Batman Page 4

Los Angeles is to honour the late Batman actor Adam West this evening by lighting a specially-made ‘Bat Signal’ above the city’s skyline, it has been reported.

The Hollywood Reporter indicated that the night sky above L.A. will be illuminated at 21:00 on Thursday (June 15th). It will be switched on at a public event attended by Mayor Eric Garcetti and the L.A. police chief Charlie Beck at City Hall, according to the report.

Adam West passed away last week at the age of 88

Continue reading: Los Angeles To Pay Tribute To Adam West By Lighting A Special 'Bat Signal'

Adam West, who played Batman in the 1960s TV series, has criticised the modern superhero films for being too dark and violent.

Appearing at New York Comic-Con West, who also starred in the 1966 film Batman: The Movie, said that the current films could use a little more humour.

Adam West at New York Comic-Con

Continue reading: Adam West Thinks The Modern Batman Movies Are "Too Dark"

After starring in the 2006 critical bomb Daredevil, Ben Affleck declared, "I've inoculated myself from ever playing another superhero!" But here he is back in a costume as the Dark Knight for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, director Zack Snyder and actor Henry Cavill's followup to 2013's Man of Steel.

So what drew Affleck back to the genre? "I thought the script and the themes it evokes were special," he says of Batman v Superman. "I liked the character. And I wanted to be in one of these movies that works!"

Continue reading: Affleck And Cavill Drew On The Psychology Of Batman V Superman

The European premiere of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice went ahead in London last night despite the terrorist attacks in Brussels earlier in the day.

The screening at the Odeon in Leicester Square on Tuesday evening (March 22nd) happened as planned amid a heightened security presence, with the movie’s stars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill attending the premiere along with the director, Zack Snyder. However, the red carpet reception part of the evening, including interviews and press lines, was scaled back.

Henry Cavill at the London premiere of 'Batman v Superman' on Tuesday (Mar 22)

Continue reading: 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' London Premiere Goes Ahead Despite Terrorist Attacks In Brussels

As always, there are far too many sequels, spin-offs, remakes and reboots clogging the cinemas, but surely some will be worth the effort. (Release dates are subject to change.)

10. The Hateful Eight
Tarantino kicks off the year with an epic Western starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell (Jan). And there's more manly action with Charlie Hunnam in Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur (Jul), Jack Huston in Ben-Hur (Aug), Chris Pratt in The Magnificent Seven (Sep). 

Continue reading: 10 Most Anticipated Films Of 2016

Remember the picture that Zack Synder tweeted of Ben Affleck in full Capred Crusader regalia? Well, forget that, because filmmaker Kevin Smith says the batsuit intended for Affleck that he saw was blue, not black.

Kevin Smith has seen the new Batsuit

Here's what Smith said on his podcast Hollywood Babble-On - courtesy of Comic Book Movie.

Continue reading: The Batman Suit Pic? Forget It, Kevin Smith Says It's Blue And Grey.

While Marvel and DC have been busy at work bringing every super hero character imaginable to the big screen, you can’t really go ahead and call this the golden era for superhero films without a mention of Bananaman. Luckily, though, the fruity hero is finding his way into cinemas.

Bananaman began his crime-fighting career in the comic book Nutty before transferring over to the now defunct Dandy comic. He was, essentially, a parody on the American superhero’s, using the genre’s most obvious tropes combined with a thick slap of quintessential British comedy. You can bet everything you own on a distinct lack of social consciousness a la The Dark Knight in this one. 

Continue reading: Batman, Superman, Iron Man And Spider-Man Step Aside: Bananaman Is Coming

Batkid may not have been around to save Leonardo di Caprio from another evening of Oscar disappointment but he's been enjoying himself with Spiderman at Disneyland. Batkid A.K.A. Miles Scott and Spiderman actor Andrew Garfield were due to make an appearance at the Oscars on Sunday (2nd March) as part of Ellen DeGeneres' hosting. Unfortunately their segment was cancelled much to the disappointment of Batkid fans.

Andrew Garfield stars in The Amazing Spiderman and its upcoming sequel.

You may remember Batkid A.K.A. Miles Scott from November of last year when he helped save Gotham (San Francisco) from the evil schemes of the Penguin and the Riddler. 5-year-old Miles had suffered from leukaemia since he was 18 months old. in November, following the news of his remission, the Make-A-Wish Foundation took over San Francisco so Miles had the opportunity to be his favourite superhero for the day.

Continue reading: Scorned By The Oscars, Batkid Visits Disneyland With Spiderman

Normally, a hero is supposed to arrive at the last minute, not get unceremoniously cut, but that’s what happened to poor little Batkid, whose performance alongside Andrew Garfield during the televised Oscars show on Sunday night (march 2) was stripped from the proceedings.

Andrew Garfield stars in 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'

You’ll remember Batkid as the adorable little fella who was at the centre of the Make A Wish Foundation’s most elaborate project: he came to San Francisco, hurdled and defeated some cleverly places objects and foes, saving the city and its people from an unthinkable hero. He was, for all intents and purposes, Batman for a day. It was fun.

Continue reading: Batkid Misses Out On Oscars Heroes Celebration, At The Last Minute

Batman will find his way to consoles once more, and this time it’s the next generation. Arkham Knight is an open world game with a drivable Batmobile, and is the fourth game in the Arkham tetralogy, following on from Arkham Asylum, Arkham City and Arkham Origins.

Arkham Knight Can Build on the Success of Arkham Origins

“We’re excited to be developing the game for next gen platforms, which has allowed us to bring to life the design elements that we envisioned from the beginning such as the Batmobile and how it augments Batman’s abilities, to the fully detailed and realised Gotham City,” said director Sefton Hill.

Continue reading: An Open World 'Arkham Knight' Set For Next Gen Consoles [Trailer]

Gotham sounds exciting doesn’t it? A prequel to Batman’s guilt-addled crime-fighting days, focusing on Commissioner Gordon’s efforts to clean up the iconic city’s criminal activity.

We can't wait to see what Gotham was like before Batman turned up

Recent information, revealed by Fox Broadcasting Chairman of Entertainment Kevin Reilly at his executive session to the Television Critics Association, indicates that The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler and Catwoman will all be present in the show, albeit before their elaborate characters and costumes were fully realized.

Continue reading: Gotham TV Show Details Revealed - The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler And Catwoman All In

Fox have given the go-ahead for an all new series from The Mentalist and Rome screenwriter Bruno Heller that will be based on the Batman universe, concentrating on Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon. The news of this new series come after the premiere of ABC's own 'non-superheroes working in a superhero world' series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Avengers Assemble director/writer Joss Whedon.

Heller previously worked on The Mentalist and Rome

As initially reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Heller has begun working on a script for the new series, which was given straight-to-series status by network chiefs, stating that the network are working alongside DC Comics to bring viewers a side of Gotham City not seen on the big screen. The show will concentrate on Gordon's time in the Gotham Police Department before the introduction of Batman, who will not appear in the series (at least not for the initial run of the series). Although the Dark Knight does not appear in the series, as comic book aficionados will know, Gordon has a rich backstory and the character itself is as old as Batman. A description of the series from the studio states that, although Batman will not be in the series, it will feature many of the super-villains that made their name in Gotham.

Continue reading: Fox Begins Work On 'Batman Prequel' About Gotham Police Commissioner Jim Gordon

If you’re one of the people signing petitions and moaning about Ben Affleck being Batman – probably because something’s gone wrong in real life and you’re displacing your anger onto a man you’ve never met for his part in a franchise you’ve never had any creative input in – then shut the hell up, because Affleck says he can deal with it.

Affleck proudly weilds his Oscar for Argo.

The Argo actor explained everything on his Late Night with Jimmy Fallon appearance. “The people from the studio were like ‘We’re thrilled… and listen we want to talk to you because people go through this process and it can be a little trying’,” he recalled. “They said, ‘We want to show you some of the reactions that past cast members have got on the internet’. (Metro)

Continue reading: Are You Anti-Ben Affleck For Batman? Well He's A Big Boy!

Ben Affleck has been handed the keys to the Batmobile, picking up the torch from the excellent Christain Bale to portray Gotham’s troubled hero. At 41-years of age, the road to one of Hollywood’s most prestigious roles – made so by director Christopher Nolan and Bale – hasn’t been a smooth one for Affleck, who endured his fair share of bumps and crashes along the way.

Affleck proudly weilds his Argo Oscar for Best Picture

"We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics' most enduringly popular super heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill and then some," Warner Bros President Greg Silverman said in a statement. "(Affleck) has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne," said Snyder. "I can't wait to work with him. (BBC)

Continue reading: For Ben Affleck, The Road To Batman Was Long And Winding

At the San Diego Comic Con International this weekend, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder made the entire conventional - and pretty much everyone else in the world who was't able to show up to the four-day event - simultaneously jump for joy with the news that a Superman and Batman will cross paths when the sequel to the Man of Steel is released in 2015.

Henry Cavill will be back as Superman

The announcement really did a number on Marvel's big reveal; the title of the next Avengers movie (Avengers: Age of Ultron), but now that the door is well and truly open for big name superheroes to cross paths, who knows what could happen next. With the Avengers already out there as a major motion picture and Gardians of the Galaxy and a Justice League movie coming soon, we can hopefully expect to see more and more superheroes all in one movie. Until then, here's what we hope/pray we can see in the not-so-distant future.

Continue reading: As The Batman & Superman Crossover Is Announced, Here's Some Other Superhero Cross-Overs Hollywood Should Consider Next

The Justice League (DC's version of Marvel's Avengers) movie will not, speculating from what Henry Cavill said in a recent interview, be in cinemas in the near future.  

Should such a film be made would we see Cavill as Superman saving the world (or possibly the universe) alongside Christian Bale's Batman and Ryan Reynolds's Green Lantern?  They would, of course, be supported by a team of other less known superheroes: Wonder Woman, Martian Man-hunter, Flash and Aquaman. 

Henry Cavill at the Superman: Man of Steel Premiere in London

Continue reading: Henry Cavill: The Justice League Movie "Needs Building Up"

If the Batman trilogy can go any darker, the creative minds behind the hugely popular Arkham videogames will be able to achieve it. With the winged hero already making the smooth transition from big screen to home consoles, the guys at Warner Bros. Interactive have a lot to live up to with Arkham Origins.

“That’s the time in his career we loved, and we believe it dovetailed very appropriately with being a player in a video game — that feeling of raw empowerment that comes from knowing the people you’re fighting in the world are scared of you,” senior producer Ben Mattes. told The L.A Times’ Hero Complex. “They are genuinely worried about what happens when you get your hands on them. That creates a very strong feeling of power that we want to put in the hands of the players.” The questionable morality attached to Batman’s actions has been the fulcrum of the hugely popular films, and that aspect has found roots in the game, too. But Origins, which takes place 9 years before the events of Arkham Asylum, will delve even deeper into the universe so skilfully translated by Christopher Nolan.

Continue reading: Batman Prequel Arkham Origins To Go Darker Than Before

Batman: Arkham Origins captures a "rawer, scarier Batman" more akin to Christopher Nolan's movie franchise than previous games in the series. The new game - set for release on October 25 - is set five years before the events on 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum, on a New York Christmas Eve where many of Gotham's inhabitants still consider the caped crusader to be a myth.

Senior producer Ben Mattes and creative director Eric Holmes were in Los Angeles last week to showcase scenes from the game, which includes new weapons, a new voice cast and enhanced detective abilities for Batman, according to the Los Angeles Times. Mattes said the primary inspiration behind the new game was the 'Legends of the Dark Knight' comic series, launched after Tim Burton's 1989 movie. The emphasis on Batman's earlier days means Origins is more likely to mirror Christopher Nolan's 'Dark Knight' trilogy. "That's the time in his career we loved, and we believe it dovetailed very appropriately with being a player in a video game - that feeling of raw empowerment that comes from knowing the people you're fighting in the world are scared of you," Mattes told Hero Complex. "They are genuinely worried about what happens when you get your hands on them. That creates a very strong feeling of power that we want to put in the hands of the players.

Continue reading: 'Batman: Arkham Origins' Features Bane And The Joker

New Batman mythology is to be drawn up by DC Entertainment to add key elements to the superhero's transformative years. Though the murder of Wayne's parents will remain the same, DC will elaborate on how he began his transformation from wealthy socialite to the scourge of Gotham city's criminal underworld. "It's not 'let's redo the original'" said Scott Snyder, the writer of the new Batman comics, "It's time for a new story showing how Batman became who he is in the New 52."

Snyder said the decision grew out of the success of the first year-and-a-half of the New 52 comics, a sweeping reorganization of DC's characters that saw many given new origins and backstories. The new Batman narrative begins in June's issue 'The Zero Year,' illustrated by Greg Capullo. "We tried to preserve as much of Batman's history as we could and keep what we could of this history intact," Snyder said of the change. "It's 'The Zero Year,' the one that no one has told the story of before. We see how Bruce became the Batman, built the cave, faced off with his first super villain." 

Snyder, also the scribe behind 'Swamp Thing' and 'American Vampire,' said the new story will give contemporary readers new glimpses into the Bob Kean-created character, whose first appearance came in the pages of 'Detective Comics' in May 1939. Since then, Batman has become one of the most recognisable characters in popular culture, becoming the focus of numerous movies, including Christopher Nolan's recent franchise. "It's time for a new story showing how Batman became who he is in the New 52," said Snyder. "It builds up the mythology."

Continue reading: New Batman Mythology: DC Go Deeper Into Bruce Wayne's Past

Well, we never knew that Batman was so body-conscious until today… A man in Bradford, Yorkshire, who handed a criminal over to the police whilst dressed up as Batman has now been forced to defend himself after people started commenting on his apparent ‘paunch,’ caught on CCTV at the police station. Mr Worby, 39, has a real life day job, working as a Chinese takeaway delivery driver - not quite the Bruce Wayne lifestyle, though his attempts at ridding the Bradford streets of criminals are truly commendable. So imagine his disappointment when people started commenting on his rotund-looking waist, rather than his heroic deeds.

Bradford Man Hands In A Criminal in West Yorkshire

The Telegraph have reported, however, that Worby had an answer for his critics and refused to let them cast aspersions at his physique: “I've got my full tracksuit underneath. I'm not just wearing this - it's too thin.” Sounds like a good enough explanation to us – it can get pretty chilly in Yorkshire at this time of year, after all. Mr Worby also explained, to ITV’s Daybreak programme, that he was gob-smacked to see the story reported online all across the world yesterday.

Continue reading: Bradford Batman Forced To Defend His Bat-Gut, He Wore A Tracksuit, OK?

Batman might have his hands full with the likes of Bane and The Joker a lot of the time, foiling their intended paths of destruction, but don’t think for a second that the caped crusader isn’t too busy to keep an eye out for the little guy these days – local police in the UK city of Bradford found out that the super hero was still more than available to tackle the petty criminal.

"The person who brought the wanted man into the station was dressed in a full Batman outfit. His identity, however, remains unknown." This was a quote from a West Yorkeshire police officer regarding an occurrence that saw ‘Batman’ – or a man dressed like him – bring in a wanted suspect to the cells. Strangely enough, police believe that the two might have been cahoots, given that there wasn’t much resistance from the man being taken into jail, while the body language suggested a familiarity between the two.

Police have ruled out that this is a bona fide vigilante roaming the streets of Bradford on their bidding, and rumours are also amusingly sweeping the internet as to who might be behind the mask. MP for the area George Galloway has written on Twitter that he hasn’t re-visited his cat suit wearing past, on Celebrity Big Brother, writing "Contrary to rumours sweeping Gotham, I am not the Bradford Batman, however I take my hat off to him and wish him luck in the future." The man handed in was charged with handling stolen-goods and fraud-related offences, according to The Guardian.

The first ever Batmobile, specially customised for the iconic 1960s TV show, has been sold in an auction for an enormous $4.62m. 

Hollywood's best car customiser, George Barris, was commissioned to make the Batmobile. After buying a 1955 Lincoln Future concept car from Ford he decked it out with a bubble-top roof and all kinds of gadgets that Batman certainly needs, including lasers, the option of oil slicking the roads to shake anyone chasing him and smoke machines to confuse his enemies. Who wouldn't want a car like that?!

One person, who really, really, really wanted it was a man named Rick Champagne, who forked out the incredible sum. He's wanted it "ever since [he] was a kid. [He] had a toy model of it." 

Continue reading: 'Bang! Pow! Boom!' Batmobile Sells For $4.62m, Its New Home Is In The Living Room

Elmo putting recent troubles behind him and enjoying the Hollywood Christmas Parade

We all love a good Christmas parade round this time of year, but it should come as no surprise that when it comes to pulling out all the stops Hollywood likes to go a few steps better than everyone else. Elmo, the original Batmobile, Papa Smurf, Herbie the Lovebug, even Uggie - the dog from Oscar-winning film The Artist - were all on display in some form or other as the procession wound its way through a brisk Los Angeles yesterday (November 25). 

Continue reading: Pictures: The Hollywood Christmas Parade Benefiting Marine Toys For Tots

Due to technological and formatting constraints of the kindle and other e-readers over the past few years, animated publications have rarely been seen on any kind of electronic reading device. However, that's all changing with the news that DC Comics have signed a deal to make their well loved publications available as e-books. DC Comics have been responsible for Batman, Superman, and the Justice League, among many others.

This news comes only a month after The Diary of a Wimpy Kid finally found its way onto the kindle, having found difficulty with formatting and cohesion. As the LA Times reports, graphic novels have been available for a little while on some devices, however individual comic book issues have not. That's changing with the advent of a DC app that will enable it. The move to digital comes as the sales print comic books continue to decline- although, apparently sales of comic books in comparison to this time last year have risen a massive 197%! This is perhaps largely due to the influx of comic-inspired films that have been released over the last year, most notable, The Avengers.

Jim Lee, co-published at DC Entertainment was quoted on DCComics.com, and said: "As e-readers and tablets continue to explode in popularity it's important for us to offer consumers convenience and choice in how they download digital comics and graphic novels and these new distribution deals with the top three e-bookstores do just that...We're very excited to work with Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble to bring bestselling DC Comics and Vertigo periodicals to their e-bookstores." 

You heard it right: Batman charged. The Batman’s perennial struggle with morality and the law continues as Michigan State Police arrest the controversial enforcer, reports The Petoskey News.

We jest, of course; it was in fact the so-called Petoskey Batman who has been detained for resisting and obstructing police in an investigation; Mark Wayne Williams, 33, was adorned with the Marvel character’s costume when he was arrested. “When we arrived, (Williams) was at the scene in his Batman outfit. He wouldn’t clear the scene and we had a canine out there and he kept screwing up the scent,” Sgt. Jeff Gorno said. “He said he wanted to help us look for the driver. We didn’t want the dog to track Batman instead of the accident scene and he was getting in the way of officers who had a job to do.” Williams posted bond and was released from the Emmet County Jail. Emmet County Prosecutor, Jim Linderman, said Williams was charged with one count of resisting and obstructing police in an investigation and is due back in court on October 18, 2012. The escapade could potentially land him two years in jail.

Williams has been warned: around this time last year, he was sentenced to six months probation after he pleaded guilty to resisting and obstructing a police officer. During his probation, he was not permitted to wear any costumes, including the Batman costume, but after the six months were over, it seems the Marvel-clad vigilante couldn’t help but get back to the streets to fight the good fight once more.