Really Dark Knight

The first test footage of Robert Pattinson as Batman in the upcoming The Batman movie (currently filming) was revealed today...


The Batman - Camera Test from Matt Reeves on Vimeo.

It looks like it was filmed in a very dark cave, but he looks Batman-ish.

So, there's that.

The Batman is set to open on June 21st, 2021

Batman begins again

Production has started on The Batman, the new Robert Pattinson Batman movie.

Do we need another Batman movie?

Time will tell.

Meow

Looks like the new Batman movie now has a new Catwoman...

The Batman movie has found its Selina Kyle aka Catwoman in Big Little Lies star Zoe Kravitz. Her deal is official. The film directed by Matt Reeves comes out on June 25, 2021.

Kravitz joins Robert Pattinson who has the title role, Jeffrey Wright who is playing Commissioner Gordon and Jonah Hill who is in talks for a villain role. 

The actress follows in the path of such great big screen performers who’ve worn the Catwoman black leather suit as Michelle Pfeiffer, Anne Hathaway and Halle Berry, the latter who starred in a Warner Bros. standalone pic with the villain’s name. Kravitz boasts a big resume with feature credits that include Mad Max Fury Road, the Fantastic Beasts franchise, the Divergent franchise, X-Men: First Class, and the The Lego Batman Movie in which she played…yes, Catwoman (and all Batman fans know who Kyle is). 

This movie will either be really good or a train wreck. Time will tell and I'll definitely see it either way.

The movie opens on June 25th, 2021.

Rutger Hauer

Sad news today...

Rutger Hauer, a rugged Dutch actor who played Nazis, action heroes and bloodsucking vampires, but who was best known as the android outlaw in the science-fiction thriller “Blade Runner,” died July 19 at his home in Beetsterzwaag, a village in the Netherlands. He was 75.

He won a Golden Globe for best supporting actor for “Escape From Sobibor,” a 1987 TV movie about an uprising at a Nazi death camp — he played the Jewish hero, against type — and in 2005 was a morally corrupt Catholic cardinal in “Sin City” and a greedy Wayne Enterprises executive in “Batman Begins.” 

Mr. Hauer also starred in the 1985 medieval fantasy “Ladyhawke,” alongside Matthew Broderick and Michelle Pfeiffer; played a vampire king in the 1992 movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”; and ruled a supernatural tribe in the HBO series “True Blood.” 

But Mr. Hauer, who described himself as “a very nonviolent person,” soon returned to the menacing characters that made him famous. He starred as an SS officer in the TV movie “Fatherland” (1994), was a vampire in the TNT miniseries “Salem’s Lot” (2004, adapted from a Stephen King novel) and played a bloodthirsty businessman in “The Sisters Brothers” (2018), a Western starring John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix. 

“It’s so much fun to playfully roam into the dark side of the soul and tease people,” Mr. Hauer told the Associated Press in 1987. “If you try to work on human beings’ light side, that’s harder. What is good is hard. Most people try to be good all their lives. So you have to work harder to make those characters interesting.”

He was great in Blade Runner and many other movies and TV shows.

He will be missed.

Batty

Now that Robert Pattinson has been cast as the new Batman, I feel like they might as well cast Taylor Lautner as Robin and just kill the franchise with the first movie.

This is why DC movies can't have nice things.

Relatively speaking

The first image of Ruby Rose as Batwoman was released today.

The CW has released a first look photo of Ruby Rose suited up as Batwoman, who will first appear in the annual DC superhero crossover event, titled Elseworlds, as well as the Batwoman series that is currently in development from producer Greg Berlanti. 

Elseworlds, the annual Arrowverse crossover, will take place in Gotham City. The crossover will start with The Flash on Sunday, December 9. Arrow will continue the story on Monday, December 10, before it all comes to an end in Supergirl on Tuesday, December 11. 

This story will mark Ruby Rose’s debut as Kate Kane, a.k.a. Batwoman. While Kate is Bruce Wayne’s cousin in the DC Universe, the Batman isn’t expected to appear in this story or anywhere else in the Arrowverse any time soon. 

In the CW’s Batwoman, written by Caroline Dries based on the DC characters, armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kane (Rose) soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope.

Another character I know nothing about. However, I always enjoy the CW crossover event each year, so am looking forward to seeing how this character blends in with the others.

I'll be especially interested to see how they explain how she's wandering around Gotham City fighting crime and her cousin, Batman/Bruce Wayne, just "happens" to not be around.

Supergirl eventually had to bring in Superman and, I'm guessing, Batman will have to come into the picture at some point, if the Batwoman show goes to series.

Time will tell.

Adam West

Very sad news over the weekend...

Adam West, who defined the tights-wearing title role of "Batman" in the 1960s cult TV classic and remained a celebrated actor in the superhero world, died Friday after a short battle with leukemia, according to his family. He was 88. 

Born William West Anderson in Walla Walla, Washington, he made appearances in popular TV shows of the 1960s, including "Bonanza" and "Bewitched." But he shot to fame playing the wealthy playboy Bruce Wayne — Batman's real name — on the ABC series adaptation of the D.C. comic book. Although it lasted for only three seasons from January 1966 to March 1968. 

In 1966, West became the first actor to bring the masked vigilante to the big screen in a feature-length adaptation of the TV series. In "Batman: The Movie," the Caped Crusader and trusty sidekick Robin, played by Burt Ward, formed the Dynamic Duo to outwit The Joker and his goons, including The Riddler, played by Frank Gorshin, and Catwoman, played by Lee Meriwether.

West — typecast as Batman over his career — voiced characters in several "Batman" spin-offs, oftentimes lending his legendary deadpan to sidekicks instead of superheroes. He also voiced characters in animated series, including "The Fairly OddParents," and played Mayor Adam West in Fox's cartoon series, "Family Guy." 

He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2012.

He had a very colorful career and life and has left an ever-lasting impression in the Pop Culture world.

He will be missed, but very fondly remembered for many years to come.

Justice League Trailer

The Justice League trailer was released over the weekend...



It's a pretty good trailer, although it does appear to be as dark and CGI-y as the Batman v Superman trailer, so I'm hoping it's not going to be too shot-on-a-green screen looking in the theater.

But, I'm still looking forward to this and hope the story turns out to be lot better than Batman v Superman.

We shall see...

The movie opens on November 17th.

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Sad news over the weekend...

Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-American beauty queen and actress whose varied acting career was often overshadowed by her colorful personal life – a personal life that included a string of ex-husbands like hotel magnate Conrad Hilton and actor George Sanders – has died after suffering a heart attack in her home. She was 99. 

Gabor grew up the child of a wealthy Jewish family in the newly-established state of Hungary alongside her siblings, elder sister Magda Gabor, and equally famous younger sister Eva Gabor. Educated at a Swiss boarding school, Zsa Zsa was discovered in 1934 by Austrian opera tenor Richard Tauber, beginning her acting career on the stage.

 An early shot at fame came in 1936 when she was crowned Miss Hungary and from there kicked off what would become a varied career that included a 1944 novel, and dozens of film and television roles. Among her film roles, she appeared in Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil, The Road to Hong Kong, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and even A Very Brady Sequel. In one of her few leading roles, Gabor memorably played Jane Avril in 1952’s Moulin Rouge alongside José Ferrer. 

Meanwhile, on television her numerous guest roles include appearances on The Milton Berle Show, Batman, Gilligan’s Island, Bonanza, The Love Boat, The Facts of Life, the Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. 

But of course, it was her personal life, not her entertainment career, for which Zsa Zsa became world famous. Married eight times (with one annulment), her husbands included the likes of left wing Turkish activist and politician Burhan Asaf Belge (married from 1937–1941), Hotel tycoon Conrad “Connie” Hilton (1942 – 1947), and All About Eve actor George Sanders (1949 – 1954). Gabor cultivated a mystique about her marriages and numerous love affairs and was known in particular for her sharp wit applied to her personal life. “I am a marvelous housekeeper: Every time I leave a man I keep his house,” she once said about her divorces.

She had quite a long career and certainly lived a colorful, almost early-reality-TV-style, life.

Water World

Looks like the Aquaman movie now has a release date...

The Warner Bros superhero pic starring Jason Momoa and directed by James Wan will hit theaters October 5, 2018 in both 3D and IMAX.

Aquaman made his cinematic debut earlier this year via a short cameo in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The character will next be seen in a major role in the Zack Snyder-directed follow up Justice League, which sees the major heroes of the DC Universe united to face off against DC Villain Steppenwolf. 

 The Aquaman stand-alone film stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman – AKA Arthur Curry, king of Atlantis – alongside Amber Heard as Mera, Queen of Atlantis in the comics and likely to fill the same role here.

I guess a lot of this film's success is going to ride on how well his character is received when he shows up in the Justice League movie next year.

Fingers and fins crossed.

Fisticuffs

The new Wonder Woman trailer was released today....



It really makes the movie look like a fun adventure with some beautiful cinematography...not nearly as dark/dour as Batman v Superman, thankfully.

I also like the funny secretary. She's enjoyable.

The movie opens on June 9th.

Someone also did an edit of the 70's Wonder Woman show to match the new Wonder Woman movie trailer and it's pretty awesome how they were able to find so many clips that actually work...

To the crosswalk!

The original Batman and Robin (Adam West and Burt Ward) are back together in an animated feature, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders! Here's the first full trailer...



It's got all the cheesy goodness of the original 1966 series AND the return of Julie Newmar as Catwoman.

Purrrrfect.

Wonder Woman poster

The first look at the new Wonder Woman movie poster was released today by Gal Gadot, who plays the title character.

And they also just released the first trailer for the movie...











Awesome!



AAaaaand....they just released the first Justice League trailer...





Jason Momoa's Aquaman appears to have a "little bit" of an attitude problem, which could be fun.

Here's hoping it's better than Batman v Superman.

Prince

Very surprising and sad news today...

Prince died earlier today at age 57 at his Paisley Park home and studio. 

One of the most iconic musicians in music history, Prince's extensive career grew out of the music scene of his native Minneapolis, where he lived his entire life. His 1978 debut album For You and self-titled second LP, released in October 1979, kicked off an incredibly prolific run of albums that included 1999, Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day, Sign O The Times and Batman, among others, throughout the 1980s at a clip of nearly one per year, evolving with each release. 

It was 1984's Purple Rain -- his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 -- released in conjunction with the film of the same name, that cemented him as one of the greatest artists of his generation, earning him two Grammys, and Oscar and a victory over Michael Jackson's Thriller for Favorite Pop/Rock Album at the 1985 American Music Awards. Along the way, he worked with several bands under a series of pseudonyms, including The Time, the New Power Generation and The Revolution, as both frontman and producer. 

Over his 35-plus-year career, he released 39 solo studio albums and never stopped releasing new material; since September 2014, he put out four new full-length records with his latest band, 3rd Eye Girl, continuously experimenting with psychedelic rock and intergalactic funk.

He was an extremely talented musician and artist whose career and life have ended way too soon.

He will be missed, but will be remembered and celebrated for his music for many years to come.

Batman v Box Office

First, the good news about Batman v Superman...

The full international weekend estimates on Warner Bros’ Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice show the superheroes capturing $254M on 40K screens in 66 markets. That makes BvS the No. 5 best opener ever at the overseas box office. Coupled with the record-breaking domestic number this frame, the worldwide total is $424.1M; that’s good for 4th place all-time global opener.

Among the records shattered offshore are: The biggest superhero opening weekend of all time; biggest March opening ever; WB’s biggest China bow ($57.3M); and WB’s biggest IMAX opening ($18M).

So...it made lots of money, which we kind of all knew would happen.

And now the not so good news...the reviews weren't good. At all.



Even though I didn't think it was THAT bad...it definitely was disappointing in many ways. Thankfully, there was one moment in the film where the audience actually clapped (including myself)...



Yep...Wonder Woman's arrival definitely helped pump some much-needed adrenaline into the lethargic lull that most of the audience had been lead into during the previous meandering two hours of the film.

Let's hope the Wonder Woman movie next June 2017 balances things out and re-sets the stage for a better Justice League movie that follows a few months later in November.

Statuesque

Hot Toys has released a couple images of their upcoming Wonder Woman statue from Batman v Superman.

It looks just like Gal Gadot does in the movie.



They really do an amazing job on many of the faces and eyes on these statues...



I want.

Grace Under Fire

Two new movie posters were released today and they are definitely, at least visually, going for two different vibes. The one for Allegiant: The Divergent Series is quite modern and visually futuristic, while the latest Batman v Superman has opted for a gritty, put-up-your-dukes vibe.



I'm really hoping that the actual "fight" in Batman v Superman only takes up about a half hour, so that we get to focus on other characters and plots for the majority of the film.

Otherwise, I'm gonna be very displeased.

Nobody wants that.

#duh

Superman + One Punch = Win

End Scene.

I still can't wait to see Batman v Superman.

It's what we do

The first full trailer for the Suicide Squad was released this week...



Honestly, I don't know anything about this comic series and, although the action scenes look good, I'm not all that thrilled to go see it (plus the Harley Quinn character already kind of annoys me).

I probably will end up watching it...but I don't have the same enthusiasm for it as I do for Batman v Superman and Wonder Woman.

Of course, it might turn out to be the best movie of the three...anything is possible.

We'll find out when the movie opens on August 5th.

Wonder Woman: Sneak Peek

The CW showed the first footage from the upcoming Wonder Woman movie last night...



It's cool that we got to see a bit of footage so early in the film shoot. I'll bet a bit of this might be from the upcoming Batman v Superman movie as well.

So far, it looks pretty awesome!

I'm really looking forward to this movie, which opens June 23rd, 2017.