Scripts from Burton's films

[Silver Nemesis]

Excellent feature and very informative.

On the subject of Robin having red hair, I?ve read on several sites that an actor called Ricky Addison Reed was in line to play Dick Grayson in Batman 89. Presumably this is the same Ricky Addison Reed who starred in the 1987 movie A Return to Salem?s Lot, and who would have been about 13 when Batman was being filmed. As you can see in the following clip, he had reddish/blond hair.

And while the post-Crisis Jason Todd originally had black hair, he appeared in Batman & Robin #5 with red hair; explaining that Bruce had made him dye it black to more closely resemble Dick Grayson.

Personally, I?d much rather have seen this younger redheaded costumed version of Robin than the Marlon Wayans version.

It was also interesting that Burton?s treatment showed the Waynes going to the opera on the night of their murder. I think Strauss? Die Fledermaus ? literally ?The Bat? in German ? was a more appropriate choice than Mefistofele. The Germanic connection just feels more attuned to the franchise?s gothic tone.

[Kamdan]

I have an issue of Comic Scene which had an interview with Warren Skaaren and there was a picture of Ricky in it.

[Grissom]

Great articles on the treatments, truly great stuff, thank God for this site. There were several things I liked and also disliked and to be completely honest, I'm glad the way the film turned out, not only Batman '89 but also Batman Returns.

One thing I'd mention is that Commissioner Gordon in Batman '89 was like an observer to Batman's activities and one of the last honest cops. The film was about Batman and The Joker and everyone else in the mix who were affected by this. Pat Hingle did a great job although he role wasn't very big. So people who complain about Gordon's role, I think need to chill a bit. In Batman Returns it could have been expanded upon, because the ground work was laid in Batman, but as you can see they went in a different direction. All in all, I immensely enjoyed Burton's films and the collaboration to get them on the screen, even Nicholson mentioned the collaboration on the SE dvd. Great films.

Great article!

Cheers!

[BatmAngelus]

Thanks for the compliments, guys.

Great stuff BatAngelus!  Where do you get your information from?

Got the treatment from an industry tracking board.  Unfortunately I can't share the treatment without getting kicked out, so I have to settle for sharing the analysis instead.

On the subject of Robin having red hair, I?ve read on several sites that an actor called Ricky Addison Reed was in line to play Dick Grayson in Batman 89. Presumably this is the same Ricky Addison Reed who starred in the 1987 movie A Return to Salem?s Lot, and who would have been about 13 when Batman was being filmed. As you can see in the following clip, he had reddish/blond hair.

And while the post-Crisis Jason Todd originally had black hair, he appeared in Batman & Robin #5 with red hair; explaining that Bruce had made him dye it black to more closely resemble Dick Grayson.

Yep, Ricky Addison Reed was considered for the role.  I'm a bit curious why Burton was that specific in the hair color choice.  Perhaps to tie in with the bird's red color?

I read that issue.  Morrison loves to make all of continuity, from 1939 to present, part of the same and I think he was trying to make Jason literally be the "red headed stepchild."  Still, it makes things complicated when you all other Post-Crisis comics have Jason already with black hair when he tries to steal the tire from the Batmobile.

[BatmAngelus]

Tom Mankiewicz, the screenwriter of the original Batman draft (as well as a handful of James Bond films and the first two Superman movies), has passed away at the age of 68.
I wrote an obituary for him at work: http://scificrush.com/articles/2010/08/02/superman-screenwriter-tom-mankiewicz-passes-away-at-68/

[Paul (ral)]

Nicely written BatmAngelus. Being a Superman fan I am very fond of Tom due to his work on the films. His interviews also show him to be a rather nice guy too.

To me he is one of the last great dialogue writers...the kind that just don't exist anymore.

I was deeply saddened to hear the news this morning.

[gordonblu]

That is a bummer! I loved what he did with Live And Let Die. 

[johnnygobbs]

Thank you for the piece BatAngelus.  Mackiewicz's screenplay for Superman in many ways serves as the modern-day template for the best comic-book movies.  Incidentally, his father, Joseph L. Manckiewicz was one of the very greatest screenwriters n Hollywood history being the man behind Citizen Kane. 

[BatmAngelus]

Actually Joseph is known for All About Eve and directed one of my favorite films, Sleuth. 
His brother (and Tom's uncle), Herman, was the one behind Citizen Kane.  Writing for the silver screen certainly runs in the family.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised I haven't seen much coverage of this on superhero news sites like Superhero Hype or Comic Book Movie, considering Mankiewicz's involvement in the Superman films that have shaped and influenced so many of the superhero origin-type films we have today.  Without Superman: The Movie, I doubt we would have had films like Raimi's Spider-Man or Nolan's Batman.

I suppose part of it may be because Mankiewicz isn't as well known of a name as Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, or even Richard Donner (which also has to do with the obscurity that goes to Hollywood screenwriters).

[johnnygobbs]

Actually Joseph is known for All About Eve and directed one of my favorite films, Sleuth. 
His brother (and Tom's uncle), Herman, was the one behind Citizen Kane.  Writing for the silver screen certainly runs in the family.

Thanks for the correction BatAngelus.  I've heard a lot about Joseph L. Mankiewicz over the years so I guess I immeditely associated him with him Citizen Kane, but All About Eve, another brilliantly written film, and Slueth are indeed brilliant pieces of work too.  Along with much of Billy Wilder and Clifford Odets' output you rarely see screenplays of such class produced these days.  The nearest you get to such sublime writing is probably in some of the series being made by HBO and even they rarely match that type of film writing for sheer wit and quotable dialogue.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised I haven't seen much coverage of this on superhero news sites like Superhero Hype or Comic Book Movie, considering Mankiewicz's involvement in the Superman films that have shaped and influenced so many of the superhero origin-type films we have today.  Without Superman: The Movie, I doubt we would have had films like Raimi's Spider-Man or Nolan's Batman.

It's a pity that Tom Mankiewicz's passing isn't getting more coverage bearing in mind the importance and quality of his work on Superman.  I remember listening to his DVD commentary with Richard Donner for the first Superman and thinking what an eloquent and compelling person he seemed.