Important features a potential Batman reboot MUST Have

[bat39]

Well, predictably, the moment TDKR came out, speculation already began on the nature of the inevitable reboot. And while we know absolutely NOTHING about the next incarnation of the Dark Knight on screen (well, apart from the fact that he'll be less 'realistic' than Nolan's version and might tie-in with a Justice League movie), these are a few things I believe ANY director/screenwriter needs to keep in mind while planning the Batman reboot-

1. NO ORIGIN. That's the MOST important thing of all to keep in mind. Everyone knows the story already, and Nolan did it probably better than anyone else ever will in Batman Begins. Time to move on. Nolan has done a great origin story and a great 'concluding chapter' to the Dark Knight legend...time to focus on the MIDDLE of Batman's career (which is what 90% of Batman stories have focused on anyway - so there's PLENTY of source material and new avenues to explore). I want to see a Batman who's several years into his career and well-established in Gotham City as its protector and resident hero. Of course, a flashback to the Wayne murders WOULD be a welcome move and a poignant moment in ANY Batman story, especially if it relates to a moment in the central narrative...but no more 'Year One' era!

2. Avoid re-hashing the Nolanverse villains. Nolan did a perfect Ras al Ghul, Scarecrow, Two Face, Joker, Catwoman and Bane. While these are are legendary villains in the Batman lore-indeed, some of them being his greatest villains EVER, Nolan's take on them is still fresh in the public memory (especially Heath Ledger's Joker) and there are MANY great villains who've either not been on screen in a while, or have NEVER been on screen. In the former category, we have characters like Riddler, Penguin, Mr. Freeze etc. And in the latter, we have the likes of Hugo Strange, Clayface, Harley Quinn, Mad Hatter, Deadshot, Black Mask, Killer Croc and so many others. There's a whole galaxy of villains for the new series to explore, before they consider reinventing the Joker again (which is also pretty much inevitable at some point).

3. Related to the above point - it'd be great if we got to see more characters and concepts from the Batman mythos which haven't appeared in previous films. For instance, I'd love to see prominent characters from the GCPD like Harvey Bullock or Rene Motoya (granted, Anna Ramirez from TDK was supposedly based on her, but still). Or Leslie Thompkins (and related to her, the whole idea that Batman visits Crime Alley once a year to pay tribute to his parents...which made for one of the best episodes of the TAS). Also, how about we get to see a Batcave with a trophy room, including a robot T-Rex and a giant penny! Or Batman's 'Matches Malone' disguise. The possibilities for world-building are endless!

4. Stylistically speaking, the reboot should go in a totally different direction from Nolan or Burton (and definitely STAY AWAY from Schumacher!) And I think a good way to go about it is to embrace comic book aesthetics for once rather than avoiding them. 'The Avengers' has proved that you can use the comics books as a direct stylistic influence on films and still manage to get away without looking unduly silly and campy (in fact, you get away looking AWESOME!) So, for instance, I'd love to see Batman with a more 'comic-book' based costume, with a grey bodysuit instead of the all-black look ALL the movies have had so far (the current 'New 52' suit can serve as an ideal template IMO). I'd love to see the villains in costumes based off their comic book appearances...not uber-realistic but certainly not campy and over-the-top. The Batman universe on film should look and FEEL like a world where a woman can walk around in a green dress and wrapped in vines, along with an obese man in a tuxedo carrying trick umbrellas, and a monstrous-looking man with scaly skin...and still look deathly serious. The kind of tone they should be aiming for is something akin to the TAS.

5. The sidekicks. Like it or hate it, Batman's 'extended family' is one of the largest and most prominent in comic book lore (if not THE largest and most prominent). One can respect Nolan's motives in leaving this one aspect of the mythos out of his series, and certainly the stink of Batman and Robin still lingers...but that's no reason why film-makers and fans alike can't give Robin, Batgirl et all another shot on the big screen. If people can accept a teenage superhero in 'Amazing Spider-Man', there really shouldn't be THAT much of a problem with a teenage vigilante 'sidekick', if done properly. I honestly feel an origin story for Dick Grayson can be the perfect way to kick off the rebooted series...and then explore Dick's evolution as Robin, and eventually Nightwing, through the span of 2-3 films. And that's just ONE of the many ways they can handle this. Again, I feel the TAS is a great template for how the sidekicks should be handled in a Batman film.

[batGRRRl4ever]

I'm just going to remark on two points. First it has already been stated that the next reboot is specifically to fit into the proposed Justice League movie, so Batman's universe this time around will most definitely NOT be 'nolanesque' (thank god!) And secondly on your fifth point Barbara Gordon's Batgirl has NEVER been a sidekick in the comics to Batman, I will arguably agree however she did rate as that in mediums outside of the comics.

[bat39]

I'm just going to remark on two points. First it has already been stated that the next reboot is specifically to fit into the proposed Justice League movie, so Batman's universe this time around will most definitely NOT be 'nolanesque' (thank god!) And secondly on your fifth point Barbara Gordon's Batgirl has NEVER been a sidekick in the comics to Batman, I will arguably agree however she did rate as that in mediums outside of the comics.

Okay, by 'sidekicks' I was actually referring to the 'Batman Family' in general. I agree that Batgirl is hardly a 'sidekick' to Batman the way Robin is.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

The next reboot should have the Riddler and Killer Croc. There should also be more talk of why he's so driven, namely, because of his parents.

I'm not happy with the Nolan Bane, so I wouldn't mind if the canon Bane reappeared.

[itzspooky]

I would prefer no Batgirl to a Barbara Gordon Batgirl.. As Oracle I would love to see her on film with an unspoken grudge to be explored until later films. Honestly they should have Dick as Nightwing, Jason Todd dead and Barbara as Oracle and have the first film explore some of these things while being an origin story for Tim Drake as Robin. I personally would love to see Red Hood come back as the tragic villain to one of the sequels

[Jorriss]

The next reboot should have the Riddler and Killer Croc. There should also be more talk of why he's so driven, namely, because of his parents.

I love the idea of Killer Croc and Riddler but please, we don't need a scene of Bruce crying over his parents grave. He's too driven in the comics by his parents death and it would come off silly in live action, I imagine.

[Dick_Wingnut]

I'm just going to remark on two points. First it has already been stated that the next reboot is specifically to fit into the proposed Justice League movie, so Batman's universe this time around will most definitely NOT be 'nolanesque'

Source pls?

[NewMutant]

I was really hoping for a Harley Quinn appearance in the Nolan films. I thought using her in the last one would be a good way to connect the Joker to the film. Even if she was sort of cameo-ed in with a throw away line like a "Joker obsessed copycat." I would love to see her on the big screen at some point, but it was WAAAAY to soon for a reboot discussion even.

[InfamousBG]

1) No Reboot
2) Riddler, Penguin, Mad Hatter
3) Robin
4) Barbara Gordon/Bat Girl
5) No Reboot

[The World]

The next reboot should have the Riddler and Killer Croc. There should also be more talk of why he's so driven, namely, because of his parents.

I'm not happy with the Nolan Bane, so I wouldn't mind if the canon Bane reappeared.

Why? That subject has been discussed to death.

In that regard they need to stay the course of Nolan's movie and showed character development through out the film.

[godisawesome]

In terms of overall approach to the films, I have two hopes:

1) Use of an overall theme for each movie, like the Nolan trilogy, and select the bad guys for the theme, not the other way around. The use of Fear, Chaos and Pain in the Nolan trilogy helped give each film depth and make the conflict with the villain more real. If you want to have the theme for the new movies be legacies and family, for example, choose the Al Ghul clan in it's entirety or have Mr. Freeze's relationship with his wife be a main focus. Or if you want to focus on identity and being lost in an obsession, use Hush or Clayface.

2) Don't be afraid of any bad-guys and maximize the rogues gallery. Don't be afraid of characters who've been used by Nolan and Burton, but don't look down on the second-tier bad-guys or newcomers. There can be a lot of really sick and personal evil in the Scarecrow just obsessively seeking revenge on someone, or the Mad Hatter brainwashing one of our heroes as there is in the Joker's rampage or Bane invading the city. Embrace their other-worldly appearances but keep an eye on the real world; Bane as a mercenary works better than evil luchador, but Ra's Al Ghul's Lazarus Pit can maximize his power and reality as a villain. Masks and disguises can be used to delineate the difference between the old time hoods (Thorne, Cluemaster) and the freaks.

Relating to the hope that the Bat-family will appear, I have only two requirements:

1) Multiple generations of both sexes. Start off with Babs and Dick as the young heroes, then have younger characters show up. Due to the time it can take to make a movie, it will be more practical to actually address the actors and actresses growing maturity, and it would allow for dramatic changes, such as Babs and Dick becoming Batman's peers while Jason Todd can die/return, and you could have a lot of fun with nerd Tim Drake in contrast to the other Robins, and martial arts master Cass Cain and crook's daughter Steph Brown in comparison to Babs. If they feel the need to keep the girls names different, they have aliases they can use.

2) Make sure everyone can punch above their weight-class. Make them a bit more sci-fi and play to each character's unique strengths: Dick's leadership abilities and extraordinary acrobatic abilities, Tim's detective skills and somewhat Machiavellian temperament, Bab's mentor skills and mastery of cyberspace (she doesn't need a wheelchair to kick butt online), and Cass's body reading ability and incredible skill. For members like Jason and Stephanie, give them even more unusual methods, like Jason's use of firearms and explosives or Stephanie being a gadget nut when she gets access to the armory.

A single director and a plan for the future would also be good. Have the Al Ghuls and Talia mentioned early on for Damian in a later film, have Jason Todd appear for a short time if you want to see the Red Hood in all his glory, and if you're gonna use the Joker, make him a constant presence even if he's not physically appearing.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

Why? That subject has been discussed to death.

In that regard they need to stay the course of Nolan's movie and showed character development through out the film.

As the Economist said, it has not been dealt with in the movies, though it has, as you rightly said, been dealt with in print.

[Pauly T]

1) No reboot
2) No superpowered characters
3) No reboot
4) Introduce potential leads for spinoff movies
5) No reboot

[Mr. Holmes]

As the Economist said, it has not been dealt with in the movies, though it has, as you rightly said, been dealt with in print.

He doesn't need to be obsessed about his tragedy for it to be "dealth with."

[Walsh06]

Would this work. Instead of a justice league film, do a bat family film. So each of them have their own movies or movies with a couple of them, then set it up for a large film where they all come together. I don't know if it would work but I would like it.