Batgirl herself, Leslie Grace, added her own statement, via Twitter.
Now today, El Arbi has gone one step further in an Instagram story, offering up a look at the movie, which may well end up being the only proper look we have at the movie.
The picture is particularly galling, as it shows Grace in costume standing on set with El Arbi and, most excitingly, Michael Keaton in his Batman suit.
On a more positive note, though, he also shared some of the messages of support that have come through, particularly from directors James Gunn and Edgar Wright.
The story also shows a message from Kevin Feige, for whom the duo directed several episodes of ‘Ms. Marvel’.
Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah from Disney+’s ‘Ms. Marvel.’
“My friends, I had to reach and let you know we are all thinking about you both,” Feige wrote in an email to Arbi and Fallah. “Because of the wonderful news about the wedding (congrats!) and the disappointing news about ‘Batgirl.’ Very proud of you guys and all the amazing work you do and particularly ‘Ms. Marvel’ of course! Can’t wait to see what is next for you. Hope to see you soon.”
In related ‘Batgirl’ news, the decision has also impacted those who make decisions about DC movies at Warner Bros. Discovery. Walter Hamada, the DC Films president, was reportedly told about the decision to shelve the movie while attending a test screening of another title, ‘Black Adam’.
Yet chances are he’ll be leaving anyway given the new broom approach that freshly arrived company CEO David Zaslav is taking to DC, looking to find a Feige-style figure to guide the movies going forward.
And following the shareholder earnings call yesterday (which was more eagerly watched than many previous examples), Zaslav repeated his commitment to future DC movies including ‘Adam’, ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ and, yes, ‘The Flash’ even given more problematic news stories about star Ezra Miller’s behavior.
This is one that feels like it’ll just keep rolling. But for now, the most we can hope for on the ‘Batgirl’ front is that enough stills will be released that those who were excited about the movie can create a flipbook…
Leslie Grace in ‘Batgirl.’ Photo courtesy of Leslie Grace’s Instagram.
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The funny Instagram video shows Momoa greeting fans who are on a tour tram outside the stage at Warner Bros. where the ‘Lost Kingdom’ team have been shooting additional footage. Parked outside the stage is a trailer with a less-than-subtle ‘B.A.’ on the door.
“Well, it’s not a f*****’ secret any more is it?” chuckles Momoa, before adding, “Sorry children. That’s what happens, Warner Brothers, when you walk out of your set, and there’s your fans.”
He then walks over to the trailer, laughing “Well, we tried to keep it a secret.” There’s a brief glimpse of Affleck in his trailer before Momoa swerves away. He also posted a couple of pictures of the pair larking around in a room at the studio.
Of course, it could all be a put-up, and organized as part of the build-up to the superhero sequel’s arrival next year, but Momoa’s genuine surprise and laughter makes us think it’s real. And who doesn’t love Jason Momoa with a fit of the giggles?
(L to R) Ben Affleck and Jason Momoa. Photo courtesy of Jason Momoa’s Instagram.(L to R) Ben Affleck and Jason Momoa. Photo courtesy of Jason Momoa’s Instagram.
Bruce Wayne and Arthur Curry – Aquaman’s actual name – shared the screen previously in both versions of ‘Justice League’, the 2017 theatrical version and Zack Snyder’s extended cut, which arrived on HBO Max in 2021.
How Bruce factors into the new movie remains to be seen, but we do know that ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ will take the sea hero to the titular Lost Kingdom, a part of the Atlantean Empire lost to history after the Atlanteans fell into ruin and became an underwater people.
The cast also includes the returning likes of Amber Heard as Mera, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, Patrick Wilson as the villainous Ocean Master (though he and Arthur appear to be working together this time, however unwillingly) and Temuera Morrison as Aquaman’s father, Tom Curry.
Yahya Abdul Mateen-II is also back as Black Manta, while ‘Game of Thrones’ Pilou Asbæk also joined the cast in an undisclosed part.
James Wan, who guided the first film to more than $1 billion at the box office, is back directing again, working from a script by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.
‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ will swim into theaters on March 17th next year.
In addition to his return to the undersea realms, Momoa has been busy finishing the final season of dystopian Apple TV+ series ‘See’ and joining the latest ‘Fast & Furious’ installment, ‘Fast X’, itself due in theaters on May 19th, 2023.
Michael Keaton in ‘The Protégé.’ Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
Michael Keaton is having one of his mini resurgences of late, with several good roles and plenty of attention. For new thriller ‘Knox Goes Away’, he’ll be directing and starring as a hired assassin.
With a script by Gregory Poirier, who wrote ‘The Spy Next Door’, 2005’s sci-fi adaptation of ‘A Sound of Thunder’ and 2000’s ‘Gossip’, ‘Knox Goes Away’ follows a contract killer (Keaton) who, after being diagnosed with a fast-moving form of dementia, is presented with the opportunity to redeem himself by saving the life of his estranged adult son. But to do so he must race against the police closing in on him as well as the ticking clock of his own rapidly deteriorating mind.
Keaton will have the movie shooting in Los Angeles this coming August, and rights to distribute it will be on sale at the Cannes Film Market, which kicks off next week.
This is not the first time that Keaton has stepped behind the camera – he pulled double duty in 2008 when he directed and starred in ‘The Merry Gentleman’ as another hitman – this one a suicidal contract killer named Frank Logan, who starts a relationship with a troubled woman played by Kelly Macdonald. Quite what it is that attracts him to directing and starring in movies about hitmen with issues is anyone’s guess.
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The actor is also in contention for an Emmy thanks to his acclaimed role in Hulu miniseries ‘Dopesick’, for which he has already won a SAG and a Critics Choice Award.
The Oscar nominee has been in demand these last few years, between appearing in movies such as ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’, ‘Worth’ and ‘The Protégé’. He also reprised the role of Adrian Toomes in Sony’s Marvel movie ‘Morbius’.
Coming up, Keaton is firmly back in DC Comics territory, returning to the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman that he made famous in Tim Burton’s two 1980s/1990s movies featuring the Caped Crusader.
Purely on a scheduling basis, it appears he’ll first show up in ‘Batgirl’, which stars ‘In The Heights’ Leslie Grace as the title character. Though it had been initially targeted as an HBO Max premiere, it’ll now arrive in theaters, but doesn’t have a confirmed release date just yet.
That is currently set to be followed by ‘The Flash’, where he’ll be contacted by Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen for help when the latter’s attempts to save his family cause problems for the multiverse. A recent, brief clip of the movie shows Allen asking if Keaton’s Bruce Wayne is in and Keaton replying with a crowd-pleasing riff on one of his most famous ‘Batman’ lines: “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts.”
‘The Flash’ will speed into theaters on June 23rd next year.
There is no comic book superhero with more iconic villains than Batman! Most heroes have one or two famous enemies, but the Caped Crusader has more than a handful that are now household names.
With ‘The Batman’ currently in theaters, we’ve decided to countdown the ten greatest Batman movie villains of all time. For this list, we are only including villains from pure Batman movies, not other DC films like ‘Justice League’ or ‘Suicide Squad.’
While he starts off in ‘Batman Begins’ as Bruce Wayne’s mentor Henri Ducard, Liam Neeson’s character is eventually revealed to be Ra’s al Ghul, leader of the League of Shadows. One of Batman’s greatest enemies from the comics, and grandfather to Wayne’s own son, Ra’s al Ghul was a great addition to Christopher Nolan’s series, and even returned for a cameo in ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’
Also first appearing in ‘Batman Begins,’ Cillian Murphy‘s Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, is the only villain to appear in all three of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ movies. The actor’s menacing and realistic performance brought new dimensions to the scary comic book character.
Jim Carrey stole every scene he was in, in the otherwise forgettable, ‘Batman Forever.’ As the Riddler, the comedian went “full-Carey” and delivered a fun and absolutely outrageous performance, which unfortunately was not enough to save the rest of the movie.
The bar was set low for Two-Face after Tommy Lee Jones’ hammy performance in ‘Batman Forever,’ and Aaron Eckhart hit it out of the park. The movie allows us to see the origin of the character, and watch his evolution from heroic attorney, to disfigured madman.
While ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ did not mark Bane’s first on screen appearance, that unfortunately was ‘Batman & Robin,’ Tom Hardy‘s performance is clearly the best. Putting the odd voice choice aside, the actor is physically commanding and completely believable as the man that broke Batman’s back.
An original character created for Tim Burton‘s ‘Batman Returns,’ corrupt businessman Maximillian Shreck almost causes more trouble for Batman than Penguin and Catwoman. Played ruthlessly and with complete joy by the great Christopher Walken, he is an equal advisory for both Batman and Bruce Wayne, tries to get Penguin elected Mayor of Gotham, and is the reason Selina Kyle becomes the Catwoman.
Taking what Burgess Meredith created on the ‘Batman’ TV series and making it a million times darker, was exactly how Danny DeVito portrayed Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin in Tim Burton’s sequel. In fact, the actor’s performance was so horrific and scary (as it should be), McDonald’s refused to put toys of the character in their Happy Meals.
Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix may have won Oscars for playing the Joker on screen, but to anyone who group up in the 80’s and 90’s, Jack Nicholson is the one true Joker. Not only was his performance hilarious and unexpected, taking the role set a precedent for other Oscar-winning actors to play comic book characters on screen.
While Michelle Pfeiffer was not originally cast as Catwoman in ‘Batman Returns,’ that was Annette Bening, her name has become synonymous with the role. Pfeiffer gives a stellar performance, both as Selina Kyle and Catwoman. She is strong, funny, and stylish, and has great chemistry with both Michael Keaton and DeVito.
Heath Ledger is the first actor to ever win an Oscar for playing a comic book character. As great as all the Joker actors were before him, and have been since, Ledger’s performance is still clearly the best. The actor channeled a chaotic madness that perfectly matched the character, and his one on one scenes with Christian Bale’s Batman are some of the best cinematic moments in the franchise’s history.
(L to R) Kevin Hart as Ace the Bat-Hound and Dwayne Johnson as Krypto in Warner Bros.’ ‘DC League of Super-Pets.’
Can there be too much Batman? It’s a theory that Warner Bros. seems committed to testing, though given what it means for new animated outing ‘DC League of Super-Pets’, we’re not complaining. Because what it means is… Keanu Reeves is now Batman.
While the latest live-action example of the Caped Crusader has only just hit theaters thanks to ‘The Batman’ (which opened with a successful $134 million at the domestic box office), we’re already facing the prospect of two veteran Cowl-wearers coming back later this year in ‘The Flash’, which features both Ben Affleck’s DCEU Bruce Wayne and Michael Keaton, from 1989’s ‘Batman’ and 1992’s ‘Batman Returns’ suiting up thanks to Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen and his multiverse-traversing powers. (Keaton is also playing Batman in ‘Batgirl’).
Yet ‘Super-Pets’ promises something different all together, a Bats who is more in line with, say, Will Arnett’s LEGO Batman. The new animated movie’s spoofy take on the character finds him moodily reflecting on how he’s all alone before rattling off a laundry list of supporting characters, including loyal butler Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, his tech team and even “whoever Morgan Freeman played” (which would be gadget developer Lucius Fox in Christopher Nolan’s Bat-trilogy, in case you forgot).
It’s Batman’s tragic past that helps him bond with Ace (voiced by Kevin Hart), as they share their stories and find common ground.
Still, Batman isn’t the focus of the movie – nor are any of the human (or alien) members of the Justice League. See, ‘Super-Pets’ focuses on Krypto (Dwayne Johnson) Superman’s (John Krasinski) faithful, powerful canine best pal.
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When the League members are kidnapped by a scheming Lex Luthor (Marc Maron), it’s up to Krypto and a rag-tag group of animals granted special abilities in a strange accident to save the day. Ace the future Bat-Hound is turned seemingly indestructible, while the gang also includes Melton the speedy turtle (Natasha Lyonne), PB the pig (Vanessa Bayer) who can inflate herself, and Chip the squirrel (Diego Luna), blessed with the power to shoot electricity from his hands.
Things don’t exactly go smoothly at first – in true Johnson and Hart buddy comedy fashion, there is much bickering back and forth about Krypto’s unwavering loyalty to Superman, while earlier trailers have also focused on Ace getting into scrapes (and surviving because of his newfound abilities). And, because this is a kids’ movie about animals, there are the requisite pee jokes.
Jared Stern and Sam Levine are the directors here, working from a script by Stern and John Whittington that promises to be a family friendly superhero tale in the way that ‘The Batman’ never really could be.
It’ll be fun to see how Reeves’ Caped Crusader fits into the pantheon and how he gets judged against the approximately 73 actors who have played the role in the past.
‘DC League of Super-Pets’ will fly/hop/leap tall buildings to get into theaters on May 20.
(L to R) Dwayne Johnson as Krypto and John Krasinski as Superman in Warner Bros.’ ‘DC League of Super-Pets.’
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The result is a dark and brutal version of the character that perfectly captures many important elements of the mythos that have been missing from previous cinematic outings, but also fails to inject any of the humor and fun usually associated with popcorn superhero movies.
The film begins on Halloween, as Gotham Mayor Don Mitchell Jr. (Rupert Penry-Jones) is brutally murdered by a serial killer known as the Riddler (Dano). Billionaire Bruce Wayne (Pattinson) has been moonlighting as the vigilante Batman for two years, and works closely with lieutenant James Gordon (Wright), much to the dismay of the rest of the GCPD.
Gordon invites Batman to the crime scene as Riddler has left a note addressed directly to him. As the Riddler continues to target and kill Gotham’s wealthy and powerful, Batman and Gordon investigate, which eventually leads them to gangster Carmine Falcone (Turturro) who owns an exclusive club run by the Penguin (Farrell), where Selina Kyle (Kravitz) works.
Through their investigation, Gordon and Batman soon realize that Falcone helped the police takedown his rival Sal Maroni, so he could take over Gotham’s criminal underworld, and Riddler is now targeting anyone involved. In order to stop him, they must find the police informant who helped Falcone. Soon realizing that their agendas align, Batman and Kyle, also known as Catwoman, begin to work together to bring Falcone down and stop the Riddler once and for all.
‘The Batman’ may be the most brutal and violent cinematic appearance in the character’s over 80-year history, which is the correct tone for this source material. However, director Matt Reeves’ approach also loses a lot of the fun of Batman that was certainly captured in the 1966 TV series, the Tim Burton movies, and to a lesser degree the Christopher Nolan films. I’m not saying I want ‘Batman & Robin’ level silliness, but I think the character can still be fun, even if the tone is dark and violent.
‘The Batman’ is like ‘The Dark Knight’ on steroids, with elements of ‘Se7en,’ ‘Zodiac,’ ‘Chinatown’ and even ‘The Godfather’ thrown in for good measure. Much of the basic tone and aesthetic of the movie is taken from ‘Dark Knight’ and then just made bigger with more violence, a bit of a darker tone, and the noir aspect.
What Reeves does capture correctly is that Batman is the world’s greatest detective, an element not really included in any previous on-screen incarnation. The film is narrated by Batman, giving it a noir detective feel, not unlike ‘The Third Man’ or an episode of ‘Magnum, P.I.’ The relationship between Gordon and Batman is also perfectly displayed, as the two work together to stop the Riddler.
The look of Batman’s iconic costume, his utility belt, the Batmobile, the Batcave, and even Wayne Manor have been stripped down to more realistic versions, but again, it’s a little too similar to Nolan’s approach. And I am sick of seeing Batman on screen in black rubber outfits! Just once, I would like to see Batman in live action wearing his classic grey and blue outfit with the yellow bat symbol. That being said, I loved the new Batmobile, as I was never that excited about Nolan’s Tumbler or the tank used in Zack Snyder’s films. This Batmobile is more of a muscle car and looks like something Dom Toretto might drive in a ‘Fast & Furious’ movie.
I also have a bit of an issue as to how they depicted the Riddler. He’s relegated to be a demented serial killer, which doesn’t really match the source material. He was always more of a common criminal in the comics. In fact, the character in some ways is closer to what we expect from the Joker, a madman who just wants to see the world burn. Again, it would have been nice to see Paul Dano have a little more fun with the character.
It’s also worth mentioning that Barry Keoghan (‘Eternals’) has a cameo at the end of the movie. Many fans are going to read a lot into his appearance and instantly think he is playing an iconic Batman character. I think the filmmakers definitely want you to think that, and it may even be proved correct in future installments. But I say slow your roll fans, because if you really look at the scene, there is nothing truly concrete to confirm who the actor is or is not playing.
Robert Pattinson gives a very strong performance as Batman, and surprisingly, Batman is in much more of the film than Bruce Wayne is. In fact, in many ways, Bruce Wayne is not that important of a character in this movie. I really liked that approach, however, playing Bruce Wayne is the weakest part of Pattinson’s performance. You really leave the theater feeling that you know who Batman is, but Wayne is much more of a mystery, which perhaps was intended by the filmmakers. I hate to keep saying this, but I just wish Pattinson injected a little more fun into his role.
But it’s the supporting cast that really makes the movie pop, thanks to great performances from Wright, Kravitz, and Farrell. Jeffrey Wright was perfectly cast as James Gordon and brings a gravitas to his performance. The character’s trust in Batman never waivers and the two make a dynamic detective duo. Farrell is absolutely unrecognizable as Penguin and actually does bring some humor to his menacing role. Unfortunately, the actor is not in a lot of the movie, but his performance is so good that I really look forward to seeing more from him in future movies and possibly an HBO Max spinoff series.
For her part, Zoe Kravitz steals every scene she is in and is absolutely captivating when she appears. She has great chemistry with Pattinson, and in many ways is really the heart of the film.
In the end, Matt Reeves has taken a big swing with ‘The Batman’ and while he didn’t exactly hit it out of the park, he did deliver something new, even if it copied some of ‘The Dark Knight’s DNA. The director has assembled some amazing sequences, including a car chase that rivals the classic movie ‘Bullitt,’ as well as a very strong cast. And adding the detective noir element was a stroke of genius! However, the lack of at least a little humor, not fleshing out the Bruce Wayne or Riddler characters, and the over-the-top violence, stops the movie short from surpassing, in my opinion, ‘The Dark Knight’ or 1989’s ‘Batman’ for the title of greatest Batman movie ever made!
Joaquin Phoenix in 2019’s ‘Joker’ courtesy of Warner Bros.
Todd Phillips’ 2019 DC movie ‘Joker’ was a huge success. Not only did it make more than $1 billion at the global box office, but it was nominated for 11 Oscars, winning two, including Best Actor for star Joaquin Phoenix.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that studio Warner Bros. let slip to The Hollywood Reporter that a sequel is in development, with Phillips returning and Phoenix back as the main character.
According to Heroic Hollywood’s sources, Phillips has handed in the sequel’s first draft screenplay to the studio and the new movie should be shooting in 2023. We’d caution that this is more rumor than anything else just yet, since Warner Bros. has yet to officially announce this forward movement. But then, studios aren’t in the habit of revealing their movies until everything is signed and sealed.
As it’s at such an early stage, there are no details about the story for the new movie.
Though Phillips’ original movie seemed like a longshot (and indeed, the studio had to be convinced that it was the right way to go with the character), it certainly paid off in both profit and awards (along with its Oscars, it took home a variety of other trophies).
The story of that first film, in case you need a refresher, offered a new spin on Batman’s most famous arch nemesis – one in which the Caped Crusader doesn’t actually appear beyond a small cameo from a young Bruce Wayne, played by Dante Pereira-Olson.
Joaquin Phoenix in 2019’s ‘Joker’ courtesy of Warner Bros.
Unlike Zack Snyder’s use of Jared Leto for ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’, this Joker exists outside of the DC Extended Universe of movies, which means that other comic book characters such as Superman and Wonder Woman are unlikely to ever face him. That said, Warner Bros’ expanding use of the multiverse to crossover between characters means that nothing is off the table in future.
‘Joker’ was a dark and gritty movie more in the style of a Martin Scorsese crime film than even Christopher Nolan’s vision for Batman. It’s the story of Arthur Fleck, a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society.
A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night… But finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events.
‘The Hangover’s Phillips wrote the movie’s script with ‘8 Mile’s Scott Silver, and from the looks of the new report, they’ve reunited for the sequel.
Phoenix always came across as less likely to come back, but Warner Bros. cannily included a standard sequel option in his contract, so assuming the movie goes ahead, he’ll be back in the make-up next year ready to be Arthur Fleck once again.
There have been a lot of Batman movies at this point, but ‘The Batman’, co-written and directed by Matt Reeves, promises to be even moodier and more exciting than some recent efforts.
If you were wanting to get a taste of what we’re in for (beyond the trailers, which naturally include plenty of choice material), then the first clip has arrived online via an ad that ran in front of some YouTube videos. Warner Bros. has yet to officially release the clip, but it’s been doing the rounds on social media.
‘The Batman’ stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, the billionaire who moonlights as the Caped Crusader, AKA the masked vigilante Batman. Reeves’ movie tracks his early days of fighting crime in Gotham City.
Batman is a character that filmmakers just can’t stop bringing to cinema screens – the most recent example was 2017’s ‘Justice League’, which featured Ben Affleck playing the character (and that’s without mentioning Zack Snyder’s cut of the movie, which debuted on HBO Max last year). There’s a reason for that: he’s a compelling crime fighter with lots of emotional issues ripe for writers and directors to exploit, and scope for impressive action on screen.
One big part of Bruce’s backstory that we’re unlikely to experience this time is his parents’ murder, the deaths in a Gotham alleyway that spur him into action once he grows up. That’s something which has popped up in countless Batman movies and shows, but Reeves appears to be going his own way.
We also don’t see Pattinson in Bat-costume in this clip, as it kicks off with Bruce Wayne attending the lavish funeral of Mayor Don Mitchell Jr (Rupert Penry-Jones). He’s confronted by political candidate Bella Réal (Jayme Lawson), who remarks on how he’s not doing anything to help Gotham (as the wealthy Wayne family historically has) and tells Bruce about her plans to change the city by running for mayor. Which seems to us a bad case of not reading the room, since they’re attending the previous incumbent’s funeral, and the fact that Bruce is putting his life on the line every night!
Meanwhile, police lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) is consulting with some of his fellow officers as to why the District Attorney, Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard) is missing. Little do they know he’s about to crash the event. Literally.
A car careens into the church, running into pews and mowing down attendees. Bruce saves a young boy and is almost hit by the car itself. When the vehicle finally comes to rest, Bruce can glimpse up into one of the viewing galleries, where he sees a costumed individual surveying the chaos before stalking off. This is Paul Dano’s The Riddler, who is one of the main villains of the film and has arranged the attack.
As Gordon and the police drawn their weapons and demand the driver step out of the car (which is covered in words scrawled in white writing), we see the door open and Colson stumbles out, clearly dazed and, as someone shouts, with a bomb around his neck. A ringing phone sends everyone diving for cover, but instead of setting off the explosive, it has a message. And, taped to Colson’s chest is a note addressed “To The Batman”. Gordon orders the church cleared as Bruce stares at Colson. It’s thrilling and visceral, and while it doesn’t offer Pattinson a lot to do, he gives good stare.
This first glimpse of the film certainly points to Reeves making a dark (so, Batman, then), realistic crime thriller more in the mold of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy than the more bombastic superhero style of Zack Snyder. The movie also features Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman), Andy Serkis playing Wayne family butler Alfred Pennyworth, Colin Farrell (who will be almost unrecognizable as classic Batman villain The Penguin) and John Turturro, as crime lord Carmine Falcone.
Giacchino has become a sought-after composer, working on movies such as the more recent ‘Star Trek’ entries, the current ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy and ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’ It’s fair to say audiences were looking forward to see what the Oscar-winning Giacchino would come with for ‘The Batman‘ and indeed his theme doesn’t disappoint, managing to be both grounded and soaring. It’ll be fascinating to see how it works on the big screen and how it develops as the story unfolds.
Finally, we now know the official running time for the movie, and it sounds like you’ll want to make sure not to load up on soda. Reeves’ movie runs to two hours and 55 minutes including eight minutes of end credits. That makes it the longest solo film for Batman and one of the longest superhero adventures to come along for a while. It’s close to the likes of ‘Avengers: Endgame’, which ended up at a minute over three hours, but that was a gigantic story capper for the Infinity saga and a whole load of heroes and villains.
The news comes via the ratings board the MPA, which has handed down a PG-13 rating for (and we quote) “strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.” Take from that what you will, but it certainly points to some flirting between Pattinson and Kravitz’s characters.
Actress Leslie Grace set the Internet ablaze late on Friday when she premiered on her Instagram account a first look photo of herself as Barbara Gordon in her full superhero costume for the upcoming HBO Max movie ‘Batgirl.’
The film is currently shooting in Scotland for a late 2022 release on the streaming service and will also see Oscar winner J.K. Simmons return as Barbara’s dad, Commissioner James Gordon, as well as Michael Keaton’s return as Bruce Wayne/Batman, after his upcoming appearance in November’s ‘The Flash.’
The photo reveals a purple and yellow Batgirl suit reminiscent of the costume the character wore in DC Comics’ 2011 reboot “The New 52,” which was also the template for most of the previous DCEU movies.
Grace also posted along with the photo a quote from the seminal 2003 series, “Batgirl: Year One” by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon. “I use their expectations against them. That will be their weakness. Not mine. Let them all underestimate me…and when their guard is down, and their pride is rising, let me kick their butts.”
Created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino for inclusion in the 1960’s ‘Batman’ TV show, the character made its debut first in Detective Comics #359 before appearing in the third season of the series in 1967.
In the comics, Gordon is eventually injured by the Joker, and becomes the paraplegic computer expert, Oracle. While there is no indication that this version of the character will appear in “Batgirl,’ Oracle has appeared in live-action television series including the 2002 show ‘Birds of Prey’ played by Dina Meyer, and more recently in the third season of ‘Titans,’ portrayed by Savannah Welch.
With ‘The Flash’ set to introduce the idea of the DC Multiverse, and bring Michael Keaton’s Batman back into the fold, it’s a little unclear which DC universe the movie will take place in. Simmons returning as James Gordon would indicate that it is a continuation of Zack Snyder’s DCEU, but Keaton’s inclusion, and not Ben Affleck’s, means all bets are off.
The whole point of movie trailers is to make audiences excited for what’s coming. But sometimes they do their job a little too well. Some move trailers inflate our expectations, only to leave us disappointed when the end product doesn’t live up to a well-edited, two-minute-long teaser.
“Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”
It’s not often that people skip school and work just to watch a trailer, but that’s the appeal of seeing the first new Star Wars footage in over 15 years. The “Phantom Menace” teaser showed us glorious new sights like a droid army on the march and Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber. And the movie gave us those things, but also a whole lot that we never bargained for.
“Spectre”
All we really need out of our James Bond trailers is some cool action, a few shots of gorgeous locations and that iconic theme music. “Spectre” gave us plenty of those things in its trailer. And coming off the high that was “Skyfall,” we had no reason to doubt anything was amiss.
But then we watched the actual movie and were reminded at how quickly things can go wrong with this franchise.
“Watchmen”
The “Watchmen” movie had been trapped in development hell for so long that many fans refused to believe it existed until the teaser trailer finally arrived. That teaser had us believing director Zack Snyder could actually do justice to one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of all time. The way iconic images from the book synced up to Smashing Pumpkins music really left a strong impression. Sadly, the movie only wound up proving that some adaptations can be guilty of being too faithful.
“Die Another Day”
We should have been wary of this Bond sequel, given how poorly Pierce Brosnan‘s previous two films played out. But we couldn’t help but be won over by this teaser’s stylish opening sequence, cool narration, and short burst of awesome Bond footage. It didn’t show much of the actual film, and — eventually — we learned there was good reason for that.
“Godzilla”
The original teaser for 1998’s “Godzilla” is unique in that it doesn’t feature any actual footage from the film. Instead, it acts as a short film that teases the Americanized reboot of the iconic monster and pokes a little fun at “Jurassic Park” in the process. It’s an effective trailer, but perhaps we should have been more suspicious of their unwillingness to show the final product.
“Prometheus”
After a progressively worse series of sequels and spinoffs, we were ready for Ridley Scott to return and bring the “Alien” franchise back to basics. The teaser for “Prometheus” showed every sign that he could pull it off, with plenty of evocative imagery and a terrifying soundtrack that called back to the original “Alien” teaser. What the teaser didn’t show us was how much of the movie centered around convoluted mythology and dumb characters doing dumb things for dumb reasons.
“Man of Steel”
Rarely has there been such a huge divide between a film’s trailers and the finished product. All three “Man of Steel” trailers offered a captivating look at a superhero reborn, one who represented all the goodness and wonder we expect from Superman.
By the time the final trailer debuted Hans Zimmer‘s epic new score, we were all-in on the new Superman. Sadly, the actual movie proved far more brooding and depressing than the trailers.
It showed us a tantalizing glimpse of the movie, one that paired epic superhero images with a slowly mounting score. And in some ways, the actual movie lived up to the hype. But between the numerous plot holes and head-scratching story choices, TDKR wasn’t everything it could have been.
“Where the Wild Things Are”
Flawed as it is, there’s a lot to like about Spike Jonze‘s ambitious, emotionally charged adaptation of this beloved children’s book. The problem is that you basically get that same rush in much more concentrated form just by watching the trailer. After all, two minutes is about all the time it takes to read the book. Did we really need a two hour movie?
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Before “Thor: Ragnarok,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” proved that there’s no better way to deliver a memorable trailer than to pair some cool, tightly edited footage with Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” Sadly, where “Ragnarok” lived up to its own hype, “Dragon Tattoo” proved to be an underwhelming experience. We expected something of more substance from the director who gave us classics like “Seven.” In the end, we’re not surprised that this American remake failed to spawn a full-fledged franchise.
“X-Men: The Last Stand”
The third X-Men movie derailed the franchise in a bad way. But based solely on the trailer, we would have thought we were in for a worthy follow-up to “X2.” That’s the power of good editing. It can hide all the less savory elements like an underwhelming climax or the fact that certain key characters are killed off way too soon.
“Terminator Salvation”
“Terminator Salvation” tantalized us with the prospect of a film entirely set in a wartorn future of which past Terminator movies had only shown small glimpses. Unfortunately, it was a formula that worked a lot better in trailer form than as an actual film. But hey, at least “Salvation” will go down in history as having the best use of a Nine Inch Nails song in a trailer.
“Pearl Harbor”
“Pearl Harbor” is a textbook case of a trailer distilling all the good parts of a bad movie and inflating the expectations of viewers. Between the rousing instrumental music, Jon Voight‘s delivery of FDR’s speech and images of America gearing up for war, the trailer shows all the makings of a historical epic. It leaves out the bloated story and awkward love triangle that bogged down the actual movie.
“Suicide Squad”
We were wary of the DCEU after being disappointed by both “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman.” Even so, the first trailer for “Suicide Squad” left us hopeful for a cinematic redemption. The trailer did a great job of teasing a violent, stylish romp featuring the villains of the DC Universe. The inspired soundtrack choices didn’t hurt.
The problem is that it teased a movie that didn’t really exist, no matter how many last-minute reshoots and re-edits WB tried to cram in.
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
It’s impossible not to be won over by the teaser for “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” In addition to its effective soundtrack choice, it presents a joyous look at an ordinary man who decides to finally venture forth and live out his dreams.
Unfortunately, the actual movie lacks the substance to back up that well-meaning story, meaning it’s a formula that just works better as a two-minute music video.
The whole point of movie trailers is to make audiences excited for what’s coming. But sometimes they do their job a little too well. Some move trailers inflate our expectations, only to leave us disappointed when the end product doesn’t live up to a well-edited, two-minute-long teaser.