Pattinson/Reeves Batman Movie (Formerly Affleck Stand-Alone Film)

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by LeotheLateBloomer

Not only this but no one ever seems to bring up or talk about the Batman comics from 1939, the 40s, 50s, or 60s

That's what the Brave and the Bold cartoon was for.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by LeotheLateBloomer

What are the chances of seeing Batfleck in the upcoming Batgirl film with Leslie Grace playing the title character?

There’s a chance. The directors have said there is a Batman character in it, but haven’t said which one. Likely either Keaton or Affleck.

[CyberCubed]

Ben Affleck praised the Snyder Cut version of Justice League and seemed really enthusiastic about revisiting the role after that. He was obviously burnt out during the re-shoots in the 2017 version and seemed like he was done after that, but now I'd say the opposite.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Ben Affleck praised the Snyder Cut version of Justice League and seemed really enthusiastic about revisiting the role after that. He was obviously burnt out during the re-shoots in the 2017 version and seemed like he was done after that, but now I'd say the opposite.

Yup. Same with his comments regarding the filming he just did on The Flash. He'll probably remain interested unless something more ego-fulfilling falls into his lap soon, like another directing gig.

His last one didnt do so hot, but his new appearance in the latest Ridley Scott film may boost him into the spotlight again. I think he maybe even had a hand in writing that, but I could be confused.

As for WB, I think they are desperate enough for content that they will want to grab as much Batman as possible. Disney+ is a monster beyond expectations, so HBO Max needs a lot of help to compete with them and Netflix. That's where I see Batfleck coming in.

Imagine that: the hot new Breaking Bad, GoT, or Sons of Anarchy of the year is a mature, nailbiting Batman series. HBO needs a new one of those series that really pops as well. They've been high & dry since GoT ended. The pieces start to add up.
Although, they're harder to predict, so who knows.

Also, keep in mind that the merger with Discovery is going through soon, so nothing is set in stone right now.

______________________________________

Regarding The Batman trailer:

The cinematography is gorgeous. Same cinematographer as the new Dune film. Check out the shot of Gordon standing by the signal with the view of Gotham lit up behind him, or the shot of Bruce and Selina's silhouettes against the morning sky. This is a gorgeous looking film, which is already something to be excited about.

As for the cast, I don't know how those of y'all who were hating on it sleep at night :p
Except Leo, who must be a smoker of indica :p :p

They're literally all killing it in the trailer. Pattinson and Pharrel in particular. The shot where Selina is questioning Batman's identity, you can already see so much pain, and at the same time, a confidence and determination in his expression.

Pharrell is losing himself in Oswald and his delivery is fantastic. Great stuff.

And you'd have to be living as dangerously as Austin Powers to bet against Paul Dano as riddler. He didn't get to do much here, but I guarantee you he is going to steal a scene or two. The guy is super talented. Sure, he doesn't look like the typical Riddler - he looks better, and honestly not that far off from the heart of the character. The basis is an intelligent, yet deranged egomaniac who likes to screw with people, using riddles.

I'm just so amped on this trailer. I know it can't please everyone, but this take on Batman excites me. I feel like it captures the character very well and feels fresh at the same time.
Some people think it feels too much like Nolan. I can see where they are coming from. There are similar tones, but I think once we take it all in, we will see more of what makes it stand apart.

[Leo656]

To your question, still undecided. I always figured I'd see it "eventually" but that the urgency was super-low. And I still haven't seen any Star Wars movies since "The Last Jedi", or any MCU movies after Avengers II. When I don't care about something, I "don't care" to the point where it actually takes a lot of effort to care even a little bit. Ergo, the "eventually" part could very well end up being "several years after it comes out, if ever."

I do like what little we've seen of Penguin so far. Otherwise, I just don't like this cast at all. Race-flipping automatically puts my dukes up, plus Fake Jigsaw Riddler and a Batman who can't be bothered to work out. It simply isn't for me.

Penguin aside, all I really see is someone trying to strongly mimic the Nolan movies but with a worse cast. I don't think it will be a "bad movie" at all but there's honestly very little that excites me, and almost nothing about it is anything I'd ever have ASKED for, specifically.

It probably doesn't help that after 30+ years of All Batman, All The Time from WB/DC, from comics to film to cartoons to toys... I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but by now I'm getting pretty goddamn sick of The Goddamn Batman. The Affleck version got me excited because it was finally a true comics-based film interpretation, which we never got before. Now that's gone, and we're back to more "alternative" takes, which I don't care about.

If/When it crosses my eyes, I doubt I'll be outraged or offended by it but I honestly can't see myself giving it any more glowing praise than "Eh, that was alright." Just too many things I don't care for versus countless things I'd rather see.

Plus, as petty and unfair as it admittedly is, I can't emotionally get over the fact that this whole thing was stolen from Affleck, and my gut tells me that That Movie would've ultimately been a lot better and more satisfying than This One. If nothing else, given what little we know of it, the things they were planning on doing there were a lot more interesting, to me, than what's going on in this one. But those are personal issues. Regardless, we'll never get an Affleck Batman solo movie, and right now that's the only Batman movie I'd sincerely be excited for. No matter what this movie turns out to be, it also comes with a heavy dose of salt poured directly into the wound, for me.

If people I trust say that Penguin was handled well, then I might make it a point to watch this one sooner rather than later. But, perhaps not. People apparently liked how that Birds of Prey movie handled Black Mask, but I just can't bring myself to sit through that movie because every single thing about it just screams "garbage", to me. I don't think This Movie will be anywhere near as bad as that one probably is, it will probably be a good movie on its own merits, I'm just saying that even if there's One Thing I'm interested in seeing it doesn't automatically push me to see something I'm otherwise not incredibly interested in.

[NinjaPug]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

There’s a chance. The directors have said there is a Batman character in it, but haven’t said which one. Likely either Keaton or Affleck.

Haven't they said JK Simmons is playing Commissioner Gordon in this? It would make sense for Affleck to be the Batman in this movie if that's the case but this is WB so who knows what they'll do.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by NinjaPug

Haven't they said JK Simmons is playing Commissioner Gordon in this? It would make sense for Affleck to be the Batman in this movie if that's the case but this is WB so who knows what they'll do.

Did they? Good point, if so.

The directors made a tiny splash by saying something like "the real Batman is in our movie."

[sdp]

The rumors seem to point out the "real" batman is Keaton and that he'll be in a mentor role in a bunch of DCEU films. Horrible if true. If keaton is doing anything besides Flashpoint it's Batman Beyond, we don't need an old batman in the DCEU.

[Andrew NDB]

"You don't like our woke Batgirl movie, huh? But how about if we rub some Keaton Batman on it? How about now?"

[IMJ]

The trailer for this new flick was fine. It's not that it doesn't look "good" but another Batman reboot is not what we needed when we have Batfleck that could've given us a truly "comic book" Batman on-screen.

I appreciate the noir elements of this one, but I'm not excited about it. It's just another "Batman" movie. I'll see it for sure - just not sure how or if it's "opening night" material for me..... Pattenson looks like "little boy Batman" to me. I dunno. Pattenson maybe could've been Robin to Afflecks Batman.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by sdp

The rumors seem to point out the "real" batman is Keaton and that he'll be in a mentor role in a bunch of DCEU films. Horrible if true. If keaton is doing anything besides Flashpoint it's Batman Beyond, we don't need an old batman in the DCEU.

That was the rumor.

Sounds like a very messy way of trying to have a Bruce Wayne in the DCEU, reference Batman Beyond, retire Affleck, and introduce Batgirl. It's like someone thinks they are killing multiple birds with one stone, but all they're liable to do is shatter a window.

If I had to wager, I'd bet that was the plan, but I wouldn't be surprised if they just keep Affleck alive at this point. If Ben is back on board with the character, in even a small way, then it makes much more sense to reverse the roles between him and Keaton.

Give Keaton a good sendoff, after 30 years, and keep Affleck around for the minor "retired Bruce" role, which is easy enough, as well as potential flashback stories featuring a younger version.

[Leo656]

The flaw in this theory being, of course, that WB would like nothing more than to pour concrete over Affleck's Batman and everything Snyder ever did. Doesn't matter that a lot of people have started flipping their opinions on his work after ZSJL. WB wants people to forget and move on. That means no Affleck, no Cavill... nobody whose movie didn't make a billion dollars and get praised in Entertainment Weekly.

Remember, it wasn't even two years ago that WB didn't even want this Flash movie at all, and Ezra was fighting just to get a script produced. Until the idea of Keaton coming in happened, this movie was dead in the water.

I mean, we'll see. My gut says, though, this is Affleck's last ride as Batman. It's probably not his choice, but WB would have to ask him to come back in a significant role, and I definitely do not see that happening unless some MAJOR things change at WB.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

When Battinson punches the glass and says what sounds like "what have you done?!", it sounds like someone badly imitating Christian Bale. I'm sure Pattinson will do great but I couldn't help but point that out.

I dig the Penguin and am curious to see how Riddler turns out.

Zoe's Catwoman will do fine but I just realize for me personally every time they do Catwoman on the big screen, she's not all that interesting. And I don't mean in a fan-service type of manner, I mean all of her portrayals so far have been pretty bland. Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal has aged even though it was fine for the time. Less said on Halle Berry. Anne Hathaway did her own take while at the same time, there was little about her that said "Catwoman" to me. Zoe looks like she could be better than both the previous actresses but it's the opposite feeling from Anne where it's "yup, that's Catwoman...again." All of them sans Halle were good but I feel something's missing from each of them. And again I'm strictly referring to actresses who played the character in theatrical movies. Maybe it's just how they do the character or just "Catwoman on the big screen fatigue."

I am excited for this movie otherwise.

Originally Posted by Leo656

I mean, we'll see. My gut says, though, this is Affleck's last ride as Batman. It's probably not his choice, but WB would have to ask him to come back in a significant role, and I definitely do not see that happening unless some MAJOR things change at WB.

Yeah, I've already said the same thing on Batfleck. And it really sucks because he really shined in ZSJL. The suit is still perfect.

[Leo656]

Yeah. I'm ashamed to say I ever doubted Affleck. To say "he won me over" would be an understatement.

I really enjoyed his "Broken Batman" in BvS. And I really, REALLY liked his "Batman Seeking Redemption" in ZSJL. And I really, really, REALLY like that his shift in character from the first movie into the next actually feels organic and natural.

"Faith, Alfred... Faith!" I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying god dammit!

I guess it's apropos, in a way. It's like the Batman Ride at Six Flags, back in the day. It's super-awesome but then it's over in 37 seconds. Figures that The Best Batman and The Best Batman Ride would have that in common, I guess.

Originally Posted by LeotheLateBloomer

When Battinson punches the glass and says what sounds like "what have you done?!", it sounds like someone badly imitating Christian Bale. I'm sure Pattinson will do great but I couldn't help but point that out.

The whole thing is like that. I swear, it's like WB is using this movie (and its entire aesthetic) as some sort of passive-aggressive "revenge" for Nolan sh*t-talking them and then walking out the door. "Joke's on you, pal! Look, we can do Batman movies just as good as yours with some guy who'll work for a fraction of the price and fall in line when we say so. Later, dick!"

I'm half-kidding. They're 100% trying to mimic the exact Nolan style on purpose, but I doubt they even care about him, at this point, to be doing it out of malice. More likely, it's WB doing their usual "Let's go back to the last time people on the internet liked us!" strategy. To wit, "The last time people didn't make fun of our Batman movies at all, it was those Nolan/Bale ones. So why don't we just, like... copy that as close as we can, only, y'know... cheaper? Then people HAVE to like it! ...Right?"

I mean, by this point, you know WB would just throw in the towel and actually pay whatever it took get Bale and Nolan (or at least one or the other) back, if they could. They can't, so they do the RC Cola route instead. Makes sense.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Basically "Let's go back to when everyone loved making fun of that infamous voice that tainted the character." Yeah I won't lie, I just rewatched the trailer and it does make it feel similar to Nolan's films which I hope it's anything but. It's been forever since I watched them (I think watching Rise in theaters might've been the last time I viewed the series, even though I bought all of them on blue-ray only to never open them). If they try to go for "realism" again then yup, definitely Nolan-inspired.

Although I wonder what the film would've been like if Affleck would've still been on board with Reeves' direction. If this direction is what he wanted all along, I see why this is to be a new universe rather then part of the DCEU. Affleck, Synder, or someone else would be better suited for a Batfleck project. Maybe he'll get his own HBO Max series like Aqua believes but even that's a stretch.

[AquaParade]

Nah, Wb isn't trying to mimic Nolan and they're not exercising Reeve's for that purpose. It's a fun theory, but this is Matt Reeves vision, not Warner Bros.

Early on in negotiations, things got really heated between them and Reeves nearly bailed, so you know he isn't screwing around or playing tug of war with WB.

It just so happens that it's another gritty, down to earth take on the character.
It looks like a Nolan film on the surface, but the more you watch and the more we see, the more the differences will start to set it apart.

[Leo656]

You know you're a sh*t company when you let "The Felicity Guy" dictate terms to you.

"We better not play hardball, man. Lord knows we don't wanna piss off the Planet of the Apes guy! If HE bails, then we got nobody left!"
"We'd still have Patty Jenkins..."
"Like I said! NOBODY!"


I mean, that reads like a joke, but that's probably a transcript of an actual conversation that the universe simply dropped into my brain through serendipity.

Originally Posted by AquaParade

the more you watch and the more we see, the more the differences will start to set it apart.

Oh, I found one right away, without even trying. You ready?

The Batman in Nolan's movies saw the inside of a gym occasionally.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Whatever direction Reeves goes with these movies, I hope it's not the realistic approach that Nolan seemed to be going for. The more Batman movies go in this direction, the more Batman will feel like a current event. You might as well make a Batman movie with the pandemic involved in the plot.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Leo656

The Batman in Nolan's movies saw the inside of a gym occasionally.

Yeah, that. The big reveal of the Reeves Batmobile in the last trailer when the little jet thing fires up. It's like, "Oh. Wow. It's a regular car."

What Dom was driving around in The Fast the Furious 1 looked more impressive than that thing.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by LeotheLateBloomer

Whatever direction Reeves goes with these movies, I hope it's not the realistic approach that Nolan seemed to be going for. The more Batman movies go in this direction, the more Batman will feel like a current event. You might as well make a Batman movie with the pandemic involved in the plot.

As long as one of the villains is a Fauci expy. Like maybe the lead scientist making the virus that Joker releases. Or Rah's public spokesperson to announce fake cure jabs that Batman will have to thwart.