So recently I've been watching a lot of Cyberpunk and Tech Noir films from the 80s, and I've always thought that those genres of movies reflected comic books in the 80s far better than Batman and all the other comic translations of that era.
Well anyway, a couple day ago I was reading a list of actors they were considering for Batman 89, and on the top of the list was Mel Gibson; good ol' crazy incarnate, back in the 80s he OWNED tragic characters like "Mad" Max Rockatansky and Sgt. Martin Riggs... Then I began to wonder, what if WB had the balls to release a dark, R-rated Batman movie back then? And what if instead of a cartoony action adventure reflecting the late silver age of comics, they made a gritty sci-fi, dystopian Batman based primarily off of the Dark Knight Returns and Batman Year One?
Then I came up with the story: Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham, after nearly a decade traveling the world and training to become a crime-fighter, to find it is controlled by a corrupt police force and rampant gangs (think of the mutants form DKR). He becomes Batman to take down the threats to Gotham city. After Batman takes down the leader of the Mutant gang, corrupt police Commissioner Loeb and corrupt mayor Rupert Thorne hire the Joker to take down Batman once and for all. Joker takes control of the gangs of Gotham and uses them to construct and army... Now Batman must either take down the Joker, or watch Gotham be plunged into full on anarchy.
Then I started casting...
Bruce Wayne/Batman: Mel Gibson; who better to play the stoic, ruthless, brutal force that is Frank Millar's Batman then the man who played the stoic, ruthless, brutal force that is Mad Max?
Joker: Willem Dafoe; Again based off of Frank Millar's interpretation, Willem Dafoe can display both sides of Millar's Joker; the stoic, inteligent schemer, and the insane, manical sadist. Plus if you've ever seen Dafoe in drag you know he can pull of angrogenous.
Lt. Gordon: Lance Henrikson; As Bishop in Aliens, Henrikson displayed an infinitely trustworthy, loving and compassionate character... And while he has mostly done crap horror movies through most of his career, his talent displayed in Aliens, and even in Terminator, leads me to believe he would have been a phenomenal choice for Gordon.
Carrie Kelly/Robin: The movie would subscribe to the theory of The Dark Knight Returns: Batman can look like a pedophile all he wants, as long as he doesn't look like a GAY pedophile; as such Robin would be a 16 year-old girl instead of a 13 year old boy. While the character's name would Carrie Kelly, she would essentially be a female version of Jason Todd. An orphan rescued from the streets of Gotham by Batman, she would then become Robin to channel her rage at the horrible state of Gotham. Also like DKR, instead of being a full on combat sidekick she would mostly pilot Batman's vehicles and give him ranged support (with a bow instead of a slingshot, because it's cooler)
I'm sort of stumped as too who would play her, perhaps Winona Rider or Jennifer Connoly? The actress would have to be 18 at the time of filming so they could put her in a provocative Robin outfit legally.
Harvey Dent: Billy Dee Williams; The guy wanted to play Two-face real bad and I would have loved to see it, so he would play Harvey through roughly half the movie and then be scarred in the middle by a corrupt cop.
Bruno: Daryl Hannah; The psychotic assassin from Kill Bill and the replicant babe from Blade Runner... Daryl Hannah would play a character based off of the Nazi Transsexual from DKR, except she won't be a transsexual, she'd be 100% woman. As Joker's right hand woman she would complete the angrogenous 80s image that he started; Joker is an effeminate man and she would counter this by being an extremely masculine girl... Short hair, broad shouldered and shirtless with swastika tattoos on her breasts and butt cheeks, she'd basically be all kinds of disgusting.
The Batmobile would take a hint from Mad Max and be a suped up muscle car. And instead of Wayne Manor and the Batcave, Batman will live in a the Wayne Penthouse and fight crime from an abandoned tunnel system under Gotham (like the one featured in Frank Millars late 90s Year One movie script).
Ok, I know this was basically a psychotic rant about a phantasy movie that will never be, and I'm sure y'all prolly don't even want to read that long pitch; but this has been on my mind for a while and I wanted to see what y'all think of it.
If you like it I might do a few character sketches and maybe a Batmobile concept drawing...
Never start with the head; the victim gets all fuzzy!
R.I.P. Heath
Edited by Razhwurz on 07-12-2008 17:59
Sounds good actually. I have to admit, and I guess I'll be hanged for this, but I'm not a fan of TDKR. I just couldn't get into it. I know that it's a must for most bat fans. However you're story sounds pretty good.
^TDKR was what got me into comics in the first place. I can see why you didn't like it though, tbh. Nice pitch though, I'd love to see it a Batman film like it.
I'm thinking the best choice would be an actress going through the whole Alyssa Milano mid-90s "I'll go crazy and show my boobs to EVERYBODY" stage... Not because Carrie Kelly should get naked, but because it's an R rated film with a crap load of action and, since it's taking a lot from DKR, a severly hinted at sexual attraction between a 16 year old and 35 year old... Not the sort of stuff you do when you're America's sweetheart.
Of course since this is all hypothetical it doesn;'t really matter, but I'd like some accurate faces to put on the characters. I might just make a comic out of this when I get my art chops up enough to keep a steady likeness between drawings...
Never start with the head; the victim gets all fuzzy!
Posts: 307 Location: South Caroina Joined: 30.11.06
Posted on 11-12-2008 09:51
Sounds interesting!
What about working with Phil as a writer/artist combo and making a not-for-profit book for BYTB?
Sounds like a neat project and a way to raise visibility (and provide a "resume"/portfolio for DC, should either want to actually work for them, for real . . .
I'd love to work with Phil on something; this might not be the best project, though, I don't know if Phil is a big fan of 80s sci-fi like Terminator, Aliens and Blade Runner... But if he'd agree to do something with me, I'd love to have a pow wow and see what he'd like to do.
As for this, I know he was a little young to play a politician at the time, but what about Robert Downey Jr. as Harvey Dent instead of Billy Dee Williams? I just have this cool image of him playing him, but he was like 22 in the late 1980s so IDK if he's be right...
Never start with the head; the victim gets all fuzzy!
I know I'll get slaughtered for this but if this movie had happened I'd have went for Val Kilmer as Batman. The man's a fine actor and the only thing I'd say Mel Gibson would have had on him would be the name value. No doubt Gibson could have nailed the role, but after rewatching every Batman film from Burton's Batman to Nolan's Begins recently, it just struck me that the Batman Bale portrays would have been a great fit with Kilmer.
Anyway, I really like your idea here. I was originally planning just to post that I thought it was cool but then got thinking about the above. Sorry for going so off-topic!
Batkilt wrote:
Anyway, I really like your idea here. I was originally planning just to post that I thought it was cool but then got thinking about the above. Sorry for going so off-topic!
That's not off topic at all man, the whole purpose of the thread is for feedback from you guys; that includes casting choices.
Speaking of feedback, I've want some input on the Batmobile. I've been thinking it would be a heavily modified 70s muscle car, with a metal plow/bat mask on the front, five gas tanks in the trunk (like the persuit special in Rod Warrior) which feed into the rocket and roll-bar (deathproofed like a stuntcar).
Anyway, I'm just not enough of a car geek to figure out would the best choice of a base car...
Never start with the head; the victim gets all fuzzy!
I'd agree with that. I'm a big fan of Clooney, but he just...isn't Batman. Obviously. He's George Clooney. But still.
As for Two-Face? What about Vincent D'Onofrio? I know these days he's known mostly for his Law And Order role but the guy is a really underrated actor and I could buy him as both the white knight and then the tortured soul that Harvey becomes. I'd say Downey would be a good choice too.
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