Ben Affleck is stepping away from the directors chair. Who do you want to take on the directing ?
My candidates :
Gareth Edwards - Rouge One
Tim Miller - Deadpool
The Russo Brothers - Captain America
Bryan Singer
Jon Favreau
I've had enough Batman. The Nolan/Bale trilogy was pretty great. Batman vs Superman was not. Not that Affleck's Batman was what was wrong with it exactly. Bring on the other big DC names: Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash (the TV show is terrifically mediocre, so that's probably out...)
@sinusoidal: I think Affleck was the wrong choice too! I don`t know who would do a good job as Batman.
@antovex1: I said Affleck wasn't what was wrong with the movie. I thought he was a perfectly OK Batman. The killing-people stuff didn't really bother me. In fact, now that I think about it, I wouldn't mind a gritty-ass, R-rated Batman.
I think less obvious choices always make for more interesting films, like Burton or Nolan were.
So I'd go with wild cards like Mel Gibson, Frank Darabont, or Michael Mann. Directors known for strong character development without too much humour.
If we were to take Batman into a totally different type of film, I'd take a bet on Nicolas Winding Refn. His consistency as a director is poor, but Drive, Bronson, and Pusher have real character and style for days.
Story: I'd love them to do an older Bruce, more seasoned and in declining health, looking for a new protege to take his place as a new villain, the worst Gotham's ever had, has descended on the city. The Arkham Knight or someone would actually be great on film; perhaps Azrael could be in it, too, played by the Luke Cage guy or something. I have no idea. I'm just going mad now.
@antovex1: I said Affleck wasn't what was wrong with the movie. I thought he was a perfectly OK Batman. The killing-people stuff didn't really bother me. In fact, now that I think about it, I wouldn't mind a gritty-ass, R-rated Batman.
Sorry! I read your answer to quickly :). It´s going to be hard to beat the Nolan versions , but a R-rated version is probably the way to go .
My pick?
@lawgamer: that's not the point. it's happening whether you like it or not.
Not Zack Snyder.
I think Zack Snyder has amazing art direction in his movies so I'm all for him directing a full out Batman flick. Watchman had great atmosphere - dark, gritty and brooding - and is probably one of the best comic book adaptations I've seen to date. People love to hate on Snyder for whatever reason but "visually" I find his movies quite stunning, and just like with comics it's the visuals I come for. Sure I'd like there to be a good story but if the action is amazing and the story so-so then hey I'm all for it. People love Avengers and those movies are all effects cause the story, and quite frankly most of the dialog, is absolute garbage.
I think Zack Snyder has amazing art direction in his movies so I'm all for him directing a full out Batman flick. Watchman had great atmosphere - dark, gritty and brooding - and is probably one of the best comic book adaptations I've seen to date. People love to hate on Snyder for whatever reason but "visually" I find his movies quite stunning, and just like with comics it's the visuals I come for. Sure I'd like there to be a good story but if the action is amazing and the story so-so then hey I'm all for it. People love Avengers and those movies are all effects cause the story, and quite frankly most of the dialog, is absolute garbage.
Visuals can only take you so far though, at some point a bad story will start to detract from your enjoyment. The stories in the Avengers are average enough to not hurt the overall experience. But no matter how amazing I found the visuals in Sucker Punch, it couldn't keep me in my seat with that garbage story. Also if you've watched enough Snyder movies you start getting used to his visual style, which for me increasingly diminishes its impact while increasing the focus on story.
Ide personally vote Kevin Smith. Not the biggest fan of his "Jersey" movies, but the dude is a lifelong comic book fan who loves the source material more than anything he has ever written himself (and he has written some limited series of Batman the comic already anyways). I think he would do it justice in a way that no one else who has tried to fit Batman into "their vision" of a film has been able to do
@aktivity: I never understood the vitriol really. I think Sucker Punch is on the exact same level as Avengers in terms of story, if not fractionally better because it at least attempts something deeper than RAR RAR get the bad guy! Of course Avengers and most Marvel movies are primarily aimed at young teens so they're as inoffensive as can be. I'd rather watch a movie fall flat on its face with style than bore me halfway through with its predictable plot.
Different strokes for different folks and all that, but the way people point out Snyder and Sucker Punch in particular as this sin against film making has often perplexed me as I've seen much, much worse.
Edgar Wright. The villain is The Mad Hatter.
For real! He adapted Scott Pilgrims's six volumes into one movie as good as anyone could imagine.
It'll never be Favraeu or the Russo brothers thanks to their connection to Marvel. Same goes for Brian Singer and Tim Miller. And that's good. The only one out of those four/five to direct would have been the Russo brothers, but I'm not sure how they would fit with a darker tone.
If WB and DC is serious about this whole universe; Denis Villeneuve. Best director around these days.
Paul Greengrass, take shakycam gritty Batman to its natural conclusion.
Ummmmm I'm not sure what my super serious answer would be. Maybe somebody like Jeff Nichols or Jeremy Saulnier? David Fincher? Denis Villeneuve seems like the go-to guy these days, what with getting Blade Runner and Dune and actually being good. But if I could pick ANYBODY, I would say fuck it, because we have enough brooding Batman movies, and just pick somebody who wouldn't fit the project at all and would do something weird, like Woody Allen or the Coen brothers or David Lynch or Werner Herzog or Tommy Wiseau or Pedro Almodovar or Quentin Tarantino or Len Kabasinski.
I don't really care, but DC really need to a) get somebody who can actually craft a coherent story and b) not meddle. Or maybe they don't? Their movies still make like a billion dollars, I guess.
I think what DC needs is James Gunn who is currently finishing up Guardians of the Galaxy 2, not someone like James Gunn, they need HIM. Just as importantly Warner Bros. need focus on building and telling stories, even if it seems incongruous to what they started, and they have to put having a STORY first.
I guarantee that is Warner Bros continues the plans they have, they will totally wreck any future they have for making anything good. Tone is secondary to finding a good story to tell and telling it. If what that story tells turns out dark, so the "f" what as long as it a coherent story. Now if they want to sell these films and character to tweens? Well they they should lighten the fuck up in that case!
Choose a side: Are these DC movies for 19-44 year olds or tweens and teens? Either way could be profitable, but there is NO WAY to aim down the middle for both. Warner Bros needs to choose a path and then tell stories appropriate to that path. "PG" for ten years olds or hard "R"...not trying to be both.
Michael Bay, I want to see Batman throw batterangs at people and watch them EXPLODE. Or if he kicks people they EXPLODE, or well everything exploding because Batman.
But seriously, Batman should sit on the bench for a while or be a cameo character until more time has passed. I don't think any new take on Batman will be able to live up to the level of grit and seriousness that Nolan managed to capture with his trilogy. But if it HAD to be made, like there's no way out of it, explosions.
It'll never be Favraeu or the Russo brothers thanks to their connection to Marvel. Same goes for Brian Singer and Tim Miller. And that's good. The only one out of those four/five to direct would have been the Russo brothers, but I'm not sure how they would fit with a darker tone.
If WB and DC is serious about this whole universe; Denis Villeneuve. Best director around these days.
Denis Villeneuve would be a very interesting choice, maybe he could give the franchise the direction it needs.
Please God not Zack Snyder. He's all style, no substance. I'll throw my hat in the ring for Alex Proyas. And yeah I'm not oblivious that you could levee the same criticism towards him, but let me temper my hypocrasy and say I want him to channel his best work in Dark City for a new vision of Gotham.
I wouldn't mind seeing what Kevin Smith could do with a really big budget.
J.J. Abrams or Ridley Scott would also be interesting and maybe safer bets.
Matthew Vaughn would be cool.
Nobody. dump this universe. You had 3 movies already and you messed all of them up.
Zack Snyder is a horrible filmmaker and Affleck as director of this batman movie was the one chance they had at a decent movie in this universe.
Werner Herzog
Here is the Bat Man. All the money can't fill ze crippling hole of his parents untimely demise. He is consumed by muderous rage. It compels him.
After Suicide Squad I'm like fuck it, give it Sandler.
He can cast himself as Batman, Schneider as Robin, Spade as Gordon and Kevin James as the Penguin.
...if he could convince Norm MacDonald to play the driest Joker you've ever seen I'd probably flush my 15 bucks down the toilet to see it.
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