Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Batman Begins Discussion ... SPOILERS!

Alright, I'm not sure on what everyone has heard, but I'm pretty excited about the new Batman movie! As far as I'm concerned, this looks like the best cast and best premise for a Batman movie yet! Here's what we've heard:

This movie is supposed to take place during the early years of Batman's career, and is supposed to be pre-Robin. Thus, a younger Batman that shows a lot of Bruce's transformation into the Bat.

Batman is going to be played by Christian Bale, a good choice IMO. He looks good and dark enough.

Alfred to be played by Michael Caine! WOW! The Oscar winner has reported to be very excited about it.

Lucius Fox to be played by Morgan Freeman! Double Wow!

Liam Neesan has also joined the cast, to play Henri Ducard, a mentor of Bruce Wayne in his early (pre-Batman?) years.

Katie Holmes is going to play the love interest for Bruce. Rumor is, it's going to be Talia. This is good for me, because I like Katie Holmes and think she can really act if given a good role, and Talia is my favorite Bat-love.

2 Other cool rumors:

The guy from "28 Days Later" is possibly going to play the Scarecrow.

And Ken Watasabi, the Oscar-nominated actor from "Last Samuri" may be playing Ra's Al Ghul.

If these are true, especially the latter, this may be shape up to be the best film yet. All excellent actors who really know their craft but plan to take the movie very seriosly. Ra's al Ghul and Talia will make for a good 'villian-esque' story, and the early years of Batman seem much more appealing to me. Especially with heavy focus on Alfred, as well as Lucius Fox and the character Ducard if they are going to be played by actors of such caliber.

Now if only they can get an equally excellent actor to play Commissioner Gordon!

Comments? Expectations? Anyone else looking forward to this?

[edit tag: edited subject to add spoiler line]

Okay, you asked for thoughts, lol, here we go...

No to the TWO MAIN VILLAINS. Again and again DC and Warner Bros. make the mistake of wasting villians and overdoing it. Make a good story using one villain. More face time, a chance to make a deeper story, and every thing has more of a chance to shine.

Katie Holmes: I have only seen brief things outta her, and she seems pretty lightweight to me. To american for the Daughter of the Demon's Head.

Neeson is fine, but i would have gone with that Rene fellow from france for the role, he is a very fine actor and can tote a movie by himself. Still, Neeson is pretty good.

For Gordon, I don't have any real preference. But I would want a lean "Cop" figure, like from the Mazzuchelli (sp?) art from Bats, year one. Some one said that Dennis Quaid was in line, but i dont know if he wants to play a character that is older like that. He still likes playing a youngish forty-something. Still, he wouldn't be a bad choice.

I'm excited about having Lucius Fox and Henri DuCard in supporting roles. Sounds like someone's really excited about a new Bat-movie franchise, and putting a lot of characterization into the supporting cast. If this means we might get to see people like Leslie Thompkins, Detectives Bullock and Montoya, the REAL James Gordon (not that Irish guy from the first 4 movies), and Lady Shiva in future movies, I'm all for it.

I also agree that a movie with Ra's doesn't really need the Scarecrow, but maybe TPTB think Bats needs a "classic" villain in order to carry a movie. As much as we DC-heads all love Ra's, he's not a name or a face the average joe on the street will recognize or appreciate. However, this could simply mean that Ra's will survive to torment Bats in a second or third movie, which would be great.

I can't see Katie Holmes as Ken Watasabi's daughter... heavy makeup or not.

And the Scarecrow is? Let's face it, the 'average joe' hasn't even heard of Green Lantern, let alone Scarecrow...

I'm still not sure if the Scarecrow is actually going to be in it. I know I'd prefer Ra's and Talia myself, as much as I like the Scarecrow. All I know is that that actor's name is being thrown around and people keep relating him to the Scarecrow because of the long-standing rumor of ten years that the next Bat-film will feature the Scarecrow in it.

Like KP, I'm definately all for a good supporting cast, with characters like Lucius Fox and Alfred having a big role. I think Quaid might make a good Jim Gordon, and I agree that it should be a lean cop, someone rugged looking.

As for the guy playing batman, i think he is a good actor. Saw him in that "fire" thing with Matthew McConnagha..ei...ah....whatever the hell his name is. But...

I also saw him in another movie about the "glam" seventies or eighties where he played a writer for some magazine that slept with a "ziggy stardust" like pop star. In the movie his character was really kinda...soft and nebbish. I understand he did great in American Psycho, but i didn't see that lol. Still, i will let the Fire thing stand out more hopefully. he will likely do well if they actually play the movie straight and somebody spikes joel schumacher's coffee with "base". Acid wouldnt help, he was too screwed up to begin with, lol.

I think Dennis Quaid would be a great Jim Gordon. One of the things that was really missing from all previous Bat-films was the Batman/ Jim Gordon friendship and no offense to Pat Hingle, but his Jom Gordon was pretty lame. I can actually imagine him being a good Jim gordon if the role were better written, but I'd love to see Quaid give Jim Gordon his due.

I remember reading that Harvey Dent was going to be in the film as well and that the director had the part open for his "Memento" star Guy Pearse, but he wasn't interested.

While I like Katie Holmes, I can't imagine her being convincingly dangerous enough to play Talia and while I thought Ken Watanabe was good in "Last Samurai", he needs quite a bit more practice with the english language.

The name has also been changed from Batman: Intimidation Game to Batman Begins.

Plus, when Katie Holmes signed on it was not as Talia but as a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne's called Rachel Caspian.

Cillian Murphy was originally rumored to play Harvey Dent and Chris Cooper to play Gordon. Cooper says he doesn't want anything to do with the movie and Murphy (the guy from 28 Days Later) is rumored for the Scarecrow. If he does play the Scarecrow it is supposed to be just a quick bit at the beginning to set the tone to tell how Bruce became Batman.

And as of 2/24, Cinescape was reporting that Dennis Quaid was all but signed on to play Gordon.

All in all, I still find this to be a more anticipated movie (one I'd want to see) than that piece of shite being passed around as the next Superman flick.

IMDb does indeed list the full-frontal nudity boy from 28 Days Later as Dr. Jonathan Crane and Katie Holmes as Rachel.

There's no listing for Gordon yet.

Ken

I think Katie Holmes would be better suited for a child hood friend than Talia myself, although I'd really like to see Talia in the movie. I think Katie Holmes can act, if she's given the right role and an oppurtunity, and I think she'd do a good job on screen with 'Bruce'. I still would like Talia though (my favorite Batman love interest), but any decently written love interest is good.

Too bad Chris Cooper wants no part! I think he's one of the best actors out there right now, and I have since "American Beauty" a few years ago. I cheered for him when he won the Oscar, and he really blew me away in "SeaBiscuit". Here's hoping for a good Jim Gordon. I think Dennis Quaid could pull it off.

Cillian Murphy as Harvey Dent would have been nice (no Two-Face though), I think he has potential (if he can hide his accent). Like others, I'm not sure if I want the Scarecrow in the movie, I'd rather stick with one villian--preferably Ra's. But if Cillian Murphy is the Scarecrow, I hope they can do it nicely, giving the Scarecrow a few quick scenes, while not taking the movie away from Bruce.

And Cillian Murphy did indeed show off his entire body in "28 Days Later", in one of the opening shots you get an unexpected view of his genitilia! It caught me by surprise, that's for sure!

From what I've heard with regards to Scarecrow he's actually only going to be refered to as Dr Jonothan Crane and is only going to be a minor character either at the start or the end of the film. However there has been mention of him wearing some kind of costume at one point. Basically I think it sounds like he'll be a bad guy that they use to show the kind of fighter that Batman is before bringing in the big gun by way of R'as. I think as long as he doesn't actually end up working with R'as (who has Ubu as his sidekick anyway) his inclusion could be fine.

Any new movie will have to be awfully good to be better than Burton's Batman.

I just hope we get a more realistic costume this time around. Who the hell would run around in a suit that cumbersome and stiff (outside of a S&M club, that is). If Batman can't turn his head, how can he fight? Sorry, didn't mean to get all dorky...

Well, it looks like we might not get Quaid as Gordon after all. And if this turns out to be true it is the first casting I totally disagree with. Noting wrong with the actor. He is just all wrong for the part.

According to Comics 2 Film (who got their news from IGN) the announcement will be made tonight that Gary Oldman has signed on as Sgt. Jim Gordon.

Gary Oldman? Interesting, but I have a hard time picturing it -- if only because he ususally plays somewhat eccentric (if not burned out or loony) characters, neither of which is Jim Gordon.

Well, from what I've heard, Gary Oldman can act, so maybe he could pull it off.

After all, Michael Keaton as Batman didn't sound too good at first, and I think he was the best Batman we've ever had on screen. We'll have to see, I'm just glad that they got an actor that won't make it goofy or campy.

And who is D.A. Fish? Played by Larry Holden?

You'll have to put me in the minority that thinks Keaton was terrible as Batman. Sorry, just my opinion. I think Clooney was better, though Batman and Robin was a terrible movie for other reasons.

Kilmer was okay, just not old enough to have teen sidekick.

Ken

New, exclusive trailer up at MTV . It requires using IE6 and Windows Media Player 10. Worth it, in my opinion. My cat Lucky, who likes to sleep on my shoulder or chest instantly perked up when I played it and watch the entire clip. I even started it over again and it grabbed her attention the second time. Didn't know she was a fan of the Bat.

Well, as pessimistic about the film as I was at the start, I'm totally excited to see this flick. In fact, I'm taking my team out to see it this afternoon for the first showing (which for some reason isn't until 12:45). I'll post my thoughts when I get home tonight.

This weekend for me! Can't wait!

I'm going to wait a week or so to see it at the local IMAX theater.

The only IMAX we have in UT is at the local planetarium and they told me, in a very disgusted voice, that they do NOT play commercial films. Their loss.

I'll be seeing it this weekend, no doubt. I can absolutely geek out in it and my wife can't say a single thing after the "Star Wars" love fest i gave her, what with buying all the movies. Then there was the Lord of the Rings thing she was nuts about, as well as it was she that wanted the spider man movies.

Funny thing was, she wasn't all that hot for me to see Catwoman or Electra, lol.

I think Myrtle Beach has an Imax somewhere, but i will most likely be seeing it in Sumter, SC.