Looks like it will be a Superman/Batman team up movie for 2004... (1 Viewer)

[Jason Seaver]

Well, I think Peterson's planning on going with Clooney - they've enjoyed working together, and Batman & Robin was hardly Clooney's fault. I think it's really a shame that Alec Baldwin never got to play Batman - he's probably too old for it now, but he was just made for the role. Burton cast the wrong guy from Beetlejuice.

Also, Paul Gross would have been a good choice a few years back. But, he is 43 now. And that is a bit too old for Supes.

Probably so, although if they're seriously talking with Travolta...

Still, I think the best thing to do would be to find someone like Paul Gross - not a big star, but fits the character to a T. Let people see SUPERMAN, rather than the actor (and spend the money saved on effects).

Unless you can get Brendan Fraser. He's mostly seen as a comedian, but I think he could reel it in enough to play Clark. Plus, it's extra special fun if they decide to use Bizarro in a sequel!

 

[Richard WWW]

Alec Baldwin...too old and TOO FAT! Just my opinion.

The German/Superman comment didn't HAVE to refer to Naziism. It could have been a reference to the philosopher Nietzche, who, though a racist, predated the Nazis. I doubt, however, that Petersen would call the film "Uberman", for several reasons.

I, too, think that the disparity in powers makes Superman/Batman a questionable choice for a pairing. But it could work if they avoid the carnival atmosphere of the Batman sequels. I would really prefer, though, to see the Aronofsky/Miller version of Batman:Year One. But when has Hollywood ever done the smart thing? Maybe with Spider-Man, though I wasn't as in love with that film as the rest of America seemed to be.

 

[Jason Seaver]

I, too, think that the disparity in powers makes Superman/Batman a questionable choice for a pairing.

It depends how you write the story. Obviously, it doesn't make sense to have them back-to-back in a fistfight. But if you structure the story so that they attack the same case from different ends - how does an unidentified corpse in a Gotham alleyway connect to Lex Luthor's attempt to re-activate Metallo? - or have their opposition be philosophical, it could work.

 

[Greg Frampton]

It could have been a reference to the philosopher Nietzche, who, though a racist, predated the Nazis. I doubt, however, that Petersen would call the film "Uberman", for several reasons.

The title actually would have been "Übermensch," I believe.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I would like to see Warner Brothers hire talented young actors that are unfamiliar to the American public for the roles of Batman and Superman. If they put Alec Baldwin in a Batman suit, it would just be Alec Baldwin in a Batman suit. When Christopher Reeve donned the red and blue tights, he was Superman(largely because he was not well known)!Stars like Travolta would ruin the film IMHO(not to mention that he is way too old for the part).

 

[Andrew Pratt]

I still see Keaton as been the best batman of the four recent movies. Depending on the script batman and superman could be interesting but I'm not expecting much.

 

[Andy Sheets]

It depends how you write the story. Obviously, it doesn't make sense to have them back-to-back in a fistfight. But if you structure the story so that they attack the same case from different ends - how does an unidentified corpse in a Gotham alleyway connect to Lex Luthor's attempt to re-activate Metallo? - or have their opposition be philosophical, it could work.

Sure. And don't the comics usually just break down the relationship as Batman not being able to match Supes' brawn, but Supes can't match Batman's brain? It's not really that hard to pair them up and there have been some good stories done with them together, like the episodes of the cartoons or (my personal favorite) the Dave Gibbons/Steve Rude World's Finest miniseries.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Richard WWW wrote:

Indeed. I wasn't going to even dignify the whole mess with a reply, but, happily, there are some members of the audience who do "get it". Thank you, gentlemen.
Nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is widely credited/blamed---pick 'em---with coining, or at least "popularizing", the term "superman". ("Man is the bridge between the ape and the superman (Übermensch).")
I just thought it funny that a German director would end up doing a movie about a thoroughly American concept like "Superman", which is based on the German term whose conception bares little resemblance to that of its English-language namesake.
As far as "Nazis" are concerned:
1) I doubt that Nietzsche was any more "racist" than the standard person of European descent of his time and station (despite some of his wilder quotes, which have been taken out of their (admittedly) slender contexts for various political purposes over the years).
(2) The Sutliff quote that I was obliquely commenting on also brought to mind the old Saturday Night Live "What if?"-skit featuring Dan Ackroyd as "Übermensch" and Al Franken as a now captive crypto-Jew in a fantasized Nazi Germany:
Übermensch (glaring at Franken's character's fully clad body with his X-ray vision): "This man is a Jew!"
And, as Übermensch makes abundantly clear, he stands for "Lies, injustice, and the Nazi vay!"
So much for subtlety. The dots are now connected. Crayolas, anyone?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Considering how rare it's been to see Batman in a "brainy" situation, I wonder how well the audience will accept Batman in such a role in a team-up film.

I'd rather watch CSI than watch Batman in a brainy role in a film.

 

[Richard WWW]

True, Patrick...Batman in films has not been seen as a detective with a keen analytical mind in tv or movies...well, maybe a little in the campy tv show. But his first appearance was in Detective Comics and he resides there to this day, as well as in other titles. I, for one, would like to see a film that portrays Batman as something more than a vengeance-driven butt-kicking machine. Sure, let him kick but and get vengeance, but let him be intelligent at the same time!
And I would be delighted to see Clooney play Batman again. The material he had to work with in Batman and Robin was terrible! I think he could do a respectable job with a coherent script.

 

[Aaron Wisner]

DKR would make a great movie - although some of the mutant stuff would be too reminscent of schumacher.

mmm, a girl robin. the way it should be.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I, for one, would like to see a film that portrays Batman as something more than a vengeance-driven butt-kicking machine. Sure, let him kick but and get vengeance, but let him be intelligent at the same time!

I feel the same way. Batman is called "the World's Greatest Detective" in the comics, and we haven't seen him use that talent once over four films(unless you count his solving the Riddler's lame puzzles in FOREVER ). I think a movie that had more of a plot and some suspense would work a lot better than Batman just getting into a fight every few minutes.

 

[Richard WWW]

Didn't his bat-computer do most of the riddle-figuring in Batman Forever? I haven't seen the film but once, and that was while it was still in the theaters, and my memory of it's pretty hazy. And anyway...solving the riddles of whacked-out supervillains isn't really what I think of when I think of a brilliant analytical detective....

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I think a movie that had more of a plot and some suspense would work a lot better than Batman just getting into a fight every few minutes

But lowers the amount of marketing opportunities, which is exactly why they won't do it unless a really big Batman fan gets his own production company and the rights to another movie (Kevin Smith is probably the closest thing to that in Hollywood now).

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

But lowers the amount of marketing opportunities, which is exactly why they won't do it unless a really big Batman fan gets his own production company and the rights to another movie

And has enough money to self-finance the film. Because no studio would want to pay for it.

 

[Michael*K]

CNN Report

 

[Richard WWW]

I think the 'Superman vs. Batman' idea from the link posted above is moronic. How can you have Superman fight Batman? Superman is infinitely more powerful than Batman! This is just a cash-grabbing reaction to the box office success of Spiderman. WB finally decided to jump back on the superhero bandwagon and, apparently already having a script written, decided to go with it because of the gimmick of Superman fighting Batman.

I think it looks awful, though. Maybe there will be some merit to the project when all is said and done, but I've got my reservations. I'd much rather see a Frank Miller script directed by Darren Aronofsky. WB's inept handling of their DC superhero franchises is laughable in light of Marvel's recent triumphs. Looks like more of the same to me.

 

[TerryRL]

All indications are that whoever gets cast as the two superheroes will also win the roles in the McG "Superman" film, as well as Aronofsky's "Batman: Year One" movie. With the massive success of both Sony's "Spider-Man" and Fox's "X-Men", WB seems determined to win back the title of biggest superhero franchise.

"Batman vs. Superman" should be a massive summer 2004 hit, with both McG's "Superman" and Aronofsky's "Batman: Year One" following the next year. Don't be shocked if "Superman" secures an early May 2005 release before the launch of "Star Wars: Episode III", and 'Year One' could get a prime June release before the July launch of "Indiana Jones IV".

As big as both the summers of 2003 ("X2", "The Matrix Reloaded", "The Hulk", T3) and 2004 ("Batman vs. Superman", "Spider-Man 2", "Shrek 2", "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban") will be, 2005 is shaping up to be huge.

 

[John Spencer]

If you've read The Dark Knight Returns, how can you say that a Superman vs. Batman movie would be moronic? I admit the possibility is there, but it could be good if done the right way. The article made it sound like the movie could be along the lines of DKR.

On a sidenote, does anyone else have this problem: When I look at Patrick Warburton, I see the perfect middle-aged Superman; yet when he speaks I hear Batman (for obvious reasons).

 

[TerryRL]

I always thought Warburton would've been a cool Batman, hell, Alec Baldwin was perfect for the part back in his younger days. Still, I think WB will cast younger actors for the lead roles. Guys in their late 20s and early 30s will be looked at by WB.