Time to do a bit of a Bat-marathon ahead of the release of the THREE upcoming Batman appearances.
2022 is going to be the year of the bat.
Not only will Robert Pattinson be donning the cowl for The Batman when it arrives in Irish cinemas this March, but BOTH Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will be returning as Bruce Wayne for the multiverse-spanning The Flash, due to arrive on the big screen this November.
Clip via ONE Media
So, ahead of what is surely going to be another year of asking the eternally debated question – Who is the best Batman? – now seems as good a time as any to get (re)acquainted with the Batman movies to date.
Also, instead of scouring all over the place, on different channels and streaming libraries to source them all, you’ll be happy to hear that you can watch all 13 of the following Batman and Batman-related movies with your NOW Cinema Membership.
Batman
Michael Keaton’s first outing puts him head-to-head with Jack Nicholson’s take on the Joker. Keaton reportedly only got the gig because Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, Tom Selleck, Bill Murray, Harrison Ford and Dennis Quaid all turned it down.
Batman Returns
Keaton returns, this time attempting to save Gotham from a duo of nefarious criminals: The Penguin (Danny DeVito) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer). Marlon Wayans was hired to play Robin, but his character was ultimately cut from the finished script.
Batman Forever
Val Kilmer’s one and only outing pairs him with the big screen’s first attempt at Robin (Chris O’Donnell), taking on the two-hander of Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and The Riddler (Jim Carrey), two scene-stealers constantly trying to steal each and every scene from each other.
Batman & Robin
George Clooney took on the title for this ultra-camp outing, alongside another new hero – Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone) – and two new villains: Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) and Doctor Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger). The score of 12% on Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t signify the so-bad-its-good category it falls into now.
Catwoman
When the initial version of Batman V Superman was pulled in 2004, Warner Bros. decided to go full steam ahead with a Catwoman spin-off to takes it place in their schedule. Ashley Judd and Nicole Kidman were considered for the role, but Halle Berry took it on when her own spin-off movie (Jinx, based on her character in Bond movie Die Another Day) was also pulled. Catwoman has a score of 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, but is also a strong contender for the so-bad-its-good category.
Batman Begins
When multiple projects DC projects fell apart between 1998 and 2004, Warners went back to basics, giving us a gritty retelling of the origin of Batman. Director Christopher Nolan’s first choice for Bruce Wayne was reportedly Josh Hartnett, who turned it down. Cillian Murphy also auditioned for the role, but he landed the part of the villainous Jonathan Crane (aka Scarecrow) instead.
We chatted to Cillian Murphy about his time in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, you can check out that interview right here:
The Dark Knight
The comic book movie that pretty much all comic book movies are graded against. Steve Carrell, Robin Williams, Paul Bettany and Adrien Brody were all reportedly in the running for the role of Joker, but Nolan always had Ledger in his sights for the part.
The Dark Knight Rises
New cast additions this time around include Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotilard (Talia al Guhl), but Ledger was initially due to return as Joker before his tragic death, while there were heavy rumours that Leonardo DiCaprio – fresh off working with Nolan on Inception – was being offered the role of The Riddler, but it never came to be.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
The semi-sequel to Man of Steel sees Ben Affleck’s first outing as Bruce Wayne directing his rage towards an alien that essentially helped flatten an entire city during the climax of the previous movie. Alternative casting rumours include Josh Brolin (for Batman, before he became Thanos), Bryan Cranston (for Lex Luther, before Jesse Eisenberg was cast) and Quantum of Solace’s Olga Kurylenko (for Wonder Woman, before Gal Gadot was cast).
We chatted to Affleck and Cavill about their roles in the movie, and you can check out that interview right here:
Suicide Squad
To date, the only entry in the DCEU (so all of the newer entries in the DC universe) to win an Oscar, which was for Best Make-Up and Hair Styling. David Ayer (Training Day, End of Watch) takes on directing and writing duties, with a brief, on-top-of-a-car appearance by Affleck’s Batman.
We chatted to Will Smith, Joel Kinnaman and Jai Courtney about the roles in the movie, and you can check out that interview right here:
Birds of Prey
The ultimate break-up movie? Discuss. Margot Robbie plays a post-break-up Harley Quinn, having been dumped by Joker following the events of Suicide Squad, so she decides to head out into the big scary world of organised crime by herself. Arguably the most under-appreciated entry in the DCEU to date.
We chatted to Margot Robbie and Jurnee Smollett-Bell about their roles in the movie, and you can watch that interview right here:
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Yes, it is four hours long, so yes, you kind of need to plan your entire day around it. But watching Snyder’s version of this epic really does make it stand out from original theatrical version presented by Joss Whedon.
We chatted to Cavill about his return from the dead for this sequel, and you can check out that interview right here:
The Suicide Squad
The most recently added entry, James Gunn jumps ship from Marvel (he wrote and directed the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies) to DC for this incredibly violent, no-kids-allowed monster-mash. Scene-stealers include Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn (again), John Cena’s Peacemaker (who is getting his own spin-off) and Sylvester Stallone’s King Shark (“HAND!”).
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