks at his growing list of allies and jokes about getting a "Bat-Minivan". Gotta have quips and stuff.

The BF Batmobile drove up a wall. The B&R Batmobile leapt over rooftops. Prior to its inevitable destruction, what would the new Batmobile do? We could have it sprout wings and fly before being shot down. Or would that be going too far? Is there even such a thing as 'too far' where this movie is concerned?

Even had an idea for Batman 6. Following along with the comics influence we're working of B89 and BR being the early Golden Age and BF-B5 being the late Golden Age, we could finally transition to the Silver Age. For that, I'd want to use Roxy Rocket more as a villain for Nightwing, Blockbuster as a villain for Batman and the new Robin (Jason Todd) and Professor Milo as a villain for Batwoman. Naturally, all of the villains would have to be connected to each other somehow. But I guess maybe that's a discussion for a separate thread.

Blockbuster would actually be a great henchman villain to follow Jeep Bane in Batman 5. I'd wager most young Batman fans aren't familiar with him, but old school comic aficionados will appreciate what a popular character he was during the sixties. Tut's not a physically intimidating antagonist, so he needs someone like Blockbuster to do his fighting for him.

[The Dark Knight]

Bare bones concept:

•   Mad Hatter as the main villain, continuing the Riddler and Poison Ivy's themes of mind control and manipulation
•   Gordon has retired and bumbling O'Hara is the new chief
•   Ala the comics, Hatter implants devices in "free coffee and donuts" tickets he hands out in front of police stations, allowing him to control most cops in the city, inciting them to steal for him and riot
•   O'Hara keeps insisting he will get the situation under control
•   Hatter has a huge Alice in Wonderland themed lair with a long table as the centrepiece
•   Clayface as the secondary grunt, substituting Bane
•   Clayface impersonates Batman, Robin and Batgirl. He has them joining in with the theft and anarchy, which he considers to be the role of a lifetime
•   The goal is complete alienation of the public and, giving them no faith in those who serve them, before they are finally taken over
•   The endgame is installing a mind control device to broadcast over all of Gotham, turning people into mindless zombies, converging on a radioactive pool of protoplasm in Gotham Harbor, turning them into Clayface creatures
•   Batman and the team construct a new radio wave proof suit which they wear in the finale
•   They fly into Gotham in a new vehicle, destroying the transmitter

[Silver Nemesis]

A villain hideout inspired by Wonderland, as envisaged by Joel Schumacher, could have been spectacular. Any ideas for who could have played Hatter? Martin Short perhaps?

[thecolorsblend]

A villain hideout inspired by Wonderland, as envisaged by Joel Schumacher, could have been spectacular. Any ideas for who could have played Hatter? Martin Short perhaps?

It's tempting to consider Robin Williams for the Hatter. If nothing else, it would finally get that casting option off the table forever.

But yeah, I think Short probably would've been the best bet for a Schumacher take on Hatter.

[thecolorsblend]

Lol. Now I'm visualising Tut's goons riding round Gotham on Segway-style chariots yelling "Ya!" and cracking the reins, even though there are no animals pulling them along. An Egyptian-themed Batman movie would be unironically awesome.

For Tut's first scene, I thought he could enter wearing a creepy Egyptian mask. The dramatic music would swell and the audience would be misled into thinking this is going to be a dark and sinister villain...

...then the mask comes off and underneath it's just, uh, a camp Jeff Goldblum, uh, simpering in an, uh, uh, unintimidating manner while his burly henchmen look on in embarrassment. He'd have to play it exactly like this (except Tut wouldn't actually kill anyone):

This version of King Tut would be the perfect successor to Arnold's Mr. Freeze and a suitable foil for Clooney's Batman.

Agreed. When I suggested Tut as the villain, one consideration was music. I figured Eliot Goldenthal could use some Middle Eastern musical motifs for anything involving Tut. It would've been something new and innovative for Batman's musical repertoire at that time. Zimmer and co. dabbled in Eastern influences a bit but I was thinking of something very Arabesque and baroque for King Tut's theme/motifs. Goldblum aside, I saw Tut as a return to a sort of zany supervillain. BF had two kind of over the top villains but B&R lacked Jim Carrey's charisma and manic energy. Goldblum would bring a different type of energy to Batman 5 but it would still be something very charismatic, I think.

The BF Batmobile drove up a wall. The B&R Batmobile leapt over rooftops. Prior to its inevitable destruction, what would the new Batmobile do? We could have it sprout wings and fly before being shot down. Or would that be going too far? Is there even such a thing as 'too far' where this movie is concerned?

Two-Face nearly exploited the Batmobile's vulnerabilities during the wall climbing sequence in BF. Freeze destroyed a Batmobile because Batman's luck just plain worked against him in B&R.

So for B5, I think Batman would want something more mobile. I was envisioning a small canopied sport coupe that somehow makes crazy jumps like KITT or the General Lee. I think Batman would want a vehicle with maximum mobility. To make it toyetic-yet-story-applicable, devise a sequence where Batman has to run a road blockade to perform a rescue or stop a bomb or something but the road is blockaded by the Charioteers. They open fire on the Batmobile. Is this the end for Batman? No, as he nears the road blockade, he hits a button and the Batmobile turbo boosts over the blockade and keeps zooming along without breaking stride.

The canopy could pay off later in the movie. To make it toyetic-yet-story-applicable, you could devise a sequence where the Batmobile is airborne over water, Batman realizes the car's about to sink, he blows the canopy free from the car's main chassis, the canopy releases a parachute to glide lazily into the water... and then it sinks! Is this the end for Batman? No, as soon as the canopy is fully submerged, Batman flips a switch on the dashboard, the parachute gets cut loose, an outboard engine appears from who the hell even knows where, Batman steers the canopy underwater and there's your mini-Batmarine, boss.

Later, show the Batmarine parked next to a stylized new Batboat in the Batcave.

You know what's kind of scaring me rn? Some of these ideas we're batting around (Goldblum as King Tut) aren't too bad.