I want a more comic book feel for Batman 3

[The Dark Knight]

As for Nolan remaking Gotham more in line with the comics, I think the dye is cast on this one.  He's established a sorta real life Gotham City now.  Reinventing the city for the third movie would be a mistake.  I think the smarter play would be to finish off the trilogy as it is right now with the same basic aesthetics and then introduce a sort of anthology franchise which isn't necessarily associated with Nolan's world that more closely replicates the comics.

Precisely.

[phantom stranger]

Even if Nolan doesn't make another film, I think the next Batman film will still be in his style. I don't think WB would risk fixing something that isn't broken. They made that mistake once and don't want to go down that path again.

I do think that one day we will get a whole new take on Batman and I suspect that it will be much more fantastical than Burton's vision.

Perhaps something like this:

[GuedesGothamKnight]

I respect your opinion, Bat-wing, but for me, Nolan's Bat world already have some comic book feel... not like Burton's Batman, but it own feel IMO.

[Azrael]

Whatever mass audience appeal BTAS has, it's ultimately still a kid's show so maybe I should go easy on Timm and Dini on this front but it's really one of very few things that keep BTAS from being definitive in my book.

I think you nailed the problem some people have with this show when some others called it "the definitive screen Batman". As good as it is, it's obvious that a ton of compromises were made to make it safer for children. No matter how good, it still feels like adults playing costume party at night and not like a crime-infested world. Gotham is more like an art-deco funhouse.

----

I agree Bat-Wing, I'd love to see a more Gargoyle-like Gothic Batman on film again.

[thecolorsblend]

As for Nolan remaking Gotham more in line with the comics, I think the dye is cast on this one.  He's established a sorta real life Gotham City now.  Reinventing the city for the third movie would be a mistake.  I think the smarter play would be to finish off the trilogy as it is right now with the same basic aesthetics and then introduce a sort of anthology franchise which isn't necessarily associated with Nolan's world that more closely replicates the comics.

Precisely.

Yo TDK, I'm going to have to revisit this.

To say "Nolan should reimagine his Gotham City to be more in line with the comics" blah blah blah is kinda setting up a false dichotomy.  Full disclosure, Nolan's isn't "my Batman".  That title is held by the Burton Batman and the Kane/Finger/earlyearlyearly Detective Comics Batman.  Those Gothams are cities full of long, deep shadows, scary architecture, the works.

However.  That ain't the only way to skin the cat.  The simple fact of the matter is that a "real world" Gotham City a la Christopher Nolan is readily apparent in many, many, many comics.  There's no shortage of precedent for Nolan to go the route he did.  In my opinion, that is without a doubt the most bland and visually boring possible way to conceptualize Gotham City... but you simply cannot argue that Nolan had no comics from which to draw his inspiration.

Basically I'm now saying that Nolan's Gotham is no more and no less true to "the comics version" than Burton's (even though my preferences are obvious).  So it would be an even bigger mistake for Nolan to redesign Gotham City for the third movie than what I initially said.

Anyway.  Just wanted to rephrase this a little bit.

Although I'll believe he's coming back for a third helping when it's announced.

I think you nailed the problem some people have with this show when some others called it "the definitive screen Batman". As good as it is, it's obvious that a ton of compromises were made to make it safer for children. No matter how good, it still feels like adults playing costume party at night and not like a crime-infested world. Gotham is more like an art-deco funhouse.

Yep.  I understand why some of those things were made.  You couldn't bring Selina's post-Miller origin into a kid's cartoon show.  Using Burton's origin ties the cartoon perhaps a bit too closely to the movies.  The Silver Age comics origin is straight up weak sauce.  Basically Dini, Timm and Burnett had to reinvent her from the ground up.

I'm totally cool with things like that... but it is a consideration when we have these discussions.  I dig on the show, it's on my top five favorite versions of Batman and nobody needs me to tell them that the awesome simply drips from the voice cast.  But the show has its fair share of weaknesses and such a G-rated Gotham City is a big disadvantage.

I agree Bat-Wing, I'd love to see a more Gargoyle-like Gothic Batman on film again.

Agreed.  I'm not a director or anything but I think a borderline monochromatic shot of Batman crouched in the shadows, kneeling beside a gargoyle in the pouring rain atop an impossibly huge skyscraper is a pretty effin' iconic Batman visual at this point.  Sad to think we may never see that in live action, unless we get that anthology franchise after BB3.

[The Dark Knight]

Agreed.  I'm not a director or anything but I think a borderline monochromatic shot of Batman crouched in the shadows, kneeling beside a gargoyle in the pouring rain atop an impossibly huge skyscraper is a pretty effin' iconic Batman visual at this point.  Sad to think we may never see that in live action, unless we get that anthology franchise after BB3.

Well, I love the shot in Begins where Batman is on the side of a Narrows building, cape flapping in the wind while rain pours down. That was cool.

[gordonblu]

I hope the next Batman is a little more like BB than TDK, still in the same universe, but with a slight edge toward the fantastical. Speaking of Begins and Knight, what happened to the rest of the monorail after Ras' and the train crashed? Did they dismantle it? Did they fix it? Why don't we see it in Dark Knight? (I know, It's because it WASN"T REAL! )

To me, the PERFECT Batman movie, would be the look and feel of Batman89  and Returns mixed with the action of Begins and TDK. Also with more Duck Mobiles as long as I'm dreaming.

[burtongenius]

Yeah, nolans sucked all the juice out of batman.  I guess thats what most people wanted after all the "stupid batman movies of the 80s and 90s".  People got their bed and now they can sleep in it.  Nolan's movies aren't bad I guess.  The nolan crew didn't believe in comic book so they made something they thought was more realistic. 

[Travesty]

I liked BB a lot when it came out, and I still enjoy it to this day. Sure, it has some things wrong with it, the fear-theme is a little to heavy at times, and they had some cheesy lines here and there, but overall, I enjoy it MUCH more then TDK, and one of those reasons, is how Nolan stripped away Batman from a lot of it's fantasy elements. I would agree that I want a Batman movie to feel like it's more "in tune" with it's fantasy elements, like the majority of the comics tend to be. I do, however, think that if Nolan does come back, that he should just stick to what he has, or at least, go back to the atmosphere from what was presented in Begins. Begins was a more "realistic/serious" take on the character, but it didn't go over the edge, to being a little to "real world". And that's one of the biggest complaints about TDK, in that, it feels a little to real and serious, that it feels silly to be seeing a man dressed as a Bat fighting against a psychotic clown. The atmosphere and tone of the characters, are just out of place for me.

I also have a lot of other complaints about TDK, but that is one of my biggest. 

[The Dark Knight]

Sure, it has some things wrong with it, the fear-theme is a little to heavy at times, and they had some cheesy lines here and there

Tell me about it. Not to mention plot holes you could drive a truck through.

I do, however, think that if Nolan does come back, that he should just stick to what he has, or at least, go back to the atmosphere from what was presented in Begins

Yes, that's the smart and obvious thing to do.

I have a hunger for a more "comic book" Batman. People must realise that does not equal Schumacher. Far from it. You don't have to go super-real to be gritty.

Like you, I realise it will have to be after Nolan is done. However, if a new director comes in and must continue the narrative Nolan established, well, I think it's a given we're  going to get more of the same. More or less.