The New York Post’s Pop Wrap picks up on a rumor reported yesterday by Cinema Blend: that the third Batman movie will reference The Long Halloween and Dark Victory – which could mean an appearance by a certain Boy Wonder.
It’s obvious from the trailers for Batman: The Dark Knight that director Chris Nolan is setting up Harvey Dent as the villain for the third picture. So it’s fitting that it would borrow elements from The Long Halloween, the 1996-1997 miniseries by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale which, among other things, details Harvey Dent’s transformation into Two-Face. The 1999 sequel, Dark Victory, continues the Two-Face storyline, and retells the origin of Batman’s sidekick, Robin.
Pop Wrap’s Jarrett Wieselman worries that means a replay of the “franchise-ruining” Batman & Robin. I just wonder how many elements — and how many characters — Nolan will use from the source material, which took an everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink approach to the cast.
Y’know, if there’s any truth to the rumor.
May 7th, 2008 at 11:21 am
I’m not anxious to see a Robin character in this particular round of Batman films. I think they pretty much covered that ground back in the 90’s, and I don’t think the lighter tone of Robin’s presense really fits the world Nolan has created for this particular franchise.
Perhaps ENDING the third movie with strong hints that Batman will be taking on a young sidekick is the way to go (having just helped Bats take down Two-Face), but I want the main focus to be on Batman/Two-Face….not a glorified Robin origin movie.
May 7th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Let’s hope there’s not. Robin is a concept that BARELY works in the comics … and really not at all on screen. The whole concept of a man endangering the life of a young boy when he himself was emotionally damaged as a young boy really doesn’t ring true.
May 7th, 2008 at 11:37 am
You know, after reading Mark’s comment, it occurs to me that what he hints at could be a solution … have the circus family tragedy, have Batman help solve the crime and avenge for the tortured kid he sees himself in so much. And then maybe at the end, as a wink-and-nod to loyalists, Dick confronts Batman — “why didn’t you kill Two-Face? You don’t understand my pain!”, etc., and then Bruce reveals himself in a showing of solidarity with the kid, maybe telling him, “I don’t want you to become like me, a winged creature of the night.” See what I did there with the “night” and “wing?” Oh I am so clever!!
May 7th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I have faith that Nolan and company could make Robin work. I had my reservations about bringing Ra’s to the big screen and it worked really well. They took the essence of the character and left the stuff that didn’t work (Lazarus Pit, etc). And they took one of the goofiest characters (Scarecrow) and made him creepy cool. So if they did the same thing with Robin I think it would work.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Dick Grayson should appear at the very end of this run of Batman movies. The last one should end with Dick starting his training. That way, the series starts with Bruce losing a father and ends with Bruce becoming a father, making everything come full circle. Also, it would effectively wrap up the story of Batman’s “early days” once he takes on a protege.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Nice take on the idea, AdamYJ. If the series ended with Dick Grayson, training for the first day, and falling and hurting himself, and Bruce saying, “Dick, why do we fall?” Then I’m pretty sure I could live with that.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Including a new ‘origin’ in each film is a gangbusters idea.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I’m pretty solidly in the “no Robin” camp, as I feel Batman works best alone and I feel like there’s FINALLY, thanks to Chris Nolan, Batman the way I want to see him on the big screen. I thought Nolan had said around the time of Batman Begins that he wasn’t interested in Robin. I hope that’s true.
That said, I did enjoy Dark Victory quite a lot. If there’s honestly a need (and a good screenplay) for introducing Robin in the Nolan Bat-saga, please make it in the very LAST Bat-movie Nolan makes (whether it #3, 4, or 12). Introduce Dick Grayson, but only bring him out as Robin near the end, just like Dark Victory did it. That might work.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
@Mysterious Stranger: Who’s to say Ra’s won’t return in a later movie, courtesy of the Lazarus Pit? I’d be all for that, building up Ra’s history (he’s still my favorite Batman villian), introducing Talia (dream choice: Catherine Zeta Jones), and giving that battle between Bats and Ra’s “League” a more epic, global feel.
Having a villian return and not just get killed off (of course, Ra’s is the one villian who can plausibly return) after one movie would be a nice change too. I know Joker’s supposed to survive TDK, but it’s (obviously) doubtful we’ll see him again.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
Don’t need’em
Don’t want’em
One of the dumbest characters ever introduced in comics, IMO.
Just tell stories with Batman as the main character. No side kick needed.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
This is a non-rumor based solely on someone’s idle speculation. ‘Long Halloween’ has, like ‘Year One’, informed the look, style and content of the story being told– but the movies are NOT adaptations.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I’m not sure why this rumor even exists as there is no reason whatsoever to think Nolan has plans for introducing a Robin character. That being said, while I also prefer my Batman to go solo, Robin is not the reason BF and B&R blew donkey balls. The catalyst for their retardation lies mostly in the hands of Joel Schumacher and WB execs. They went a campy route when no one wanted it to be campy. When BF did gangbusters at the box office, Schumacher thought that meant the public wanted more camp, so he turned it up to eleven. BF and B&R were both utter train wrecks, no doubt, but the inclusion of Robin did not derail them off the tracks.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
All this speculation seems to be based on nothing.
The original article in Cinemablend says that Batman 3 will be ‘referencing’ Long Halloween and Dark Victory.
I don’t see a logical conclusion that Robin definitely will be in the movie. I highly doubt it, it probably just means that it will include elements of Two-Face going up against the mob family.
Let’s not get too hysterical here.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Robin just doesn’t work at all on the big screen. I’d really love to just have them do the Long Halloween as a film. With this 2nd film it looks a lot like the original film, so they seem to be going more and more down the same path. I hope they tone all the costume stuff back as much as they can and remember what made Batman begins work as a film. With the new one it already looks like they’re in danger of jumping the shark a bit.
May 7th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Well established characters in Robin’s origin have been introduced to the Nolan films and the latest release references a comic featuring Robin the Boy Wonder.
A little harmless speculation seems warranted.
I believe Robin can work on screen, in the comics, in the cartoon - by remaining young. The twelve year old as the voice of reason that saves Batman back from becoming Two-Face is an interesting story.
Plus taking a pupil completes the ‘ninja’ journey from Begins.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
I hope Robin will appear in the third Batman movie. I think Robin is a great character detective as well as Batman. Robin makes Batman feel like a father figure or an older brother. I’ve always liked Robin’s colorful costume. And I think Robin could work in a future film and it would of course be based on Dark Victory which I thought was an excellent Batman story and portrayed Robin as a serious hero and the not the HOLY THIS OR HOLY THAT character from the TV series. I think Batman needs Robin and Batman is fun with Robin because that’s how I first saw Batman and not the solo Batman.
I first saw the Batman cartoon The New Adventures of Batman in the late 70’s/early 80’s and Robin was always with Batman and I thought they were a great team as well as Batgirl and the clumsy alien Batmite. I first read my first Batman comic and it was so weird that Robin wasn’t in it. I want Robin(Dick Grayson) as based on Dark Victory to be in the next Batman film coming out in 2011 and then Batman and Robin could be a major team in a second Batman trilogy due out around 2014 with that trilogy ending with Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing and Tim Drake becoming the next Robin.
May 21st, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I say that at the end of Batman 3, have bruce and whichever chick he has with him, selina kyle maybe, go to the cicus then end hinting at a batman 4
July 21st, 2008 at 7:50 am
I loved batman the dark knight
i would really hate them ruining the trilogy by adding disapproving characters. I personally like the idea of robin coming in at the END of the movie because robin is a character that can very easily go wrong.
If they do it right maybe people will start to take robin the boy wonder seriously. I sure Nolan will find a way around the bright colors and making it dark.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
One everyone needs to stop blaming Robin for the ruin of the last franchaise because frankly WB ruined Robin. He was NOT that OLD when his parents died people. He was eight! Making him lose his parents older made it impossible for Bruce to see anything of himself in the boy! And Robin can be done dark believe me.
Honestly I think that the next movie should have the very upset and vunerable Dick Grayson, who brings light to Bruce Wayne’s black exsistence, and gives Batman a new purpose. And maybe in the last few moments of screentime we see training/or something of Robin. But I believe Nolan is capable of making it work.
And for whatever people say Robin/Grayson makes no sense in even the comic series, you are wrong. Dick bought light into Bruce/Batman and helped him from being nothing but darkness. Now all that needs to be done is make Bale see this.
August 4th, 2008 at 6:48 am
To be honest i think it would be interesting to see robin come back as in the next batman move (3) Two face and the Riddler are to be as batmans villians. I don’t think Batman and defeat them both and so he has help from Robin. alos in the second movie (Dark Knight) if you listen to the sotry line and get what iam tryign to say is that it is about who can taker on the role of looking at for gotham city if batman was no longer around as harvy dent (two face) failed, maybe robin could be the answer to beiong the next superhero if batman was no longer around.
November 7th, 2008 at 6:44 am
What if they were to change the way robin comes into batman, wat if they already introduced ie commissioner gordons son who is so obsessed with batman. They left TDK looking like there is gunna be a long space of time between the movies so they can introduce the kid in the next movie as being a young adult and wanting to help batman almost like the Batman Forever did. Then have Harvey Dent come back, i heard Jonny Depp mite be the riddler an cher be catwomen?