In almost every incarnation of the Batman mythos, we've seen the character in his prime and during his earlier to mid-career crime fighting years. A lean, mean, fear-inspiring machine – the Batman has been seen kicking all sorts of ass in a relatively young and spry form. However, in the cases of Batman Beyond and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns/The Dark Knight Strikes Again, there have been portrayals of an older, less agile but just as effective caped crusader roaming the streets of Gotham. According to the latest video from the set of Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice, it looks like Miller's influence has struck again.
Thanks to Samuel Otten's YouTube Channel, we've seen another video of action from the set of Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice. After a montage of still images, the video begins (at roughly the 01:10 mark) showing us the outskirts of a Metropolis set. Reported to be on set are Ben Affleck, Zack Snyder, and a bunch of kids holding hands and supposedly being saved from a building.
The video is very shaky, but you'll notice in the freeze frames that Affleck is sporting some patches of grey hair in the temple region. With the grey hair, the Miller-esque costume, and reports of this Batman fighting crime with the help of drones (while not being on speaking terms with Nightwing), we have to start asking ourselves just how old is this Batman going to be?
Badass Digest claims to know. If their source is true, he's going to be closer to that older stage we rarely ever see him in.
The site's latest scoop is as follows:
My sources indicate that when BvS opens, Batman has existed for close to 30 years, which would place Wayne in his 50s (which is why I expected more grey in Affleck's hair). In this version Batman is still an urban legend, a creature of the night, and no one has ever taken his picture. But he's had plenty of adventures, and the Batcave includes a memorial centered around a tattered Robin costume.
The tattered Robin costume could belong to Jason Todd, the sidekick that The Joker killed in A Death In The Family. If this is true, then not only do we see why Batman/Bruce Wayne isn't fighting or talking to Nightwing/Dick Greyson, but it also indicates an interesting storyline that could be adapted later in the Batman franchise. It looks like despite his older aged incarnation, the Batman that Ben Affleck is going to play will open the doors to a whole assortment of stories that could be told in the new DC Cinematic Continuum. Despite the negativity surrounding the production of these films, the decision making is looking to be shaping the continuum towards a newer angle we haven't seen before on film. If that's not exciting (but scary at the same time), I don't know what is.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice hits theaters on May 6, 2016. If you want to geek out a little more over where this specific Batman incarnation could be going, click over to page 2 for more!
Reading Devin Faraci's blurb about the "tattered Robin costume" got me excited for one reason and one reason alone: we just might get a live action re-telling of Under The Red Hood. A quick summary: it turns out that Jason Todd was brought back to life after The Joker murdered him, thanks to Ra's al Ghul and his Lazarus Pit. The only problem is, the Jason Todd that came back was more psychotic, and harder on crime than Bruce Wayne ever trained him to be.
What's exciting about this is not only can the Batman mythos FINALLY incorporate Ra's al Ghul the way he was intended to be, Lazarus Pit and all, but there's also a good chance we can go back to the Joker mythology as well. If we can bring back The Joker, then perhaps we can move towards a live action telling of the Alan Moore classic, The Killing Joke. Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice just might be the shot in the arm the franchise needs in order to start fresh with actually fresh material!
Warner Bros. and DC probably already have a plan in store for Bruce Wayne's further adventures, but it would be awesome if that plan involved presenting more legendary arcs that have never been committed to film before. To tell us the same stories again with a new actor would be a waste of hiring someone of Ben Affleck's stature to play the part. It's one thing to cast an Oscar winner in your superhero movie, but it's another to give them something to do that's worthy of their time. Just ask Robert Redford!
