It’s rare you’ll find us complaining about more Batman news. Surprisingly.
Whether it’s in the comics, on the TV or the big screen, generally speaking, a new take on The Dark Knight will always get a little twitch of excitement from this corner of the net (even if we do like to hold fire for a little more info before we throw an enthusiastic thumbs up).
Ok, so the Batman/Superman movie announcement pretty much got the thumbs up right away, with a little bit of nerdgasm on the side, simply because it’s such a monumental first for our shadow-loving hero. But now that we’ve had time to roll around the floor in excitement, it’s time to put our sensible hats back on.
We’re going to ask a question that we thought we’d never ask: do we really want another Batman movie?
Wait, sorry, what we mean to say is: do we want a Batman movie at this point in time and one where Bruce isn’t the only caped crusader on the silver screen?
Let us explain: We’ve only just come off the back of a hugely successful Batman trilogy in which The Dark Knight was depicted in a gritty world based in realism. It was a story that left no space for the sci-fi antics of Superman, that’s for sure.
It was also a story that began, established and seemingly ended Bruce Wayne’s vigilante career in one short but satisfying swoop.
With that in mind, is pitting a brand new Batman in what is being billed as a Superman sequel going to be nothing short of confusing for the average joe who hasn’t been following every press release as it hits the net?
If we are going to get a brand new Batman, both in terms of style and substance, don’t we need that dedicated solo flick to establish the new Caped Crusader alongside Superman before pushing the pair together?
Slating a new Batman film for 2015 would have given Superman time to breathe before The World’s Finest got together as well as allowing for a new Caped Crusader that can fit with the touch of fantasy added in Man Of Steel.
Is this just Warner Bros. rushing for the big bucks? Probably – it needs to meet the so far mighty Avengers with something significant before Marvel runs away with the Hollywood crossover altogether.
But then, maybe this is actually Warner Bros. being smart by taking a fresh route to the superhero team-up entirely, to differentiate itself from Marvel’s men.
Perhaps every newly introduced DC hero from now on will play second fiddle to Supes (albeit it in a significant way), as they slowly join a franchise that began with Man Of Steel and will end with the Justice League of America– rather than having their own standalones before coming together like Iron Man et al.
We suppose that by putting Batman in Superman’s world very explicitly, it makes it harder for the wider public to misjudge the situation: this is a new Batman, one that lives down the road from Metropolis, one that stands alongside aliens and one that can still very much kick some ass.
But sticking Nolan’s Batman into that situation won’t be enough – it’ll have to be very different Batman, perhaps more so that we’re expecting to make way for grades of science fiction that Bruce has never seen on the silver screen. That’s why we think he could have done with a bit of alone time first.
Is it too soon for a Batman/Superman crossover? Should the new blockbuster Batman have had a chance to introduce himself to movie-goers first? Or is sharing a space with the big blue boy scout actually the best way to take Bats into a new direction?
Vote in the poll and explain yourself in the comments below.
