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Really exciting news, at least for those of us who regard Batman Returns as a Christmas classic.  The film is to get the same treatment as Die Hard and see the release of an illustrated tongue-in-cheek children's Christmas book.  Check the link for details: https://13thdimension.com/batman-returns-to-be-adapted-as-childrens-christmas-book/

In the satirical vein of A Die Hard Christmas...

Is Batman Returns a Christmas movie, or not? According to Insight Editions, it most definitely is: The publisher in 2022 is planning Batman Returns: One Dark Christmas Eve: The Illustrated Holiday Classic, by writer Ivan Cohen and illustrator J.J. Harrison.

The book is a satire of both the flick and kids' Christmas books, and follows on the success of 2017's A Die Hard Christmas, which turned the bombastic actioner — subject of its own endless debate about whether it's a Christmas movie — into a hilariously bloody picture book.

The cover of the 32-page Batman Returns hardcover hasn't been released yet, but here's the official description from an Amazon listing:

Batman Returns: One Dark Christmas Eve: The Illustrated Holiday Classic

Batman returns to save both his hometown and the holiday season in this adult storybook adaptation of Tim Burton's Super Hero classic.

Just as three wise men once conspired to honor a baby, three deranged villains in Gotham City have hatched a clever plan of their own. But rather than traveling to Bethlehem and offering gifts, these narcissistic ne'er-do-wells are going to seize control of Gotham City's government and power supply instead. Once again, the Dark Knight Detective is the city's only hope for salvation—but defeating the combined forces of the Penguin, Catwoman, and unfettered capitalism is going to take a Christmas miracle! (And possibly a Bat-Plane.)

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Batman Returns with this tongue-in-cheek retelling of Tim Burton's delightfully disturbing film. Reimagined into catchy verse and beautiful illustrations, this cautionary tale of identity, ambition, and the importance of work/life balance is guaranteed to get you into the Christmas spirit!

STUNNING ILLUSTRATIONS: This one-of-a-kind tale features more than 30 colorful pieces of original artwork by renowned illustrator JJ Harrison.

FAN FAVORITE CHARACTERS: The Dark Knight goes up against iconic villains like The Penguin and Catwoman in this action-packed Gotham City adventure.

PERFECT GIFT FOR BATMAN FANS: This tongue-in-cheek homage to Tim Burton's classic is the perfect gift for the Batman fans in your life.

A NEW HOLIDAY TRADITION: Written in verse and meant to be read aloud, Batman Returns: One Dark Christmas Eve is a wonderful way to create a fun new Christmas tradition.

— A Die Hard Christmas was so successful, it spawned a Christmas ornament and a special gift set including a Bruce Willis/John McClane plushie.

— The 32-page Batman Returns book lists for $18.99 and is due in September 2022. It's already available for pre-order.

— Ivan Cohen is known to DC readers for all-ages series like The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries, which is one of my fave mags. J.J. Harrison — who illustrated A Die Hard Christmas — is popular for his wonderfully subversive cartooning. Just check out a couple of pages from A Die Hard Christmas — as well as a print on his website titled Batman: The Brave and the Bloody (unrelated to the Batman Returns book):

Shall we already declare this the best Batman book of 2022?

This is honestly one of the best live-action interpretations of Batman I've ever seen.

https://deadline.com/2020/12/lee-wallace-dies-broadway-actor-in-zalman-or-the-madness-of-god-was-90-obituary-1234661529/

I really liked this guy's performances as the quintessential NYC type mayor in films like The Taking of Pelham 123 and, of course, Batman, where he played Mayor Joe Borg.  As many people have pointed out, it helped that he bore a striking resemblance to real-life long-time mayor of NYC, Ed Koch.

RIP

Here's The Batman trailer (or at least the audio) superimposed over footage from the Burton/Schumacher films.

I thought this was very clever, and I'm impressed at how quickly the creator was able to edit this footage together:

For all of my fellow Batman Returns fans, I'd really recommend the following interview with Daniel Waters, focusing solely on this specific writing credit, conducted a few days ago:

https://diaboliquemagazine.com/episode-13-a-conversation-with-daniel-waters/

During the interview, Waters discusses his approach to writing a Batman script, his positive working relationship with Tim Burton (and his practically non-existent one with fellow Batman Returns screenwriter, Wesley Strick), his preference for writing for Catwoman and The Penguin over Batman, the function of Max Shreck's character, the thinking behind The Ice Princess character, his relative lack of interest in Commissioner Gordon, the positive response to the screenplay provided by Michelle Pfeiffer (as well as that of Annette Bening, who was originally set to play Catwoman), the notes Danny DeVito provided on his character, his negative feelings towards Batman '89, his displeasure at the way David Goyer and Christopher Nolan have, in his opinion, talked down Batman Returns, and his and Burton's differing approaches to devising the Pfeiffer-led Catwoman spinoff that never was.  He also debunks the myth that Harvey Dent was ever supposed to have any type of significant role in this movie (it seems pretty clear that, contrary to popular rumour, Dent was never a forerunner to Max Shreck).

Anyway, this is definitely worth checking out for anyone curious about the genesis of Batman Returns, and it's a pleasure to listen to the enthusiasm that the interviewer, Lee Gambin, evidently has for this wonderful and truly unique Batman film.

https://www.superherohype.com/tv/483488-hbo-max-orders-the-batman-spinoff-series-following-the-gotham-pd

'Next year, director Matt Reeves will bring DC's Dark Knight back to the big screen in The Batman. However, it appears that Reeves plans to expand his world of Gotham City into television as well. HBO Max has announced that Reeves is teaming up with producer Dylan Clark, and Boardwalk Empire creator Terrence Winter to create a new TV series that shares continuity with The Batman. Although the new show doesn't have a title, it will be be "an original DC drama set in the Gotham City police department."

According to HBO Max, the new series will also "build upon the motion picture's examination of the anatomy of corruption in Gotham City, ultimately launching a new Batman universe across multiple platforms. The news comes just a year after Gotham ended its five season run on Fox. It's also seems likely that the new series will take its cues from Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark's Gotham Central comic from 2002. That comic book series shared the same essential premise that Reeves and Winter will explore.

"This is an amazing opportunity," said Reeves in a statement. "Not only to expand the vision of the world I am creating in the film, but to explore it in the kind of depth and detail that only a longform format can afford — and getting to work with the incredibly talented Terence Winter, who has written so insightfully and powerfully about worlds of crime and corruption, is an absolute dream."

"Our collaboration with Warner Bros. and DC allows us to elaborate and grow fan connections across these powerful brands for years to come," added HBO Max's Kevin Reilly. "This is Batman as most audiences have never seen before. And we know fans will want to spend more time in this new world inspired by the film."

The new series doesn't have a start date yet. But presumably casting will begin later this year.'

This sounds exactly like the show I expected "Gotham" to be.  I hope this one finally lives up to those expectations.

[How did you get involved with directing the second unit footage on Batman Returns? Also, just a personal tidbit, Batman Returns remains one of my favourite cinematic depictions of the caped crusader, and I love the tone of that movie – it's so bonkers!]

Here's an interesting interview with Billy Weber, the second-unit director on Batman Returns.  I've posted it on the Batman (1989) page because of one particularly interesting titbit about Burton's ideal casting for the first Batman film:

How did you get involved with directing the second unit footage on Batman Returns? Also, just a personal tidbit, Batman Returns remains one of my favourite cinematic depictions of the caped crusader, and I love the tone of that movie – it's so bonkers!

It really was Tim Burton unleashed with the character in a way that he wasn't able to do on the first one, but after the first one was such a big success, the studio left us alone, even though they were very worried about the footage and the overall tone of the movie. The story is so much darker than the first one – the actual plot is really disturbing – and again, the first one had been a huge moneymaker, so Tim was given his freedom.

Yeah, I always felt that Batman Returns seemed like the proper vision for what Burton wanted to do with the character.

Oh, absolutely. And here's one fun thing about Burton's original Batman – he wanted Christopher Walken for Bruce Wayne/Batman, and John Malkovich for The Joker. But Jon Peters and Peter Guber said absolutely not, and threatened to take him off the picture if he was set in stone about those casting ideas. So when he finally got the chance to make Batman Returns, that's why the vibe is so of the wall – it was the Batman movie that Tim had wanted to make all along, and because of the success of the first one, nobody bothered him during production, and we were pretty much left alone to make the film we all wanted to make. And he got to cast Walken as one of the bad guys.

So you had no previous directing experience, and here you are, doing second unit direction on a massively budgeted sequel to one of the biggest and most influential blockbusters of all time – that's so crazy to really think about!

Yes, and it was so much fun, I had a great time doing it.  I had worked with Tim on Pee-wee, and at the time, he knew I was interested in directing. I was developing a few projects and was reading scripts, and I really thought I wanted to go into directing. So, Tim called me and asked if I wanted to do Second Unit on Batman Returns, and so I obviously said yes, that I would be honored to do it. The Second Unit shot for 50 days, with a crew of between 50-60 people. Whatever Tim didn't get that day through the main unit, the Second Unit would get the following day, provided there was no major talent involved. And then on top of it, I handled a lot of the action sequences, the car chase stuff, tons of extras, and all of the penguin footage, which was really extraordinary. The opening prologue with Paul Reubens and Diane Salinger, playing the Penguin's parents, where they send him off into the sewer – that was also done by the Second Unit.

Wow, I would never have expected that stuff to have been Second Unit!

Yeah, at the time, Batman Returns was the biggest production that Warner Brothers had done on the stages in Los Angeles, and that entire movie, except for one shot of Michelle Pfeiffer in her car driving, was done on the lot at Warner Brothers. It was a massive production. And the penguins, they were amazing to work with. The little ones were easy and a pleasure, but the big guys, the Emperors, they are big, about four and a half feet tall, and they have very specific health requirements. They need a constant 35 degree or under environment, so the studio rented massive AC units to keep the sets extremely cold, and they had their own trailer with a pool attached to it. They are big, intelligent creatures, and they'd been raised by a guy from the UK, who had gotten them as babies from the Falkland Islands, and he flew them over from London to Los Angeles for the filming of the movie. But you had to be very careful with them otherwise they could get very sick.

So those penguins were very well taken care of on the set it would seem?

Oh yes, they were very well looked after, and they did a great job in terms of what they added to those sequences in the film. And overall, it was just a massive production. I had two cinematographers on the Second Unit, Paul Ryan and Don Burgess, and Don as I'm sure you know went on to become Robert Zemeckis' cameraman for a long time. I gave Don his first solo DOP job on Josh and S.A.M.

The full interview with veteran film editor and second-unit director, Billy Worth, who has worked on some pretty big films, is at the following site:

http://wearecult.rocks/the-billy-weber-interview-part-two

Apparently, he's a fan.    Further confirmation that the franchise is currently in very safe hands.

"I thought, 'Well, there's been some terrific Batman movies,' and I don't want to be part of a long line of Batman movies where this is just another one," said Reeves. "I feel like they've been really distinctive. The best ones have been incredible. What Nolan did was incredible. What Tim Burton did was really singular."

"I love Batman Returns," said Reeves. "Michelle Pfeiffer was incredible. I love it, I love it so much. It's so incredible and she's so incredible in it. I just think it's such a beautiful movie. I love the Penguin stuff when he's going down the sewers as the baby. It's just like, wow. This is the beautiful thing about Tim Burton at his best in that way that he's got that connection into the fantastical that feels very, very personal."

https://batman-news.com/2020/04/08/matt-reeves-talks-his-love-for-the-dark-knight-and-batman-returns/

[Oscar Isaac]

Now it appears that the first of a likely franchise/trilogy of films has been fully cast with Batman, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler and Falcone, along with new and more minor characters, which characters would you feature in future films and who would you cast?

I'd definitely like to see Harvey Dent appear, preferably before he becomes Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face never really worked for me because, apart from his inappropriately manic portrayal, we never really got to see the character before his tragedy - imagine how different that would have been, had Billy Dee Williams been allowed to reprise the character), and my choice for the part would be Oscar Isaac.  Aaron Eckhart was superb as Dent, and definitely caught the character's idealism and simmering rage, but I think he somewhat lacked in projecting his charisma and arrogance.  I think Isaac could give us a Dent who was both idealistic and charismatic, and possessed an underlying dark side, even before his transformation, with respect to his anger and cockiness.

I'd also like to see The Joker turn up somewhere in this franchise, possibly in the third film (after all in the Burton/Schumacher franchise he appeared in the first film, and in the Nolan franchise he was the second film's lead villain), and although I think there are a number of interesting candidates for the part, including Caleb Landry Jones and Lakeith Stansfield, my choice would be Rami Malek.  I don't think Phoenix's shambolic, sad-sack Joker would quite work in a Batman franchise.  For a truly formidable villain, you need someone who is a criminal mastermind, preferably with no discernible past, but in order to match up to the likes of Nicholson, Ledger and Phoenix, all Oscar-winners (well, in Phoenix's case, about to be an Oscar-winner), you need another high-profile accolade heavy actor, and I think Malek could play a creepy, high-pitched, unsettling, schizophrenic Joker of the likes we've yet to see in live-action (suffice to say, my all-time favourite onscreen Joker is still Mark Hamill's animated series version, and I dearly want to see someone capture that version in live-action).  Plus, it would be interesting to finally have a Joker who isn't a Eurocentric white man (Malek is of Egyptian descent) whilst remembering that diversity is not merely a question of black and white (so far we've see Gordon and Catwoman cast with black actors, and I am personally delighted with these picks, but it would be great to see other forms of racial/ethnic diversity beyond African-American actors).

As for other characters, I'd like to see Poison Ivy and Mr Freeze again, done properly this time, and maybe a more comic-accurate version of The Scarecrow (cast Adam Driver in the part and make him the sequel's main villain), as well as Robin and Batgirl, and the cinematic debut of The Mad Hatter and maybe Hugo Strange.  It would also be great to see some of Bruce Wayne's various girlfriends, like Silver St Cloud, for instance, show up.  And Bullock definitely needs to appear.

https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/wb-liveaction-batman-movie-michael-keaton/

As Warner Bros. continues to work out how best to relaunch the Batman movie franchise in an exciting new way, DC fans have already had the perfect idea for years now: just produce a live-action adaptation of everyone's favorite animated series Batman Beyond. And better yet, get Michael Keaton back as the older Bruce, as it could tie into the fondly-remembered Tim Burton Batman movies. Surely that'd be a license to print money, right?

Well, we've got some good news, as sources close to We Got This Covered – the same ones who told us The CW was developing an Arrow spinoff for Katherine McNamara back in March, Viola Davis was returning for The Suicide Squad and that Tom Welling was going to show up in "Crisis on Infinite Earths," all of which were eventually confirmed – have informed us that inspired by the success of Joker, WB is now looking to do more standalone, dark and mature DC movies. And one project they'd like to make happen is a live-action Batman Beyond with Keaton in the lead role.

For those unfamiliar with Batman Beyond, it was a beloved TV show that aired from 1999 to 2001 and saw a Bruce Wayne who'd hung up the cape and cowl and was living a lonely existence in his mansion. Everything changed for him, though, when high-schooler Terry McGinnis stumbled into the Batcave and swiped a prototype Batsuit. It wasn't long before he became the Batman of the future and an elderly Bruce Wayne found himself as his mentor.

Of course, none of this is set in stone yet and there's every chance that the project won't ever materialize. But with the wild success Joker's seen so far, it'd make sense that WB would want to explore more DC projects in a similar vein and a Batman Beyond movie with Keaton in the lead would without a doubt be a monster hit for them. Bigger than even the aforementioned Joaquin Phoenix-starring film.

I'm not sure how accurate this rumour is, but assuming there is any truth to it, and Michael Keaton is even remotely interested in resuming the part of Batman, I cautiously welcome a Batman Beyond film starring Kearon, but only on the basis that it is directed by Tim Burton.  If it is to be in the same continuity as Batman '89 and Batman Returns, I'm not sure I'd like to see another filmmaker, especially one who didn't respect those classics, take the helm.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/batman-casts-paul-dano-as-riddler-1248494

Matt Reeves is directing Robert Pattinson in the film.

Filmmaker Matt Reeves has found his Riddler for The Batman. Paul Dano has joined the film as the classic villain, Warner Bros. announced Thursday.
Dano's version of the character will be named Edward Nashton, a departure from the comic books in which he goes by the name Edward Nygma. Frank Gorshin and John Astin played the villain in the 1960s TV series, while Jim Carrey played him in 1995's Batman Forever, directed by Joel Schumacher.

Robert Pattinson is starring in The Batman, with Zoe Kravitz set to play Catwoman and Jeffrey Wright on board as Batman ally Commissioner Gordon. Jonah Hill was at one point eyeing a role in the film as either Riddler or The Penguin, but the deal did not come to fruition. Reeves has said he plans to include a rogues gallery of Batman villains in the film.

Dano was recently nominated for an Emmy for his role in Escape at Dannemora. The actor directed, co-wrote and produced the critically-acclaimed film Wildlife. His other film credits include Love and Mercy, Prisoners, 12 Years a Slave, There Will Be Blood,  Little Miss Sunshine,Youth and Okja, amongst others.

Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the Riddler — AKA Edward Nygma, or "E. Nigma" — is a supervillain who aims to challenge Batman in a battle of wits, leaving clues and riddles for the world's greatest detective to solve in order to catch him. Since debuting in 1948's Detective Comics No. 140, he's gone on to become one of the most high profile Bat-villains, appearing in movies, cartoons and video games across the past seven decades, stretching his question mark-ridden gimmick as far as it could go and then some, including spending some years as a good guy when he realized that it was just as much fun to solve crimes as it was to commit them.

Warner Bros. opens The Batman on June 25, 2021. Dano is represented by Anonymous Content, WME, Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder and Christopher and Relevant.

—Graeme McMillan contributed to this story.

https://www.cbr.com/the-batman-casts-big-little-lies-star-as-catwoman/

According to Deadline, X-Men: First Class alum Zoe Kravitz will star opposite Robert Pattinson. She also joins Jeffrey Wright, who will appear as Commissioner Gordon, and Jonah Hill, who is circling a villain role.

The Big Little Lies star is no stranger to the genre, having appeared as Angel Salvadore in X-Men: First Class. Her past credits include Mad Max: Fury Road, Divergent, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. She also voiced Catwoman in The LEGO Batman Movie.

Previously, the Catwoman role was filled by Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt on the Batman 1960s series, Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Returns, Halle Berry in Catwoman and Cameron Bicondova on Gotham.

Pattinson was cast as the new Batman in late May, following Ben Affleck's departure from the role. Plot details and casting for the film remain under wraps.

The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, who will also produce alongside Dylan Clark. Casting is still underway, with the film scheduled to be released on June 25, 2021.

[WB Developing A Standalone Mr. Freeze Movie Outside The DCEU]

WB Developing A Standalone Mr. Freeze Movie Outside The DCEU

Joker might have been a bigger success than Warner Brothers had anticipated. Grossing $93.5 million in its opening weekend – the biggest October premiere ever – Todd Phillips' slow-burn original origin story has (metaphorically) taken the world by storm.

Despite the several avenues of controversy the film has paved out, the audience reaction seems to be incredibly positive. Currently sitting at a 90% fan-approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Joker is also (at the time of writing) the 9th highest-ranking movie of all time on IMDb, with a score of 8.8.

With all the accolades the pic has gathered thus far – including the top prize at the Venice Film Festival – executives at WB are surely looking towards the future. And sources close to We Got This Covered – the same ones who revealed that Jonah Hill would be in The Batman, Black Adam will be in Shazam! 3 and that Tom Welling was returning for "Crisis on Infinite Earths," all of which are now confirmed – have told us that their plans include a solo Mr. Freeze picture.

No, Arnold Schwarzenegger will more than likely not be reprising his iconically campy performance and from what we understand, this film, if it comes to be (it's only in the early development stages right now), will be taking the same set of steps Joker did, with a story set outside the DCEU. While Victor Fries has yet to pop up in the cinematic universe, we can expect that whatever actor decides to pick up the role in this project will, like Phoenix, not be involved in any other superhero pics.

Surely, Joker's grim atmosphere contributed to its success – bringing into the spotlight the great Scorsese loner films like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy – and in that respect, a Mr. Freeze movie could very easily tap into that same arena of darkness.
As most Batman fans know, Victor, obsessed with finding the cure to his wife's terminal cancer, was engulfed by cryogenic coolants and rage. We don't know to what extent WB will tamper with the villain's setup for this movie, but if a Mr. Freeze project is green-lit, there'd surely be a lot of room to explore that tragedy.

Source: https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/warner-brothers-developing-solo-freeze-movie/?utm_content=buffer3047d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Really looking forward to this:

https://www.newsarama.com/46507-batman-the-definitive-history-of-the-dark-knight-in-comics-film-and-beyond-preview.html

INSIGHT EDITIONS PRESENTS
BATMAN:
THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF THE DARK KNIGHT
IN COMICS, FILM, AND BEYOND
Written by Andrew Farago and Gina McIntyre
Foreword by Michael Keaton
Preface by Dennis O'Neil
Introduction by Kevin Conroy

The Caped Crusader. The Dark Knight. The World's Greatest Detective. Bats.

Since his 1939 debut in the pages of Detective Comics, Batman has become an icon, instantly recognizable the world over. Through the years, Gotham City's guardian has been interpreted in so many radically different ways that we all now have our own Batman. To some, he's the colorful Caped Crusader who dispatches villains with a POW! To others, he's the grim Dark Knight hell-bent on avenging the death of his parents. And to others still he's made of LEGO, has great abs and likes to eat lobster thermidor!

In celebration of the Dark Knight's 80th Anniversary, this deluxe volume tells the complete story of Batman and the many forms he's taken across comics, TV, animation, film, video games and beyond, to present a compelling portrait of one of the most recognizable and versatile characters in the history of fiction. Covering the complete history of Batman in vivid detail, the book features exclusive commentary from the key creatives who have been instrumental in building the Dark Knight's ongoing legacy, including Neal Adams, Tim Burton, Paul Dini, Steve Englehart, Mark Hamill, Grant Morrison, Julie Newmar, Christopher Nolan, Denny O'Neil, Joel Schumacher, Scott Snyder and Zack Snyder.

Along with taking readers on an unparalleled journey into the creation of the most memorable Batman moments in the character's eighty-year history—from the "Knightfall" comics arc to Tim Burton's films and the Arkham video game series—the book offers incomparable access to the DC and Warner Bros. archives to deliver an avalanche of never-before-seen visual treasures that are guaranteed to blow the minds of Batman fans everywhere.

Filled with exclusive insert items (more info on next page), Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond, is the ultimate exploration of a true legend whose impact on our culture has no limits.

This book contains new writing and never-before-seen content, such as:
·      A foreword by Michael Keaton, who played the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's Batman (1989)and Batman Returns (1992).
·      A preface from Dennis O'Neil, a legendary Batman comic book writer and editor.
·      An introduction by Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman in Batman: The Animated Series, and countless other Batman properties including the Arkham Asylum video games. 
·      Interviews with Christopher Nolan and the other key creatives behind The Dark Knight Trilogy.
·      Never-before-seen photography and concept art from the Tim Burton films Batman and Batman Returns
·      Sketches, animation cels and storyboards from Batman: The Animated Series and other Batman animated shows, including The Batman and Brave and the Bold.

The book also unearths a lost gem of Batman lore: a rejected 40-page film treatment submitted to WB by Bob Kane, Batman's co-creator, in 1986, called The Return of Batman.

Comprehensive, compelling and filled with previously unseen treasures, Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond is the ultimate guide to our most legendary Super Hero.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS:
Andrew Farago is the curator of San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum and the author of The Complete Peanuts Family Album, Totally Awesome: The Greatest Cartoons of the Eighties, and the Harvey Award–winning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History. In 2015, he received the prestigious Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International. He lives in California with his wife, cartoonist Shaenon K. Garrity, and their son, Robin.

Gina McIntyre is the New York Times best-selling author of Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down. Her other books include Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water: Creating a Fairy Tale for Troubled Times, The Art of Ready Player One,and Star Wars Icons: Han Solo. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Hollywood Reporter, and Entertainment Weekly. She lives with her husband and daughter in Riverside, Illinois.

BATMAN: THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF THE DARK KNIGHT
IN COMICS, FILM, AND BEYOND
Written by Andrew Farago and Gina McIntyre
Insight Editions | October 2019 | 9.25 in. × 12.75 in. | 400 pages
Hardcover | $75.00

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/rutger-hauer-dies-aged-75/

Sad news.  The man is a legend.

Roy Batty in Blade Runner is his greatest role (Harrison Ford will always be the iconic star of Indiana Jones and Star Wars, but Hauer clearly steals Blade Runner), but he had a memorable appearance as the duplicitous secondary/'plainclothes' villain, Richard Earle, in Batman Begins, and also appeared in another DC project, "Smallville", as Morgan Edge.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/robert-pattinsons-batman-selection-wins-younger-americans-poll-finds-1219118

This is interesting, according to a new poll, Christian Bale only just edges out Michael Keaton as the Batman actor whose performance has the most favourable impression among polled adults (Clooney, Affleck and Kilmer are third, fourth and fifth respectively).  Heath Ledger likewise just edges out Jack Nicholson as the Joker actor whose performance leaves the most favourable impression (Jared Leto comes a poor third).  But most surprisingly, Halle Berry just edges out Michelle Pfeiffer as the Catwoman actor whose performances leaves the most favourable impression, despite the universally held opinion that Catwoman 2004 is a poor film (this result bolsters my belief that given the right material Berry could have been a great Catwoman, albeit not necessarily as good as Pfeiffer), with Hathaway polling third.

No mention of the 1967 Batman the Movie actors, although I guess most modern audience members won't be particularly familiar with Adam West, Cesar Romero and Lee Meriwether.

We all love Batman Returns and Danny DeVito's performance as The Penguin, right?  That's why we're here, to celebrate those films and those performances.

Sometimes I wonder.  It seems we'd much rather talk about politics or badmouthing Star Wars or filmmakers like James Gunn, and discuss practically anything else but the very frickin films and people behind them this site was created to celebrate in the first place.  Just a reminder for all of you who seem to have forgotten, this site is called 'Batman-Online.com' ya all.

Personally, I think we should start scrapping some of the off-topic boards and topics and go back to actually talking about the Batman films and people involved in them, but anyway, here's my chance to try to get things back on track by posting a great Danny DeVito interview (in which he references a part in our favourite Batman director's next film, Dumbo - hopefully, us true Burton Batman fans will honour our fandom by checking the film out when it's released in cinemas next year):

https://www.thedailybeast.com/danny-devito-on-the-trump-administration-they-probably-dont-even-care-about-their-own-grandchildren

Still, to my mind, the definitive live-action Lois Lane.

Michelle Pfeiffer is 60 today!

Happy Birthday Michelle.

Looking forward to seeing you in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Maleficent 2.

It's all here: https://batman-on-film.com/2018/03/31/uncategorized/joel-schumacher-is-returning-to-batman-on-film/