173-461: The Batman franchise , based on the fictional superhero Batman who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics , has seen the release of various films. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger , the character first starred in two serial films in the 1940s, Batman and Batman and Robin . The character also appeared in the 1966 film Batman , which was a feature film adaptation of
346-526: A Batman: The Musical parody called Batman V: Out of the Cave which starred Tommy Tune as Batman, and Ben Vereen as Robin. A live stage show was also created, called Batman Live: World Tour . The show is a unique fusion of live-action theatre, magic, stunts, digital projection and music from an 85-piece orchestra and choir. The tour began at Manchester, England, in Summer 2011 and visited arenas throughout
519-620: A Justice League film featuring a younger Batman in a separate franchise. George Miller was hired to direct the following September, with Armie Hammer cast as Batman a month later and Teresa Palmer as Talia al Ghul. Filming had nearly commenced at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, but was pushed back over the Writers Guild of America strike , and once more when the Australian Film Commission denied Warner Bros.
692-751: A 45 percent tax rebate over lack of Australian actors in the film. Production offices were moved to Vancouver Film Studios in Canada for an expected July 2008 start and a planned summer 2009 theatrical release date, but Warner Bros. ultimately canceled Justice League following the success of The Dark Knight . Hammer's option on his contract lapsed and the studio was more willing to proceed with Christopher Nolan to finish his trilogy separately with The Dark Knight Rises . The Dark Knight trilogy consists of Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), all directed by Christopher Nolan . Collectively grossing over $ 2.4 billion at
865-473: A Batman radio series in 1943 and again in 1950, but neither came to fruition. The 1943 pilot "The Case of the Drowning Seal" was scripted with Scott Douglas as Batman; if the script was recorded, no copy survives. The September 1950 pilot for The Batman Mystery Club was recorded with Richard Devon as Batman and Ronald Liss as Robin. In 1989, an original radio drama, Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome ,
1038-650: A Grappling Hook", and "How to Survive a Poison Gas Attack". Finally, there are of course countless sticker, coloring, activity, and other children's books featuring the Dark Knight. Several musical singles featuring cast members of the television show singing in-character were released in 1966: Burgess Meredith as the Penguin in "The Capture" and "The Escape", Frank Gorshin as the Riddler in "The Riddler", and Adam West as Batman in "Miranda". In 1976 West performed
1211-636: A Robin spin-off had been considered; the project was canceled after Batman & Robin . In December 2021, Keaton was revealed to be appearing in the DC Extended Universe film Batgirl , reprising his role from Batman and Batman Returns . Keaton had been expected to first reprise the role for the DCEU in The Flash prior to that film's delay to 2023. Batgirl was ultimately canceled in post-production. The Batman OnStar commercials were
1384-533: A Story Pack while Excalibur Batman is included in a Fun Pack. However, Robin gets his voice actor changed in the game to Robbie Daymond and can also use his appearance from Teen Titans Go! if he is used in the Teen Titans Go! World. Based on The Lego Batman Movie , Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment released the endless-runner game coinciding with the release of the film. It was released for Android and iOS . On December 5, 2018, McKay announced
1557-565: A budget of $ 80 million. A sequel, Lego Superfriends , was announced in 2018, but was cancelled after Universal Pictures acquired the film rights to the Lego brand in 2020. Within the DC superhero dimension of the Lego multiverse, Batman protects Gotham City and fights crime. During his latest mission to stop the Joker and his team of villains from destroying the city, Batman succeeds, but also hurts
1730-738: A child. Batman appears in LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011) and LittleBigPlanet PS Vita (2012), voiced by Gary Martin . In 1966, Adam West and Frank Gorshin went on a tour as Batman and the Riddler to promote the new Batman movie and the series. They were usually accompanied by several bands before the featured event that saw Batman and the Riddler exchange corny jokes as well as a song performed by West. The tour most famously stopped at Shea Stadium in New York on June 25, 1966 and City Park in New Orleans on November 26, 1966. While
1903-462: A comedic actor and many observers doubted he could portray a serious role. Jack Nicholson accepted the role of the Joker under strict conditions that dictated a high salary, a portion of the box office profits and his shooting schedule . Nicholson's final salary is reported to be as high as $ 50 million. Principal photography took place at Pinewood Studios from October 1988 to January 1989. The budget escalated from $ 30 million to $ 48 million, while
SECTION 10
#17327869085862076-497: A confused Batman remembers the death of his own mother , who shares the name. This confuses Batman enough time so Lois Lane arrives and explains the situation. Seeing how hard he has fallen, Batman saves Martha Kent from Luthor's minions, and then fights alongside Superman and Wonder Woman to contain the Kryptonian deformity Luthor created to kill Superman. Taking Luthor's metahuman files, Bruce states that he intends to gather
2249-531: A delightful aftertaste." Tara Brady of The Irish Times earned a 4 out of 5 rating, saying, "Under the direction of Robot Chicken ' s Chris McKay, Arnett relentlessly prods at Batman with a welcome helping of BoJack Horseman -brand misery and narcissism." Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times was positive in his review, saying, "In its best moments, this gag-a-minute Bat-roast serves as
2422-526: A new film, a follow-up to Man of Steel (2013), taking its inspiration from the comic The Dark Knight Returns and set for release in 2015. Goyer stated at the Superman 75th Anniversary Panel at Comic-Con, that Batman and Superman would face off, and titles under consideration were Superman vs Batman or Batman vs Superman . On August 22, 2013, The Hollywood Reporter announced the casting of Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman . On January 17, 2014, it
2595-447: A pair of novelty songs, "The Story of Batman" and "Batman and Robin", for Target Records. All six of these recordings (sans the b-sides to Gorshin and West's singles) were later included on the 1997 compilation, Batmania: Songs Inspired by Batman TV Series . In 1966, Burt Ward also recorded a limited "disc jokey only" release with Frank Zappa called "Boy Wonder, I Love You". Also in 1966, British novelty group The Scaffold produced
2768-673: A parody of a Batman musical was featured in one of the most recent series' comics, in 2002, Jim Steinman , David Ives , and Tim Burton had worked on a theatre production called Batman: The Musical although it was ultimately cancelled. Steinman has revealed five songs from the musical. The first is the opening theme for "Gotham City" and the entry of Batman with his tortured solo "The Graveyard Shift"; followed by "The Joker's Song (Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?)", "The Catwoman's Song (I Need All The Love I Can Get)", "We're Still The Children We Once Were" (the climactic sequence) and "In The Land Of The Pig The Butcher Is King", sung by
2941-525: A performance of (a fictional) Batman: The Musical , featuring caricatures of prominent members of the Rogues Gallery (the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn). Series creator Paul Dini , who wrote the episode in question, also wrote a song for the fictitious musical entitled Superstitious and Cowardly Lot . An episode of the sketch comedy show MADtv also featured
3114-477: A production budget of $ 80 million. In the United States and Canada, The Lego Batman Movie opened alongside two other sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and John Wick: Chapter 2 , and was projected to gross around $ 60 million from 4,088 theaters in its opening weekend. It earned $ 2.2 million from Thursday-night previews and $ 14.5 million on Friday. It went on to open with $ 53 million, finishing first at
3287-454: A recent divorce from Lois Lane . Clark and Bruce are close friends, and Clark is Bruce's best man . After the Joker kills Elizabeth on their honeymoon, Bruce swears revenge, while Clark tries to hold him back. Bruce blames Clark for her death, and the two go against one another. Ultimately, Lex Luthor is revealed to have masterminded the entire plot to get Batman and Superman to destroy each other. The two decide to team up and stop Luthor. Bale
3460-500: A reminder that, in the right hands, a sharp comic scalpel can be an instrument of revelation as well as ridicule." J. R. Jones of the Chicago Reader wrote, "A movie of endlessly hurtling momentum, this is Mad Max: Fury Road for five-year-olds, and not nearly as much fun as snapping those bricks together." Peter Howell of The Toronto Star gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, saying, "First-time director Chris McKay, late of
3633-655: A reporter). The film also features villains from other franchises, including Sauron from Middle-earth mythos (voiced by Jemaine Clement ), the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz (also voiced by Riki Lindhome ), Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter (voiced by Eddie Izzard ), King Kong from King Kong , the Swamp Creature from various monster films (both voiced by Seth Green ), Medusa from Greek mythology (also voiced by Lauren White), and
SECTION 20
#17327869085863806-591: A screenplay that is based on a Seth Grahame-Smith story. The film is a collaboration between production houses from the United States, Australia, and Denmark, the first spin-off in The Lego Movie franchise and the second installment overall. The film features Will Arnett reprising his role as Batman from The Lego Movie alongside Zach Galifianakis , Michael Cera , Rosario Dawson , and Ralph Fiennes . The story follows Batman as he attempts to overcome his greatest fear while saving Gotham City from
3979-543: A sequel because of his mixed emotions over the previous film. Sam Hamm 's first script had the Penguin and Catwoman searching for hidden treasure. Daniel Waters delivered a script that satisfied Burton, which convinced him to direct the film. Wesley Strick went uncredited for writing the shooting draft, deleting the Robin character, reworking the Penguin's characterization and "normalizing" all dialogue. Strick remained as
4152-541: A sequel to The Lego Batman Movie was in the works, with him returning to direct. The film was set to be released in 2022. However, following the disappointing box office returns of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part in 2019, Universal Pictures acquired the film rights to the Lego brand in April 2020, effectively cancelling the sequel due to Warner Bros. owning the rights to DC Comics . In June 2021, McKay revealed that
4325-471: A sequence of further DC Comics adaptations, including the crossover film Justice League in 2017 (and its 2021 director's cut ) featuring other DC Comics characters, and the 2022 reboot The Batman , directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson . The 2019 film Joker , starring Joaquin Phoenix , featured a young version of Bruce Wayne. Affleck and Keaton both reprised the role of Batman in
4498-581: A series of six television commercials featuring Batman, created by ad-agency Campbell-Ewald and aired from 2000 to the beginning of 2002. The ads were based on the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher films of the 1980s and 1990s, and used aesthetics, props, and settings from the series, in addition to the Elfman theme from the Tim Burton films. Actor Bruce Thomas portrayed Batman in these ads, while Michael Gough reprised his role of Alfred Pennyworth in one of
4671-629: A single called "Goodbat Nightman" (lyrics by Roger McGough , who "has written several poems" about Batman and Robin). Following the popularity of the Adam West television series, a pair of LPs were released in 1966 on MGM's "Leo the Lion" label with Jack Curtis portraying Batman and Ron Liss as Robin. The recordings proved popular due to their combination of dramatization and the Batman television theme music. More than 100,000 copies were shipped soon after
4844-404: A spin-off starring Batman . Warner Bros. scheduled the release of The Lego Batman Movie for May 26, 2017, moving the release date for The Lego Movie 2 (later titled as The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part ) to May 25, 2018. Chris McKay, who co-directed The Lego Movie , was brought on board to direct the film, making it his solo directorial debut. Will Arnett returned to voice Batman, with
5017-667: A supporting cast member in the GraphicAudio's adaptations of Crisis on Infinite Earths , Infinite Crisis and JLA: Exterminators . In 2020, it was announced that David Goyer had signed a deal to create an audio drama podcast for Spotify called Batman Unburied . The 2022 series stars Winston Duke as Bruce Wayne and Jason Isaacs as Alfred. The supporting cast includes Hasan Minhaj , Gina Rodriguez , Sam Witwer , Emmy Raver-Lampman , Jessica Marie Garcia , Jim Pirri , Lance Reddick , Toks Olagundoye , John Rhys-Davies and Ashly Burch . Batman: The Audio Adventures
5190-561: A trim physique and sported a thin mustache, while the contemporary comic book version of Alfred was overweight and clean-shaven prior to the serial's release. The comics version of Alfred was altered to match that of Austin's, and has stayed that way. Batman and Robin was another 15-chapter serial film released in 1949 by Columbia Pictures . Robert Lowery played Batman, while Johnny Duncan played Robin. Supporting players included Jane Adams as Vicki Vale and veteran character actor Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon . The plot dealt with
5363-540: A vengeful confrontation with a colleague, Dr. Kirk Langstrom , Crane unknowingly initiates Kirk's transformation into the creature known as Man-Bat . Citizens of Gotham believe Man-Bat's nightly activities to be Batman's "bloodthirsty" return. Bruce once again becomes Batman "to clear his name," and solve the mystery of Man-Bat. Kirk struggles with his "man-vs.-monster" syndrome, as he longs to both reunite with his wife and get revenge on Crane, while Crane exacts revenge on those responsible for his dismissal from both Arkham and
Batman in film - Misplaced Pages Continue
5536-517: Is a comedic radio drama podcast series featuring the DC Comics character Batman . The 2021 show, DC's first scripted podcast , is produced by DC Entertainment , Blue Ribbon Content and HBO Max . The series is meant to be an homage to the original 1966 Batman TV series as well as the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series . It is directed and written by Dennis McNicholas, a writer for Saturday Night Live . Production companies involved with
5709-465: Is a nod to the romantic comedy Never Been Kissed . The film's other references include Gleaming the Cube and Gymkata . The casting of Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face references the 1989 Batman film, in which Williams played District Attorney Harvey Dent , before his transition to Two-Face . This was the second Lego film that Williams had a role in, after The Lego Movie , in which he voiced
5882-435: Is a television series that serves as a prequel to Gotham and stars Jack Bannon as Alfred Pennyworth. Ben Aldridge, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Ryan Fletcher, Dorothy Atkinson, Emma Paetz, Paloma Faith, Polly Walker, James Purefoy, and Jason Flemyng also star. The series premiered September 22, 2014, on FOX and ended April 25, 2019, starring David Mazouz as a young Bruce Wayne . The series depicts young Bruce Wayne following
6055-466: Is able to return to Gotham and defeat Bane while redeeming his image as Batman. The film concludes with Bruce having 'retired' as Batman after faking his death to live with Selina Kyle, evidence suggesting that he has passed on the Batcave to Blake while Gotham rebuilds in memory of the Dark Knight's heroism. Upon release, The Dark Knight Rises received a positive critical response and was successful at
6228-589: Is also adopting Dick, and fosters Dick as Robin to help in his scheme. Batman and Robin recover the projector from the Fortress of Solitude , break into Arkham Asylum and successfully send the Joker to the Phantom Zone. Suspecting that the Joker wanted to be sent there, Barbara locks up Batman and Robin. While the projector is being seized as evidence, Harley steals it back as part of the Joker's plan, and frees him, allowing him to return to Gotham with all
6401-642: Is based on Batman, a US government agent, attempting to defeat the Japanese agent Dr. Daka, at the height of World War II . The film is notable for being the first filmed appearance of Batman and for providing two core elements of the Batman mythos. The film introduced "The Bat's Cave" and the Grandfather clock entrance. The name was altered to the Batcave for the comic. William Austin, who played Alfred, had
6574-524: Is notably the first animated movie based on Batman to receive a full theatrical release since Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993). The LEGO Batman Movie was released on Digital HD on May 19, 2017. The release included the theatrical short film The Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short , as well as four new short films: Dark Hoser , Batman is Just Not That Into You , Cooking with Alfred and Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That?. The LEGO Batman Movie
6747-422: Is on its last gasp". Since the decision left the studio without a Batman film for 2004, Warner quickly made Catwoman , which performed poorly at the box office and is considered among the worst films ever made . The studio decided it was best to consider a live-action Batman Beyond film and an adaptation of Frank Miller 's Batman: Year One . Warner Bros. would then greenlight whichever idea suited them
6920-484: Is portrayed by Joseph (Joe) Walker. The album Knightfall by multinational Swedish band Silent Images , is based on the Batman: Knightfall story arc, with Batman serving as a central character, the "Nightly Priest". The album explores the underlying sociopolitical themes in the Batman universe, and his struggle against "The Venomous One", which is the album's interpretation of Bane . Starting with
7093-399: Is the first in the franchise not to be composed by Mark Mothersbaugh ; the film score is composed by Lorne Balfe . The soundtrack album was released by WaterTower Music on February 3, 2017, through two-disc CD and for digital download, while the vinyl version was released on May 19, 2017. The first teaser trailer for The Lego Batman Movie was released on March 24, 2016, and features
Batman in film - Misplaced Pages Continue
7266-652: Is up to Warner Bros. to release it. Despite this, in November, Variety reported that Warner Bros. was unlikely to release Snyder's version of Justice League in theaters or on HBO Max , calling it a "pipe dream". In December, however, Snyder posted a photo in his Vero account, which showed boxes with tapes labeled "Z.S. J.L Director's cut", and with the caption "Is it real? Does it exist? Of course it does." On May 20, 2020, Snyder officially announced that HBO Max will be releasing his cut of Justice League on their service in 2021. The cut would cost $ 70+ million to complete
7439-726: The Star Wars character, Lando Calrissian from The Empire Strikes Back . Director Chris McKay said the film's depiction of Gotham City was inspired by Chicago partly due to Christopher Nolan having filmed The Dark Knight Trilogy in Chicago. A scene from The Lego Movie is reused in the film, depicting Emmet falling down from Lord Business's tower into the real world, as television journalists explain what would happen if Joker detonates his bomb. The film also references Arrested Development , which Arnett and Cera starred in together as uncle and nephew. The Lego Batman Movie
7612-541: The 1960s television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward , who also starred in the film. Toward the end of the 1980s, the Warner Bros. studio began producing a series of feature films starring Batman, beginning with 1989's Batman , directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton . Burton and Keaton returned for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns , and in 1995, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever , with Val Kilmer as Batman. Schumacher also directed
7785-491: The 1988 Writers Guild of America strike forced Hamm to drop out. Rewrites were performed by Warren Skaaren , Charles McKeown and Jonathan Gems . Batman received positive reviews, broke numerous box office records, and won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction . The film grossed over $ 400 million, and left a legacy over the modern perception of the superhero film genre. Burton originally did not want to direct
7958-623: The Batcomputer . A Fun Pack including Excalibur Batman and his Bionic Steed was also released the same day. On January 14, 2017, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Chevrolet unveiled a life-sized Lego Batmobile inspired by the design featured in the film, constructed from around 350,000 Lego pieces. As a related promotion, a Bat-Signal (alternating between Batman's emblem and
8131-490: The Batman film rights with them, although PolyGram would retain at least 7.5% of the profits of said rights due to a contractual agreement. Guber and Peters immediately set up shop at Warner Bros. , which finally decided to accept Batman . Tom Mankiewicz completed a script titled The Batman in June 1983, focusing on Batman and Dick Grayson 's origins, with the Joker and Rupert Thorne as villains, and Silver St. Cloud as
8304-430: The Batman franchise, "it's somewhat based on the comic book," Aronofsky said. "Toss out everything you can imagine about Batman! Everything! We're starting completely anew." Regular Aronofsky collaborator, Matthew Libatique , was set as cinematographer . At the same time, Warner Bros. was moving forward on a Catwoman spin-off. Christian Bale had been approached for the role of Batman. Bale would later be cast in
8477-570: The Batman Beyond screenplay with the writers but soon lost interest. Warner Bros. abandoned Batman Beyond almost instantly in favor of an adaptation of Frank Miller 's 1987 comic book story arc Batman: Year One . After Batman and Robin , Schumacher felt he "owe[d] the Batman culture a real Batman movie. I would go back to the basics and make a dark portrayal of the Dark Knight." He had approached Warner Bros. to adapt Batman: Year One in mid-1998. Aronofsky and Miller intended to reboot
8650-693: The Cartoon Network 's Robot Chicken , throws at the screen seemingly everything his committee of screenwriters scripted." Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post praised the film for its heart, humor, and action which "snap together, with a satisfying click." Lego Dimensions includes characters from various franchises, including The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie . The game's Starter Pack includes Wyldstyle, while Emmet, Benny, Bad Cop, and Unikitty are included in Fun Packs. From The Lego Batman Movie , Robin and Batgirl are included in
8823-533: The Christopher Reeve films Superman (1978) and its sequel Superman II (1980), many other DC characters, both villains associated with Batman and other DC superheroes, feature in the film. The film's villains who have been featured in Batman comics, films and cartoons include: Man-Bat ; Captain Boomerang ; Egghead ; Crazy Quilt ; Eraser ; Polka-Dot Man ; Mime ; Tarantula ; King Tut from
SECTION 50
#17327869085868996-565: The Daleks from Doctor Who (voiced by Nicholas Briggs , reprising his role from the television series). The voice of the Batcomputer (credited as 'Puter), depicted here as an artificial intelligence controlling all of Batman's gadgets and vehicles, is done by Siri . Archive footage of Tom Cruise and Renée Zellweger from Jerry Maguire is used. In October 2014, following the success of The Lego Movie , Warner Bros. greenlit multiple Lego films, including The Lego Batman Movie ,
9169-521: The IMAX format, hoped to push technological boundaries while nevertheless making the style of the film consistent with the previous two. Nolan had several meetings with IMAX Vice-President David Keighley to work on the logistics of projecting films in digital IMAX venues. The Dark Knight Rises featured more scenes shot in IMAX than The Dark Knight . Cinematographer Wally Pfister expressed interest in shooting
9342-428: The Joker . In October 2015, Rosario Dawson was cast to voice Barbara Gordon , the daughter of police commissioner James Gordon who later becomes the crime-fighting heroine Batgirl . The following month, Ralph Fiennes was cast as Alfred Pennyworth , Bruce Wayne's butler. Initial reports indicated that Mariah Carey was playing Commissioner Gordon. However, she was actually cast as Mayor McCaskill. Animation
9515-755: The League of Shadows , with Ra's al Ghul, before he rebels against the League and adopts the guise of Batman, recognising that he cannot condone their use of lethal force. The League attempt to attack Gotham using Jonathan Crane's weaponised fear toxin, but Batman is able to defeat them. Batman Begins was both critically and commercially successful. The film opened on June 15, 2005, in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters. It grossed $ 48 million in its opening weekend, eventually grossing over $ 372 million worldwide. The film received an 85% overall approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes . Critics noted that fear
9688-452: The Lego movies are based on the imagination of a child character, with The Lego Movie events happening in young Finn's mind. Miller affirmed that The Lego Batman Movie was also from the imagination of Finn and Bianca, though the characters did not appear within the film. In July 2015, Arnett's Arrested Development co-star Michael Cera was cast to voice Robin . In August 2015, Zach Galifianakis entered final negotiations to voice
9861-942: The Middle-earth mythos; the Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptors from Jurassic Park ; The Skeleton Warriors from Jason and the Argonauts and the Gremlins . The scene where the Gremlins attack the Batwing is a homage to The Twilight Zone episode, " Nightmare at 20,000 Feet ". Originally, the film was going to include more villains such as Bill from Kill Bill , the Butcher from Gangs of New York and Annie Wilkes from Misery , but those ideas never came into fruition. The film also includes Batman watching
10034-511: The Pop Art period, and on a continuing basis, since the 1960s, the character of Batman has been "appropriated" by multiple visual artists and incorporated into contemporary artwork, most notably by Andy Warhol , Roy Lichtenstein , Mel Ramos , Dulce Pinzon , Mr. Brainwash , Raymond Pettibon , Peter Saul , and others. Hundreds of Batman action figures , die-cast models , and other items have been released. Many companies have acquired
10207-540: The Razzie Awards and ranks among the worst rated superhero films of all time. During the filming of Batman & Robin , Warner Bros. was impressed with the dailies , prompting them to immediately hire Joel Schumacher to reprise his directing duties for a third film. Writer Akiva Goldsman , who worked on Batman Forever and Batman & Robin , turned down the chance to write the script. In late 1996, Warner Bros. and Schumacher hired Mark Protosevich to write
10380-478: The film rights of Batman from DC Comics on October 3, 1979. It was Uslan's wish "to make the definitive, dark, serious version of Batman, the way Bob Kane and Bill Finger had envisioned him in 1939. A creature of the night; stalking criminals in the shadows." Richard Maibaum was approached to write a script with Guy Hamilton to direct, but the two turned down the offer. Uslan was unsuccessful with pitching Batman to various movie studios because they wanted
10553-613: The second season , portrayed by Iain Glen . Bruce is visited by Dick after the defeat of Trigon, allowing Dick to restart the Titans on the condition that Jason Todd be a member. In his self-titled episode, Bruce appears in Dick's hallucinations about the guilt he felt following a disastrous fight with Deathstroke. In the episode "E.L._.O.", Bruce lures Koriand'r / Starfire , Rachel Roth / Raven , Donna Troy , and Dawn Granger / Dove are lured to
SECTION 60
#173278690858610726-402: The shooting schedule . Batman & Robin was released on June 20, 1997, and received primarily negative reviews. Observers criticized the film for its toyetic and campy approach, and for homosexual innuendos added by Schumacher. The film was a financial success, but remains the least commercially successful live-action Batman film. Batman & Robin received numerous nominations at
10899-603: The 1930 novel, The Maltese Falcon , and the other being the 1971 George Lucas film, THX 1138 . The X-ray security machine found in Arkham Asylum largely resembles the one used in Total Recall . The scene involving Alfred losing his grip and falling off the edge of a plane is a reference to 20th Century Fox 's 1988 action film, Die Hard . The film's use of Cutting Crew 's " (I Just) Died in Your Arms "
11072-466: The 1940s Batman serials , the films Batman (1966), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Suicide Squad (2016); the television shows Batman (1960s), Batman: The Animated Series (1990s), Batman Beyond (2000s) and The Batman (2000s); and
11245-455: The 1960s Batman series and a picture of Batman's suit from Batman and Robin . Climactic events from past Batman films involving the Joker have been mentioned, including "that time with the parade and the Prince music" (1989's Batman ) and "the two boats" ( The Dark Knight ). Alongside Joker, the main antagonist of the film's story, and Superman, who features heavily and has notable links to
11418-589: The 1960s series; Killer Moth ; March Harriet ; Zodiac Master ; the Mutant Leader from The Dark Knight Returns ; Doctor Phosphorus ; Magpie ; Calculator ; Hugo Strange ; an unidentified version of Red Hood ; the Kabuki Twins from The Batman ; Orca ; Gentleman Ghost ; Clock King ; Calendar Man ; Kite Man ; Catman ; Zebra-Man ; and a variation of Condiment King from Batman: The Animated Series . The other DC heroes who feature, both from
11591-447: The 1997 sequel Batman & Robin , which starred George Clooney . Batman & Robin was poorly received by both critics and fans, leading to the cancellation of a sequel titled Batman Unchained . Following the cancellation of two further film proposals, the franchise was rebooted in 2005 with Batman Begins , directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale . Nolan returned to direct two further installments through
11764-493: The Batcave, referencing the famous rivalry between DC and Marvel. The film also features characters from other notable franchises and film series with them following the same narrative of The Lego Movie in that they came from worlds that co-exist alongside others of the Lego Universe, which are made up of Lego playsets of the various media franchises. These additional characters include: Medusa from Lego Minifigures ;
11937-744: The Batman was available in a special "MPI Audio Edition." Each of the three issues were accompanied by an audio cassette containing a performance of the text of the issue, with musical cues. As part of its DC Superheroes collection, in 1982 Fisher-Price released Batman: The Case of the Laughing Sphinx , an audio cassette accompanied by a hard back illustrated book. In 2007, the audiobook publisher GraphicAudio licensed DC Comics properties to adapt as audiodramas. They have produced three adaptations of Batman novels: Batman: Dead White by John Shirley , Batman: Inferno by Alex Irvine , and Alan Grant's Batman: The Stone King . Batman also appears as
12110-418: The Batman eras featured in the comic book series and various media formats, including movies and comic series, despite a couple of issues—the total inconsistency inherent to such a task, and Lego rejecting some of the characters he proposed to include in the film—was based on his desire of how to portray Robin within the film's setting. In an interview regarding his version of the superhero duo, McKay stated: I
12283-695: The Burton/Schumacher film series. From 1943 to 1946, Batman and Robin appeared in a syndicated daily newspaper comic strip produced by the McClure Syndicate . Other versions appeared in 1953, 1966, and 1989. The original run is collected in the book Batman: The Dailies . One more comic strip series ran briefly after the success of the 1989 film. Batman appears in a novel by cyberpunk/horror novelist John Shirley , titled Batman: Dead White , from Del Rey . Many other novels and short story collections featuring Batman have been published over
12456-464: The CGI, Kilmer's performance, costume designs and tonal departure from previous films, but praising the visuals, action sequences and performances of Carrey and Jones. After the release of Batman Forever , Warner Bros. started development on Batman & Robin , commissioning it on fast track for an adamant June 1997 release. Val Kilmer did not return, because of scheduling conflicts with The Saint , and
12629-581: The Chevrolet logo) was projected on the Renaissance Center over the weekend, and Chevrolet released a new television commercial tying into the film, featuring the Batmobile as a crossover with its ongoing "Real People, Not Actors" campaign. Warner Bros. released several promotional tie-ins on the week of the movie's release. LEGO billboard versions of several TV shows were shown outside of
12802-450: The DCEU film The Flash (2023). Keaton was also due to reprise his role in the shelved HBO Max film Batgirl . The series has grossed over $ 6.8 billion at the global box office, making it the tenth highest-grossing film franchise of all time. Batman has also appeared in multiple animated films, both as a starring character and as an ensemble character. While most animated films were released direct-to-video , 1993'd Batman: Mask of
12975-414: The Dark Knight . In 2004, The Batman Handbook: The Ultimate Training Manual , written by Scott Beatty was published by Quirk Books ( ISBN 1-59474-023-2 ). Written in the same style as The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, the book explained the basics on how to be Batman. Amongst the skills included in the book are "How to Train a Sidekick", "How to Execute a Backflip", "How to Throw
13148-598: The Dynamic Duo facing off against the Wizard, a hooded villain whose identity remains a mystery throughout the serial until the end. Batman (also known as Batman: The Movie ) is a 1966 film adaptation of the popular Batman television series , and was the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the DC Comics character. The 20th Century Fox release starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin , as well as Lee Meriwether as Catwoman , Cesar Romero as
13321-495: The Elko Diner in an effort to reunite the team after Dick was incarcerated at Kane County Correctional Facility. In the episode "Nightwing", Bruce attends Donna's funeral at Titans Tower. When Kory thanks Bruce for bringing them together, Bruce had no knowledge of going to Elko and claimed that they confused him with someone else. In the third season , Bruce becomes distraught after the Joker kills Jason, prompting him to murder
13494-745: The Joker 's latest scheme. Development of The Lego Batman Movie started in October 2014, after Warner Bros. announced several Lego films, following the critical and commercial success of The Lego Movie . Chris McKay was hired to direct after being replaced by Rob Schrab as director of the sequel to The Lego Movie . He cited both The Naked Gun and Airplane! film series as his main inspirations. Casting calls began in July to November 2015. The film pays homage to previous Batman films, cartoons, and comics, and also features characters from other notable franchises and film series with them. Like The Lego Movie ,
13667-610: The Joker , Burgess Meredith as the Penguin and Frank Gorshin as the Riddler . The film was directed by Leslie H. Martinson , who also directed for the series a pair of season one episodes: "The Penguin Goes Straight" and "Not Yet, He Ain't". In the late 1970s, Batman's popularity was waning. CBS was interested in producing a Batman in Outer Space film. Producers Michael Uslan and Benjamin Melniker purchased
13840-464: The Joker and the rest of the villains a headstart, knowing they will be no match for the Bat-family. Several actors voice the various villains from Batman's rogues gallery , including Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face (as a nod to his role as Harvey Dent, Two-Face's former identity, in the 1989 Batman film), Riki Lindhome as Poison Ivy , Conan O'Brien as Riddler , Jason Mantzoukas as
14013-410: The Joker is up to no good, Batman plans to steal Superman 's Phantom Zone projector, a device that can banish anyone to the Phantom Zone, which houses some of the most dangerous criminals in the Lego multiverse, only for Alfred to intervene and advise him to take care of Dick. Batman initially refuses, so Alfred allows Dick to enter the Batcave . Appearing as Batman before Dick, Batman states that he
14186-418: The Joker's feelings by calling him a perfunctory presence in his life, leading the Joker to seek payback. The following day, Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne attends the city's winter gala, which is celebrating both the retirement of Police Commissioner Gordon and the ascension of his daughter Barbara to replace him. Wayne is smitten by Barbara, and this distraction results in him unwittingly agreeing to adopt
14359-431: The Joker, but after Ledger's death, the studio refocused its promotional campaign. The film depicts Batman fighting The Joker , aided by the prosecution of charismatic District Attorney Harvey Dent. The Joker tests Batman's resolve when he causes Rachel's death and Dent's transformation into the disfigured criminal Two-Face . Although Batman is able to stop the Joker from forcing two ferries - one loaded with civilians and
14532-454: The Joker. Batman finally accepts his greatest fear, being part of a family, and decides to change. Batman's teammates return to the fight to help him, but are endangered themselves. Batman makes a deal with Phyllis to temporarily return to Gotham to retrieve the Zone's escaped prisoners, and arrives in time to save his teammates, apologizing to them for leaving them and requesting their help to stop
14705-516: The Joker. They agree, with Barbara taking on the Batgirl costume. With help from Joker's former team, who felt neglected by the Joker when he refused to break them out of Arkham, Batman and his team defeat the escaped multiverse's villains and send them back to the Phantom Zone. Unfortunately, the Joker's bombs detonate, causing Gotham to tear apart at the plates below the city. Batman convinces Joker to help him by telling him he gives him purpose to be
14878-559: The Justice League and Super Friends , include: Wonder Woman ; Aquaman ; The Flash ; Cyborg ; Green Arrow ; Black Canary ; Hawkman ; Hawkgirl ; Martian Manhunter ; Apache Chief ; Black Vulcan ; El Dorado ; Samurai ; Wonder Dog ; the Wonder Twins and Gleek . Although not part of the DC franchise, Iron Man from Marvel Comics is referenced in the film as part of a small joke about Batman's password for entering
15051-410: The Justice League. Additionally, he spearheads efforts to revive Superman in preparation for the upcoming assault from Steppenwolf , and brings Lois Lane to help calm down the enraged reanimated Superman. The divisive reaction toward the final cut of Justice League , with Zack Snyder leaving directorial duties and the final cut of the film in the hands of Joss Whedon, has led to an argument comparing
15224-526: The Mark Goodier Show. This meant it was written with a sense of immediacy, having to make an instant effect, and each three-minute segment contains a major plot development or sound effect stunt and ends on a cliffhanger. DC acknowledged the effort in an issue, Shadow of the Bat , by having villains jump past a sign reading "Dirk Maggs Radio". Michael Gough reprised the role of Alfred Pennyworth from
15397-534: The Penguin , who Mankiewicz wanted to portray as a mobster with low body temperature. Holden died in 1981 and Niven in 1983, so this would never come to pass. A number of filmmakers were attached to Mankiewicz' script, including Richard Rush , Ivan Reitman and Joe Dante . Reitman wanted to cast Bill Murray as Batman. Eddie Murphy and Michael J. Fox were candidates for the role of Robin. Nine rewrites were performed by nine separate writers. Most of them were based on Strange Apparitions . However, Mankiewicz's script
15570-480: The Phantasm (based on Batman: The Animated Series ) and 2017's The Lego Batman Movie (a spin-off of 2014's The Lego Movie ) were released theatrically. Having earned an unadjusted total of U.S. $ 2,783,118,504, the Batman series is the fourth-highest-grossing film series in North America. Batman was a 15-chapter serial film released in 1943 by Columbia Pictures and was the first appearance of
15743-490: The Scarecrow as the main villain and the Joker would return as a hallucination in Batman's mind caused by the Scarecrow's fear toxin . Harley Quinn would appear as a supporting character, written as the Joker's daughter trying to kill Batman to avenge her father's death. The film would have depicted the Scarecrow and Harley Quinn teaming up to drive Batman insane and have him committed to Arkham Asylum. After their defeat,
15916-763: The Scarecrow , Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman (she would later portray Catwoman in The Batman ), Matt Villa as Killer Croc , Kate Micucci as Clayface , Doug Benson as Bane (the character's appearance and Benson's performance are meant to satirize Tom Hardy 's portrayal of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises ), John Venzon as Penguin (the character's appearance is a nod to Danny DeVito 's portrayal of Penguin in Batman Returns ), David Burrows as Mr. Freeze (Burrows also voices an anchorman), and Laura Kightlinger as Orca (Kightlinger also voices
16089-480: The Superheroes . The series premiered on October 29, 2002, and used footage of Michael Keaton as Batman and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman , from Tim Burton 's Batman Returns in the initial trailers for the series and its opening montage. The series focuses on the couple's daughter, Helena Kyle / Huntress . Pennyworth , marketed as Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler for its third season,
16262-583: The Swamp Creature, Evil Mummy , and Lord Vampyre from Lego Monster Fighters ; King Kong ; the Daleks from the Doctor Who franchise; the Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz ; the Kraken from Clash of the Titans ; Agent Smith and his clones from The Matrix ; the great white shark from Jaws ; Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter ; Sauron from
16435-474: The Titans to stop Jonathan Crane. While he does not appear in the fourth season , Bruce is mentioned as having provided the team with new equipment. Bruce Wayne appears briefly on a magazine cover in The CW 's Batwoman season one finale, portrayed by Warren Christie . The character Thomas Elliot masquerades as Wayne in the second season premiere before being discovered and forcibly unmasked by Ryan Wilder. In
16608-649: The UK and Europe before arriving in North America in Summer 2012. Another stage play by the name of Batman Ninja the Show opened in Japan in November of 2021, it adapts the Batman ninja film. In 2012, the Internet theatre troupe StarKid Productions created a musical titled Holy Musical B@man! , which went on YouTube on April 13. It was performed in Chicago from March 16–25, and because of copyright laws, tickets were free. Batman
16781-573: The ads. Baywatch actress Brooke Burns played Vicki Vale in an ad as well. Actor Brian Stepanek played the Riddler in one ad and Curtis Armstrong played the Joker in another. In 1999, new Warner studio head Alan Horn promised five tent-poles a year. He wanted to revive the Batman and Superman franchises as tentpoles. Wolfgang Petersen was to direct Superman: Flyby , but Andrew Kevin Walker pitched Warner Bros. an idea titled Batman vs Superman with Peterson as director. Superman: Flyby
16954-513: The animation was provided by Animal Logic . Lorne Balfe composed the musical score. The Lego Batman Movie had its world premiere in Dublin, Ireland on January 29, 2017, and was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in U.S. theaters on February 10. The film received generally positive reviews from critics for its animation, voice acting, music, visual style, and humor, and was also commercially successful, having grossed $ 312 million worldwide against
17127-417: The award for Best Sound Editing and Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor . Critics and film writers often cite The Dark Knight as one of the best films of the 2000s and all time, with it frequently being hailed as one of the greatest superhero films ever. Nolan wanted the story for the third and final installment to keep him emotionally invested. "On a more superficial level, I have to ask
17300-487: The belief that Snyder had shot enough material for a finished film, a campaign for a "Snyder Cut" was started to allow Snyder to receive a similar treatment to Donner. Arguments are made that Snyder's vision would be more cohesive to the previous films than the actual theatrical cut, which Snyder has refused to see. Warner Bros. initially remained silent regarding any intention of making a "Snyder Cut". In March 2019, Snyder confirmed his original cut does exist, and stated that it
17473-565: The box office, going on to outgross its predecessor and become the 24th-highest-grossing film of all time grossing over $ 1.08 billion. It was named one of the best films of 2012 by numerous film critics, including the American Film Institute . On June 13, 2013, a source from Warner Bros. told The Wrap that they were discussing more Man of Steel films, as well as a Superman/Batman film, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. Warner Bros. announced that Superman and Batman would unite in
17646-411: The box office. In its second weekend, the film grossed $ 32.7 million (a small drop of 38.4%), again topping the box office; with the additional President's Day holiday on Monday, it made a total of $ 42.7 million for the weekend. In its third weekend of release, the film dropped to second at the box office, behind newcomer Get Out , grossing $ 19.2 million (a drop of 41.2%). Outside North America,
17819-476: The comic book character on film. The serial starred Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin. Being a World War II era production, the movie serial like many of this period was used as war-time propaganda and had an anti-Japanese bent with J. Carrol Naish playing the Japanese villain, an original character named Dr. Daka. Rounding out the cast were Shirley Patterson as Linda Page (Bruce Wayne's love interest), and William Austin as Alfred . The plot
17992-406: The comics Detective Comics #27 (Batman's introductory story), The Dark Knight Returns (1986) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989). Other references include previous costumes worn by Batman and Robin and the various Batmobiles used. In most cases, their appearances in the film are done in a Lego style, with the exception being footage from a live-action shot of Adam West 's depiction of Batman in
18165-637: The corrupt blood-suckers ruling Gotham, covered on the Meat Loaf album Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose . These songs can be heard at the Batman: The Musical memorial site, Dark Knight of the Soul . A Batman musical is also parodied in the animated series Batman Beyond . The episode "Out of the Past" (first aired October 21, 2000) opens with Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis attending
18338-631: The crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths . David Miller portrayed Bruce Wayne in the pilot episode of Gotham Knights . Beginning in March 1945, Batman and Robin made regular appearances on the radio drama The Adventures of Superman on the Mutual Broadcasting System , including solo stories when series star Bud Collyer had time off. Batman was voiced by Matt Crowley , Stacy Harris and Gary Merrill , with Ronald Liss as Robin. Efforts were later made to launch
18511-440: The current DC Cinematic Universe films, you can choose either one you want or both.) And at that, The LEGO Batman Movie succeeds." Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B+" and wrote, " LEGO Batman revs so fast and moves so frenetically that it becomes a little exhausting by the end. It flirts with being too much of a good thing. But rarely has corporate brainwashing been so much fun and gone down with such
18684-515: The death of his parents. Also Bruce is 12 years old when his parents die, unlike his traditional age being 7 or 8 years old. When the series reached its finale, stunt performer Mikhail Mudrik served as the physical actor for Wayne as Mazouz still wasn't 6 foot 4, the showrunners height preference for their Batman Mazouz was able wear the Batsuit in the final shot with the help of forced perspective. He also lent his voice to all Batman speaking scenes in
18857-423: The enthusiastic orphan Dick Grayson . Wayne is then infuriated by Barbara's plans to restructure the police to function without Batman. The Joker crashes the party with his villain team, but abruptly surrenders himself and almost all the villains, except Harley Quinn , to the police. With so many villains incarcerated, Batman becomes despondent as Gotham no longer requires his crime-fighting skills. Suspecting that
19030-472: The episode "Armed and Dangerous", a subconscious manifestation of Bruce Wayne appeared before Luke Fox after he was shot by Russell Tavaroff in the previous episode which landed Luke in a coma. Bruce gave Luke the choice of living or dying. After being purged of "Circe" in the season two finale, Kate leaves Gotham City with plans to find Bruce. Kevin Conroy portrays an alternate universe version of Bruce Wayne in
19203-399: The film entirely in IMAX. During the film, set eight years after The Dark Knight , the arrival of new foe Bane forces Bruce to return to his old role as Batman, only to find himself overpowered and captured by Bane as Gotham is cut off from the rest of the world with a stolen Wayne Enterprises fusion generator prototype set to go off in a few months. With the aid of thief Selina Kyle, Bruce
19376-494: The film to be similar to the campy 1960s TV series . Columbia Pictures and United Artists were among those to turn down the film. A disappointed Uslan then wrote a script titled Return of the Batman to give the film industry a better idea of his vision for the film. Uslan later compared its dark tone to that of The Dark Knight Returns , which his script pre-dated by six years. In November 1979, producer Jon Peters and Casablanca FilmWorks , headed by Peter Guber , joined
19549-816: The film was simultaneously released in 61 countries, and was expected to gross around $ 40 million over its first three days. It ended up grossing $ 37 million in its opening weekend, including $ 9.3 million in the United Kingdom, $ 2.6 million in Mexico, $ 2.3 million in Germany and $ 2.2 million in Russia. In the United Kingdom, the film topped the box office for three weeks until it was dethroned by Logan in its fourth weekend. Meanwhile, The Lego Batman Movie opened in China with $ 3.7 million and ranked in fourth place behind
19722-425: The film were released for the film including two sets of Collectible Minifigures. A Story Pack for the toys-to-life video game Lego Dimensions based on The Lego Batman Movie was released on February 10, 2017, alongside the film. The pack adds a six-level story campaign adapting the events of the film, and includes playable figures of Robin and Batgirl, a driveable Batwing, and a constructible gateway model based on
19895-607: The film would have ended with Bruce Wayne traveling to Bali and entering a cave, where he allows himself to be swarmed by bats to symbolize that he has conquered fear. Clooney, O'Donnell, and Silverstone were set to reprise the roles of Batman, Robin, and Batgirl. Schumacher had also approached Nicolas Cage for the role of Scarecrow in Batman & Robin as a cameo appearance to set up an appearance in Batman Unchained , before ultimately casting Coolio . A fifth film would likely have appeared 18 months to two years after
20068-453: The film, Wayne Manor has decayed, and Bruce and Alfred relocated to a smaller glass house above the Batcave. During the film, Lex Luthor manipulates Batman into perceiving Superman as an enemy, and at the same time kidnaps Martha Kent and demands Superman to kill Batman in exchange of Martha's life. Batman fights and nearly kills Superman with kryptonite weapons, but when a weak Superman pleads to Batman that he's "letting him kill Martha",
20241-441: The first LP was released. Each album contained three dramatizations, including stories adapted from Batman comic books: Throughout the 1970s Batman was the subject of a number of Power Records Book-and-record sets , as well as records unaccompanied by books: 45 rpm book and record sets: 7" 33 1 ⁄ 3 rpm records (no comic): 33 1 ⁄ 3 rpm 12 book and record sets: The 1980 mini-series, The Untold Legend of
20414-463: The fourth. When Batman & Robin received negative reviews and failed to outgross any of its predecessors, and a $ 150 million Superman film was canceled three months before shooting began, Warner Bros. became unsure of its plans for the fifth film. Despite Warner Bros. and Schumacher's interest with Year One , Lee Shapiro, a comic book fan, and Stephen Wise pitched the studio with a script titled Batman: DarKnight in mid-1998. DarKnight , which
20587-466: The hero he is, and with the help of every civilian and villain, they manage to save Gotham, chain-linking themselves together to reattach the plates. In the aftermath, Batman reveals to Dick that he is Wayne in disguise, then goes to return to the Phantom Zone to face the consequences of his earlier behavior. Phyllis prevents Batman from entering the Phantom Zone, after realizing he is a hero and seeing how he changed to save everyone. Afterward, Batman gives
20760-717: The hiatus between Batman & Robin and Batman Begins . In 1966, a Batman feature film based on the contemporaneous Batman television series was released. It starred Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, Cesar Romero as the Joker , Burgess Meredith as the Penguin , Frank Gorshin as the Riddler , and Lee Meriwether as Catwoman . Barbara Muschietti The series premiered January 12, 1966, on ABC and ended March 14, 1968, starring Adam West as Bruce Wayne / Batman and Burt Ward as Dick Grayson / Robin . The two would later reprise their roles in Legends of
20933-513: The last episode. Batman is mentioned several times in the series. He was shown from behind in the episode "Origins" and was voiced by an uncredited actor. Batman appears in the first season finale in a dream sequence created by Trigon where he started killing his enemies causing Dick Grayson to end Batman's life. Stunt doubles Alain Moussi and Maxim Savarias portray Batman in that appearance. Batman's alter ego Bruce makes his full appearance in
21106-437: The latter film, A Dog's Purpose and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter . On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 90% based on 315 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, " The Lego Batman Movie continues its block-buster franchise's winning streak with another round of dizzyingly funny—and beautifully animated—family-friendly mayhem." It
21279-441: The latter in Arkham Asylum. He then tasks Dick with the duty of protecting Gotham, while he retreats elsewhere. At a secluded mansion, Bruce writes his will, then attempts to commit suicide by having the mansion burn down with him inside. He is however saved by a resurrected Donna. At the end of the season, Bruce returns to Gotham and reconciles with Jason, who has since been resurrected and gone on rampage as Red Hood, but converted by
21452-510: The metahumans to prepare for an implied future threat. Shortly after filming had finished for Man of Steel , Warner Bros hired Will Beall to script a new Justice League film in June 2012. With the release of Man of Steel in June 2013, Goyer was hired to write a new Justice League script, with the Beall draft being scrapped. In April 2014, it was announced that Zack Snyder would also be directing Goyer's Justice League script. Warner Bros.
21625-450: The most. By September 2000, Warner Bros. was developing a live action screen adaptation of Batman Beyond , written by Paul Dini , Neal Stephenson and Boaz Yakin , with the possibility of Yakin directing. Despite interest from Schumacher, the studio amazed and pleased fans by hiring Darren Aronofsky to direct and co-write with Miller, whom he previously collaborated with on an unproduced script for Ronin . Yakin developed one draft of
21798-500: The movie as Wayne's love interest, Rachel Dawes , a role created for the film. Alfred Pennyworth was played by Michael Caine , Jim Gordon was portrayed by Gary Oldman and Lucius Fox by Morgan Freeman . A new Batmobile (called the Tumbler ) and a more mobile Batsuit were both created specifically for the film. The film begins with the death of Bruce's parents and then explores his decision to leave Gotham and his training under
21971-444: The multiverse's villains he had recruited in the Phantom Zone, including Sauron , who informs the Joker that Batman is Bruce Wayne (which the latter mistakes as the two being roommates). The criminals attack Gotham and take over Wayne Island . Realizing that Gotham does need Batman after all, Barbara releases Batman and Robin and teams up with them and Alfred to stop the new threat. Although his teammates achieve some success in fighting
22144-431: The multiverse's villains, Batman forcibly sends them away and confronts the Joker alone, fearing that he might lose them just like his parents. Believing that Batman is incapable of changing his ways, the Joker sends him to the Phantom Zone before stealing the Batcave's stash of confiscated bombs to destroy Gotham. Meanwhile, Phyllis, the Phantom Zone's gatekeeper, shows Batman how he has mistreated Dick, Alfred, Barbara and
22317-505: The on-set writer throughout the production process and received top-billing screenplay credit the early trailers, while Waters had sole story credit. Various A-list actresses lobbied hard for the role of Catwoman before Michelle Pfeiffer was cast, while Danny DeVito signed on to portray the Penguin. Filming started at Warner Bros. in Burbank, California in June 1991. Batman Returns was released with financial success, but Warner Bros.
22490-479: The other with prisoners - to destroy each other, he is forced to take the blame for the murders committed by Dent to ensure that Gotham's citizens do not lose hope for the future. The Dark Knight received broad critical acclaim, and set numerous records during its theatrical run. With just over $ 1 billion in revenue worldwide, it became the 4th-highest-grossing film of all time, unadjusted for inflation. The film received eight Academy Award nominations; it won
22663-497: The project, with Jared Leto also reprising his role as The Joker from Suicide Squad . Batman (franchise) The DC Comics character Batman has been adapted into various media including film, radio, television, and video games, as well as numerous merchandising items. The Batman franchise has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. A number of Batman theatrical films have been made. There have also been several attempted projects during
22836-532: The project. The four producers felt it was best to pattern the film's development after that of Superman (1978). Uslan, Melniker and Guber pitched Batman to Universal Pictures , but the studio turned it down. The project was publicly announced with a budget of $ 15 million in July 1980 at the Comic Art Convention in New York. Casablanca FilmWorks was absorbed into PolyGram Pictures in 1980. Guber and Peters left PolyGram Pictures in 1982 and took
23009-425: The question," he reasoned, "how many good third movies in a franchise can people name?" He returned out of finding a necessary way to continue the story, but feared midway through filming he would find a sequel redundant. The Dark Knight Rises is intended to complete Nolan's Batman trilogy. By December 2008, Nolan completed a rough story outline, before he committed himself to Inception . In February 2010, work on
23182-438: The release of The Dark Knight in 2008 and The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, with Bale reprising his role in both films. Both sequels earned over $ 1 billion worldwide, making Batman the second film franchise to have two of its films earn more than $ 1 billion worldwide. Referred to as "the Dark Knight trilogy", the critical acclaim and commercial success of Nolan's films have been credited with restoring widespread popularity to
23355-477: The rights to make Batman merchandise, including: Batman has appeared as a HeroClix figure, along with other Batman characters, in the following HeroClix sets: The Lego Batman Movie The Lego Batman Movie is a 2017 animated superhero comedy film , based on characters created by DC Comics and the Lego Batman toy line. It was directed by Chris McKay (in his feature directorial debut) from
23528-501: The role for Batman Begins . Aronofsky pursued Joaquin Phoenix for the lead role while Warner Bros. favored Freddie Prinze, Jr. The Aronofsky-Miller script had a brooding Batman and realistic violence, and would also have been R-rated. The studio decided to abandon the film due to creative differences between Aronofsky and Miller. In February 2007, during pre-production for The Dark Knight , Warner Bros. hired husband and wife screenwriting duo Michelle and Kieran Mulroney to script
23701-621: The romantic interest. Mankiewicz took inspiration from Steve Englehart 's and Marshall Rogers 's 1970s run in Detective Comics (later reprinted in the trade paperback Batman: Strange Apparitions ), ( ISBN 1-56389-500-5 ), with Rogers himself being hired to provide concept art . The Batman was then announced in late 1983 for a mid-1985 release date on a budget of $ 20 million. Originally, Mankiewicz had wanted an unknown actor for Batman, William Holden for James Gordon , David Niven as Alfred Pennyworth and Peter O'Toole as
23874-411: The same experience as watching The LEGO Movie , but I also don't think it's trying to be. It's trying to be a fun superhero movie with clever callbacks to previous Batman films (every single Batman movie all the way back to the 1940s serials are referenced) that can, at least, provide DC superhero fans with a taste of fun amidst all the doom and gloom. (That can either be a reference to 'the real world' or
24047-585: The scene from Jerry Maguire where Tom Cruise says "You complete me" (which makes Batman laugh out loud); this line had previously been quoted by The Joker in The Dark Knight . In the scene where Batman discusses possible team names he mentions Fox Force Five , which is the name of Mia Wallace 's failed television pilot mentioned in Pulp Fiction . The airplane at the beginning of the movie, known as McGuffin 1138 has two references, one being
24220-688: The screenplay was commencing with David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan . When Goyer left to work on the Superman reboot , Jonathan was writing the script based on the story by his brother and Goyer. Tom Hardy was cast as Bane and Anne Hathaway plays Selina Kyle . Joseph Gordon-Levitt was cast as Robin John Blake , and Marion Cotillard was cast as Miranda Tate . Filming began in May 2011 and concluded in November. Nolan chose not to film in 3-D but, by focusing on improving image quality and scale using
24393-441: The script for a fifth Batman film. A projected mid-1999 release date was announced. Los Angeles Times described their film as "continuing in the same vein with multiple villains and more silliness". Schumacher, however, later claimed that the film would have been darker and closer in tone to the first two films in the series. Titled Batman Unchained but often incorrectly referred to as Batman Triumphant , Protosevich's script had
24566-531: The series were slated to consist of Insurrection Media and WarnerMedia. The series was executive produced by Kiliaen Van Rensselaer , Deborah Henderson, and Jon Berg. Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind is the second podcast released under the partnership between Spotify and Warner Bros. Released in early 2023, it features Christina Ricci as Harley Quinn and Billy Magnussen as The Joker. Justin Hartley also appears voicing Bruce Wayne. In late 2023,
24739-439: The situation to the one experienced by the film Superman II . Both Justice League and Superman II feature a director that was replaced, for different reasons, before the completion of a film, which led to a second director coming in and making substantial changes to the tone of each film. Although the reasoning behind each director's departure differs, Richard Donner was able to complete his cut of Superman II in 2005. In
24912-461: The song " Black and Yellow " by Wiz Khalifa . It was attached to showings of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in theatres. A second teaser trailer was released on March 28, 2016, and features references to all live-action iterations of Batman, from the 1960s Batman TV series to Batman v Superman . A third trailer was released on July 23, 2016. A fourth trailer was released on November 4, 2016. Over twenty Lego sets inspired by scenes from
25085-469: The special effects, musical score, editing, and additional shooting. While initially planned to be a four part miniseries , it was later clarified the cut would be released as a four hour long movie. Snyder stated this version will be non-canonical to DC Extended Universe continuity, but it would exist in a slightly alternate universe. Affleck, Miller, Fisher, Heard, and Manganiello returned to their respective roles for additional photography, in order to finish
25258-420: The story written by Seth Grahame-Smith , and the film produced by Dan Lin , Roy Lee , Phil Lord and Christopher Miller . On April 20, 2015, Warner Bros. moved up The Lego Batman Movie to a February 10, 2017 release. In an interview about his work on the film, McKay stated that working on the film was "a very mixed blessing" owing partly to the film's hectic time schedule for its production, remarking that
25431-508: The studio lot, that took 300 hours to make out of 10,000 bricks. At this time, McDonald's began selling Happy Meal toys based on the movie itself. The Big Bang Theory included a LEGO version of the opening sequence in the episode "The Locomotion Reverberation" that first aired on CBS . In addition, the network aired two LEGO commercials featuring Batman and the cast. The CW featured LEGO end cards for Supergirl , The Flash , Legends of Tomorrow , and Arrow , respectively, on
25604-538: The superhero, with the second installment considered one of the best superhero films of all time. After Warner Bros. launched their own shared cinematic universe known as the DC Extended Universe in 2013, Ben Affleck was cast to portray Batman in the new expansive franchise, first appearing in 2016 with the Zack Snyder -directed film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice . The film would begin
25777-597: The third Spotify–Warner Batman podcast, The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark , is scheduled for release. The podcast features an odd-couple team-up between Batman and The Riddler and stars Hasan Minhaj reprising his role from Batman Unburied , and Colman Domingo replacing Winston Duke as Batman. Video games featuring Batman include: Batman appears in the Batman: Arkham series. He is voiced initially by Kevin Conroy and later by Roger Craig Smith, and by Max Mitchell as
25950-446: The two-and-a-half years allocated to the film made it difficult to fit in everything that he wanted for the movie, considering his earlier work on The Lego Movie . His work on The Lego Batman Movie was influenced by the comedy portrayed in both The Naked Gun and Airplane! film series, with his pitch for the film to the studios being described as like " Jerry Maguire as directed by Michael Mann ". His proposal to combine all
26123-420: The university while encountering truths about his past. As with Schumacher's idea for Batman Unchained , the film would have had a darker tone. Warner Bros. Pictures formally decided not to move forward with the project in 2001, and passed on Batman: DarKnight in favor of other projects. In 2015, the screenplay was released on Amazon . Chris O'Donnell revealed in a 2012 interview with Access Hollywood that
26296-491: The week of the movie's release. All four DC shows also include a special variant of the Berlanti Productions logo that featured Batman's cameo and a new recording from Greg Berlanti 's real-life father who says "Batman, move your head." instead of the usual "Greg, move your head." In addition, the network aired two commercials where Batman interacts with the characters from each show. The film's world premiere
26469-739: The worldwide box office, the trilogy has been ranked among the greatest ever made. Following a rejected Batman origin story reboot Joss Whedon pitched in December 2002, Warner Bros. hired Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer to script Batman Begins . The duo aimed for a darker and more realistic tone, with humanity and realism being the basis of the film. The film was primarily shot in the United Kingdom and Chicago, and relied on traditional stunts and scale models with minimal use of computer-generated imagery . Christian Bale starred as Batman, Liam Neeson as Ra's al Ghul , and Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow . Katie Holmes appears in
26642-436: The years, including novelizations of each of the recent movies (such as Batman and The Dark Knight Rises ) and many of the comic book arcs. There are also several more scholarly works, aimed at either Batman's history or art, such as Les Daniels ' Batman: The Complete History , Will Brooker's Batman Unmasked: Analysing a Cultural Icon and compilations such as Batman: Cover to Cover: The Greatest Comic Book Covers of
26815-579: Was a common motif throughout the film, and remarked that it had a darker tone compared with previous Batman films. The film was listed at No. 81 on Empire ' s "500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Christopher Nolan reprised his duties as director, and brought his brother, Jonathan , to co-write the script for the second installment. The Dark Knight featured Christian Bale reprising his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Heath Ledger as The Joker , and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two-Face . Katie Holmes turned down her role as Rachel, and Maggie Gyllenhaal
26988-422: Was a financial success, Warner Bros. felt the film should have made more money. The studio decided to change the direction of the Batman film series to be more mainstream. Joel Schumacher replaced Tim Burton as director, while Burton decided to stay on as producer. However, Michael Keaton did not like the new direction the film series was heading in, and was replaced by Val Kilmer as Batman. Chris O'Donnell
27161-471: Was announced that the film had been delayed from its original July 17, 2015, release date to May 6, 2016, in order to give the filmmakers "time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story". The film's release was moved again to March 25, 2016, "avoiding a high-profile showdown with Captain America: Civil War on May 6, 2016". At some point prior to the events of
27334-437: Was approached to portray Batman, while Josh Hartnett was offered the role of Superman. Filming was to start in early 2003, with plans for a five- to six-month shoot. The release date was set for the summer of 2004. However, Warner Bros. canceled development to focus on individual Superman and Batman projects after J. J. Abrams submitted another draft for Superman: Flyby . According to Petersen "[Warner Bros.' chief] Alan Horn
27507-546: Was cast instead. Principal photography began in April 2007 in Chicago and concluded in November. Other locations included Pinewood Studios , Ministry of Sound in London and Hong Kong. On January 22, 2008, after he had completed filming The Dark Knight , Ledger died from an accidental overdose of prescription medication. Warner Bros. had created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight , developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screen shots of Ledger as
27680-599: Was conducted in Dublin , Ireland on January 29, 2017, where upon it went into general release from February 8; it was released in Denmark on February 9, and in the United States and the United Kingdom on February 10. Its overall release saw movie theatres displaying the film in 3D , RealD 3D , Dolby Cinema , IMAX 3D and 4DX . though the latter format was restricted to 3D for North America, while international countries were able to view it in IMAX . The Lego Batman Movie
27853-441: Was disappointed with the film's box office run because it earned less than its predecessor. However, Batman Returns was released to generally positive reviews, with praise for its action sequences, performances, Danny Elfman 's score, effects and villains, although its dark tone and high level of violence for a PG-13 film was criticized. McDonald's shut down its Happy Meal tie-in for Batman Returns . Although Batman Returns
28026-477: Was done by Animal Logic , Autodesk Maya and Softimage was used to animate the movie. Lego Digital Designer was used for LEGO model design. As part of its production, the film was designed to make numerous references to previous Batman films, cartoons and comics. In two distinct scenes where Barbara Gordon depicts Batman's long history of services for the police and Alfred quotes Batman's previous films (as previous moments of emotional crisis), they mention:
28199-489: Was introduced as Robin , Jim Carrey starred as The Riddler , while Tommy Lee Jones starred as Two-Face . Filming started in September 1994, and Schumacher found Kilmer and Jones difficult to work with. Batman Forever was released on June 16, 1995, with financial success, earning over $ 350 million worldwide and three Academy Award nominations. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with criticism directed towards
28372-537: Was largely inspired by The Dark Knight Returns , had Bruce Wayne giving up his crime fighting career after becoming disillusioned with his alias's inability to inspire fear and mystique in his enemies, and Dick Grayson attending Gotham University . Dr. Jonathan Crane uses his position as professor of psychology at Gotham University and as head psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum to conduct his fear experiments (this element would later appear in Batman Begins ). During
28545-465: Was produced by Dirk Maggs for BBC Radio 4 . Bob Sessions was the voice of Batman. A second Maggs production aired on BBC Radio 1 in 1994, this time adapting the comic book storyline Batman: Knightfall . It was adapted, produced and directed by Maggs—with music composed by Mark Russell —who had also made Superman: Doomsday & Beyond on BBC Radio 5 . This show, however, was not commissioned of its own, but rather to be three-minute episodes on
28718-422: Was put on hold, and Akiva Goldsman was hired to rewrite Walker's Batman vs. Superman . Goldsman's draft, dated June 21, 2002, had Bruce Wayne going through a mental breakdown after his five-year retirement from crime fighting. Dick Grayson , Alfred Pennyworth , and Commissioner Gordon are all dead, but Bruce finds some solace in his fiancée, Elizabeth Miller. Meanwhile, Clark Kent is struggling because of
28891-404: Was ranked the 23rd best superhero movie of all time on the site. On Metacritic , the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film a positive review, praising its comedy, and saying: " The LEGO Batman Movie isn't
29064-542: Was released on DVD , Blu-ray (2D and 3D), and Ultra HD Blu-ray by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on June 13, 2017. The film debuted at No. 3 on the NPD VideoScan overall disc sales chart behind Beauty and the Beast and John Wick: Chapter 2 . The Lego Batman Movie grossed $ 175.8 million in the United States and Canada and $ 136.2 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $ 312 million, against
29237-548: Was replaced by George Clooney . Arnold Schwarzenegger starred as Mr. Freeze , while Uma Thurman played Poison Ivy , Alicia Silverstone played Batgirl , and Robert Swenson played Bane . Chris O'Donnell reprised his role as Robin . Michael Gough and Pat Hingle are the only cast members to appear in all four films as Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner Gordon respectively. Principal photography began in September 1996 and finished in January 1997, two weeks ahead of
29410-401: Was reportedly courting Chris Terrio to rewrite Justice League the following July, after having been impressed with his rewrite of Batman v Superman . During post-production of the film, Zack Snyder left the film due to the death of his daughter. Joss Whedon took over the project and wrote and directed reshoots. As part of the ensemble cast, Bruce Wayne serves as something of a leader to
29583-447: Was so torn, because it's such a fascinating concept to do a Batman versus Superman film". Horn reportedly preferred Abrams' optimistic Superman script to the darker Batman vs. Superman script; studio executives voted 11-1 for the former. Many comic book fans agreed; David S. Goyer said, "'Batman Vs. Superman' is where you go when you admit to yourself that you've exhausted all possibilities ... somewhat of an admission that this franchise
29756-410: Was still being used to guide the project. Tim Burton took over as director of the first Batman film in 1986. Steve Englehart and Julie Hickson wrote film treatments before Sam Hamm wrote the first screenplay. Numerous A-list actors were considered for the role of Batman before Michael Keaton was cast. Keaton was a controversial choice for the role since, by 1988, he had become typecast as
29929-576: Was thinking that we were basically taking the Burt Ward Robin and sticking him in the Batmobile with the Zack Snyder / Ben Affleck Batman, or the Frank Miller Batman. And putting these two different energies together. Somebody who's like the grumpiest, dark grittiest, broodiest Batman with the most positive, indefatigable kid. In 2019, prior to the release of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part , Chris Miller stated that all of
#585414