If we Christopher Nolan did not want to do it,
I’d like to see Tim Burton direct if it was to happen (probably a fantasy but
there is no suggestion of a film so all of this is hypothetical). I think
Burton did an amazing job and the films had strong characters, especially in
the 1989 film. He has grown as a director since then; therefore I think he
could do even better films now. I’m going to discuss why I think there should
be a Nightwing spin off.
First, the Nolan films left it
open to a Nightwing spin off, so it wouldn't be too contrived for it to exist
in the same universe and will flow well from the original trilogy. Even though
remakes, spin offs and expansions are often not successful (Star Wars prequels)
and a Batman remake has been suggested I think it is unlikely to compare to
Batman Begins and especially the Dark Knight. A spin off won’t be compared
directly to them and has more chance of success.
Also, the Dark Knight trilogy
redefined the villains and did an amazing job with them. Everybody agrees that
Heath Ledger did an amazing as the Joker and they managed to salvage Bane’s
image after Batman and Robin. Therefore I’d like to see more villains given the
same treatment. A villain that I adore is Harley Quinn and I’m always
disappointed when a new film is announced and she is not in it. I think that,
before his sad death, the Joker was going to be in the second act of The Dark
Knight Rises instead of the Scarecrow; with his anarchy being a contrast to
Bane’s careful planning, it could explain why the third act seemed so rushed,
but this is just speculation. If this had happened the sequence into Harley
Quinn would be smoother but it could still be done well without Heath Ledger,
although I would disagree with recasting the Joker as I don’t think anybody
could do as good a job as Ledger. Instead of teaming up with the Joker she should
team up with the Riddler. Harley Quinn’s vulnerable mental state would allow
the Riddler to manipulate her and there would be a contrast between their personalities
which will be interesting.
If Harley Quinn was to be used I think
Kristen Bell would be ideal to portray her. I think she has the right look,
with the right make up and outfit, and would really immerse herself in the
role. She has stated in an interview that Harley Quinn was the one part she
would take without reading the script, that affection for the character will
mean a committed and strong performance. There has been some ideas floating
around the internet for whom to play the Riddler, Jim Parsons and Jude Law are
two of the more popular; both of these are strong choices; however the one that
stands out for me is Neil Patrick Harris, he looks the part and I don’t think
anybody can deny the amount of talent he has. He also voiced Nightwing in “Batman:
Under the Red Hood”, so he is familiar with the franchise. I’d also like
Cillian Murphy to reprise his role as scarecrow. He’s the only villain to
appear in all three of the films and did an amazing job being funny, and the gas allowing him to be scary as well. I'm not ashamed to say I have a massive man crush on Murphy. He's hugely underrated in my opinion.
So. Why Nightwing? Why not Robin
or a Batman reboot? Nightwing is a lesser known character so it could be argued
that it doesn't make sense, however, the Batman franchise is more popular than
it has ever been, so now would be the perfect opportunity to bring Nightwing
into the mainstream, and I've never been a huge fan of Robin (let me explain)
mainly because of his outfit, it’s the exact opposite of Batman looking like
just a target. He seemed to be created just to get captured and for Batman to
save. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Nolan and Burton series are considered
so much better than the Schumacher films.
This is all fantasy and what I would
like to happen but unfortunately probably won’t. I can always dream. Let me
know what you think and if you agree or not.
