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Batman, Nightwing, and Superman
In the comics when Bruce Wayne is too old to continue as Batman, Robin (now a full adult) continues crime fighting as a character known as Nightwing.
In "The Dark Knight Rises," Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a police officer in the film – one of the good guys who is helping Commissioner Gordon. We find out that he is an orphan and was raised mostly in a boy’s school that is no longer being funded by Wayne Enterprises. By the end of the movie he has lost a lot of his idealism for the police force, so he leaves. He goes somewhere and he picks something up. The woman who services him (I think it’s the boy’s school) tells him that she prefers his real name…Robin.
So, there's a chance that the Batman legacy will go on for WB by not-reinventng Batman but using the same kind of character (Nightwing). I can see them doing this until they ever come up with another Batman-capable director and story to launch a new Dark Knight. Do I really think Warner Bros. will head in this direction? In a word, no. I cannot really imagine the studio striding upon the sacred ground laid out by Nolan. The opportunity is there, but I can't actually imagine anyone touching it.
Only ten years elapsed from the first Spider-Man film was released until this new re-boot. Ten years (or maybe less) would be sufficient for a lot of people to have a hazy memory of Nolan's Batman, making a reintroduction feasible. After ten years there would be a new generation of movie-goers who always prefer something new to something created before they came of age.
WB wants to do a Justice League of America film (to potentially earn the same kind of bucks as The Avengers), but nothing has been done yet (and it may never happen).
Meanwhile, they are hoping the Superman reboot will draw a large following. WB released a short teaser clip from "Superman: Man of Steel." (See below.)
Some people are comparing what they saw in the teaser to Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life." I hope this isn't the case because I found "Tree of Life" to be one of the most fatiguing films I can recall in recent memory.
I'm hoping that the clip was just edited in such a way as to be ... different. With Chistopher Nolan as an executive producer of the film, we're bound to be subjected to a different (no doubt darker image) of Superman. Whether that approach will appeal to Superman fans is open for question.
Superman: Man of Steel (teaser)
Comments
Interesting.. I really did not know that, that Robin became his own superhero, Batwing.
I always though Robin was kinda like Tonto, in the Lone Ranger series. He deserves to be more than a sidekick.
- Author
Thanks everyone for your excellent remarks.
I've started renting "The Tudors" to see Henry Cavill's acting style. So far, they haven't featured him much, so I'm not able to form an opinion. Hopefully, he'll be used more as the story advances.
We still have a long wait to see him staring as the new Superman. The movie is getting a lot of free publicity, and that is generating quite a bit of interest and curiosity.
With a judicious editing, "Green Lantern" may have been a good film. There is no real formula for why a super-hero film works or doesn't. There was quite a bit of levity in "Iron Man," but it didn't make the movie farcical whereas GL was panned for being too jokey. If GL had been released before "Iron Man," perhaps the wave of enthusiasm might have gone in the opposite direction.
The re-boot of Spider-Man was better than I expected, but it wasn't as fun-loving as the Tobey Maguire trilogy. The audience really enjoyed parts I and II, but felt disappointed by part III. So, you can never be sure until the film is actually released.
Some years the roses really bloom, and other years they seem shriveled.
Pretty well written hub. Although i'm not sure if a gritty realistic tone is going to help superman. I mean the main reason why the Christopher Reeves' superman was so well received was the fact that it embraced a lot of the fantasy elements about the character; while still making it somewhat plausible for audiences to buy into.
Don't get me wrong, I like the idea that the next superman movie will be a bit darker, and hopefully his villains will be too if man of steel launches a new franchise for superman. however, as far as realistic goes, there's really only so much realism you can expect from superman before it becomes absurd. I mean the guy only puts on glasses, and nobody recognizes the man as superman. I'm sorry, but unless your deaf, blind and extremely f***ing stupid, then you're not going to stand there and have me believe that nobody in metropolis doesn't see past that lame disguise. don't get me wrong, i understand the appeal of it, and how it represents that clark kent is the real fake persona; while superman is the true one. versus other heroes that have to dress up to become superheroes. like bruce wayne has to put on a costume to become batman; whereas superman already is superman with or without his costume. i get it.
plus, im a superman fan, so i get the character's appeal. however, there's really only so much realism you can add to his character.
As for Robin, I think they could go either way with it. I could see Robin becoming nightwing in the future with joseph gordon levitt starring. or they could just have the next film be called, "robin", and have nobody in the film call him robin; ala how nobody called selina kyle catwoman in dkr, yet we the audience knew who she was, and we just called her that. however if you notice, nobody in the actual film called her that, so that might be a possibility too that robin blake stars as a masked un named vigilante that we call robin, but the characters in the movie don't.
Heck, they can even do a prequel film to the dkr with a solo catwoman movie; showing how she became catwoman before batman came back in the dkr. there's a lot of possibilities, but most likely i think it'll just get rebooted.
I'm not sure how well "Man of Steel" will do. I think it might do fairly well since Nolan is behind it, but I'm just not sure i agree that a realistic approach is the best way to go for that character. Granted, I don't mind them making the story darker, but im not sure "dark knight" style realism would work with superman. Yes, there's a difference between dark and realistic tones in films.
anyways, great job writing this.
I think if they were to continue with Gordon-Levitt he would have to be Nightwing. If he became Robin it would be like 'Joe' dressing up in a cape an mask fighting crime by the name of 'Joe'. I think if they manages to get Nolan on board (after all, it's not another Dark Knight movie) they could pull it off. Otherwise let us use our imagination. If they want to do a JL movie someday they need to start with this new Superman movie in the same way Iron Msn started the Avengers. If they do what I want them to do (make a Superman movie that is lasting and 'human' like Nolan's Batman) then they will shoot down any hope for a JL movie for years to come. Why? They would have to redo Superman to fit with the Justice League just like they will have to reimagine Batman if they want to make it happen. If they want a powerful, lasting Superman experience they have to focus on making him real.
@petenali
lol nice Green Lantern reference...
But I agree, I think the support shown to Nolan's more realistic Batman series and now Marc Webb's Spider-Man which also took a more realistic tone, I believe directors will start realizing they need to step up to the plate and do more than just put a man in a costume, but will now have to write a great story to accompany good actors.
Man of Steel looks superb to me. And btw, everyone who had doubts about The Amazing Spider-Man are now saying it's good, and I think the same thing will happen with Man of Steel.
Obviously, as a Nolanite, I will be there lol
The "reboot" of Spiderman was exceptionally well done. I have yet to see the new Batman. The Man of Steel, I don't expect to be very well received by traditionalist Superman fans as early clips show a new style of Superman, akin to the latest Spidey in appearance.
Fact is, as long as movie goers keep shelling out the cash, these style of epic superhero movies will continue being made with all sorts of lesser known "superheroes" coming out of the closet.... oh wait, that was Green Lantern.
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