How should Robin be handled in the DCCU?

Robin should sport the red and black look if he's included in the new universe

Hey everybody! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! DC has really stepped up their game by announcing projects for both Flash and Batman/Superman. With the new Batman coming soon, questions are beginning to arise about Robin and his possible appearance in the DCCU. I'm a personal fan of Robin so of course i'm of the opinion that he should indeed show up. But why? Also, how could we get audiences to take him seriously? Well, that's what I'm here for.

1. Batman will be older and established:

Affleck, age 41, will be an older Batman

Tomasi's Batman and Robin

Ben Affleck is said to be playing an older, more grizzled, established Batman. Those of you who read the Batman comics already know the angle I'm going for here, but for those of you who aren't as familiar with the source material, around the time Batman starts getting jaded and grizzled, Robin steps in to bring him back to humanity. In Peter J. Tomasi's current run on Batman and Robin, Batman has recently suffered the loss of another Robin, his son Damian. That even lead into the recently completed Stages of Grief story line.
Where am I going with this? Batman needs Robin. Plain and simple. Once Batman is established, he becomes jaded and slowly loses his humanity. Without a Robin, Batman would probably turn into somebody like the Punisher, who often doesn't sleep or take a break or focus on anything but "the war."

2. Robin hasn't been done justice in mainstream media

This was as close as we got to a mainstream cool Robin

Chris O'Donnell's awful Robin

Robin gets a bad rap from the general public. People still seem to subscribe to the Frederick Wortham theory that Robin is a homosexual. Other people see the goofy Burt Ward or the whiny Chris O'Donnell. Clearly the public at large has not had a proper representation of Robin. I had hope that people would see the real, cool Robin with Young Justice, but it was canceled so soon that it couldn't really be considered mainstream. So we're left with campy and crappy representations of the Boy Wonder. This is a serious injustice that needs to be corrected by the DCCU. We need a smart, tough, well-written Robin who needs to be on the older side (16 or so, not 23 like freaking Chris O'Donnell). The new DCCU has a chance to create a cool character who changes the popular conception of Robin. 

3. Nightwing and Teen Titans franchises

How has this movie not happened yet?

Establishing Robin in the cinematic universe opens up a few doors for Warner Bros. Dick Grayson forms and leads the Teen Titans. That could be a whole new franchise of team films that could tie in to Justice League. It would also introduce characters like Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy who have become popular because of the Teen Titans tv show. Heck, long-time Titan Roy Harper is being established on the CW's excellent super hero series Arrow. Titans should be a no-brainer for DC Comics, especially when you consider how popular both Teen Titans and the previously mentioned Young Justice were with fans.     

Robin would not only be a smart edition to the list of DCCU characters, but I feel that he's essential. Robin, Nightwing and the Titans have been out of the spotlight for far too long. Warner Bros, get some people on these movies! Until next time, this is Ryan Howitzer telling you to keep your head down, because you're in The Line of Fire! 

Ben Affleck is the new Batman!

Ben Affleck

Hello all! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! Well, as you all know by now, Oscar winner Ben Affleck is now Batman! Even though he's been in some less than stellar movies and his last outing in a super hero movie was in one of the worst super hero movies ever, Affleck is a great actor and a great director. At 41, he's the right age for the Batman that Warner Bros. was shooting for. He's also an impressive 6' 4", handsome and well-built. It seems like we have the best we could possibly hope for with Affleck as Batman. What do I expect from him though? Well, as usual, I have a list. 

1. A Batman more on par with the comics. 

Affleck as Daredevil

Affleck has played comic-related roles before. He of course played the role of Daredevil in the ill-fated and awful Daredevil film, but he also played a comic book artist and writer in the Kevin Smith film Chasing Amy. Affleck is also a really good friend of Kevin Smith. He seems to be a fan of comics, so I expect him to give us a more traditional Batman. Hopefully we'll get a better Batman with less gravel in his voice. That's all I'm asking for. His Daredevil was honestly the best part of the movie. I know he can give us a great performance.

2. Have Affleck helm the Batman franchise

Poster from The Town

I want to see Ben Affleck direct a super hero movie. Once they decide to start making Batman solo movies, he should be given the directors chair. He's a very competent director and I'd love to see his take on Batman from both sides of the camera. I bet he'd make a great Batman film. Look at his resume as a director. He's got Argo (3 Oscar wins), The Town (1 Oscar nomination), Gone Baby Gone (1 Oscar nomination). This guy can flat out direct! Give him the Batman franchise as an actor and director.

All in all, I expect great things from Affleck. His casting really came out of nowhere. I was expecting Scott Adkins or Josh Brolin to be cast. However, I'm really happy that Affleck is our new Batman. Until next time, this is Ryan Howitzer reminding you to keep your head down because you're in The Line of Fire!         

 

Batman/Superman: World's Finest Ideas

Batman/Superman logo seen at SDCC  

Hey everybody! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! I'm sure many of you out there have been keeping your ears open for news from San Diego Comic Con, however, I'll repeat the announcement for those of you who haven't heard yet. Warner Bros. has announced that the Man of Steel sequel that was fast tracked is in fact a Batman/Superman team-up movie! Zach Snyder will be directing the film. Also returning are writer David S. Goyer and Superman himself, Henry Cavill. No titles, characters, plots, release dates, or possible actors for Batman have been announced, but what good would I be if I didn't have an opinion on all of those things. In a previous editorial, I discussed my choices for Batman. I'll also get the simple idea out of the way first; the title of this film needs to be Batman/Superman: World's Finest. Here are some other ideas I have for the movie though:

Story (mild spoilers for Man of Steel):

Alex Ross's depiction of Batman and Superman

In the end of Man of Steel, we see that Metropolis is in ruins. From this point, the story writes itself. Clark Kent begins investigating reports of vigilante activity in other American cities and discovers that two vigilantes, Batman and Arrow, have been active in Gotham and Starling City respectively for some time. Captain of industry Lex Luthor steps forward and places the blame for the destruction of Superman. He also enlists the help of billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne in the reconstruction of Metropolis. Bruce, however, does not trust Lex Luthor and is in fact in Metropolis to investigate Intergang and its ties to the crime families in Gotham as Batman. This brings Batman into contact with Superman. The two do not trust each other, however, they are united in their distrust of Lex Luthor. The two heroes discover that Luthor is in fact tied to Intergang. This leads to an all out war with Batman and Superman battling Intergang and the Gotham crime families. The end of this film should show Batman and Superman begin to recruit other heroes for a team to defend the world from dangers that are both domestic and alien. The story should show Batman and Superman go from uneasy allies to comrades who trust each other enough to reveal their secret identities. It should avoid having the two heroes battle each other and it should only briefly tell Batman's origin. I'm sick of origin movies.

Characters:

Deathstroke

As far as characters go, this movie should be chock full of DC characters. Bruce's trusty buttler Alfred Pennyworth is an absolute must for this movie. Gotham City Police Department Commissioner Jim Gordon (played by Bryan Cranston, please) should appear and be established as secretly pro Batman.

Bryan Cranston is perfect for Jim Gordon

 Lex Luthor is of course necessary if the plot is similar to the one I presented above. If Intergang is involved, then Bruno Mannheim (Head of Intergang) should be in the movie too.

Bruno Mannheim in Superman The Animated Series

 The Gotham crime bosses should be Rupert Thorne, Penguin and possibly Black Mask. Falcone and Maroni would be a little too repetitive seeing as how they were prominently featured in Christopher Nolan's series. When gangs are involved, so are hit men. This leads me to the conclusion that Deathstroke or David Cain should be in the movie on the Gotham families side. Intergang, being funded by Lex Luthor, should obtain pieces of Krypton known as Kryptonite and use it to make weapons and, for the climax of the film, Metallo.

The Kryptonite powered cyborg Metallo

An appearance from the original Red Hood would be welcome too. I'm not suggesting all these characters show up in the same movie, but maybe have Deathstroke and Metallo be the main villains with Luthor, Mannheim, Penguin and Thorne being the behind the scenes villains. These are just a few ideas though.

Batman/Bruce Wayne:

I've said this on here many times, but I'm gonna say it again. I want a Batman with at the very least one year of experience under the cowl. i'd honestly prefer three or four years. I want a Bruce Wayne who is 29 at the very youngest. again, I'd prefer him to be in his 30's. Batman should be a highly skilled martial artist (with cool fights this time, not suckish ones) and detective. I'd love to see a lot more detective work this time around. I also wanna see the classic gadgets and for the love of God, give Batman the classic grey and black color scheme! It can look awesome too!

It doesn't have to look cartoony

   This could be the greatest movie ever. I am literally about to lose my mind over this announcement. If you aren't excited about this movie, you suck. Until next time, this is Ryan Howitzer reminding you to keep your head down because you're in The Line of Fire!

Man of Steel Review

Hey everybody! I'm Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! Before I get to the review, let me give some background here. Growing up, I loved Superman. every little boy dreams of flying and being super strong and I was no different. I watched the movies with Christopher Reeve and the 90's cartoon series which is, in my opinion, the most faithful adaptation of Superman. To this day I love Superman and see him as the ultimate symbol of truth, justice and hope in pop culture. I've suffered through the painful agony of the overly long and dramatic Smallville. I watched the boring and dull deadbeat dad version of Superman in the atrocious Superman Returns. But now, after many years of suffering and waiting, I have reached the end of the Superman purgatory. I have reached the paradise that is Man of Steel.

Henry Cavill as Superman

Man of Steel is an amazing Superman movie. In fact, it's the Superman movie we've always wanted. This movie features Superman actually using his powers and throwing punches. He isn't just flying around and asking "Who am I?" He isn't stalking his old girlfriends. He is learning to be a hero and use his powers for good. The Superman on display here is a very young and inexperienced hero. He's still learning the limits of his powers and how to control them. We also see that he has a good heart and he wants to help people and give them hope. He's the perfect balance of the two Superman extremes that we see in most modern comics. He's not the angry god running around vaporizing people because he can't control his temper, but he's no flower child either. This is a Superman who will protect Earth and its population at all costs. Henry Cavill (pictured above) gives a wonderful performance as Superman. He's very humble and warm, but he will fight if he has to. He has that perfect Superman voice that has just the right balance of authority and warmth. He gives the best performance of Superman since Reeve. 

Michael Shannon as General Zod

The story is an excellent blend of origin and super hero action. It starts with the final days of Krypton and gives us the most in-depth look at Superman's home world we've ever seen. It also introduces us to the villain of the film, General Zod. It then transitions to Earth and gives us a very deep and emotional look at Clark's youth in Smallville. It shows him travel around the world to form an opinion of the human race. Around the half way point of the movie, Clark finds an old Kryptonian exploration ship where he learns from his father Jor-El about his home world. He's given his suit and he begins to learn to use his powers. After this sequence, the conflict comes about. General Zod has come to Earth to rebuild Krypton and Superman must stop him. This all culminates in a very epic climax that features lots and lots of destruction, action, and awesome Zack Snyder special effects. 

Russel Crowe as Jor-El

Now lets move on to the other characters. Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner are both brilliant in their roles as Jor-El and Jonathan Kent respectively. Michael Shannon gives a great performance as General Zod. Zod is also given a very compelling and twisted motivation that I dare not spoil for any of you who haven't seen the movie. Amy Adams does a decent job as Lois Lane.

Amy Adams as Lois Lane

The one criticism I have of her is that she didn't bring anything new to the role as Lois Lane. If you're looking for a brand new take on Lois, you'll be disappointed, but if you just want to see traditional, tough Lois Lane, Amy Adams does just fine. The other characters are good as well. Laurence Fishburne is a very good Perry White. The military characters are heroic and interesting. Emil Hamilton is a great character too. Martha Kent and Lara are both excellent mother characters and are played very well. Faora is a very compelling villain as well. All in all, the movie is very well cast and has many great characters.

In spite of what you may have heard from the critics, Man of Steel is a very good movie with great action, acting, characters, and special effects. It's also chock full of references to everything from Wayne Enterprises and Lexcorp to Aquaman.  If I have one criticism for this movie, it's that the destruction and action go a little over the top. I know Zach Snyder loves his CGI, but do we really need to show Metropolis get half destroyed? All in all, it's a great movie and it will be a great launch pad into the DC Cinematic Universe. I give it a 9/10. Until next time, keep your head down because you're in The Line of Fire! 

Green Lantern Take 2

All the Lantern Corps heavy hitters fighting. Think of how epic this could be!

Hey everybody, you're in The Line of Fire! As I said in my last post, Man of Steel has opened up the door for an expanded DC Cinematic Universe. My last post talked exclusively about Batman, but let's focus on another key member of the Justice League, Green Lantern. GL, much like Batman and Superman, has been handled poorly in the past. Unless somebody out there found or invented the flashy thing from Men in Black, I'm pretty sure everybody remembers the cheesy and goofy big screen debut of Green Lantern back in 2011. I don't know about everyone else, but I personally don't want to see that kind of crap ever again. It's not like everything was working against them either. They had the guy who directed The Mask of Zorro, Casino Royal and Goleneye in the directors chair. They had an all-star cast with Mark Strong, Ryan Reynolds, Michael Clarke Duncan and even Geoffrey Rush. So what were the problems? Well, the script was stupid. Plain and simple. If your story sucks, your movie probably will suck too. So what does it take to make a good Green Lantern movie? Well, it takes these things:

1. A Good Villain

Sinestro done the right way.

Parallax is a complicated villain for a first outing. I know that the studio wanted yellow energy to be introduced so that Sinestro could try to harness it, but what they ended up with was the DCCU equivalent of the Galactus cloud from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. There are so many better options for a villain. Why not the Manhunters? Why not have Hal Jordan save the Earth from the Manhunters trying to break their treaty with the Guardians? Why not the Red Lantern Corps?

Those guys would look awesome on screen

Have the Guardians explain that just like Hal's willpower drew the ring to him, another human's rage can draw the red light to him? Better yet, why not go with Sinestro? He has a widows peak and a mustache. His name sounds like the word sinister. We all know he's not gonna be a good guy for very long. Explain that to defeat Parallax, Sinestro forged a yellow power ring, but his power drove him crazy and he killed Abin Sur. Green Lantern has no shortage of villains. Don't go with the giant space bug.











2. More Lanterns

Green Lantern John Stewart

This movie promised us that various Lanterns from the comics would be present in the film. Aside from a few cameos from Tomar-Re and Kilowog as well as a particularly useless Sinestro, there was nothing but a sweeping shot showing us a bunch of people on a planet wearing green. There are so many great characters to explore. Show more of Kilowog. Show us Abin Sur's son. Introduce us to the other human lanterns as well. Introduce us to the brash and hotheaded Guy Gardner.

Guy Gardner Green Lantern

Show us the tough, disciplined Marine in John Stewart (pictured above). Show the artistic brilliance and creativity of Kyle Rayner.

Kyle Rayner Green Lantern

 Show us the other lantern corps too. I want to see the anger and rage of the Reds. I want to see the Yellows using fear as a weapon. Show the hopeful Blues and loving Star Sapphires. Show the avarice and greed of the Oranges. Don't stop with Hal. There is so much more to explore.








3. Treat Green Lantern like a Space Opera

Look at all those alien races. That's just in the Green Lantern Corps. 

If Man of Steel is the sci-fi action movie in the DCCU, then Green Lantern should be the sci-fi adventure. Give it the Star Trek treatment. Showcase sprawling alien worlds. Have battles in the depths of space. Show the Corps saving alien races as well as the humans. Green Lantern is very much DC's space opera. Make the next one more of an adventure through space that shows off all the planets in the DC universe. Forget Hal's love life. We don't need to spend half the movie on it.

4. Take the Story Seriously

Not cool Warner Bros. Not cool

This is supposed to be an epic story about a cosmic police force fighting to protect the innocent of the galaxy. This isn't a comedy or a parody. It's ok to have comic relief, but don't try to make the movie funny. No Hot Wheels track product placement. When you don't take the story seriously, it hurts the movie. The goal shouldn't be to make a funny summer blockbuster that will get kids to buy toys. The goal should be to make an epic sci-fi adventure and on top of that, a good movie that will connect back to the Justice League.

If those four things will be put into the next attempt at a Green Lantern movie, I guarantee it will be a better film. Until next time, keep your heads down because you're in The Line of Fire!            

The Batman movie we deserve

Hey everybody. I'm back and, once again, you're in the line of fire! With the recent release of Man of Steel (review forthcoming), DC has finally made a movie that will be a suitable starting point for an expanded DC cinematic universe (or DCCU as I'll be calling it now). With that, hopefully, we'll be seeing Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern (done correctly with a script that doesn't suck...more on that in another post), Aquaman and even Martian Manhunter come to the big screen. With these characters will have to come a new version of my all time favorite super hero, Batman. I have spent many hours and many conversations speculating over what's next for the Caped Crusader and how it should be carried out. Here are the things that I think would make the next big screen outing for the Dark Knight the best Batman film of all time:

1. Do not do another origin story.

The first issue of the Year One storyline

In 1987, we got our first look at the early career of Batman with Frank Miller's excellent mini-series Batman: Year One. It's not 1987 anymore. Year One has been around for 26 years. Batman Begins, which came out in 2005, was largely an adaptation of Year One. Year One has its own animated adaptation which is pretty much lifted panel for panel out of the comics. Scott Snyder is spending the entire summer on a mini-series called Zero Year which is his own version of Batman's early career.

Zero Year logo

 To cap it all off, Warner Bros. Montreal is releasing the video game Batman: Arkham Origins, which is, you guessed it, a video game about Batman's early career.

Screen shot from Batman: Arkham Origins

We have 5 different versions of the origin story here. All of them are pretty recent and mainstream. Don't spend another movie retreading the same old ground. If you don't know the origin story of one of the biggest pop culture icons in history, here it is: When he was eight, Bruce Wayne saw his parents get killed in a random act of street crime. When he got older, he left home to travel the world and train himself to become the ultimate crime fighter. He came home, dressed up in a bat costume and now beats up criminals while maintaining the persona of a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist (Tony Stark can suck it). There it is. I summed it up in 3 sentences. Now no more origin stories. We already know it and haven't forgotten any of it. So don't make it again.



2. Have Bruce be well into his career as Batman.

This goes along with the last point. The cool thing about Tim Burton's Batman movies is that when the first movie starts, Batman is at least 3 years into his career.

I'm Batman, and I know what I'm doing

 I don't want the Batman who's tripping over his cape and trying to find out who he is. I want Batman already in his niche and already has an arsenal of working and reliable gadgets. I want a Batman who's taken down entire crime syndicates and has made so much noise that people are actually believing he exists. Heck, I want him to be getting more and more brutal and less and less human. Why? Because it leads to the next thing that needs to be in this new Batman movie.



3. Robin

Tim Drake as Robin. Doesn't he just look awesome?  

"Robin is a total fag!" "Robin sucks!" "Robin is a Hit-Girl ripoff!" "Chris O'Donnell sucks!" I know what you people are thinking. Let me go ahead and say that all of you are WRONG! The only correct statement above is that Chris O'Donnell sucks. Yea, he was the worst thing to ever happen to Robin (including getting brutally beaten by Joker and the insufferable Damian Wayne).

Chris O'Donnell as the worst adaptation of Robin ever

 However, Robin is way different from this. Robin is there to keep Batman human. He's the one light in the gloom of Batman's life. If handled right, Robin can be a spectacular character. His last big screen appearance was the atrocious Batman and Robin in 1997 (JGL doesn't count). We need Robin back. We need Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake.

Dick Grayson as the hero Nightwing

All 3 of them need to be present in this new Batman franchise. They all have great potential for their own franchises too. How awesome would a Nightwing movie be?  Or how about a Titans movie? Red Hood?

Jason Todd as the anti-hero Red Hood

 Robin holds a lot of untapped potential. He doesn't have to be campy either. Have you seen Young Justice? That's a great version of Robin. How about the new web series Grayson: Earth One? That's a pretty grim version of Dick Grayson. Just give us more Robin.


4. Fully embrace the fantasy.

Is this really too much to ask for?

This is a movie about a billionaire who dresses up like a bat, jumps off rooftops, and beats criminals with his fists. Why on earth would you be preoccupied with realism? Why try to make a crime drama that just happens to feature Batman? Go for broke! Have Mr. Freeze in a cryogenic suit with a freeze gun. Have Poison Ivy control plants and have a mind control kiss. Have Killer Croc be a giant crocodile man. Screw realism and go crazy. This is going to be in a shared universe with a man from another planet who can fly and a guy who can break the sound barrier while running. Even if you want it all to be explainable, Superman had his own pseudo-science to explain his powers. If super hero movies are good at anything, it's making up pseudo-science to explain away all the fantasy.

5. Grey and black costume.

Doesn't that look awesome? 

If the New 52 comics and the Arkham games can prove anything, it's that the good old grey and black suit doesn't have to look like spandex. you can do a grey and black costume that still looks like armor. Just don't keep doing batsuits that are all black. batman needs the black, grey and yellow. Monochromatic costumes on heroes are BORING. Why does superman get two colors, but Batman doesn't?


6. Recast Joker and don't try to duplicate Heath Ledger.

Yes, he was brilliant, but he's not the only person who can touch Joker

A lot of people think that Joker shouldn't be done again because Heath Ledger can't be topped. Heath Ledger gave an amazing performance. His death was tragic. However, his Joker is not the definitive Joker. His Joker is vastly different from the comic book Joker. Don't try to beat Heath Ledger. Try to be different from him. Make a Joker that thinks killing people is funny. Make a Joker who has lots of tricks and devices. Don't retread old ground. Go a completely different route.


7. Stylish martial arts

Batman should take down multiple attackers at once!

Batman spent a lot of time training with various martial artists, but in Nolan's movies, we see him fight like a thug. Why? Why bother with the ninjas if you never show him kick any higher than his waistline? In the next movie, get Batman a better choreographer and have him throw more kicks and fight multiple enemies at once. Have him throw kicks and chops and hammer fists. Have him break bones and do Akido. Give the fights more spice!  

If the new movies follow those guide lines, we could have the best Batman movie ever. Until next time, This is the Howitzer saying keep your head down, because you're in the line of fire!          

Top 5 actors to play Batman

Hey everyone! You're in the line of fire. As usual, this is Howitzer here with more on the future of big screen Batman. Before we get started, I'd like to plug the up and coming IsmaHAWK Nightwing series coming to Youtube and other sites soon. They're Nightwing short film was awesome and the teaser trailer literally gave me goosebumps. When it comes, watch it. Now back to the topic at hand. I didn't like Christian Bale as Batman. He was a fine Bruce Wayne, but his Batman was lacking. I never found him intimidating to look at. He tried to compensate for that with his voice which really just gave the internet another joke. He was also a clunky fighter. Now that Bale and Nolan are done, who will fill their shoes? I'll get to the directors chair in a couple articles, but for now, lets focus on the man who will become the bat. What does every Batman actor need? Well, they need to be able to pull off both roles equally well. they have to be a convincing Bruce Wayne as well as Batman. For Bruce Wayne, the actor has to be handsome in a mature way. Sort of like James Bond. As I said in my JGL article, Bruce should be anywhere from 32 to 40. He should be in his prime and have mature, refined good looks. Also, the actor who plays Bruce needs to be able to pull off a wide range of emotions. The actor needs to be able to convince not only the other characters but the audience that he was a scared, broken young boy who has been forged into a weapon of justice by the fire of his own pain and that he wears the mask of a billionaire playboy philanthropist who enjoys big parties, good booze, and socializing with Gotham's brightest stars. As Batman, the actor would have to be imposing and intimidating. He would have to be a great fighter or at least look like he'd be a great fighter. Also, they'd have to have a distinct Batman and Bruce Wayne voice much like the greatest Batman of all time, Kevin Conroy. Most importantly however, the actor to take on the role of Batman must become the character. The last thing I want is a repeat of George Clooney or Val Kilmer where all you see if Clooney/Kilmer dressed up like a bat. All that being said, now on to my 5 choices for Batman in no particular order.


1). Joel Edgerton (Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty):

Joel Edgerton

I'll admit, I'd never heard of Joel Edgerton until last year when he stared in the incredible fight drama Warrior. And boy howdy did he give a great performance. I didn't know he was Australian until I looked him up on IMDB. In Warrior he gave a very powerful and emotional performance, but he also kicked butt in the octagon. He's got the Bruce Wayne look and he can kick butt like Batman. He's a good actor and he's rising in popularity. He's still fairly unknown, so his star won't get in the way of his Batman like Clooney, Kilmer and even post-Batman Begins Bale. He's around 38, so he'll probably be about 40 when production gets going, but in my opinion, he's an excellent choice for Batman and Bruce Wayne.


2). David James Elliott (JAG):

David James Elliot

Now I know what most of you are thinking. David James who? The other half of the internet that remembers the gloriously awesome legal/military drama JAG is probably thinking "Yea right. Harmon Rabb as Batman."

All I ask is that you hear me out for a little bit. With him being over 50 and having pretty much vanished off the radar after 2005, DJE is a long shot for Batman. Heck, I'm pretty sure it would never happen in a million years. Would it not be awesome though? He would make a perfect Bruce Wayne. Harm was pretty much the military Bruce Wayne. He shows all the qualities a good Bruce Wayne should show. He falls a little short when it comes to the bat though. For one thing, I've never seen him go all out in a huge hand-to-hand fight. Yea there was action on JAG, but Harm wasn't exactly known for his martial arts prowess. Also, being old and kinda out of shape won't make for a good Batman. Truth be told though, I'm not really sure if he'd be a good Batman. I haven't seen him outside of his role on JAG. Who knows, maybe he'd be amazing. Maybe he'd suck. All I know is that David James Elliott is a good actor and a childhood hero of mine. In my mind I imagine that he'd be an incredible Batman, but unfortunately for me (probably fortunately for everyone else though), my mind is not reality.


3). Joe Manganiello (True Blood, Magic Mike):

Joe Maganiello

I'll freely admit, I've seen 2 movies that this guy was in. Spider-Man and Spider-Man 3. In both he had a very small role as Flash Thompson and was a total jerk bag. That being said, I've seen fanboys toss his name around as a choice for Batman so I did some research. He's a classically trained actor with a BFA in acting. On top of that, he's good looking, the ladies love him, and he's got the Bruce Wayne look. He's got the build for Batman and I'm sure he can fight. He's about 36 and is becoming pretty popular thanks mostly to True Blood. He's an actor I'm not very familiar with, but to me, he seems like a very logical choice to bring in fans of True Blood and a large female audience.


4). Karl Urban (Dredd, Star Trek, Red):

Karl Urban

Anybody who's seen the very recent Dredd movie (completely free of Stallone) and even Red knows that Karl Urban can be a very intimidating guy. In Dredd, his cold, no tolerance policy of crime was in line with that of Batman (minus the street justice and shooting of course). The concern a lot of people have with him playing Batman is that he might not do so well as Bruce Wayne. In the past, I'd agree, but now that I've read Scott Snyder's run on Batman, I'm convinced otherwise. Karl Urban could easily pull off the confident, always Batman portrayal of Bruce as we see in Snyder's stories. I think it would be really awesome to see Karl Urban don the suit and fight crime as the Batman. The only problem I see with Urban being Batman is that I think he's committed to being Judge Dredd for quite some time. Between that and Bones McCoy, I doubt he'll ever be available to be Batman. He'd be darn good though.


5). Bradley Cooper (Limitless, The A-Team):

Bradley Cooper

This is the pick I really wouldn't wanna see attempt Batman. However, due to his popularity, he's a good choice. We've seen with A-Team and parts of limitless that he can pull off action. He's a decent actor too. However, aside from his rather large nose looking a little odd under the cowl, his star would get in the way of his Batman portrayal. I'd just see Bradley Cooper jumping off rooftops. Since Hollywood is the way it is though, we're probably gonna have a prettyboy heart throb playing Batman (*sigh* again) and if I have to pick one (besides Manganiello) I'd pick Bradley Cooper. He's proven himself with both acting and action. Heck, he might even do good with the role.

Well, those are my picks. Did you like them? Do you have a better pick? Let me know in the comments. Until then, keep your head low because you're in the line of fire!    

Why Joseph Gordon Levitt should not be Batman

Hey everyone! You're in the line of fire! Recently, I've heard rumors all over the internet that Joseph Gordon Levitt (pictured above) is going to be the new Batman. How utterly, utterly stupid. this can only mean that either Warner bros. has horribly miscast batman again or John Blake is still Batman. JGL is a great actor, but he's no Bruce Wayne/Batman and I'm not willing to accept anyone behind the cowl who isn't a member of the pre-existing comic book cannon Batman family. This will not be an angry flame JGL and Warner Bros. post though. I have actual points. Also, this may contain mild spoilers for The Dark Knight Rises. (Oh, and for those of you who will try to correct me, I know the name of the kid who got his report card stolen by Joker was named John Blake but with John Blake being such a common name and that kid not growing up to be like the JGL character, I call that a coincidence)
 

1: Nolan's Batman is DONE.

Nobody is arguing that Nolan's Batman films weren't great movies. That being said, they were not the definitive Batman films for me as a huge fan of Batman comics. I've never approved of making a "realistic super hero movie". If you're making a super hero movie, make a bloody super hero movie. That being said, Nolan had a great run with Batman (his choice for Batman was questionable, but I digress) and now that run is over. Any further Batman films (there will be more, Batman is bigger than both Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan) should be a separate continuity and should exist in a more fantastical world where both powered heroes and villains are present. Nolan always said that his Batman existed in a separate universe from super powered beings. Why are we trying to undo that statement? Also, John Blake shouldn't be wearing the cowl! Who is John Blake? I'm pretty much a Batman expert and I've never heard of John Blake. We'll get to that later though. the point is, Nolan's films are done. Bruce Wayne should be back in the cowl and the ending of The Dark Knight Rises should have no bearing on future Batman films. Let new directors and new actors create their own image of Batman. Why force Christopher Nolan's vision on the next director? Who's to say the next director doesn't have an even better vision of Batman?


2: JGL is not Bruce Wayne/Batman

This is what Bruce should look like

For this one, assume Warner Bros does do a completely new Batman universe, but casts Joseph Gordon Levitt as Bruce Wayne/Batman. JGL is a great actor. I loved him in Inception. I loved him in Lincoln. I loved him as John Blake in TDKR, but he's not Bruce Wayne. For starters, JGL is too young-looking. In Lincoln, JGL played Robert Lincoln who was 22 during the time period the movie was set in. JGL may be 31, but much like Stephen Amell on Arrow, he's young-looking and can pull off roles ten years younger than he is. while this is a good quality in actors, it's not a good quality in Batman. Bruce Wayne is supposed to be anywhere from 32-40 and he should have the maturely handsome James Bond look to him. He shouldn't look like a kid. Batman goes without saying as well. Cover up the top half of JGL's face. Is that what you want Batman's chin to look like? Now, with JGL being a young looking actor, you know who he would be perfect as? Adult Dick Grayson/Nightwing. He could pull of Nightwing (long haired or short haired) very easily. I would love to see JGL as Nightwing (especially if Tim Drake was his replacement as Robin) but he's no Bruce Wayne and he's really no Batman.


3: Outside of the Nolanverse, John Blake doesn't exist.

Sorry, he's not in any comics.

If JGL were to reprise his role as John Blake, I would be very angry. I probably wouldn't be alone in that anger either. One of my big problems with Nolan was that he ignored perfectly good back story and characters from the comics in favor of his own stuff. That being said, at least Bruce Wayne was Batman in his continuity. I can think of no bigger slap in the face to Batman fans than to have Bruce Wayne completely removed from the equation and instead have somebody who in 70+ years of continuity only appeared in one movie and wasn't ever trained by Bruce. John Blake doesn't have Bruce's story or his training/philosophy and he's a cop that was trained to use guns when necessary. what if John Blakeman carries a gun while he's in the suit (yes, I know that Batman carried a gun in his first few appearances in the 30's, but Batman has been anti-gun and against lethal justice for years and years now)? What if he busts a cap in the Joker instead of turning him over to the police? These are all serious concerns that will further detract from the identity of Batman. As if Batman not being Bruce, Dick, Tim or even Alfred wasn't bad enough.

Anyways, those are my major reasons why I'm against JGL being Batman. Feel free to agree or disagree. If you're up for discussion, leave a comment and I'll get to it ASAP. Until next time, keep your head down. You're in the line of fire!