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Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 30, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Here’s your first straight-up press shot of Batman from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It wasn’t supposed to get out this soon, but hey, this is the internet, and these sorts of things happen. It’s actually the same shot from the IMAX posters, but without the face obscured and cropped slightly less. It’s kind of a weird shot because Batman just has his arms… hanging out there. Almost like he’s trying to strike a cool “tough guy” pose but didn’t know where to put his arms. As goofy as it looks, I do like this gruffer, stubblier, and less-pointy-ears Batman. He looks like could take a punch or two from Superman! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman v. Superman
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 28, 2015 in Videogames 
It doesn’t look like you’ll be playing as anyone other than Batman in Batman: Arkham Knight. But that doesn’t mean the Caped Crusader will be fighting alone. The game’s latest trailer shows both Robin (Tim Drake) and Nightwing (Dick Grayson), entering the fray. This seems to imply they’ll have a larger part than in Arkham City, where Robin cameoed in one cutscene and Nightwing only showed up in non-story challenges. The trailer also shows a lot of tantalizing footage, including hints that previous teased subplots are being picked up for this finale. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Knight, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 26, 2015 in Comic Books 
Frank Miller is coming back to Batman, with The Dark Knight: The Master Race. DC Comics says it will be be the “epic conclusion of the celebrated The Dark Knight Returns saga.” Cool, I guess! While Miller’s original The Dark Knight Returns is probably one of the most influential comic books ever, the sequel The Dark Knight Strikes Again was mostly disliked and ignored. I never read it myself, but friends who did weren’t fond of it. So will a third installment rise back to the heights of the first? Who knows, honestly. Also, the title might need some good rationalization, guys. Just putting that out there. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Frank Miller, The Dark Knight Returns
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 31, 2015 in Animation, Cinema, Comic Books 
While Batman is much more popular these days as a dark, gritty superhero, fans have slowly become more accepting of the classic 60s TV series. The recent resurgence last year — including a DVD/Blu-ray release — has raised interest, and in addition to comics, there will be a movie based on the campy universe. Adam West (Batman) made the announcement at Mad Monster Party, revealing that he and Burt Ward (Robin) would be voicing their characters in a feature-length animated movie. It’s due out for the TV series’s 50th anniversary in 2016, likely direct-to-video, making this the much more interesting of two Batman movies that year. Sorry, Batman v. Superman, but after Man of Steel, I’d rather concentrate my excitement on this strong counterpoint to the Batman mythos. Read more…
Tags: Adam West, Batman, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 24, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Here’s a cool video by Jacob Swinney that depicts the evolution of Batman through his movies. It journeys from its humble beginnings in serials in the ’40s, through Adam West, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and more, all the way to his latest film. (By the way, that’s The Lego Move, if you forgot that Batman was in it.) Check out the video and the list of movies below.
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Tags: Batman
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2015 in Cinema 
We’re starting to get a clearer picture of what Phil Lord and Chris Miller have in store for the upcoming Lego Batman Movie. In a recent interview, the writing and directing duo spoke about the film and Lord said, “I think the movie is really exciting because it’s about, ‘Can Batman be happy?’ … Batman is the ultimate in white people problems.” This is probably true, and definitely funny angle to take for a Batman movie. Miller revealed before that “every era of Batman filmmaking will be acknowledged” which implies we could see cameos or references to Christian Bale, Adam West, and Michael Keaton… which would be grand, I think. “He’s like, ‘oh, I’m so rich and handsome, women like me and I’ve got a Maclaren! Something about my parents!” Read more…
Tags: Batman, Lego, The LEGO Movie
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 25, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
It’s one thing to hear about Batman: Arkham Knight, the final installment (supposedly) of the series from Rocksteady, adding the Batmobile seamlessly into gameplay. It’s another thing to see it in action, but this trailer shows how awesome it could be. Imagine Link’s ability to summon Epona anywhere in Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time, but with the ability to hop on and off the horse at a moment’s notice, even in mid-combat. That’s what the Batmobile looks like, and it seems like a joy to use. This is only half of the ACE Chemicals sequence, with the other half being released next week, so stay tuned! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Knight, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 10, 2014 in Cinema 
It’s finally time: after Heath Ledger’s amazing performance several years ago in The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. is preparing to cast the Joker for their movie universe. However, the first place he’ll show up is a little surprising: it appears WB is casting Joker for the upcoming Suicide Squad film directed by David Ayer. And the person eyed for the Joker role? Jared Leto. The Oscar-winner hasn’t been doing much since Dallas Buyers Club, as he wants to find a suitable follow-up. Being the Joker in WB’s movie universe might just be the way to go! We’ll have to see how this all turns out, but could this be the right choice? Read more…
Tags: Batman, Suicide Squad, The Joker, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 5, 2014 in Comic Books, Television 
The Batman live-action TV series that ran from 1966-1968 (hence the nickname Batman ’66) may be quite a bit campier than the more popular dark, gritty Batman characterization that’s popular today. But it’s still a classic, and now it’s finally getting released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 11. Naturally, there’s a new restoration to make the HD version worth it, but I doubted how much better an old TV series like this could look. Was it worth bragging about the restoration? After watching this split-screen comparison Warner Brothers put out, I’ve had to eat my words. Actors are crisp instead of blurry shapes, and the color isn’t blown out anymore. Of course, not everyone will spring for the limited edition Blu-ray set, as $269.97 is pricey even if you’re getting 120 episodes and a bunch of extras. At least there are some other cheaper options, especially if you settle for DVD. After all, it’s not like the producers expected viewers to be able to watch this in HD back when it was made! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 12, 2014 in Videogames 
Continuing with their new mission of adding bizarre and unique characters to LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, WB announced at NYCC that Duck Dodgers would be joining the playable cast, along with Conan O’Brien and Jim Lee. Yeah, that Jim Lee. I am definitely curious how this whole shtick will play out in the end. It’s a great news bit to say “Hey, look at these crazy characters in our game!” but will it end up actually meaning anything to the final game? Next year will people be talking about how great it was to play as Duck Dodgers or Conan? I don’t know! Check out more images below! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 11, 2014 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections 
Yes, Warner Bros. is taking notice of how much you all loved Batman in the LEGO Movie, and are fast-tracking a LEGO Batman movie. Chris McKay, the animation supervisor on The LEGO Movie, was previously slated to direct the sequel, but now has been switched over to the Batman film. In fact, it appears that the Batman movie will take the 2017 release date of the LEGO Movie sequel entirely, pushing the latter back to another year. Will Arnett is also returning to voice Batman. This means that Will Arnett will get a solo Batman film before even Ben Affleck. Neato! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Lego, The LEGO Movie
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 3, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
I’m not sure why, but the latest playable character announced for LEGO Batman 3 is Kevin Smith. Yes, that Kevin Smith, of Clerks fame. The guy who named his daughter after Harley Quinn — didn’t you know? This is an interesting choice for a playable character in a Batman game, but I guess once you’ve used up all the expected Batman and DC characters it’s time to start dipping into the surrounding pop culture pool. You want to know who else is joining Smith as a playable character? DC Entertainment chief creative officer Geoff Johns. Ok, that makes a bit more sense. More info will debut about the game at New York Comic-con. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Kevin Smith, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 27, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Let’s be honest: we’ve seen Batman’s parents die too many times now. We all know the story. So let’s squish them together into one video and watch them all at once, to experience maximum childhood tragedy. There are plenty of dark alleys, gunshots, screaming Bruce Waynes, and trigger-happy criminals to go around. Vulture put this video together after seeing the opening of Gotham, making them ask “how many times do we have to see this?” At least nine, apparently. Possibly more. Watch all nine below in one deathly supercut. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman Begins, Gotham
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 5, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Birdman is the story of a washed up actor once known for his comic book role who tries to make a comeback. While real-life Michael Keaton is doing okay, I’d like to imagine that Birdman is the true story of where his life went after playing Batman in Tim Burton’s films. Keaton’s character looks slightly psychotic, hearing the gravely voice (a la Batman) of his character telling him to do things. Seriously, can this movie be real-life? If not, I guess I’ll settle for the movie’s release on October 17, 2014. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Birdman
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 24, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
When Sunsoft released Batman on NES — perhaps the only truly good Batman game until Batman: Arkham Asylum — they obviously had to work within the limits of the hardware. Though Batman normally wore varying shades of blue, gray, and black, he was rendered in a bright purple. As they’ve done with previous licensed NES games, collectible company NECA is releasing an action figure of this Batman, complete with mock videogame box. The figure will only receive one production run, so I’d pay attention to NECA for your first chance to preorder this purple Batman. Something about this makes me really happy that someone is reviving these weird color palette versions of popular characters. Read more…
Tags: Batman, NES, Toys
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 17, 2014 in Animation, Comic Books 
Batman: The Animated Series had a sharp, yet moody art style, ripe for exploration. Mondo, known mainly for their limited edition posters of classic movies, has done that with a new series of record sleeves. The 7-inch record sleeves will come in five varieties, featuring Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Man-Bat, and naturally the Joker. And of course, there will be a small 7-inch vinyl record inside with the show’s theme music pressed onto it. The records are colored as well, to match the sleeves. You can buy them at Mondo’s booth (#835) starting on San Diego Comic Con’s Preview Night, to celebrate Batman’s 75th anniversary. Check out more below! Read more…
Tags: Art, Batman
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 16, 2014 in Comic Books, Television 
Gotham is set before Batman emerges, so the upcoming TV series has a chance to show supervillains before they actually become supervillains. We’ve seen various characters confirmed for the show, but so far, no Joker. You could assume it’s because they might want to leave him out, since Batman is often credited with accidentally creating his most persistent nemesis. But the Joker didn’t always originate from Batman in every origin story, so in this show’s continuity, he could spring from anywhere. Apparently that’s what Gotham will be playing up. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Gotham
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 4, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
After the somewhat disappointing Batman: Arkham Origins, most fans are pretty excited about Batman: Arkham Knight, the third and supposedly final entry in Rocksteady’s series. While the game was originally supposed to be released by the end of 2014, that seems to no longer be the case. Now Rocksteady says the game has been pushed back to 2015, to allow more time to deliver “the awesome level of quality that Batman fans and gamers expect.” I’d imagine some of this is prompted not only by working with newer hardware — the game will release only on current-gen platforms: PC, PS4, and Xbox One — but also to make sure it’s much more impressive than Arkham Origins, which Rocksteady didn’t develop. I’ve always got a lot of games on my plate, so I don’t mind waiting. But still, it would be nice if most of the big games for these new platforms weren’t all coming in 2015 or later. Hopefully E3 next week has some good news for that issue. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Knight, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on May 28, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
It’s good that the disappointing Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes didn’t kill the series. After the much more enjoyable Lego Marvel Super Heroes, it’d be nice to see a Lego game that incorporates all of DC well. That’s what Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham promises when it releases this fall on pretty much every platform you’d imagine: PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, and 3DS. 150 unlockable characters must work together to stop Braniac from destroying Earth. Expect to collect lots of Lego studs along the way. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Lego
Posted by Bob Muir on May 14, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Fans were somewhat apprehensive that Ben Affleck of all people would be playing Batman in Zack Snyder’s Batman vs. Superman (and also Justice League, apparently). Once some fans pointed out that these complaints mirrored the drama surrounding Heath Ledger’s casting as the Joker in The Dark Knight, which turned out to be a great call, everyone calmed down and went into “wait and see” mode. Now we have the first picture, courtesy of Zack Snyder himself. It’s not a great look at Affleck, and it’s in black-and-white, but it can’t be denied that the suit looks great. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Man of Steel, Warner Brothers, Zack Snyder
Posted by Bob Muir on May 7, 2014 in Comic Books, Television 
Good news for Batman fans who weren’t satiated by the Dark Knight Trilogy, the critically-acclaimed Arkham series of videogames, and the upcoming Batman vs. Superman: Fox has picked up Gotham, a police drama centered on Jim Gordon and set before Bruce Wayne became Batman. Ben McKenzie is portraying a younger Gordon, while David Mazouz is young Bruce Wayne and Sean Pertwee is Alfred Pennyworth; Jada Pinkett Smith, and Donal Logue are also supporting cast. And naturally, there are some villains involved. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Fox, Gotham
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 29, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
We all knew that Warner Brothers and DC wanted a piece of that sweet crossover pie that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been enjoying. But instead of doing several related movies as origin stories (like Man of Steel) and leading into a big team-up, they’re starting with the second movie in their new franchise: Batman vs. Superman (which should really have an official name by now). After many, many rumors since 2013 about a big team-up movie, Warner Brothers’s president of worldwide production Greg Silverman has confirmed that the third film in this series will be Justice League. And it will be directed by Zack Synder. Here’s where I begin to sigh. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Justice League, Man of Steel, Superman, Warner Brothers, Zack Snyder
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 26, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
The cast for Batman vs. Superman grows even larger! Yes, apparently Cyborg will feature in the film as well, played by Ray Fisher. The actor had also tested for a role in Star Wars Episode VII, but I imagine he won’t be doing that now. He recently finished up a stint playing Muhammed Ali in a stage play in New York. His role will reportedly be fairly small, so I imagine they’re attempting to prep in any way possible for an eventual Justice League film. Although, at this point, this movie could very well just be the Justice League film with the cast they’ve got: Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, and Jeremy Irons as Alfred. Fisher should get a more prominent role as the universe expands since Cyborg is an important member of the Justice League. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Man of Steel, Superman
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 16, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Renowned composer Hans Zimmer composed the soundtracks to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy of films and also Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Naturally, fans have wondered whether or not he’d return to score Batman vs. Superman (or whatever WB ends up calling it). Zimmer had previously mentioned he likely wouldn’t do it, since he’d fear producing the same kind of output instead of anything new. However, it seems like he’s had a change of heart. Apparently after he finishes scoring Nolan’s Interstellar, “head over to where Zack is shooting his movie and just hang out a bit and see if we can come up with any ideas.” It’s good news for fans of the composer, and if Ben Affleck’s Batman is presented in any similar manner to Christian Bale’s Batman, it might be interesting for him to reference his previous score. Read more…
Tags: Batman, DC Comics, Man of Steel, Superman, Warner Brothers
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