News and Rumours

Send all credible news to ajbat1@gmail.com
(For news from previous months, click on the "News archives" link on the left)

 

May 28, 2002 Birds of Prey News: Huntress goes Metahuman source: ComicsContinuum

The Continuum is reporting that Huntress will be a metahuman who will have the ability to adjust her vision. In addition, its also got pictures from the shows, which include Barbara's Batgirl costume. To see these pictures, go Here

AJ: Metahuman?? Why not just give her a better costume.

 

No Batman or Keaton in Catwoman source: Batman on Film

Bill's source has told him that the rumour of Michael Keaton appearing as Batman in Catwoman is false.

Another interesting story that Bill has is regarding the Wachowski's and Batman. They were asked to work on Batman. For more details go Here

 

May 24, 2002 Birds of Prey details: source: Gotham ClockTower

Craig of Gotham Clock Tower has scored an interview with Laeta Kalogridis; writer of the pilot of this series. Laeta talks about the series, the actors and what to expect in future episodes. Interesting to note is that Kalogridis is a fan of the comics and is very fluent in Batman mythology. To read the interview, click Here

Birds of Prey casting news

Also from Gotham ClockTower is news that Ian Abercrombie has been cast to play Alfred. His notable role is that of Mr. Pitt on Seinfeld. He as also appeared  in "Addams Family Values," "Army of Darkness," Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Trek: Voyager.
 

Ashley Judd talks Catwoman source: SciFi Wire

Ashley Judd was recently interviewed by SciFi Wire in regards to her role as Catwoman. Here are some highlights

On Superhero Mythology:  "One of the things I loved about Spider-Man is that for the genre, they made it very real," Judd said in an interview. "They played the emotion very genuine, and even the news editor, who was the most campy sort of iconic cartoon figure, there was something really great and plausible about him. It just definitely reinforced the direction that we had been planning on taking Catwoman all along, which is why we've worked so hard on the script in order to make it more real."

On Michelle Pfiefer: "I remember watching it in spring of 2000 and just thinking, she's definitely got the devilish part of Catwoman, which is so delicious."

To read more click Here

 

Jim Lee Interview source: Newsarama

Newsarama has an interesting interview with soon to be BATMAN artist Jim Lee. Lee talks about his work, his personal life and of course Batman. To read click Here

 

May 21, 2002 Birds of Prey: Picture of Batgirl from the show source: Comics Continuum

The Comics Continuum has a small Picture showing Dina Meyer, who plays Oracle as Batgirl. Here it is

 

Adam West and Burt Ward go back to the Batcave source: Comics Continuum

Interesting news from the Continuum which should interest fans of the 60's show

Back to the Batcave: The True Adventures of Adam West and Burt Ward (working title) is a special in development at CBS. The special reunites Batman series stars Adam West and Burt Ward in a comedy adventure where they stumble upon a diabolical plot to steal the original Batmobile from a charity benefit. While trying to unravel the details, they flash back to the tumultuous times of their 60s television series to reveal a bizarre behind-the-scenes story of the creation of a television classic, from their on-the-set explosions to their wild real-life encounters with fans.

Interesting....Sounds like fun if you ask me. Let's see what they've got...

 

Writer change for Birds of Prey (Again!) source: Newsarama

Newsarama is reporting that Terry Moore, Chuck Dixon's replacement for the Birds of Prey comic, will only be writing three issues. The reason....

“Although I enjoyed a fantastic working relationship with my editors at DC and loved what I was doing with them, I quickly found myself torn between two obsessions, Strangers in Paradise and Birds of Prey,” Moore explained to Newsarama.com. “With my 10th anniversary year of SIP coming up in 2003 and all the plans I have working with that, I quickly realized I was going to have to step away from BoP and let someone else obsess about it.

“It wasn't an easy decision. The people at DC are dedicated, fun to work with and true professionals. They really get into their work and that made it fun for me, too. Plus, I was working with friends. So, this was a reluctant act on my part but... I hope people will enjoy the thee-issue story arc I wrote. I had a lot of fun doing it!”

At the moment a new replacement has not been found but independent writer Gilbert Hernandez will be writing six issues after Moore.

.....And Finally

Also from Newsarama is news that DC will be releasing a Batgirl and Catwoman secret files books.

 

May 14, 2002 Birds of Prey TV series is picked up source: Warner Brothers

It's official, Warner Brothers released its fall schedule and Birds of Prey has been picked up. Here is their announcement plus their promotional art

The Batman legend is about to take a very unexpected turn. With Birds of Prey, the producers of Smallville masterfully combine the human drama of their hit WB series with a stunning cinematic visual style.

It begins with New Gotham in chaos. In one night, Catwoman is murdered and Batgirl falls in a rain of gunfire, victims of The Joker's wrath. With his true love dead, The Caped Crusader flees the city and Batgirl, now confined to a wheelchair, redefines herself as "Oracle" (Dina Meyer, Beverly Hills, 90210), a master of cybernetics and weapons design. She takes under her wing the secret daughter of Batman and Catwoman, "Huntress" (Ashley Scott, Dark Angel), who is as fierce as she is beautiful. Powerful, haunting visions lead a third young woman, Dinah (Rachel Skarsten, Virginia's Run), to their secret Clock Tower lair. The trio is complete. They are now the Birds of Prey, determined to battle crime in a New Gotham laced with bold new villains. Shemar Moore (The Brothers) and Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks) also star.

From executive producers Laeta Kalogridis (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins and Joe Davola, Birds of Prey is produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions and Warner Bros. Television, based on the popular DC Comic.

Assuming that a Canadian station picks this show up, I'll devote a section of the website to it. Let's see what they've got

Batman appearing in Catwoman movie? source: Superhero Hype

The following is from Superhero Hype and is just a rumour so take with a grain of salt

Hey I went to Universal Studios and got to meet one of my fave actors, Michael Keaton. I mostly talked about Batman and he says that as far as he knows he's not doing another Batman, but there's a chance the "old crusader" might appear in the new "Catwoman" flick - but that's it - 5 minutes.

Keaton said something along the lines of an offer is on the table but whether or not it happens for him or one of the other actors who played Batman is still up in the air. And when I walked off I wished I asked him about the Beetlejuice sequel, but I didn't sadly.

 

May 13, 2002 Birds of Prey Pilot reviews

Lana Bizzaro, webmaster of the Superboy TV series website, has obtained a copy of the Birds of Prey pilot and has reviewed it. Here is her review (used with her permission)  contains spoilers.

Imagine a map of a city labled "New Gotham City" transforming into an actual metropolis...that's how the pilot of Birds starts out! Like a bat, we soar deeper into the city to a certain event that took place in the past, or the present. A victim screams, and that's when we find out that a certain cat-person (Catwoman) was killed by a deadly foe (The Joker). The reasons behind this deadly encounter is not explained completely until the finale, but the first seven minutes pays close attention to the origin of the 3 characters who will later be together in the fight against crime. And there's no ambiguity to who they once were...Catwoman, Batman, Batgirl and The Joker are all mentioned by name.

The origin of the characters is kept simple enough. Helena is indeed Batman's daughter. One of the most exciting openning scenes, of course, is when Barbara Gordon goes to answer her door and standing right there is The Joker himself (not Hamill), with the funky green hair and purple jacket. "Knock Knock. Who's There? Batgirl!" Mark Hamill's voice-over is so creepy! He then fires a bullet at her forehead, and we see blood next to Batgirl's costume lying nearby. A child Dinah (Black Canary) awakes from a dream (played by a younger girl, not Rachel Skarsten). She had witnessed both occurances in her dream.

Now seven years later, Dinah is 17 and she's heading for New Gotham City, ready to find those people from her vision 7 years ago. Barbara Gordon is now Oracle, and we see an awesome aerial shot leading into the building of the clocktower and finally into her lab. One drawback: The pilot often shifts from flashbacks to Dinah's dreams/visions (which are filmmed and seen in black and white), and may be confusing to some. If you are not familiar with the comic books, I think it will and can get confusing.

Once the cast is brought together, there is some interesting chemistry between Dina Meyer (Oracle), Ashley Scott (the Huntress) and Rachel Skarsten (Black Canary). Dina Meyer was probably perfectly cast. She fit the role of the wheelchair laden Oracle. Ashley Scott looks the part; she's athletic, and she does some really cool cat-like poses during some of the fight sequences. But her acting is somewhat raw. Until she is in the presence of Dina Meyer; then there is a kinship between them, but both are allowed differing opinions. Rachel Skarten is pretty good. She is nothing like the Black Canary of the comics. She is rather fragile and homely. But later, we discover that may change after she learns some things (maybe during the first season).

The humor: There are some funny moments and lines of dialogue. In one scene, Helena is working at a bar, arguing with Barabara about the homicides happening in the city. Helena replies, "Is your spider sense tingling? Stop twitching and have a drink." Helena doesn't seem to take her work seriously, in great contrast to Oracle's all work and no-play routine. She is burdened with the past, but not enough to be a stiff.

The Villians: Not much going on in terms of villians, except for what we see in flashbacks. The past seems to be an internal struggle that all three have to overcome in this pilot. Barbara is hunted with how she became what she is, and Helena feels guilt for Catwoman's death, and Dinah just wants to understand herself and belong. The major conflict is the enternal struggle, not the sub-conflict, which appears to be a plot to take over several dockyards.

Alfred Pennyworth shows up in one scene, but all too brief. He explains rather ambiguously that it is Orcale's birthright to live at the Wayne Manor. Then he leaves. I would have liked to see him in the pilot for a little longer, or maybe not even put him in it at all.

The pilot moves at a steady pace and I think it's generally a good first attempt/episode. If anything makes this pilot worthwhile, I'd say it's the final flashback sequence where Oracle explains to Dinah (while she is investigating a dark dockyard) how herself and Helena became what they are. It's a dark and grim night and Batgirl is battling The Joker. He shoots electric bolts at Batgirl, but someone from the shadows emerges to her aid. Batman himself. He's wearing the costume, but we only see him from behind, the dark cape, the bat ears, jumping on The Joker in a blazing fire. A very cool sequence, and very dark.

To sum up, if this show gets picked up I think we will see some really cool stuff. It's a lot different from Smallville; there is no sense of "Dawson's Creekiness" at all. It seems to have it's own style. The only problem are the flashbacks. This could become tiresome after awhile if used in following episodes, like the kryptonite plots in Smallville. Eventhough I found them very cool to look at. But one thing is for sure, New Gotham City looks way more cooler than the Metropolis in Smallville! There were some far-out aeiral shots (which look completely digital), and the last aerial shot is under the moon, and a bat flies by! WB should pursue this series. I think it has potential.

This review sounds Interesting. It appears that the show has been tweaked and has mixed and matched continuity like the animated series which is fine with me. It has peaked my interest nonetheless-AJ

Gotham Clock Tower also has review of the pilot. It, along with a picture from the pilot and promotional art can be found by clicking Here (This review has spoilers)

 

Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee on Batman source: Newsarama

 Newsarama has a snippet on Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's run on Batman based on their appearance at Wizard World East.

Previously, at the convention’s Batman panel, upcoming Batman writer Jeph Loeb, when asked about the Batcave and Batmobile said it’s hard to tell a good Batman story without either. Upcoming Batman artist Jim Lee added, “A new Batmobile? Hmmm…”

- It was also elaborated upon that the Lee/Loeb run will feature a dozen or so “returns” of classic Batman villains and characters, appearing roughly one per issue, from the previously pictured Catwoman to Poison Ivy and Killer Croc.

- Regarding the duo’s doing more than twelve issues on the series, Loeb admitted that the first time he heard Lee express any desire to do more than the planned number of issues was in his Newsarama interview. Loeb said, “if Jim’s there, I’m there.”

- When asked about his style on Batman, Lee said that he sees Batman as more of a superhero, the kind that would be a member of the JLA.

Sounds Interesting.

 

More Details on Bruce Wayne on Smallville source: Television without Pity

Al Gough. One of the creators of the Smallville TV show did an online interview about the show's future. Among one of the questions asked was about the appearance of Bruce Wayne. Here is Gough's response

Not in the near future. I think that's something that we could potentially see a little further down the road. That all has to do with issues, financial and rights control. It's an ongoing dream. [Laughs.] It's just hard when you cross those two worlds. It's difficult. You deal with Warner features and DC comics and other entities. If anyone doesn't like the idea, it's dead. It's just finding the right way to approach that.

 

May 8, 2002 Catwoman Script review online source: Filmforce

Stax at Filmforce has just reviewed the latest draft of the Catwoman script. Judging from his review, it appears that this Catwoman movie will feature Patience Price and she will have a similar origin to Catwoman from Batman Returns. Stax's overall opinion is that the script is better than a previous draft but it would be preferable if it did away with the Batman Returns concept altogether. To read his review in full (which by the way does contain spoilers) click Here

Catwoman movie rumour

Stax also has a rumour regarding the Catwoman movie. His sources are saying that Owen Wilson has been approached to play the role of Tom Lone, a former Gotham City cop. Stax is saying that Warner Brothers is keen on signing him for this film.