BAT FILMS OF THE FUTURE?
The end is near — when the credits roll on “The Dark Knight Rises” this July, it will mark the close of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and the final adventure for Christian Bale as the caped crusader of Gotham City. Warner Bros. executives have made it clear they won’t leave the iconic property sitting on a shelf, however, and a new director and star tandem could be inhabiting Wayne Manor by 2014. But how on Earth will any filmmaker follow the work of Nolan and company? Working together, Hero Complex lead writer Geoff Boucher and graphic artist Sean Hartter came up with 15 imaginary Batman reboots — and, yes, they did it with tongue in cheek. We published them last week in batches of three, but in the gallery above we’ve put them all in one spot for the first time. Have a favorite? Vote in the poll below or, better yet, show us you can do better by telling us about your Batfilm concept in the comments section. If we see a good one, we’ll make a poster out of it and give you all the credit (or blame) you deserve.
— Geoff Boucher and Sean Hartter
READ THE REST OF THE SERIES
Tuesday: Rob Marshall’s “Gotham!”; Brad Bird’s “Mr. Freeze’s Icy Revenge”; Guillermo del Toro’s “Batman”
Friday: Tim Burton’s “Dark Knight Returns”; Zack Snyder’s “World’s Finest”; Ridley Scott’s “Batman Beyond”
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‘Dark Knight Rises’: Tom Hardy as Bane
Nolan on his favorite scene in ‘Dark Knight’
‘DKR’: Anne Hathaway as Catwoman
‘DKR’: The Bat, the Rat and the Cat
Michael Keaton’s dark memories of ‘Batman’
Nolan: Hollywood takes too many shortcuts
FIRST LOOK: ‘Dark Knight Rises’ toys
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Our legion of super contributors is led by Hero Complex editor Gina McIntyre and 
I actually really like the idea of Blomkamp, Bird, and del Toro.
Is it too obvious to have Michael Bay directing "Bat-splosion!" with Nic Cage as Batman and Shia as Robin?
Two ideas come to mind for Batman.
(1) Adapt Grant Morrison's Batman Arkham Asylum. If you haven't read the annotated version you may not be as inspired as I was from reading Morrison's notes along with the story, scene by scene. It seems translatable to the screen, if not for the stage. If made into a film, I would choose Guillermo Del Toro as director.
(2) What happens to Bruce Wayne between the murder of his parents and adulthood? Batman Year One starts when he is an adult. Wouldn't Alfred be an important catalyst during these years for Bruce? If done right it wouldn't be like Smallville.
The Nolan way to do this is make a film like this non-linear (like Memento) but I would prefer seeing it done linearly and done well. My director of choice to do this film right is John Sayles.
With the help of a time machine, you could create an appropriately twisted Batman tale with the cast of David Lynch's Blue Velvet: Kyle Maclachlan as Batman/Bruce Wayne (he's got the chin); Dennis Hopper as The Joker (nuff said); Isabella Rosselini as Catwoman; Dean Stockwell as The Riddler; Laura Dern as Vicki Vale; and Jack Nance as Commissioner Gordon.
I wish that Bale would play Batman just one more time in an Arkham Asylum movie…
Problem with the Alfred thing is that in most depictions Alfred doesn’t go with Bruce on his training to fight crime.
I do not want the rises to be the end of Chris Nolan’s Batman serise
An atemporal cast fantasy:
Max Von Sydow ("The Seventh Seal" era) as Batman
Klaus Kinsky as The Joker
Deborah Harrie as Catwoman
Peter Sellers as Hugo Strange
James Steward as Alfred
It would have to be directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky and written by Paddy Chayewsky
Music by Coil
Maybe someday. How I wish I could have a time machine…
Gotham with Johnny Depp and music by Jack white. Sounds like a winner to me.
Miramax presents
Quentin Tarantino's "Dark Knight: Vol. 1"
Starring
Brad Pitt as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Samuel L. Jackson as Mr. Freeze
Uma Therman as Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Bruce Willis as Hugo Strange
Harvey Keitel as Commissionar Gordan
Written by Quentin Tarantino
Music by The RZA
I'd love Morrison's Batman & Son/Black Glove/RIP as a movie trilogy.
But from these, I gotta say that Chloe Moretz as Carrie Kelly is pretty spot on.