Friday, June 23, 2006

The Joker and Batman Begins 2

In my last post Sheri Ann asked:

Have you blogged about the upcoming Batman Begins sequal which is another prequel to Batman? Now, I really like Batman Begins, and the other Batman movies (for the most part). I had one problem with Begins though...Didn't the Joker kill Bruce Wayne's parents? And if so, why did the murderer get murdered in the courthouse after the trial in Begins? Are they messing up the storyline? Do you know what I'm talking about? Anyway, I was just curious if you had heard anything about the Batman Begins Sequel.

Like the Star Trek question...I don't know much but, Christopher Nolan appears to be planning a sequel to Batman Begins (maybe out in 2008).

And I found this comment he made:

As for the rumors that the Joker or Harvey Dent, aka the villainous Two Face, will appear in the next Batman film, Nolan remained coy. "Anything's possible," he said.

Beyond that I know nothing, perhaps Strange Culture commenters might be able to fill in some of the gaps and respond better to your question.

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10 comments:

MCF said...

The Joker only killed Wayne's parents in the Burton movie, not in other continuities. These are loose prequels at best, just as Superman returns is a loose sequel to the first two Donner films, so Nolan has some freedom to break from the story told in Batman. Burton made the Joker the killer to make the story more personal, and to add symmetry and the circle of revenge, the whole "you made me" sequence. Odds are good given that card at the end that we'll be seeing Nolan's take on the character. Directors pick and choose from source material to tell a cohesive story that anyone can see without having read decades of comics like hardcore fans. For example, in the comics Ra's al Ghul never trained Batman, but Nolan crafted that connection just as Burton crafted the Joker one.

Probably best to consider these films a new series entirely rather than call them prequels.

Sher said...

Thanks for blogging about this Ryan, and thanks MCF for your insight! I actually liked Begins the best, and I look foward to the sequel. I liked Christian Bale as Batman too! I hope Nolan delievers in this next one!

Jordan M. Poss said...

That's what these new Batman movies are intended to be--a new start on the Batman franchise. There's not supposed to be a connection with the other four.

As for who should play the new Joker: no doubt in my mind that it should be Paul Bettany. He's got the lanky frame, the wry smile, and the potentially cruel eyes--think Chaucer from A Knight's Tale mixed with Silas from The Da Vinci Code, with green hair.

night-of-columbus said...

Batman Begins is not a prequel. It is actually a whole new telling of the Batman story, completely unattached from the other 4 movies.

Peter T Chattaway said...

FWIW, Batman fans like me were pretty upset, back in the day, when Tim Burton's movie turned the guy who killed Batman's parents into the Joker. In the comics, Batman's parents were killed by a guy named Joe Chill -- just like in Batman Begins! This is one of many reasons why Batman Begins rocks and all the other live-action Batman movies suck. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Chill

Pfangirl said...

Ugh, Tim Burton's Batman is still 'my' Batman... I enjoyed the dark, stylised and very corrupt world that was clearly influenced by Frank Miller's gritty revision of the character.

Nolan's Batman was spot-on in certain aspects (the Batman supporting characters finally getting their due), and quite a dud in others. The treatment of the Scarecrow, one of my favourite villians was especially blasphemous (all he did was put a maggoty sack on his head; how scary!). Sorry, but I just couldn't buy into the reinvention hype.

Anyway, traditionally in the comics, as Peter T said, Joe Chill, a street thug, killed Bruce Wayne's parents. In Batman: Year 2, Batman is even forced to team up with him to fight rival vigillante The Reaper.

My understanding of the current Batman comics is that that story arc has been eliminated, and the identity of Thomas and Martha Wayne's killers is unknown.

Traditionally, the Joker's origin story is that he was a low-level gangster or failed stand-up comedian who falls into a vat of chemicals.

I believe Hugo Weaving is also rumoured to be up for the role.

Pat said...

It's not a prequel! It's a different franchise!!!!!

Tselentis said...

I just cannot wait to see how this franchise develops. They're doing all the right things with character development, actors, and visual treatment. The big question on my mind is: Robin, will we see him or not?

Anonymous said...

whoever

I thought Batman Begins was a load of faddy rubbish, with all that boring ninja stuff that was oh so popular around that time. The Dark Knight stays true to Burton's origanl goethic style and is a much better movie.

Anonymous said...

The thing I really like about the whole Batman prequels, or whatever you want to call them, is that Batman remains a dark, mysterious character. With the other movies, Michael Keaton started with a very dark Batman, which should illustrate his inner conflicts better. From the time Batman Forever was made, I thought the strength of his dark persona was destroyed.
Taking on the director's chair when Nolan started with Batman Begins, I love how Christian Bale's portrayal of Batman keeps with the same mystery that Michael Keaton had, and stays with the original character in the comic books.
I only heard this from a couple of friends of mine, but there's supposed to be another Batman prequel (if you want to call it that) coming out, with the joker. I'm not sure who's going to play the joker, nor can I find when it's scheduled to be released, but following the enormous success of Dark Night, I know that Nolan has a long road ahead of him.