Category: Batman

Robert Pattinson is officially the next Batman

Robert Pattinson just locked down another blockbuster franchise.

Warner Bros. revealed Friday that the actor who brought Edward Cullen to life in the “Twilight” series is the studio’s official choice for the next Batman movie, Deadline reports.

Variety reported earlier this month that Pattinson would be the next actor to take on the role of Bruce Wayne — but Deadline quickly declared that the casting of director Matt Reeves’ movie was hardly a done deal yet.

Also on the Caped Crusader shortlist: Nicholas Hoult. The star of “The Favourite” and “Tolkien” certainly had his supporters, but it is Pattinson’s jaw that will jut out of the iconic black cowl.

Pattinson, 33, will embody Reeves’ origin story, which revolves around the formative stages of young Bruce Wayne. He takes the cape from 46-year-old Ben Affleck after four polarizing entries in the DC Comics cinematic canon.

After a dry period marked by several high-profile flops, Pattinson is on the upswing with strong notices for “High Life” and a starring role in the upcoming Christopher Nolan event film “Tenet.”

“The Batman” is set to hit theaters nationwide June 25, 2021.

The Dark Knight Trilogy Collector’s Blu-ray Release Confirmed

We live in a world in which you can buy a $300 collection of all the Harry Potter films, and the Indiana Jones movies can only be purchased in a set of four. Of course there was going to be a box set that would take advantage of the “collect ’em all!” instinct of Batman fans, especially given how wildly successful Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy was.

So while we treated it as a rumor when word of a three-film box set broke a few days ago, we felt pretty confident that the real deal would not be far behind. Now The Hollywood Reporter confirms that, yes, the “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” of the trilogy will be available on Blu-ray on September 24, with all three of Nolan’s Batman films– Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises– included in the set. As you might guess, a bunch of extras are included with the set as well. There will be two brand-new featurettes, one of them about the impact of the trilogy and one of them, unbelievably, with Christopher Nolan and Superman director in conversation. Though you probably don’t have to go far to find people who were influenced by The Dark Knight, the first featurette includes interviews with the likes of Guillermo del Toro, Michael Mann, Damon Lindelof, and unsurprisingly, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder.

As it turns out the image that we dug up the other day was in fact legit, and the set includes three Hot Wheels models of Batman’s three main vehicles (The Batmobile, Batpod and Batwing), Mondo art cards of the main villains from all of the films, and a 48-page book full of art from the three films. Of course, if can’t wait for the September 24 release, you can already buy all three films together on Blu-ray for an incredibly reasonable $34. We’re betting this new set will go for a lot more than that…but then again, it comes with some pretty neat toys.

If you’re feeling nostalgic for Nolan’s Gotham City– can you believe it’s only been a year sine The Dark Knight Rises– you’re joined by our Sean O’Connell, who is totally convinced that Nolan’s vision of Batman will find its way into Justice League, even though Christian Bale has promised he won’t play the role again. You’re welcome to head over there and join the conversation– after all, you still have several months to wait for this box set to take up all the rest of your free time.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ out on Blu-ray, DVD on December 4

Holy smokes, Batman. The rumors, speculation and general chit-chat can be put to rest.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman epic The Dark Knight Rises will be released on Blu-ray combo pack, DVD, and digital download on Dec. 4, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced exclusively to EW.

The last film in Nolan’s dark, gritty Gotham City trilogy, starring Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Hardy as brutal villain Bane, will also be available in a limited edition Blu-ray Bat Cowl collectible package — not quite in time for your Halloween costume, but there’s always next year.

The Blu-ray combo pack is stuffed with a bunch of extras, from a documentary about the Batmobile, where all five Batmobiles are together for the first time, to Ending the Knight, an in-depth look featuring about 17 featurettes at how Nolan and his production team made The Dark Knight Rises, from Batman vs. Bane to totally demolishing a city street. Both the Blu-ray and DVD include a featurette called The Journey of Bruce Wayne. There are also trailers and art galleries.

Nolan says no to ‘Justice League’ superhero film

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Now that Christopher Nolan is done with his epic Batman trilogy, the filmmaker has quashed speculation that he might be involved in a “Justice League” movie featuring the Dark Knight.

Writer-director Nolan said his take on Batman wraps up with “The Dark Knight Rises,” his third and final film centered on the DC Comics superhero. In an interview over the weekend to promote the finale, Nolan said he has no “Justice League” plans.

“No, none at all,” Nolan said. “We’re finished with all we’re doing with Batman. This is the end of our take on this character.”

Fans have conjectured that Nolan might return to Batman by producing a big-screen take on “Justice League,” DC Comics’ “Avengers”-style ensemble whose key superheroes include the Dark Knight, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern.

Nolan guesses that the “Justice League” rumors started because of his involvement as a producer on next summer’s Superman relaunch, “Man of Steel.”

He also said he not intend to get involved with any future solo Batman films when distributor Warner Bros., which owns DC Comics, decides the time is right to launch a new take on the masked vigilante.

“Batman will outlive us all, and our interpretation was ours. Obviously, we consider it definitive and kind of finished. The great thing about Batman is he lives on for future generations to reinterpret, and obviously, Warners will have to decide in the future what they’re going to do with him,” Nolan said. “We’ve had our say on the character.

“I’ve got no plans to do anything more, and certainly, no involvement with any ‘Justice League’ project.”

After Disney’s success with “The Avengers,” the big-screen round-up of Marvel Comics superheroes that has pulled in $1.45 billion worldwide, speculation has grown that Warner Bros. would get its own ensemble flick on the drawing board.

Nolan resurrected the Dark Knight with 2005’s “Batman Begins” and shattered box-office records with 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” which won a posthumous Academy Award for Heath Ledger as the Joker.

“The Dark Knight Rises” reunites Nolan with Christian Bale as billionaire Bruce Wayne and his Batman alter-ego; Michael Caine as stalwart butler Alfred; Morgan Freeman as Wayne Enterprises mastermind Lucius Fox; and Gary Oldman as upright Police Commissioner Jim Gordon. Joining the cast are Anne Hathaway as daring thief Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, and three of Nolan’s “Inception” co-stars: Tom Hardy as brutish villain Bane; Marion Cotillard as Wayne’s new business ally, Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as gutsy cop John Blake.

The story begins eight years after the action of “The Dark Knight,” with Batman vanished from the scene and vilified as an enemy of Gotham City, whose tough anti-crime laws have cleaned up the streets. A limping, emotionally shattered recluse, Bale’s Wayne is forced back into action as Bane lays deadly siege to the city.

New ‘Batman’ gets PG-13 rating

Rest easy, teen Batman fans: “The Dark Knight Rises” has been rated PG-13, the Motion Picture Association of America said on Monday.

That means that adolescents eager to see Batman (Christian Bale) save Gotham from the threat of steroidal criminal mastermind Bane (Tom Hardy) and jewel-thieving Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) will be able to buy a ticket without dragging along a parent or guardian.

The MPAA said the film earned its PG-13 for “intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language.”

Although Warner Bros. essentially gave director Christopher Nolan free rein on his follow-up to the mega-grossing “The Dark Knight,” it probably would have balked at having its $250 million film branded with an R rating. That could have depressed ticket sales by preventing teenage moviegoers from purchasing tickets; a fate most tent-pole films are eager to avoid.

The official rating announcement for “The Dark Knight” comes on the heels of the ratings controversy surrounding “Bully.” The Weinstein Co. and the MPAA engaged in a stand-off after the studio’s documentary about teen bullying earned an R rating for language.

The Weinstein Co. argued that an R would prevent school groups from seeing the film. It released an unrated version of “Bully” before ultimately agreeing to trim a few curse words in order to earn a PG-13.

The MPAA has shown more willingness to give films with violent content PG-13-ratings than it has movies with sex and liberal use of particularly strong curse words.

“The Dark Knight Rises” opens domestically in all its PG-13 glory on July 20.

Nolan to remove ‘Knight’ shroud

LOS ANGELES – Filmmaker Christopher Nolan is finally ready to remove the shroud from his much-anticipated final “Batman” movie.

While the director’s “The Dark Knight Rises” isn’t due in theaters until July 20, fans will be reunited with Bruce Wayne — and rival Bane — via a prologue hitting IMAX screens Dec. 21, Empire magazine reported Monday.

Nolan told the British film magazine that the prologue is “basically the first six, seven minutes of the film” and will serve as “an introduction to Bane, and a taste of the rest of the film.”

Nolan also told Empire that “The Dark Knight Rises” would be set eight years after its predecessor.

Christian Bale’s hero is “an older Bruce Wayne; he’s not in a great state,” Nolan said. “Perhaps surprisingly for some people, our story picks up quite a bit later, eight years after ’The Dark Knight.”’

The filmmaker also discussed the movie’s villain.

“With Bane, we’re looking to give Batman a challenge he hasn’t had before,” Nolan added. “With our choice of villain and with our choice of story we’re testing Batman both physically as well as mentally.”

The “Dark Knight Rises” prologue will be screened in advance of Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol“ and be rated PG-13.

This isn’t the first time Warner Bros. has whetted Batman fans’ appetites in this fashion.

In December 2007, the prologue to “The Dark Knight” was shown along with some IMAX screenings of the sci-fi film “I Am Legend.”

‘Dark Knight’ roles revealed
Oscar winner Marion Cotillard will play high-powered socialite Miranda Tate in the latest Batman film.
She and her Inception co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt signed to reteam with director Christopher Nolan last year, but details of their characters in The Dark Knight Rises have been kept under wraps – until now.
Speculation suggested Cotillard would portray Talia Al-Ghul and Gordon-Levitt The Holiday Killer, but now it appears both will play straightforward characters.
According to CinemaBlend.com, Cotillard’s Miranda Tate is a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help Batman’s alter-ego Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavours.
Meanwhile, Gordon-Levitt will play John Blake, a Gotham City cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman).
Speaking of casting his two Inception stars, Nolan says, “When you collaborate with people as talented as Marion and Joe, it comes as no surprise that you would want to repeat the experience. I immediately thought of them for the roles of Miranda and Blake, and I am looking forward to working with both of them again.”

Warners Rebooting Batman Again?
Despite the setbacks it faced the last time Warner Bros. tried to gather its DC Comics-based heroes together to form the Justice League, that isnít putting the studio off from moving ahead with the plan, according to executive Jeff Robinov, who revealed that theyíre looking to reboot Batman again.
Yes, it would seem that once Chris Nolan and company are finished in the their more realistic Bat-universe with The Dark Knight Rises, weíre going to be looking at Batman BeginsÖ Again.
ìWe have the third Batman, but then weíll have to reinvent Batman,î Robinov tells the LA Times. ìChris Nolan and Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is.î
The mention of Nolan and his regular producing partner/wife being involved makes us think itíll hopefully maintain the high standards that the director has set for Bruce Wayne, but the fact remains that the more down-to-earth setting for Nolanís take on the character would have to be ditched if Warners is going to see him share the screen with the super-powered likes of Superman (now taking the form of Henry Cavill) and Green Lantern in the League.
Plus it seem that Robinovís target for the team-up is 2013, which seems like a nearly unworkable date given that The Dark Knight wonít return until summer next year and Zack Snyderís Superman wonít even arrive until that December.
We donít doubt that Robinov wants to get his companyís version of The Avengers up and running, and given that he says a Justice League script (as well as standalone films for The Flash and Wonder Woman, despite the new TV version) is being written, he may yet see his dream realised. But 2013? Weíll see!!

Batman – An Adam West Interview Has His Take on the Possibilities of Batman DVDs
No new concrete information, but fans probably want to hear his take on the situation
Back in September 2008, we posted an extensive look at all the reasons why the popular live-action ’60s Batman series isn’t on DVD yet. And, as far as we know, nothing’s changed. Oh, we’ve heard rumors, for certain. There have been rumors for years and years; they come and they go.
Are there fresh rumors? Sure. And it seems like show star Adam West has heard them, too! About an hour ago @theRealmCast tweeted a post called “Adam West talks the possibility of BATMAN on DVD plus more “, and linked to this interview with West. There the star was asked “Do you have any idea when we might see ‘Batman’ come out on DVD?”, and was quoted as saying this in answer:
I guess FOX and Warner Bros. have been trying to sift that one out. I think itís simply a matter of dividing up the pie. Iíve heard that theyíre very close to an agreement and theyíll be bringing it out. In the meantime, because they havenít and people have been screaming for it, I did ìAdam West Naked.î
But of course, youíre right. People want ìBatmanî released on DVD and I think it will happen. ìBatman: The Movieî is available and itís always sold really well. But it seems most people have seen that.
Now, with all due respect to Mr. West, we do have one point we’d like to make about the companies he named. Fox most certainly owns the episodes, but a few years ago (when we put together the write-up we mentioned at the top), we spoke to executives at Warner Home Video about Batman, and we were told in no uncertain terms that they have nothing to do with it; sister company DC Comics owns the character rights (and other trademarked properties associated with the characters), and we were told it would be them who Fox would have to negotiate with. Since then, we’ve been told that this is incorrect, but the fact is that we haven’t been told otherwise by anybody who is directly working for DC, Warner or – for that matter – Fox or otherwise actually involved in any purported negotiations, so we are sticking by what we were told in 2008 the involved entities are Fox and DC (and the Dozier estate, and other claimants as mentioned in our old article).
We know that this show is the most-wanted unreleased-on-DVD television show there is, which is why we’re jumping on the quote in the interview and passing it along to our readers. Please visit the linked interview for the rest of it, including West’s very logical reason as to why it makes sense to release the classic show alongside the current crop of films. And stay tuned, of course, because we’ll certainly update you the second we have any concrete info about a real release of the program everybody wants so badly!

Marion Cotillard joins ‘The Dark Knight Rises’: report
Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) is reuniting with her Inception director, Christopher Nolan, for The Dark Knight Rises, according to People. Though itís unclear what role she will be playing, the pregnant actress ó whoís expecting in April ó joins a cast that already includes Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and newcomers Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy.