Rumor: Nolan's Batman Movies Inspiring Television Series

[Tom Goldman]

Rumor: Nolan's Batman Movies Inspiring Television Series

A source claims that Warner Bros. is thinking about bringing Batman back to television, but not in a campy way.

A live-action Batman television show starring Adam West ran on ABC in the late 1960s, but the caped crusader has only been seen in cartoon form on TV since then. An anonymous source is now saying that Warner Bros. wants to bring Batman back to live-action television after his next film debuts.

When Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104781-Nolan-Puts-Official-Title-on-Third-Batman-Flick] eventually is finished earning its hundreds of millions of dollars, Warner Bros. may be looking to bring Batman from the big screen to the small screen instead. The source tells Comic Book Movie that Warner was inspired by the success of shows like Smallville and wants to do something similar with Batman.

The talk on the project is said to be extremely early, but the source says the people swirling around ideas about it want to stay along the lines of Nolan's movies while catering to young adult audiences. The source's big news is that the show will likely feature a "completely new version" of the Joker. This would be Warner Bros.' way of remaining respectful to the late Heath Ledger, who played the Joker in Nolan's The Dark Knight and passed away in 2008. Warner reportedly believes that the Joker alone would "garner ratings through the roof."

The type of person mentioned to play Bruce Wayne so far has been someone of the "type" of Karl Urban, the actor who played Dr. McCoy in the recent Star Trek reboot. Again, this is very early talk about a series that isn't even remotely confirmed yet, despite some of this information making a bit of sense. I really can't imagine Batman being turned into Smallville, but maybe I just don't have the vision. I can, however, see a live-action Batman show working again on television if written properly.

Source: CBM [http://www.comicbookmovie.com/batman_movies/news/?a=25237]


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[SnipErlite]

.......This might be crap.

But it could also be AWESOME.

Seriously, Batman ftw. Although I do wonder just how many incarnations of Batman there have been now....a metric fuckton, I believe.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

As Yahtzee [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/926-Batman-Arkham-Asylum] and Allen Varney [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_239/7109-Batmanalyzed] pointed out, Batman is not interesting. (Adam West aside)

Bats is one of the few franchises where the main character isn't a Protagonist, more like an Obstacle. Sherlock Holmes/House is similar. You KNOW they're going to beat the bad guy, it's all about the bad guy - or the crime - or the disease.

If they do it as CSI Gotham, I can almost see it working, but then CSI already do Batman better than Bats does.

Horatio Caine as the new Joker though?

 

[2ndblackjedi]

As Yahtzee [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/926-Batman-Arkham-Asylum] and Allen Varney [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_239/7109-Batmanalyzed] pointed out, Batman is not interesting. (Adam West aside)

Bats is one of the few franchises where the main character isn't a Protagonist, more like an Obstacle. Sherlock Holmes/House is similar. You KNOW they're going to beat the bad guy, it's all about the bad guy - or the crime - or the disease.

If they do it as CSI Gotham, I can almost see it working, but then CSI already do Batman better than Bats does.

Horatio Caine as the new Joker though?

I'd actually like to see a live action show about Gotham PD more than about Batman. I've always liked Batsy in animation more than live-action, ecspecially when he's just a moving shadow with eyes. The Gotham Central comic book series was pretty cool and I'd watch a show about that.

But, tbh, if it's Batman, I'll watch anything.

 

[Tim Latshaw]

I came here hoping to see Adam West with a bomb. I was not disappointed.

 

[Colonel Alzheimer's]

At this point, I'm chomping at the bit for anything to watch on TV. Even if it sucks, I say put it on.

 

[Bat Vader]

In my opinion it would be better if they brought back Batman: The Animated Series. It was one of the best Batman shows on television and the great thing about it was that it was both made for adults and younger audiences. Mark Hamill as the Joker was just plain excellent.

 

[tijuanatim]

In my opinion it would be better if they brought back Batman: The Animated Series. It was one of the best Batman shows on television and the great thing about it was that it was both made for adults and younger audiences. Mark Hamill as the Joker was just plain excellent.

I second this whole heartedly. It still remains one of my all time favorite cartoons.

 

[The Great JT]

I don't see why people hated the campy 60's Batman. It was the Silver Age, it made perfect sense that Batman would ride double on a surfboard with the Joker and wear yellow surf trunks outside his tights. Hell in the Silver Age you couldn't go to the grocery store without an alien encounter. It was a good series for the 1960s, much like the Tim Burton films were good for that era and Nolan's films are a great series for now (even if there are a few little nuisances, like Christian Bale's gravelly voice).

However, you have to remember that any new Batman series would have to try and stack up with Batman: The Animated Series, and nothing's gonna be better than that.

 

[Kaymish]

oh wow look at the timing im half way through my TAS DVD and a new tv show is being considered?

 

[icyneesan]

Dammit Alfred, I'm a millionaire not a super hero!

 

[The Salty Vulcan]

I don't see why people hated the campy 60's Batman.

Cause they are, on a whole ignorant. Ignorant of the times and the impact the show had. It reintroduced Batman for godsakes. If there was no show there wouldn't have been a revision in the comics. Simply put it was meant to be silly. How would you like it if Clint Eastwood showed up with have his faced scarred while your kids were watching? (IT ALMOST HAPPENED!)

That being said...I don't think so. The scale of Nolan's Batman films is far too big and epic. TV wouldn't do it justice.

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

You lost me at "inspired by the success of shows like Smallville and wants to do something similar with Batman." Really? if i'm not mistaken, Smallville was a three year long origin story/teen drama right? is that REALLY what you want to do with Batman?

want to stay along the lines of Nolan's movies while catering to young adult audiences

Uhh who does Warner Bros think the Nolan Movies cater to? 10 year old girls?

 

[Dorian6]

I hope it stays just a rumor.

I've wanted to play the Joker ever since I started acting. If they take that away from me, I'll be awful sore

 

[psychic psycho]

I don't see why people hated the campy 60's Batman. It was the Silver Age, it made perfect sense that Batman would ride double on a surfboard with the Joker and wear yellow surf trunks outside his tights. Hell in the Silver Age you couldn't go to the grocery store without an alien encounter. It was a good series for the 1960s, much like the Tim Burton films were good for that era and Nolan's films are a great series for now (even if there are a few little nuisances, like Christian Bale's gravelly voice).

However, you have to remember that any new Batman series would have to try and stack up with Batman: The Animated Series, and nothing's gonna be better than that.

Yeah, Batman TAS is timeless. I don't think any Batman TV series will ever beat it. That said, Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an excellent cartoon that is an homage to the 60s Batman. It's quite brilliant, it manages to maintain a delicate balance between serious action and camp: never does it become Batman TAS nor does it go obnoxiously overboard with the goofiness that it become a parody of itself. Honestly, I love the series as much as TAS.

More On-Topic: I remember reading somewhere that after Batman: Brave and the Bold finishes (which is already in it's final season) work on a new animated series would begin, which would go back to a darker tone. It seems kinda redundant to be working on a live action show. I'd much rather have an animated series, hopefully it won't be canceled due to the possibility of a live action show.

 

[duchaked]

idk, unlike Superman, Batman has secured an amazing spot and records on the big screen...people have that one main image that they'll be seeing when thinking about the universe now, but eh yea we'll see

 

[Shoggoth2588]

This looks like a job for Bruce Timm!

I never watched Smallville so I can say nothing of it. Really, this sounds like Birds of Prey. Unlike Birds of Prey though, they actually plan on using Batman. I don't know about the 'whole new Joker' concept though. Obviously, this was going to happen since Joker and Batman have a relationship similar to that of Mario and Bowser (only the go-karting between The Bat and, The Clown is never consensual unless, of course, the go-karts are replaced by the Batmobile and any given vehicle Joker has managed to steal.)

THAT is what I want desperately to avoid and why I fear the concept of a completely new Joker.