The Batman (lost screenplay from DC Extended Universe version of superhero film; 2016-2017): Difference between revisions
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{{InfoboxLost | {{InfoboxLost | ||
|title=<center>The Batman</center> | |title=<center>The Batman</center> | ||
|image= | |image=Thebatmanposter.jpg | ||
|imagecaption= | |imagecaption=Theatrical release poster from the Matt Reeves version of the film. | ||
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span> | |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span> | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''The Batman''''' is a 2022 superhero film directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, with Robert Pattinson starring as the titular hero. The film is set outside of DC's main film continuity, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), however this wasn't always meant to be the case. When the film was first announced it was set in DCEU and had Ben Affleck signed on to direct, produce, co-write, and star. '''A script of this version was completed but it has never been released.''' | |||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
A solo film starring Ben Affleck as Batman was first announced in October 2014<ref name=":0">[https://ew.com/article/2014/10/15/justice-league-green-lantern-wonder-woman-flash-movies/ ''Warner Bros. announces 10 DC movies, including 'Wonder Woman''<nowiki/>' by Darren Franich from Entertainment Weekly.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> with Affleck entering negotiations to direct and co-write the screenplay with comic book writer Geoff Johns in July 2015.<ref name=":1">[https://deadline.com/2015/07/ben-affleck-geoff-johns-batman-dc-entertainment-warner-bros-comic-con-1201472921/ ''Ben Affleck To Team With DC’s Geoff Johns On Stand-Alone ‘Batman’ Film: Comic Con'' by Mike Fleming Jr. from Deadline | A solo film starring Ben Affleck as Batman was first announced in October 2014<ref name=":0">[https://ew.com/article/2014/10/15/justice-league-green-lantern-wonder-woman-flash-movies/ ''Warner Bros. announces 10 DC movies, including 'Wonder Woman''<nowiki/>' by Darren Franich from Entertainment Weekly.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> with Affleck entering negotiations to direct and co-write the screenplay with comic book writer Geoff Johns in July 2015.<ref name=":1">[https://deadline.com/2015/07/ben-affleck-geoff-johns-batman-dc-entertainment-warner-bros-comic-con-1201472921/ ''Ben Affleck To Team With DC’s Geoff Johns On Stand-Alone ‘Batman’ Film: Comic Con'' by Mike Fleming Jr. from Deadline.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> By March 2016 Affleck and Johns had finished the first draft of the script<ref name=":2">[https://ign.com/articles/2019/06/13/the-batman-new-movie-robert-pattinson-release-date-cast-plot-trailer-2021 ''"The Batman– Everything We Know (Release Date, Cast, Plot and More)"'' by Jesse Schedeen from IGN.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> which was a mostly original story<ref>[https://movieweb.com/batman-solo-movie-original-story-ben-affleck/ ''Affleck's Batman Movie Will Have a Mostly Original Story'' by Brain Gallagher from MovieWeb.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> that was specifically influenced by the graphic novel ''Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth'', the comic book storyline "Knightfall", and the video game ''Batman: Arkham Asylum''<ref name=":3">[https://screenrant.com/hbo-max-ben-affleck-batman-series-good-idea/ ''10 Reasons Why A Ben Affleck Batman Series Is Actually A Good Idea'' by Guillermo Kurten from ScreenRant.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> with the film being primarily set in Arkham Asylum.<ref>[https://collider.com/ben-affleck-batman-movie-arkham-asylum/ ''Ben Affleck’s ‘Batman’ Movie Would Have Gone into Arkham Asylum'' by Matt Goldberg from Collider.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> The film would have also explored the death of Batman's first Robin, Dick Grayson, which was hinted at in the previous film ''Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice''.<ref name=":2" /> Next month, Affleck was confirmed to be direct the film.<ref>[https://thewrap.com/ben-affleck-to-direct-solo-batman-movie-for-warner-bros/ ''Ben Affleck to Direct Solo Batman Movie for Warner Bros.'' by Thom Geier and Meriah Doty from The Wrap.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> In January 2017, Chris Terrio turned in a rewrite of Affleck and Johns' script with Affleck announcing that he'd be stepping down as director that same month.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2017/01/ben-affleck-not-directing-batman-1201897975/ ''Ben Affleck Not Directing Batman'' by Mike Fleming Jr. from Deadline.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> Affleck did this after not he was not able to get the script where he wanted it to be.<ref>[https://collider.com/why-ben-affleck-quit-batman/ ''Watch: Ben Affleck Explains Why He Quit ‘The Batman’'' by Adam Chitwood from Collider.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> By February 2017, Matt Reeves had signed on to replace Affleck as director.<ref>[https://hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/batman-movie-director-matt-reeves-talks-ben-affleck-departs-as-helmer-972900/ ''‘Batman’ Movie to be Directed by ‘Planet of the Apes’ Filmmaker Matt Reeves'' by Borys Kit from The Hollywood Reporter.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> After reading a copy of Affleck's script sent to him by Warner Bros., Reeves deiced to rewrite the film from scratch as Affleck's take was "totally valid" but not the film he wanted to make.<ref>[https://esquireme.com/brief/the-batman-director-matt-reeves ''The Batman: Director Matt Reeves reveals how he got his dream film made'' by William Mullally from Esquire.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> | ||
==Plot | == Known Plot Details== | ||
Set after the events of 2017's ''Justice League'',<ref name=":1" /> the film would follow Batman (Bruce Wayne) as deadly assassin Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) tries to systematically destroy his life because Deathstroke believes Batman is responsible for his son's death.<ref name=":4">[https://comicbook.com/dc/news/justice-league-joe-manganiello-deathstroke-ben-affleck-batman/ ''Justice League Star Joe Manganiello Reveals More About Deathstroke's Story in Ben Affleck's Batman Movie'' by Nicole Drum from ComicBook.com.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> Deathstroke would do this killing those close to the Dark Knight<ref name=":4" /> and by causing a mass breakout at Arkham Asylum to try and wear Batman down<ref name=":3" /> with the film's climax featuring a battle between Deathstroke, Batman, and Batgirl (Barbra Gordon) on the streets of Gotham City.<ref>[https://slashfilm.com/580179/the-batman-batgirl/ ''Ben Affleck's Unmade 'Batman' Movie Would've Featured Batgirl'' by Chris Evangelista from /Film.] Retrieved 09 Feb '23</ref> The film's events would have been set up in a cut ''Justice League'' post-credit scene that featured Lex Luthor revealing Batman's secret identity to Deathstroke.<ref name=":4" /> This post-credit scene would later included in the 2021 film, ''Zack Snyder's Justice League.'' | |||
Set after the events of 2017's ''Justice League'',<ref name=":1" /> the film would follow Batman (Bruce Wayne) as deadly assassin Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) tries to systematically destroy | |||
==Confirmed Cast== | ==Confirmed Cast== | ||
*Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman | * Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman | ||
*Joe Manganiello as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke | *Joe Manganiello as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke | ||
*Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth | *Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth | ||
*JK Simmons as Jim Gordon | * JK Simmons as Jim Gordon | ||
== Availability== | == Availability== | ||
| Line 24: | Line 23: | ||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
==See Also == | <gallery mode="packed" heights="150px"> | ||
File:Batflecfront.jpg|Concept art of Batman by Keith Christensen | |||
File:Backfleck.jpg|Concept art of the back of the Batsuit without the cape by Keith Christensen | |||
File:Keith-christensen-cos-bm-v01-cowldetailtex-samuel-kc-170118.jpg|Concept art of Batman's cowl by Keith Christensen | |||
File:Bathead.jpg|Concept art of Batman's head at multiple angles by Keith Christensen | |||
File:Keith-christensen-bat-gloves.jpg|Concept art of the Batsuit's gloves by Keith Christensen | |||
File:Keith-christensen-cos-bm-v01-buckles-samuel-kc-161209.jpg|Concept art of Batman's utility belt buckle by Keith Christensen | |||
File:Keith-christensen-exp-art-cowl.jpg|Concept art showing the deconstruction of Batman's cowl by Keith Christensen | |||
File:Keith-christensen-batsuit-color-code-ortho.jpg|Concept art showing the material breakdown of the Batsuit by Keith Christensen | |||
File:Keith-christensen-cos-bm-v02-suitortho-samuel-kc-170105.jpg|The previous piece of concept art without the color coding. | |||
File:Keith-christensen-cos-bm-v02-undersuit-samuel-kc-170111.jpg|Concept art of Batsuit without the armor plating by Keith Christensen. | |||
File:Kachristensen art batrang.jpg|Concept art of a Batarang by Keith Christensen. | |||
File:Kachristensen art batwing.jpg|Concept art of the Batwing by Keith Christensen. | |||
File:Kachristensen art deathstroke.jpg|Concept art of Deathstroke by Keith Christensen. | |||
File:Kachristensen art deathhelm.jpg|Concept art of potential Deathstroke helmet designs by Keith Christensen. | |||
File:FRtV2dKVgAAHKd5.jpeg|A storyboard featuring Deathstroke by Jay Oliva. | |||
</gallery> | |||
==See Also== | |||
===Batman=== | ===Batman=== | ||
*[[Batman Meets Godzilla (lost Japanese film treatment of unproduced crossover film; 1960s)]] | *[[Batman Meets Godzilla (lost Japanese film treatment of unproduced crossover film; 1960s)]] | ||
* [[Batman Dracula (partially found Andy Warhol film; 1964)]] | *[[Batman Dracula (partially found Andy Warhol film; 1964)]] | ||
*[[Mike Henry's Batman publicity stills (lost photographs advertising CBS "Batman" TV series; 1964)]] | *[[Mike Henry's Batman publicity stills (lost photographs advertising CBS "Batman" TV series; 1964)]] | ||
*[[Batman Fights Dracula (lost unofficial Filipino comedy parody film; 1967)]] | *[[Batman Fights Dracula (lost unofficial Filipino comedy parody film; 1967)]] | ||
*[[Batman: Clean and Dirty (found "Sesame Street" animated segment; 1970)]] | *[[Batman: Clean and Dirty (found "Sesame Street" animated segment; 1970)]] | ||
*[[Batman: A Death in the Family (partially lost unfinished "Jason Todd lives" version of comic; 1988)]] | *[[Batman: A Death in the Family (partially lost unfinished "Jason Todd lives" version of comic; 1988)]] | ||
*[[Batman And The New Robin (partially found unproduced animated TV series; 1988)]] | *[[Batman And The New Robin (partially found unproduced animated TV series; 1988)]] | ||
*[[Batman: The Animated Series (partially found Tim Curry performance from animated series; 1992)]] | *[[Batman: The Animated Series (partially found Tim Curry performance from animated series; 1992)]] | ||
* [[Batman Forever (partially lost "Schumacher cut" of DC superhero film sequel; 1995)]] | *[[Batman Forever (partially lost "Schumacher cut" of DC superhero film sequel; 1995)]] | ||
*[[The Dark Knight Trilogy (partially found deleted scenes of DC superhero film trilogy; 2005-2012)]] | *[[The Dark Knight Trilogy (partially found deleted scenes of DC superhero film trilogy; 2005-2012)]] | ||
*[[Spawn/Batman: Inner Demons (partially lost production materials from cancelled "Batman" and "Spawn" crossover comic; 2006)]] | *[[Spawn/Batman: Inner Demons (partially lost production materials from cancelled "Batman" and "Spawn" crossover comic; 2006)]] | ||
*[[The Dark Knight (lost build of cancelled multi-platform action game based on Batman film; 2008)]] | *[[The Dark Knight (lost build of cancelled multi-platform action game based on Batman film; 2008)]] | ||
*[[Gotham High (lost cancelled Batman animated series; 2009)]] | *[[Gotham High (lost cancelled Batman animated series; 2009)]] | ||
*[[Nightwing (partially found comic from superhero series; 2011)]] | |||
=== | === DC Comics=== | ||
*[[The Superman (lost early comic from superhero series; 1933)]] | |||
*[[Superman and Jimmy Olsen art by Jack Kirby (partially found comic material; early 1970s)]] | |||
*[[Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (lost deleted scenes of superhero sequel film; 1987)]] | *[[Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (lost deleted scenes of superhero sequel film; 1987)]] | ||
*[[DC Versus Marvel (partially lost alternate fight endings to superhero crossover event; 1996)]] | |||
*[[Injustice: Gods Among Us (lost "Clueless Gamer" build of superhero fighting game; 2013)]] | |||
*[[Suicide Squad (partially lost "David Ayer cut" of DC superhero film; 2016)]] | *[[Suicide Squad (partially lost "David Ayer cut" of DC superhero film; 2016)]] | ||
| Line 52: | Line 71: | ||
[[Category:Lost literature|Batman]] | [[Category:Lost literature|Batman]] | ||
[[Category:Completely lost media|Batman]] | [[Category:Completely lost media|Batman]] | ||
Latest revision as of 08:01, 25 April 2023
Theatrical release poster from the Matt Reeves version of the film.
Status: Lost
The Batman is a 2022 superhero film directed and co-written by Matt Reeves, with Robert Pattinson starring as the titular hero. The film is set outside of DC's main film continuity, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), however this wasn't always meant to be the case. When the film was first announced it was set in DCEU and had Ben Affleck signed on to direct, produce, co-write, and star. A script of this version was completed but it has never been released.
Background
A solo film starring Ben Affleck as Batman was first announced in October 2014[1] with Affleck entering negotiations to direct and co-write the screenplay with comic book writer Geoff Johns in July 2015.[2] By March 2016 Affleck and Johns had finished the first draft of the script[3] which was a mostly original story[4] that was specifically influenced by the graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, the comic book storyline "Knightfall", and the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum[5] with the film being primarily set in Arkham Asylum.[6] The film would have also explored the death of Batman's first Robin, Dick Grayson, which was hinted at in the previous film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.[3] Next month, Affleck was confirmed to be direct the film.[7] In January 2017, Chris Terrio turned in a rewrite of Affleck and Johns' script with Affleck announcing that he'd be stepping down as director that same month.[8] Affleck did this after not he was not able to get the script where he wanted it to be.[9] By February 2017, Matt Reeves had signed on to replace Affleck as director.[10] After reading a copy of Affleck's script sent to him by Warner Bros., Reeves deiced to rewrite the film from scratch as Affleck's take was "totally valid" but not the film he wanted to make.[11]
Known Plot Details
Set after the events of 2017's Justice League,[2] the film would follow Batman (Bruce Wayne) as deadly assassin Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) tries to systematically destroy his life because Deathstroke believes Batman is responsible for his son's death.[12] Deathstroke would do this killing those close to the Dark Knight[12] and by causing a mass breakout at Arkham Asylum to try and wear Batman down[5] with the film's climax featuring a battle between Deathstroke, Batman, and Batgirl (Barbra Gordon) on the streets of Gotham City.[13] The film's events would have been set up in a cut Justice League post-credit scene that featured Lex Luthor revealing Batman's secret identity to Deathstroke.[12] This post-credit scene would later included in the 2021 film, Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Confirmed Cast
- Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
- Joe Manganiello as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke
- Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
- JK Simmons as Jim Gordon
Availability
Warner Bros. and DC Studios seem to have no interest in releasing the script for the Affleck version of the film however a variety of plot details have been revealed via interviews with Deathstroke actor, Joe Manganiello. In 2022, Keith Christensen released a lot of the concept art he made for this version of the film on his Instagram and ArtStation.[14] Jay Oliva also tweeted out a storyboard featuring Deathstroke that same year.[15]
Gallery
Concept art of Batman by Keith Christensen
Concept art of the back of the Batsuit without the cape by Keith Christensen
Concept art of Batman's cowl by Keith Christensen
Concept art of Batman's head at multiple angles by Keith Christensen
Concept art of the Batsuit's gloves by Keith Christensen
Concept art of Batman's utility belt buckle by Keith Christensen
Concept art showing the deconstruction of Batman's cowl by Keith Christensen
Concept art showing the material breakdown of the Batsuit by Keith Christensen
The previous piece of concept art without the color coding.
Concept art of Batsuit without the armor plating by Keith Christensen.
Concept art of a Batarang by Keith Christensen.
Concept art of the Batwing by Keith Christensen.
Concept art of Deathstroke by Keith Christensen.
Concept art of potential Deathstroke helmet designs by Keith Christensen.
A storyboard featuring Deathstroke by Jay Oliva.
See Also
Batman
- Batman Meets Godzilla (lost Japanese film treatment of unproduced crossover film; 1960s)
- Batman Dracula (partially found Andy Warhol film; 1964)
- Mike Henry's Batman publicity stills (lost photographs advertising CBS "Batman" TV series; 1964)
- Batman Fights Dracula (lost unofficial Filipino comedy parody film; 1967)
- Batman: Clean and Dirty (found "Sesame Street" animated segment; 1970)
- Batman: A Death in the Family (partially lost unfinished "Jason Todd lives" version of comic; 1988)
- Batman And The New Robin (partially found unproduced animated TV series; 1988)
- Batman: The Animated Series (partially found Tim Curry performance from animated series; 1992)
- Batman Forever (partially lost "Schumacher cut" of DC superhero film sequel; 1995)
- The Dark Knight Trilogy (partially found deleted scenes of DC superhero film trilogy; 2005-2012)
- Spawn/Batman: Inner Demons (partially lost production materials from cancelled "Batman" and "Spawn" crossover comic; 2006)
- The Dark Knight (lost build of cancelled multi-platform action game based on Batman film; 2008)
- Gotham High (lost cancelled Batman animated series; 2009)
- Nightwing (partially found comic from superhero series; 2011)
DC Comics
- The Superman (lost early comic from superhero series; 1933)
- Superman and Jimmy Olsen art by Jack Kirby (partially found comic material; early 1970s)
- Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (lost deleted scenes of superhero sequel film; 1987)
- DC Versus Marvel (partially lost alternate fight endings to superhero crossover event; 1996)
- Injustice: Gods Among Us (lost "Clueless Gamer" build of superhero fighting game; 2013)
- Suicide Squad (partially lost "David Ayer cut" of DC superhero film; 2016)
References
- ↑ Warner Bros. announces 10 DC movies, including 'Wonder Woman' by Darren Franich from Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ben Affleck To Team With DC’s Geoff Johns On Stand-Alone ‘Batman’ Film: Comic Con by Mike Fleming Jr. from Deadline. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Batman– Everything We Know (Release Date, Cast, Plot and More)" by Jesse Schedeen from IGN. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ Affleck's Batman Movie Will Have a Mostly Original Story by Brain Gallagher from MovieWeb. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 10 Reasons Why A Ben Affleck Batman Series Is Actually A Good Idea by Guillermo Kurten from ScreenRant. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ Ben Affleck’s ‘Batman’ Movie Would Have Gone into Arkham Asylum by Matt Goldberg from Collider. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ Ben Affleck to Direct Solo Batman Movie for Warner Bros. by Thom Geier and Meriah Doty from The Wrap. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ Ben Affleck Not Directing Batman by Mike Fleming Jr. from Deadline. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ Watch: Ben Affleck Explains Why He Quit ‘The Batman’ by Adam Chitwood from Collider. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ ‘Batman’ Movie to be Directed by ‘Planet of the Apes’ Filmmaker Matt Reeves by Borys Kit from The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ The Batman: Director Matt Reeves reveals how he got his dream film made by William Mullally from Esquire. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Justice League Star Joe Manganiello Reveals More About Deathstroke's Story in Ben Affleck's Batman Movie by Nicole Drum from ComicBook.com. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ Ben Affleck's Unmade 'Batman' Movie Would've Featured Batgirl by Chris Evangelista from /Film. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ Batman Concept Art Shows Ben Affleck’s Upgraded Suit From Scrapped Solo Film by Sean Gribbin. Retrieved 09 Feb '23
- ↑ Justice League Storyboard Artist Shares Concept Art Of DCEU Deathstroke by Terry Phillips from ScreenRant. Retrieved 09 Feb '23