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Apr 19, 2003
Batman and Superman movies to shoot at the same time?
source: News.com.au

An Australian website is reporting that the Superman films will start filming in Australia by the end of the year and that Batman may also start filming at the same time.

Nolan's project before Batman
source: Variety

However, this report from Variety says that Chris Nolan will be directing a movie titled "The Prestige". Nolan will start Batman once this film is finished

Angel Star meets Nolan
source: Dark Horizons

Dark Horizons is reporting that David Boreanaz met with Chris Nolan and discussed Batman, but has yet to see a script.

Pitof Talks Catwoman
source: Allocine.fr

French Website Allocine has an interview with Pitof who will be directing the Catwoman film. Here it is in English courtesy of Superhero Hype

AlloCiné: How does a French director find himself in charge of a project like "Catwoman"?


Pitof:
I don't know (laughs). After the incredible experience of "Alien Resurrection" (Note to reader: where he was in charge of visual effects), I had the urge to steer towards the Hollywood studios. That opportunity finally arrived with an assistant of my American agent who had shopped Vidocq (film title) to several producers...And that's how I became connected to Catwoman

AlloCiné:
What stage of preproduction is "Catwoman" currently in?

Pitof:
For the moment, the film is still in development. We have Halle Berry interested in starring. Things are moving ahead, but I really can't tell you much more: the script isn't finished yet, and things are still a bit crazy. We hope to start filming in fall 2003 for a summer 2004 opening at least.

AlloCiné: Do you think you might call some of your friends from Duboi for certain f/x?

Pitof: We are currently evaluating how to work with French and foreign partners for special effects. This is clearly the subject of the day (Note to reader: Pitof was leaving for Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles once we finished this telephone interview).

AlloCiné: With "Vidocq", it appeared that you had already used the superhero theme...do you think that's what showed Warners that you were the man for the job?

Pitof: Absolutely. Vidocq could absolutely be seen as a superhero with a French theme. At the same time, I don't think that it was a major factor in the studios decision to hire me, it was more the universe of the film and the unique imagery and design that attracted Warners.

AlloCiné: Let's talk about the character, made ultimately popular with "Batman Returns" How are you going to approach the character?

Pitof: Catwoman is a superhero with a strong foundation but also the traits of a cat like night vision, the ability to easily jump like a cat, a completely different instinct as well as many other abilities that make her superhuman. She also knows that she doesn't have Superman's powers and that she is bound by the laws of physics. She's also a super heroin who transcends comics. She's a sex symbol of cat-like femininity, which to my sense is on an entirely different path than that of traditional superheroes. Also, unlike other superheroes where there is only ONE Superman or ONE Batman, le concept of multiple Catwomen has existed since the beginning that any woman could be Catwoman. Now the idea is to develop this character in a relatively realistic world ŕ la Spider-Man. We'll probably set it in the near future but in a North American urban setting, which is more classic. The main idea is to develop a female superhero and give her depth not to make her a bimbo or a sexy vigilante. She's a woman's hero for women.

AlloCiné: For the audience, the character of Catwoman remains Michelle Pfeiffer in that sexy vinyl outfit of "Batman Returns". How are you going to try to get away from that icon?

Pitof: It's always difficult when you have such an icon or symbol, but everything is going to be different: there will be no direct link with Batman, nor will there be Batman-esque imagery and it won't be set in Gotham City. The story will be different and the costume will be different. We aren't keeping anything from Catwoman except the original idea: the character. The idea is to begin her story from scratch, and possibly begin a franchise.

AlloCiné: Hally Berry has recently been signed to be your star, why such a decision?

Pitof: First of all because she is an excellent actress. We also needed someone who could equally give the convincing performance of two distinct personalities: the cat and the woman. This woman must be able to convey by way of her face and body language the feeling of a feline, which Hally Berry definitely has.

AlloCiné: What do you make of the sudden mass interest in comic book adaptations: new superheroes for the American public, lots of money for the studios or true artistic interest in very interesting and profound characters?

Pitof: I think it a mix of all three. There really is an interest in the characters and with the digital technology, which is now able to really breath life into them. Until now, the television shows and cartoon series were always a bit campy, and we kept the superheroes in that realm. Now, we have the technology to really make these characters exciting in a realistic manner, et finally put onto film exactly what we've been imagining since we began reading the comics. I think that this new wave of interest isn't going to quell any time soon, since the audiences haven't quite had enough as yet of these characters and their worlds. This is a two-man team, which continues their manufacture: one part studio/production/creators and the other part is the public.

AlloCiné: Let's talk about the audience: Warner Bros. is going to try and make "Catwoman", a new "Superman" and at least two new "Batman" movies. Isn't there a risk of superhero "overdose" or overkill with the superhero genre?

Pitof: I don't think so since every time the audience is just a little bit different: the Batman audience isn't necessarily the same that say "Catwoman" or "Superman" would have. I think that there might be too much at some point, but the audience always wants more as we can see with "Daredevil" because these films follow a formula that we know we are going to see, and enjoy. So it's really, in quotation marks, an entertainment standard without too many surprises.

AlloCiné: According to you, what makes a good superhero movie and what makes a bad one?

Pitof: A good one is one that meets our expectations, and must be as true to it's origins without being limited by them. This is a difficult task: You have to keep the character true to the original comic and make them believable without going below the audience's expectations. The best example is Spider-Man: Sam Raimi added something to the original with the unexpected casting of Tobey Maguire while keeping with the laws of the spider man character.

AlloCiné: You're currently developing this film in Hollywood. How is the American film industry different than our French one?

Pitof: The answer is in your question! We're talking apples and oranges. In France, movies are more artistic, while in Los Angeles, the industry is geared towards making money. They are completely different. I thank Jean-Pierre Jeunet for having given me experience so that I could understand the nuts and bolts of the industry (note to reader: experience on Alien Resurrection). In Hollywood, the producer has no power: he's an employee just like anyone else. I am in a "positive phase" where the studio asks my opinion on what I will do, knowing that the entire project is still in development. But, once that's over with, if I can only direct exactly what they want and nothing else, I'll thank them and return to France. That's how this system is, which is obviously stressful, especially at the control level because we have all this freedom at the beginning, but if the studio isn't seeing exactly what they want "good-bye".

Apr 13, 2003
Eisner Nominees Announced. DC and Batman well represented in nominations
source:Newsarama

The Nominees for the Eisner Awards, Kind of like the Oscars for Comics, have been released and year DC is well represented. In fact it leads all other companies with 23 nominations. Of those nominations here are some Batman and Batman related Nominations

Batman related nominations Current and ex Batman Creators nominated *Indicated that their non Batman work has not been mentioned here.
Former Detective Comics writer Greg Rucka has the most creator nominations. Best of luck to all those nominated and the full list of nominees can be found Here

April 8, 2003
Alan Horn talks about Batman (and other movies)
source: Aint it Cool News

Harry has posted a report from an individual who recently had a chance to hear WB exec Alan Horn at a meeting. Horn talked about the Matrix films, Superman and of course Batman. Here are the highlights

RE: Superman vs. Batman: "We will do it." He says it's "dark and mean-spirited" but really, really good. The plan is to have Superman and Batman origin stories released within the same year (starting in 2005). Each movie (I think he said there would be three of each?) will deal with the Superheroes' origins and began to establish their relationship to each other which will set up "Superman vs. Batman" to follow the backstories. Superman and Batman find themselves at odds in "Superman v. Batman" when Bruce goes out seeking bloody vengeance on the murderer of his new bride, Jennifer. Superman opposes him, fights him to the near death - then it's discovered that the guy behind Jennifer's murder is also this big baddie in Superman's circle and they unite to fight or something sweet like that. I'm anxious to see how "dark and mean-spirited" this really is...

On Batman: First Batman origin story has Bruce witnessing the murder of parents, enraged and guilty he turns to crime before he becomes a crime-fighter. Builds the Batcave and mobile, hires Alfred, studies martial arts, etc.

Click Here to read about the other films.

Batman: The Frightening is a go!
source: Batman on Film

Big News coming from Batman on Film. It appears that Chris Nolan will be using Batman: The Frightening as a basis for his film. Here is what Bill is saying

I can't say who this source is, but trust me, this is legit, OK? According to this source, Chris Nolan has decided to go with the BATMAN: THE FRIGHTENING and it will be rewritten by David Goyer. This individual tells BOF that with rewrites, sometimes it is totally changed, while other times it stays pretty close to the original script. Now, the script that I read--and that got loose all over the net--was pretty darn good. Good concept, but it was clearly a sequel to the previous four Bat-films. And it has been indicated to me that Nolan plans to restart the series and go with a new continuity. So I guess you can safely assume that T he Scarecrow will be the villian in the next Bat-film.

Sounds very Interesting, but strange. Why would the studio go with a script that was leaked online? granted that it won't be the one filmed, but the concepts will still be there. Wait and see as I always say.-AJ

April 1, 2003
Joel Schumacher on Batman
source: Chicago Sun Times

Joel Schumacher recently chipped in with some thoughts about Batman. Here is what he had to say

Q. Have you kept in contact with [Michael Jackson] over the years?

A. He's called me a few times. He wanted to play the Riddler in "Batman Forever," and they wanted me to do his "Scream" music video. There was really no role for him in "Batman Forever," and I was working on something else when the "Scream" video came out.

Q. You were brought aboard to overhaul the "Batman" franchise because supposedly Tim Burton's version was too dark, right?

A. They said "Batman Returns" ended it--I don't know, people returned the toys, and they hated it or something. And then we made it a big hit again with "Batman Forever." Now they say I ruined it with "Batman and Robin." But you know what? Batman's been around since 1939. He will kick ass in Gotham again, trust me.

Q. With you at the helm?

A. [Laughing] No, no, with someone younger and more talented, I'm sure.

A Batman Dark Tomorrow review appears online
source: IGN Cube

IGN Cube has a review of the GameCube version of the game Batman: Dark Tomorrow. Suffice to say, it doesn't sound very good. The review can be found Here