The creative team behind this movie project find themselves in a very unique position as we have never had a Batman like this before. They can access almost any Batman story or character in the Dark Knight's long history. The possibilities are truly endless; they could even go flashback route to tell adapted comic book stories like: 'BATMAN: YEAR ONE,' 'BATMAN: A DEATH IN THE FAMILY,' or even take some basis from 'BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE.'
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While using flashbacks to tell earlier Batman tales would be fun, the creative team will most likely choose to adapt stories that focus on an older and more worn Caped Crusader. There is really no need to touch on his origin since it is extremely well known and Sony' reboot attempt with THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN proved super hero fans are tired of all-too-familiar origins.
As we saw in BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, this version of Batman has already lost Robin. A quick shot of vandalized and beaten robin suit has led fans to believe the events of 'BATMAN: A DEATH IN THE FAMILY' have most likely already happened. This immediately sparked rumors and speculation that the next Batman story to be told could be 'BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD.' This is a fan favorite comic book story and it gained even more popularity after the animated film version was released in 2010. It is a layered mystery that with some very dark elements and would be great fit for Affleck to direct.
Many fans feel that the “World's Greatest Detective Batman" has been an element missing from Batman movies so far and this would definitely touch on that. This would also be a great way to involve Jared Leto’s Joker without making him the sole focus of the movie, which is something we have already seen.
“If I do that, if I allow myself to go down into that place, I'll never come back.” – Batman, in 'UNDER THE RED HOOD.'
A few new characters could also use this entry to make their debut into the DCEU, Nightwing and Mr. Freeze immediately come to mind. Even with SUICIDE SQUAD utilizing many of the lesser known villains in the Dark Knight’s Rogues Gallery, there are still plenty of DC Comics baddies to bring to life. 'UNDER THE RED HOOD' would bring a physical, psychological and emotional test for Affleck’s Batman and that makes it the perfect story to bring to life on the big screen.
Super hero movies rarely only choose one specific comic book arc to adapt and they usually pull from a number of different sources and use a few stories to influence the film. There are a few other tales Affleck and company could draw from if they choose this more traditional method. The Arkham Asylum video game series has been one of the more successful Batman adaptations in recent memory, providing fans with all kinds of Easter Eggs and different looks at almost every character in Batman history. Opening a movie with Batman battling his way through Arkham would be a very cool way showcase Batman’s new fighting and investigative styles.
The main plot of the film could take its points from the Jeph Leob / Jim Lee story 'BATMAN: HUSH.' This is another arc that includes a ton of DC characters, including Superman, the Riddler and Catwoman. The Superman angle would most likely be changed for the film as it shares a few similarities with BATMAN V. SUPERMAN. Again, Batman’s detective skills would be front and center here, with plenty of action to keep audiences engaged.
Affleck knows how to handle an ensemble cast and I am extremely excited to see what he can bring to the superhero genre, here’s to hoping he is even more involved with DC movies in the next few years to come.
Written by Tim Miller, DC Films Correspondent -- Click here to read Tim's posts
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