What If These Fake Batman Movies Happened?
#BatmanAMovie has fans imagining and pitching their own odd twists on the Dark Knight for the big screen.
Who hasn’t dreamed of making their own Batman movie? Getting to play in the ultimate superhero toy box of Gotham City has long been the fantasy of DC comic book fans everywhere. What if Batman were to face off against vampires? What would have happened if Bruce’s parents never died and someone else became Batman? What would happen in a Batman Beyond movie? The scenarios fans have come up with for dream Batman movies are endless.
In the last few hours, Twitter has turned into a particularly fun pitch meeting for fans who want to see the Dark Knight in all kinds of bonkers big-screen situations based on other beloved franchises. If you scroll through the hashtag #BatmanAMovie right now, you’ll find an interesting mix of Bat-puns as well as a few choice illustrations that give you a better idea of what these fake flicks would look like.
#BatmanAMovie was actually born when veteran DC and Marvel comic book scribe Sean Kelley McKeever suggested that perhaps upcoming Dark Knight movie The Batman should be called “A Batman” instead. (He has a point considering Warner Bros. is set to deploy three Batmen next year — a new one played by Robert Pattinson in the solo film as well as the versions played by Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck in the DCEU’s long-gestating Flash movie. In this multi-Batman reality, Pattinson does really seem to be just another Batman.)
After comic book legend Kurt Busiek replied to the tweet with his own fake titles, other Batfans began chiming in, with McKeever eventually coining the aforementioned hashtag.
It was off to the races after that. Fans have come up with titles for Batman-Studio Ghibli crossovers, a word salad mash-up that has the Caped Crusader join the Star Wars universe, and even a movie where the Dark Knight sails the Seven Seas with Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. There’s “Batman: The Musical” and even an idea that could finally bring Samuel L. Jackson to the DC film universe (if he’s not over snakes).
Even the official Batman handle decided to play:
But, in my opinion, Busiek has pitched the true bangers, including a highbrow heist movie about Bruce’s dad and a Spider-Man: Far From Home-like roadtrip movie set in London. There might be werewolves in that last one, too.
Check these fake movies out for yourself:
As far as real movies go, The Batman is directed by Cloverfield and Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves. The movie focuses on a younger version of Bruce played by Pattinson who’s only in the second year of his crime-fighting career. Judging from the trailer, this means a more angsty and violent Dark Knight than we’ve seen on screen before. Even though Batman Begins takes place in year one of the hero’s adventures, Christian Bale’s take seems way better adjusted than Pattinson’s miserable-looking crime-fighter. Perhaps he could use a nice, chill meal with Wallace Shawn?
The Batman hits theaters on March 4, 2022. Meanwhile, the multiverse-skipping The Flash movie, which will bring Keaton back to the Batcave for the first time since 1993’s Batman Returns, finally goes into production this April and is scheduled for a Nov. 4, 2022 release date.
Written by
John Saavedra is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Den of Geek. He lives in New York City with his two cats.