Cool News
BATMAN: LIVE coming to your city sometime 2012-ish?
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. This is not strictly movie news, but it's certainly cool news. BATMAN LIVE is being planned by WB/DC. Wait, wait... don't go yet! Listen to this...
It's not a musical, but "an elaborate arena production," according to The Heat Vision Blog at THR. And it's being written by BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES' Alan Burnett. He also had a hand in the script for BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM.
Now, the Batman animated series is arguably the best treatment Batman has ever received outside of the comic book format and I'm sure Burnett is a big reason for that (other big reasons are Paul Dini, who also wrote the fantastic BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM video game, and Bruce Timm, of course).
It's supposed to be a touring show along the lines of MAMMA MIA and WALKING WITH DINOSAURS. In fact, the companies behind those shows are going to be involved... does that mean a giant animatronic Killer Croc? God, I hope so.
All I know is that I want this to see what they come up with. I'd wager with that pedigree it isn't going to be a cheesefest like the live on-tour stuff I saw as a kid...
Yikes, that's the first time I've listened to any of that stuff since I was, like, 10 years old.
So, yeah. No doubt it'll be better than the COMING OUT OF OUR SHELLS tour, thank Christ.
Scuttlebutt has the tour launching near the release of Christopher Nolan's third Batman Film, so it could be 2011/2012-ish.
What do you folks think?
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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Readers Talkback
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I love me some batman, even if it's campy batman
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An awful, awful idea. Batman on ice, effectively. A waste of effort...
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I've heard the Jim Steinman songs. I think they are great. Not that they are being used in this production.
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Own them all on DVD and rewatching them again for the first time since I was a teen, just blown away at how awesome that series is. Just gorgeous animation, great writing, perfect pacing for the most part, and just stunning character design. <p>Wasn't a fan of the changes made for the female characters in the fourth season, but I did like the redesign for the penguin, and the CGI just didn't look right. Wasn't bad CGI, but you could always see the difference and the hand drawn animation was so beautiful why fuck it up with CG.<p>
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That's what this sounds like. Or, the "Batdance" video by Prince, circa 1989.
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on the headline and saw it linked. Glad to hear it's not a musical. Bet this Batman wont be as good as disney's indiana show, or six flags batman show or uni's waterworld show..
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Wonder if 2012 will also see the new Nolan bat movie? Could be a nice bit of synergy...<p> At any rate a touring show like this can't help but keep BAT-MAN alive in the cultural eye... i'm sure it'll be a great day out for all the family.
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... as "Family Guy" will not be cancelled (for the 3rd and final time) until around 2017. Just get Nolan and Bale & Co. back together (incl. Guy Pearce as The Riddler), make the third movie with equal style and class as "The Dark Knight", then bury Batman once and for all. That done and gone, I would gladly volunteer as a pallbearer.
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All tension, all suspense, all comedy, all drama... just disappears without the benefits of editing and closeups, etc.
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I always enjoyed the live stunt shows they had at Six Flags.
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Either that, or none at all....
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And you don't even need glasses!! Come on, you know some WB exec is gonna pitch this as part of the promotion.
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i remember being pissed that i couldnt go see this when it came to my city. i still vividly remember the day i got their album, it was a pizza hut exclusive so i convinced mom to take me there for lunch just so i could get the cassette. thats also the day the eye doctor said i needed glasses, still never got any and my eyesight is just as good as it was then so ha..take that. :P
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I feel like singing and dancing! <P>No, not really.
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You know what separates this from Disney On Ice? NOTHING.
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...that came up with this one?
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You know, if they ever did a campy Batman Broadway musical, Travolta would be a good Joker.
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They traditionally happen in what are known as Theatres. They have been around for a while.
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Ago as well. No thanks.
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If they adapted the Arkham Asylum: A Serious House story and made the show have real creepy elements worked with Batman fighting Croc and others every so often, maybe having creepyamadeus Arkham talking, going from Arkham as a young man scenes, then to Batman roaming the mansion looking for Joker scenes.
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And its not eve3n close.
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Kevin Conroy > Christian Bale
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You're not emphasising the Conroy>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Bale in Batman terms.
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April 26, 2010, 7:20 a.m. CST
So it's like those circus-ish live performance with lip-synch?
by ricarleite2
Those make me CRINGE in embarassment.
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April 26, 2010, 7:20 a.m. CST
Anything in an area stinks - except rock concerts & rodeos
by JonChambers
BATMAN? You have to be sucking kidding. It'll be like the Universal Tour kiddie show!
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I thought BATMAN: LIVES was the title of the next Nolan Batman film.
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through kenneth feld. he has links to the us govt.
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It was part Looney Tunes, part Batman and Robin. I don't remember if Batman was more Superfriends or Adam West. I got a neat hat/mask from it. I think I found the coloring book/program from it not too long ago.
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I mean, really? I wanted to see the turtles kick the crap out of things when I was a kid not sing horribly tedious songs
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I've written a sequel to "The Dark Knight" and know absolutely no one in the business of filmmaking... what do I do with it? (inserting it into a bodily orifice has already been considered, so please suggest something else)
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You're not that much older than me!
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...and I mean really bad ones, in hindsight. And yet I'd still agree that, overall, it easily beats Nolan's interpretation. That said, I was never wild about Mask of the Phantasm. It's got pacing issues which leaves it feeling on the lifeless side. The best television episodes, however, were concentrated awesomeness that Nolan's Batman hasn't matched.
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As the Joker, LIVE. you know you want to see it.
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But will it be like one of those Western Adventure things you see when you go on a big studio tour?
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... except with Batman, and on tour? Huh...
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a batman circus for little kids from the creators of walking with dinosaurs? ten million dollars a night, easily.
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Alan Burnett tried to do Batman without them and we got the awful Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman! This is probably a mistake.
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I would love to see an arena show like this. And if I don't love it my kids will. Walking with Dinosaurs was fairly awesome and there is alot that can be done with Batman in this format!
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All you fuckers under 30 don't even know, man.....when that was announced, we were clamoring to go see this thing.
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I'm guessing the target audience was 3-6 year olds. I can only imagine how incredibly disappointing that show would be to any kid who was an actual fan of the franchise. You think you're going to see some sort of live action version of the movies and cartoons - fighting, weapons, acrobatics. After all, the N in TMNT stands for Ninja, right. However, instead of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you get the Teenage Mutant Jem Turtles.
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*snap*snap*snap* Gonna get the Joker *snap*snap*snap* Gonna make him pay *snap*snap*snap* Gonna make him fear the BAT! today *snap*snap*snap*
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Disney Hollywood Studios houses Indy. Epcot has no Indy. Although Morrocco could house the Disneyland Indy ride.
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Here's hoping it will be released before the apocalypse is upon us.
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before fire rains down upon us all, I mean. I should really read the whole bloody article first, shouldn't I.
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As long as they take it seriously. I might actually attend such an event.
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At Six Flags theme parks around the country? The Batman stunt show was horrible.
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They could do the trailer in the monster truck announcer voice.
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Read and weep. http://www.freewebs.com/batman_themusical/home.htm
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Movie-wise, at least. (I'll give the cartoon a pass... too many episodes to judge, and too many limits from network censors.)<br><br>In any event, I contend that Keaton was the only actor who made me believe that Batman actually wanted to get hot and sweaty with his love interest for the film, be it Vicky Vale or Catwoman. Even with George Clooney in the cape, it was obvious that Schumacher was more into the Batman/Robin dynamic. The Schumacher ones probably go without saying, even with George Clooney in the cape. The Nolan ones would have been perfectly fine with an asexual Batman, but someone decided he really needed his own Mary Jane love from childhood that could tragically never be. There is zero chemistry to any Rachel Dawes/Bruce Wayne scene in either movie. I'd believe they were brother and sister more readily than I'd believe they ever tried to imagine each other nude. Every love interest after Keaton's Batman has come across as a studio-mandated beard. (All of which makes me kind of wary about the possibility of Nolan trying to use Catwoman in the next film... onscreen male/female lustful attraction does not seem to be in his repertoire.<br><br>Not that this tangent should imply that I find anything stereotypical about live on stage theatrical productions. It's probably just coincidence that this subject occurred to me...
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So yeah, one of those sentences about Clooney should have been deleted. Sorry.
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to scare the children.
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See BATMAN: LIVE at Copps Coliseum! <br>This SUNDAY only, BATMAN, ROBIN, COMMISSIONER GORDON, BATGIRL and ALFRED THE BUTLER perform LIVE! <br>Witness the DASTARDLY DEEDS of the most HEINOUS VILLAINS! <br> Can BATMAN and his friends save GOTHAM CITY from THE JOKER, THE PENGUIN, CATWOMAN, MR FREEZE, and the frightening nightmares of THE SCARECROW?!? <br>See the BATMOBILE in ACTION! <br>Gasp in awe at the SPECTACULAR STUNT SPECTACLE, featuring Tony Hawke as BAT-MITE! <bR>Marvel at the SEDUCTIVE POWERS of the PUSSYCAT DOLLS as POISON IVY and the IVY-ETTES! <br>Special appearance by AMERICAN IDOL winner, TAYLOR HICKS, as the terrifying TWO FACE, singing such hits as "It Takes Two" and "Two Hearts Beat as One"! <br>Free Admission for anyone named ADAM WEST (valid ID required)! <br>ONE DAY ONLY, this SUNDAY! BATMAN: LIVE<BR>If you miss this, YOU MUST BE BATTY!
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The man who saved the circus, whose son drove a journalist mad by having an ex-cia agent stalk and ruin her life covertly for years. That Feld. The Feld who was so embarrassed by his father's closeted homosexuality that he tried to destroy the woman who revealed it.
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Jazz Hands, Jazz Hands, Fosse, Fosse.
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From 'Will and Grace' for Batman.
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i BARELY remember it, it was based on the tv show. i loved it, my dad said it was miserable. i am betting it was all pre recorded no less. my dad said it was probably the worst thing he ever saw.
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The Sound of Arkham. The Phantom of Crime Alley.
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To mention Copps Coliseum. Hamilton perhaps?
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in Orlando? That's a cool show.
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need the benefit of great stunts, fx, sound, dramatic framing/movement etc which you can't duplicate in a live format... It's hard to be serious when you see a bad guy flying from a fake/stage punch, or to see Batman wearing a harness etc. Not sure what they have planned but I can't imagine it being anything great. There are too many ways for it to be awful.
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Made me think of Joel Schumacher for some reason. And THAT doesn't bode well for Bats.
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"Now, the Batman animated series is arguably the best treatment Batman has ever received outside of the comic book format"<br><br>Speak for yourself, friend.
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April 26, 2010, 12:23 p.m. CST
You kids think you are so rad, kewl and street by bashing...
by AsimovLives
... Nolan's Batman movies, dont' you? Jezz, what fucking badasses you are!! So fucking street and gangsta you guys are! Wow, such fight the system attitude you have! Such bullshit!
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...and take it a bit dark and heavy (NOT Mama Mia "light"), I'd be very interested in giving them some of my hard earned money. But if it's just another cheesy musical... fuck them with a 1000 batarangs!
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That's worth paying for.
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The Penguin
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...with Wonder Woman, and... Bugs Bunny! <p> http://tinyurl.com/2d4vj3o
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...it could lead to... SUPERHERO SQUAD LIVE! <p> <p> <p> blecch.
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Catwoman
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Alfred
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The Riddler
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To play batman and at some point he shows up wearing flaming bat-underoos... it still won't be as gay as BATMAN & ROBIN.. and yes, BATMAN: the animated series was the best interpretation of the caped crusader
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April 26, 2010, 1:28 p.m. CST
I don't understand. What is this? If not a musical then what?
by Walterego
It's in an arena. It's a production. Okay. Huh. A production of what? Is this going to be a play?
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just figured Copps Coliseum is the better arena-type sounding name than, say, Rogers Centre or the ACC.
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That's all I'm asking. Take itself seriously, get the tone right and it will be interesting even if it's a musical. If it goes all tongue-in-cheek, self-aware cartoony then I won't be interested.
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The Spider Man one sounds terrible.
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Make it happen douches.
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The two things cannot co-exist.
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Good CHRIST!
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I hate spelling errors. However, while I understand what you're saying (really, I do), I don't COMPLETELY agree. There are different levels of cheeseball for musicals. So maybe I'm just hoping for the right flavor of cheese.
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April 26, 2010, 2:33 p.m. CST
Hopefully it's better than the live Batman show at Six Flags
by Ben_Richards_Bomb_Collar
That they used to have about 20 years ago. Yeah, even as a kid I knew that sucked.
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...Was pretty dumb. The thing is, when you perform on stage you have to over act to project emotions. So it will be extremely hard to take this seriously. And all the characters will be wearing those dumb wireless mics. Also I'm pretty sure that the article said that it will NOT be a musical... so people need to shut up about musicals.
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Wasnt there something like that..where they were watching a musical on one of the annimated series..(my bad if someone already mentioned this)..I just find it funny that now its happening..I hope paul and bruce..do just one more ep of annimated series..just to say..oh you gotta be kidding... Peace all
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dance at Disneyland.
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April 26, 2010, 4:30 p.m. CST
If they do this as a serious, live-action play, I'll consider go
by MrMysteryGuest
Maybe...
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I loved seeing that live show as a child. For the past 31 yrs. I've had the image of that program graphic burned into my head, so seeing it again brings back so many great memories.
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Second reaction: Hmmm....if it were a serious stage play....it could be really cool.</p><p>Third reaction: .....NOPE, it'll SUCK ASS!
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Seriously....that man has been involved in all good things Bat. Plus,a few weeks ago Paul Dini mentioned onhis blog that he was working on a top-secret Bat-project...could it be this? I imagine a stage show with,as Harry mentioned,a big-ass animatronic free walking Killer Croc or Clayface,with tons of stunts and people flying through the air on wires....could be cool. Hell,I'd watch Batman on Ice if Burnett and Dini were involved....
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or the worst. I don't think there's much middle ground. But, regardless, if it shows up anywhere near me, I'll go.
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My young kids would love it and the my favorite bat-villian, the Killer Moth would be in it, swooping around ala Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan.
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Score from the movie- awesome. Fine. <p>Lame songs populating the show pointlessly - FAIL.
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there will be no song and dance numbers
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