Burton had lunch with Alan Moore pre-Batman 89?

[gordonblu]

I've never read one of his scripts before, fantastic! Yeah, it seems that his vision of the city isn't far from the designs in the film, when it comes to the surrealist nightrmare mood  I loved the reference to Dr. Caligari.

That is the one major thing missing from Nolan's films; the German-Expressionism inherent in Bob Kane's artwork from the early Batman stories.

[Dark Knight Detective]

I've never read one of his scripts before, fantastic! Yeah, it seems that his vision of the city isn't far from the designs in the film, when it comes to the surrealist nightrmare mood  I loved the reference to Dr. Caligari.

That is the one major thing missing from Nolan's films; the German-Expressionism inherent in Bob Kane's artwork from the early Batman stories.

And not to mention the New York architecture seen in the dark & serious Batman/Detective comics.

[Silver Nemesis]

There?s a reference to Moore?s involvement with the 1989 Batman film in the Virgin Film Series? 2002 book Tim Burton, by Jim Smith and J Clive Matthews. There?s a section where the authors discuss similarities between Batman and The Killing Joke, specifically regarding psychological themes and characterisation. Here?s an extract from that section (it?s on p.69 in case anyone?s interested):

?Moore himself had discussions with both Burton and screenwriter Sam Hamm about the project: ?I told [them] to make it dark and serious and exorcise the ghost of Adam West ... Sam Hamm ... said it was largely based on Killing Joke.??

According to the bibliography, Moore?s quote is taken from an interview he did with Ian Winterton entitled ?Murder, He Wrote? for Hotdog magazine in February 2002. It would be interesting to read the rest of that interview and see what else Moore has to say about his involvement with the film.

[Grissom]

From the moment I saw Batman, I knew, from the very opening frames that it was not a "fly-by-night" superhero/action film. There was a foreboding tone and seriousness to it that fit the film perfectly. Now to hear that Alan Moore, one of the greatest writers in comic book history actually had conversations with Burton, just re-emphasises the fact that this film dealt with quite a few psychological issues, in plain sight and below the surface, which is one of the reasons it still resonates with millions of people today.

Batman always had an edge that I loved and I'm glad that Burton and company went the direction they did.

[thecolorsblend]

Lemme get this straight.

Moore had such apparent praise and affirmation for a film based on TKJ when he's got such a notorious allergy for blessing ANY film based upon his works?

Yessir, the irony is piling off so fast that you need wings to stay above it...

[batass4880]

I'm not disputing that they met but please forgive my ignorance--How did TKJ have anything to do with ?89, other than Anton Furst referencing the art for some of the visual design and it being a Joker story? I thought Batman #1 and The Laughing Fish were the blueprints for the '89 Joker story, plus the overall story for the movie was written two years before the graphic novel came out.

[Dark Knight Detective]

I'm not disputing that they met but please forgive my ignorance--How did TKJ have anything to do with ?89, other than Anton Furst referencing the art for some of the visual design and it being a Joker story? I thought Batman #1 and The Laughing Fish were the blueprints for the '89 Joker story, plus the overall story for the movie was written two years before the graphic novel came out.

Wasn't the script rewritten in certain areas or fully after TKJ's release (forgive my ignorance)?

[batass4880]

^ That's what I'm saying. I get the impression from some people that TKJ was the main influence for the Joker in the film. Even with the rewrites, I don't see the Joker in '89 as a carbon copy of TKJ.

In TKJ, the Joker was an innocent man who became a monster. In the movie, he was already a criminal who got much worse.

[Dark Knight Detective]

Well, The Joker's Five Way Revenge could probably be another influence (along w/ others) for the Joker's story, if you ask me.

[BatmAngelus]

Lemme get this straight.

Moore had such apparent praise and affirmation for a film based on TKJ when he's got such a notorious allergy for blessing ANY film based upon his works?

Yessir, the irony is piling off so fast that you need wings to stay above it...

Well, to be fair, I don't think Moore's attitude towards film adaptations was in place around that time.  He was pretty positive about a Watchmen adaptation:
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Alan-Moore-Talks-Watchmen-Movie-In-1987-10577.html

Still, I think your point still stands- it's rare to hear about Moore having even a small involvement or praise for filmmakers who adapt comic book films