Nolan, Goyer Talk Batman: Intimidation
Director Chris Nolan and writer David Goyer talk about returning the Dark Knight to his dark roots.
Batman: Intimidation helmer Chris Nolan told Variety "I felt like doing the origins story of the character, which is a story that's never been told before. Humanity and realism (not cartoon villains with bad puns, outlandish costumes and zany sound effects) will be the tone of the film, he said.
"The world of Batman is that of grounded reality," he says. "Ours will be a recognizable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises."
Nolan, a Bond fan, says Bruce Wayne will be a lot like 007.
WB Pictures President of Production Jeff Robinov adds, "There's an emotional component to the film which grounds it and really tells us about Bruce Wayne's struggle."
Batman doesn’t appear until 40 minutes into the film, giving the audience time to know and like Bruce Wayne. "If we're successful, the thing that will be talked about a lot and on what we worked on the hardest is that the audience will really care about Bruce Wayne and not just Batman," writer Dave Goyer says. It doesn't matter how much you spend on special effects -- if it feels hollow, no one gives a damn."
"It's almost impossible to reinvent Batman," says Robinov. "Chris is reintroducing Batman, and it feels smart and cool and fresh. That's no disrespect to the other movies, but it's really Chris' vision of Batman, and that's what we're supporting."
Nolan starts directing next month with a summer 2005 release date planned.
There'll be a new Batmobile, a new arsenal of gadgets, a new Batsuit (sans nipples) as well as a new musical theme, Variety says. There’s also changes in store for Gotham. "Gotham will seem like this great city in a contemporary world and will be created through various cities," Nolan says. "We are trying to avoid a villagey feel for Gotham, as it starts to get claustrophobic."
Bye bye Schumacher! "As the Batman films progressed, they became increasingly more cartoonish and more like the campy TV show. We think the audience is tired of that, and it's at odds with the way Batman is depicted in the comicbooks over the last decade. Batman is a classic figure whose story is wrapped in tragedy," Goyer said.
Nolan jumps on that theme: "Few superheroes have the sense of purpose and destiny that Batman has. He is driven by an incredible sense of rage, sadness and grief because of the tragedy of his parents' murder at an early age. To me, Batman is the most interesting superhero because he doesn't have any superpowers. He is very human."
Christian Bale is capable of showing the audiences the entire psychological journey that turns Wayne into the Batman, Nolan says.