Batman: Year One animated movie trailer

If you're a fan of Batman, you're going to love this trailer.  It is for the upcoming DC Animated Universe DVD; Batman: Year One.  The same graphic novel by Frank Miller that redefined the character to the one we know today.  If it isn't for Frank Miller, there is no Christopher Nolan's interpretation of the character.  Enjoy the trailer and let us know what you think.

Check out the trailer to Batman Live: World Arena Tour

I'm sure you've read about the Spider-Man play on Broadway by now, and all its problems. Accidents, firings, delays, etc. Well, check out the cool trailer I just found for the Batman Live: World Arena Tour.  Batman is by far my favorite comic book character, I hope the show does really really well.

You have to love the costumes and characters they chose for the show.  The idea of a 360 degree show is just amazing.  I live in Southern California, near Six Flags Magic Mountain, and they have a live-action Batman show there as well.  But it is very restricted, not only due to time and money, but space as well.  Batman has a million gadgets and a great car, he needs somewhere to drive it in a live show.  It's starting in Europe and will later find its way to the United States. If you're in Europe and want ticket information, click here.  I can't wait to see it!

The Dark Knight Rises villain... Bane!

Click on the image to enlarge

Did you ever doubt Christopher Nolan for a minute?  Did you doubt that he would find a creative and original way to bring Bane to life?  Don't, don't ever doubt this man.  The image above is an official release from Warner Brothers of the new villain The Dark Knight Rises; which is of course the sequel to 2008's The Dark Knight. 

There was so much talk about how Nolan would make the character fit into the realistic world he's created for this Batman trilogy.  The picture shows Inception actor, Tom Hardy, ripped as can be.  I love the mask, it's dark, creepy and mysterious.  Nolan has been masterful at giving just enough to wet the appetite without giving anything away.  The way Bane is turned and looking back to the camera out of the corner of his eye is a little unsettling.

This is the first official glimpse into the third and final film, can you image what's still to come?  This is going to be an film of epic proportions, watch.

A more recent version of Bane

The Dark Knight Rises next year, what about Batman after that?

The news is out about a Justice League film is in the works, but there's more.  We're about a year away from the release of The Dark Knight Rises; Christopher Nolan's third and final film in his Batman trilogy. That hasn't stopped Warner Brothers from planning ahead.  With news of the JL movie, came news of more Batman films. 

According to new president, Jeff Robinov, Warner Brothers has more Batman films to follow Nolan's version.  Robinov says that Nolan and his wife, Emma Thomas, will remain produces on the next set of Batman films.  Why this news scares me:  Look what happened with Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.  Tim Burton remained on as producer after his two Batman films, but Joel Schumacher found a way to butcher the Dark Knight.

I guess the same thing could be said about Nolan producing Zack Snyder's Superman film; but it's still something to worry about.  Is this a way for WB to keep Nolan in-house?  He has been a cash cow for years now, and I'm sure they want a long-term relationship with the director.  But what route do they take with the next incarnation of Batman?

Do they go Batman Beyond like the animated series?  Campy like the Schumacher variety?  How about more serious, reality based films like Nolan?  The character is so versatile, so complex, there's a million ways to do it.  How about a true Batman and Robin film?  One that features the Red Hood?  That would be amazing!  And, interestingly enough, could tie into Nolan's interpretation of Ra's al Ghul. 

With all this talk about the NEXT Batman franchise, do you think the CURRENT one will be neglected?  Let's hope not, because Nolan has his work cut out for him if he's planning on topping The Dark Knight.  What would you do with the next Batman franchise?

A stand alone Justice League film is in the works... for 2013?!

It feels like a case of deja vu.  A few years ago, just before the writers strike in Hollywood, we were supposed to see a Justice League film.  Now, the writers are happy, superhero films have flourished, and Warner Brothers is promising a Justice League film by 2013.

Warner Brothers owns DC Comics and is the sole distributor of all of it's films, unlike Marvel comics.  Marvel is owned by Disney.  Before superhero movies were the huge money makers they are now, Marvel licensed out its movie rights to various studios (Fox got X-Men characters, Sony has Spider-Man, etc.).  Even with various studios distributing their films, Marvel has created a film universe where all of its characters co-exist, culminating in The Avengers film. 

So is Warner Brothers taking a page out of the Marvel handbook?  Nope.  They're going to make a completely separate franchise, independent of the individual characters' films.  So we will not see Christian Bale as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman in the Justice League.

I have to be honest, at first glance, this made me upset.  Maybe because I'm a fan of continuity and love to see the same actors portray the same characters in sequels and such.  But this makes a lot more sense.  Marvel shot themselves in the foot by making Iron Man 2 a prequel to The Avengers.  That movie suffered greatly because of continuity issues (and a new actor for War Machine).  So maybe it's not a bad idea after all to make it a separate franchise.

There are multiple comic books going at once, why not multiple stories in films at once.  Everyone online seems to differ on this point, but I like it.  Hopefully the same skill, patience and story telling will go into the Justice League that Christopher Nolan has put into the Batman films.  Only time will tell.  With Green Lantern coming out this summer, Superman: The Man of Steel late next year, and a Flash film in development, this may be a BETTER culmination than The Avengers.  Your thoughts?


The picture above is from DeviantArt artist: daikaiju.

Henry Cavill's long journey to playing Superman

So yesterday the internet was a buzz with the news that British actor Henry Cavill was cast as the Man of Steel, Superman.  It turns out he has a pretty interesting story.  He was already cast as Superman before!  Check out this article from 2004 on MovieWeb.  He was cast when McG was set to direct.  That film (totally separate from Superman Returns) died out, and Bryan Singer took over the reigns.  Singer cast Brandon Routh and the rest was history.

THEN, Cavill was almost cast as Batman!  Turns out he was on Christopher Nolan's short list before ultimately casting Christian Bale.

THEN, Cavill was almost cast as James Bond, but lost the role to Daniel Craig.

THEN, Cavill was almost cast as Edward in the Twilight Saga.  That went to the douche bag of a generation, Robert Pattinson.

THEN, Cavill was almost cast as the Green Lantern, but lost the role to Ryan Reynolds.

Holy mother of wow this guy's been through a lot.  I mean those are four bonafide franchises the man lost out on.  I almost feel bad being so disappointed in the casting, but I don't.  I knew they wanted a relative unknown, so I can't say I was TOTALLY surprised by Cavill's casting.  I wanted someone who was more famous, but then I read an article in the LA Times. 

The article shares an obvious point... now Superman, Batman (Christian Bale, Welsh), Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield, UK), will all be played by British actors.  Not counting Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Australian), and Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds, Canadian).  The article makes valid points as to why Directors cast the actors they do.  Also, it looks at why the "charismatic" American actors, don't always do well, ala George Clooney's Batman.  It's an interesting article, check it out.  For now, I still don't like Cavill's casting and can only hope Producer Nolan and director Zack Snyder make me eat my words.

"Batman 3" Officially Named, To Be Shot Entirely in IMAX?

Who's read this blog before? Who knows how die-hard we are about The Dark Knight? All of you should have your arms up. Tonedog and FattMatt saw Batman Begins together, and were hooked. We called Heath Ledger's Oscar the day of watching The Dark Knight, and now the third film in the Christopher Nolan trilogy has been revealed. The Dark Knight Rises.

Remember the 6 action sequences shot in IMAX on The Dark Knight? Collider is reporting that Nolan was so impressed with what was filmed, he is filming The Dark Knight Rises entirely in IMAX. Whoa! No one knows who the villains will be, but there is plenty of talk about it. Most people are leaning towards Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. People are guessing she will be after Batman to avenger her father's death. She and Batman have a storied past in the DC Universe and she would be a nice change from all the other villains we've seen on screen.

No matter the villain, It will surely be a fitting end to a trilogy that will define the character for generations to come. Much like Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve to Superman; Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have changed the perception of a character in Batman.

Picture above brought to you by "Worst Part's Almost Over" on the discussion boards at AICN.

Tom Hardy Cast in "Batman 3"

Tom Hardy, who you probably most recently saw in Inception as Eames the forger, has been cast in the upcoming third Batman movie.

Deadline reported that Christopher Nolan cast Hardy himself, which isn't a surprise to anyone. Hardy was great in Inception, and I can see him portraying a villain in Batman, because he can play a great character that an audience likes for all the wrong reasons.

10 New Pics from "Batman: Arkham City"

IGN is premiering 10 new pictures from the much anticipated Batman: Arkham City video game. Check them out and let us know what you think.

"Superman./Batman. Apocalypse" DVD Review

I read about Superman./Batman. Apocalypse (S/B A), the straight-to-DVD film, a few months ago and got really excited. If you frequent this blog, even a little bit, you know how obsessed I am with comic books, movies and comic book movies. I'll give you a brief description of the film and a quick review.

Remember the Supergirl film? C'mon, it came out and was supposed to carry on its own franchise. You don't remember? It's ok, neither do a lot of other people. Well, Supergirl is the cousin to Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman. Her Krypton name is Kara Zor-El. She, too, was sent in a spaceship to Earth from Krypton. S/B A follows Kara from her landing on Earth to becoming Supergirl, but it's not all fun and games.

Along the way, Batman is suspicious of this new alien on Earth. Superman is convinced she is his cousin and is no threat to mankind. But there is a dark side to Kara, and it is brought on by who else? Darkseid. Darkseid has a long and rich history as a villain in the DC Universe. This movie was the perfect way to get him into the straight-to-DVD movies.

The movie features some of DC Comics' most popular characters, and doesn't disappoint. It's good to remember this is more of a Supergirl story and that Batman and Superman are really secondary characters in this one. I love how they incorporated Wonder Woman and the Amazons into the film. It was great.

Another thing I'd like to note are the special features on the Blu-Ray I purchased. The Warner Brothers/DC Universe Blu-Rays have some of the most comprehensive special features I've ever seen. History of major characters, episodes of previously aired cartoons, interviews, etc. If you are a comic book fan or even an animation fan, you'll love this movie. The animation is on par with some of the best in the industry; smooth, recognizable and memorable. Check this gem out and let me know what you think.

"Batman: Arkham City" Video Game! Catwoman, Two-Face Appear

WOW, WOW, WOW! We normally don't cover Video Games, but this is the exception of all exceptions. Last year Batman: Arkham Asylum rocked the video game world, winning nearly every single "Best of the Year" award. It not only gave hope to comic book related games, but to the video game industry as a whole. Now comes the sequel, Batman: Arkham City.

The pictures come from JoBlo via Kotaku. Click the jump to see the other AMAZING pictures!

Superman/Batman Movie Coming In September?! Yes, but it's animated.

If I told you a Superman AND Batman movie was being released in September of THIS year, you'd probably be ecstatic right? Well then I'd have to follow it up with "not exactly". It's the latest from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and their line of awesome animated DC Universe movies. These straight-to-DVD movies are a fanboy's dream. I have them all and think they're great translations from the comic books.

The latest is Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. It's a sequel to the successful Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. The movie will be released on DVD (1 and 2 disc) as well as Blu-Ray on September 28th. Included is an animated short featuring Green Arrow!

Later this month Batman: Under the Red Hood will also be released on DVD and Blu-Ray. You can check out these trailer here. Check this post, you can expect to get even more Batman in your living room. Warner Brothers and DC's next DVD is Batman: Year One, based on the Frank Miller novels. Like I said above, I'm a big fan of these DVD/ Blu-Ray's and love what they're doing. Let's hope Marvel takes a page from DC and helps me to forget what was Planet Hulk.

Quickie: Batman Year One is Warner Brothers coming

I love the Warner Brothers direct-to-video, animated films. A few weeks ago I told you about their latest outing, Batman: Under The Red Hood. Now comes news from Comics Continuum about a Warner Brothers animation movie; Batman: Year One.  Due out later this year.

The movie, I'm sure, will follow Frank Miller's legendary graphic novel which pulled Batman out of the "campy" and into the "dark side". The graphic novel is considered a classic and some of the key points were inspiration for Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins.

Chris Nolan talks David S. Goyer and his approach to Superman!

Another Awesome posting by /slashfilm! Chris Nolan spoke to Empire Magazine about David S. Goyer and his approach to Superman. Remember back in February we told you about David S. Goyer being hired to write the new Superman film? At the same time, Christopher Nolan was to "Godfather" the project, whatever that means. Well, no matter what it means, we love it! After what Nolan has done with the Batman franchise, he can Godfather whatever the hell he wants at Warner Brothers.

Here's what Nolan had to say about the Superman film:

...he told me his take on it. I thought it was really tremendous. It was the first time I’ve been able to conceive of how you’d address Superman in a modern context I thought it was a really exciting idea.

My biggest problem with Superman Returns was not the same as everyone else. A lot of people didn't like the movie because there was no action, or very little. I looked at it the same way Nolan and Goyer did; that there was no way to relate the character to today. A guy that wears red, blue and yellow tights? That stands for truth, justice and the American way? That doesn't happen anymore.

We're in a world where people literally blow themselves up to kill others. Superman CAN NOT stop that. A world where crimes are being committed by guys in suits, not guys with guns and knives. THAT is why Superman Returns didn't work (and a whole mess of other problems I wont get into).

I trust what Nolan says, and am excited to see what Goyer can bring to this mess of a table. I will keep a close eye on this and let everyone know what's happening. For now, we have to trust in our Godfather or superhero movies, Christopher Nolan.

Batman: Under the Red Hood trailer and DVD cover

Hey guys, it's late but I felt like I should post something about my favorite comic book character of all time... Batman! I'm a big fan of the comic book genre, both live-action and animation movies. DC Comics teamed up with Warner Brothers Animation to release direct-to-DVD movies about our favorite heroes. Batman: Under the Red Hood is the newest in the line up.

Remember Judd Winick the cartoonist from The Real World San Francisco? Well he's become a staple at DC Comics and has written this movie based on two different Batman stories; "Under the Hood" and "A Death in the Family". Check out the trailer and email me if you want any information on any of the previous DC direct-to-DVD movies.