Once upon a time, comic book films were thought to be nothing but campy children's films and couldn't be taken seriously. Well, lucky for us, Tim Burton proved those nay sayers wrong and gave us a gritty, dark, mature take on Batman. Then you know . . . Joel Schumacher went and ruined it again. But it's all good!
Tim Burton is definitely one of the most visionary, unique directors in Hollywood. From Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton has made a name for himself making quirky, visually stunning films. Although some of his recent efforts haven't been as strong as his 80s and 90s work (Alice in Wonderland . . . Weird choice . . . ) I still think of him as a talented director.
I got to thinking recently how cool it would be if Tim Burton took on another superhero film. His Batman films were really awesome and favorites of mine when I was a kid (yes even Batman Returns). Several years ago, he was even tapped to bring Superman back to the big screen.
This was almost real . . . *Shudder*
Now if you've read the stories on what happened with that film, it was going to star Nicolas Cage as Superman, feature Brainiac, Lex Luthor, and Doomsday (possibly, I think). It would've been . . . Let's say quirky . . . Ah who are we kidding? It would've been either the coolest fuckin movie ever or the worst. Sadly, we'll never know . . .
However, it is fun to think what other characters Tim Burton could tackle with his unique vision. His films always have a character or situation that's entirely in black and white and then juxtaposed with a world full of color. Think of the Joker and Batman, Edward Scissorhands and the suburbs, Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka. Lots of color vs black and white. I started to think of what characters could fit that motif and what those films by Tim Burton would look like. I'd like to share my thoughts . . .
MOON KNIGHT
There are rumors of this character getting a Netflix series, but for now let's pretend he was just optioned for a film by Tim Burton. This is a character with a severe personality disorder. During the Brian Michael Bendis / Alex Maleev run, he thought he was teamed up with Spider-Man, Captain America, and Wolverine while out on missions. Turns out, it was all in his head. Given Burton's love of characters with a lot of mental complexity and emotional strife, Moon Knight would be a perfect fit for a Burton film. Also, it would be a great reason to cast Johnny Depp. Depp could play all four parts (Spidey, Cap, Wolverine, and Knight) at once and really give the audience something visually exciting to watch. Plus, Moon Knight's costume is all white with hints of black. There's your black and white element! In the Bendis run, Knight was in LA. So there's your color! The brightness and colorful world of movie making with a hero dressed in white and black. That would be an awesome movie!
ZATANNA
Zatanna would be an awesome choice for Tim Burton to adapt. Zatanna is a powerful sorceress in the DCU. All she has to do is say a sentence backwards and it happens. So something like, "Feiht pots!" would stop a thief (Thief stop!). It's a bad ass power set. Given her level of power, it's up to her to combat magical threats that may arise. She frequently works with the Justice League, especially Batman. Zatanna travels around the country putting on magic shows. It would be really cool to see a superhero film set in Las Vegas (there's your element of color!). I think Burton could craft a really exciting and visually stunning film based on Zatanna. Films like Beetlejuice and Sleepy Hollow show that he is good at crafting a dark and scary but still fun film filled with magic and mayhem. And the role should totally go to Christina Ricci.
Yes. Let's make this happen!
Ricci does have history with quirky films (Casper, The Addams Family,Sleepy Hollow). She's a great actress and it would be fun to see her tackle a great character like Zatanna. Also . . . she's a huge childhood crush of mine. So . . . I'd die if this actually happened!
GHOST RIDER
So this one might be a little out of left field, but hear me out! Like with my Zatanna choice, I think it would be a really exciting film. Burton has a knack for tortured characters and they don't get much more tortured than Ghost Rider. Now let's pretend that the Nicolas Cage films never happened.
It's hard to forget sometimes . . .
I think it would be great to see a new, really radically different take on the character and Burton excels at that. His take on the Penguin and Catwoman in Batman Returns and even some of the characters in Alice in Wonderland prove that he doesn't mind messing with the formula a little bit. It's good for the audience to be surprised by the film and excited by the changes. Granted, fans are hard to please but given the last couple of Ghost Rider films, I think a major change should be in order. Plus, as I said with Zatanna, Burton is really good at crafting scary but fun films. Ghost Rider could easily fit into his quirky vision.
NORMAN OBSORN/IRON PATRIOT - THE DARK AVENGERS
Boy, if you thought my last choice was weird then you're really scratching your head at this one! As far as quirky characters go - Osborn is definitely one of the top picks. Given his history as businessman, terrible father, Green Goblin, head of S.H.I.E.L.D. replacement H.A.M.M.E.R. back to Green Goblin it's no wonder the dude has a few screws loose. One thing that Burton excels at is showing the striking differences and eerily similarities to his heroes and villains. Look at Batman and the Joker. Vastly different characters that Burton showed aren't far off from each other. To a lesser extent there's Edward and Will Bloom in Big Fish. A father that tells outrageous but captivating stories and the son that can't learn to accept it until his father passes on. Burton excels at having somewhat simple looking characters have many deep layers.
In this case, you can have Norman Osborn take on any of the Avengers or just Spider-Man. Show the world how similar Osborn is to Stark. Both are rich, powerful men with a knack for paving the road to Hell with good intentions. Then there's Osborn and Peter Parker. Both are geniuses who are willing to risk everything for what they believe in. Then there's Osborn and Captain America. Both are patriots. There are probably other similarities but I can't think of them right now.
Anyway, this would be amazing to see adapted on screen. Plus the way Mike Deodato draws Osborn makes him look like Tommy Lee Jones. I know he's already been in Captain America: the First Avenger but let's give him this one too! I'd love to see Burton's take on Norman Osborn's story. Dark Avengers and the Dark Reign storyline following Secret Invasion was one of my all time favorite comics. If Tim Burton chose that as his project I would be one happy fanboy!
BATMAN BEYOND
Yes. Everything about this yes! From the obvious choices to the less obvious ones, let's examine why Tim Burton should totally direct a Batman Beyond live action film:
That. Right there. While Michael Keaton isn't as old as Bruce Wayne is in Batman Beyond he's still a capable actor. Birdman proved that Keaton is still in good shape and is beyond capable (pun intended) of playing an older, harder Bruce Wayne. Plus this time he wouldn't have to wear a restricting costume, so that would be a bonus for him. Keaton and Burton already have a great working relationship, otherwise they wouldn't be considering doing a Beetlejuice sequel (even though they shouldn't make that movie . . . ever). So there's already a great rapport there. Hire a young buck that no one knows and make him Terry McGinnis. Keaton can pass the torch and start a great new franchise.
Earlier I said that Burton is great at juxtaposing black and white with color for his characters. Batman Beyond, whether the producers realized it or not, did a similar thing. Gotham City looked bright and exciting from the top but at the bottom there was less color and more shadow. You'd get characters like Blight and the Jokerz that were very colorful and then Batman who was in the shadows and literally invisible due to his suit's technology. That would make for a visually stunning film as well as having colorful characters that Burton loves to utilize.
Also there's the nostalgia factor. This could either be a straightforward Bat-sequel or an entirely new film. But if Keaton were to be cast then most would assume it was a sequel. Either way, it's fine with me. If you two are considering a damn Beetlejuice sequel after almost 30 years then certainly a Batman Beyond film can't be out of the realm of possibilities! Granted, it might be difficult for some audiences given the direction of the new DC films with Ben Affleck as Batman, but hey . . . who cares what they say! At the end of the day, fans both casual and hardcore want to see a great film. I have little doubt that a Burton-ized version of Batman Beyond would be amazing to see.
Burton has proved that he's great at making visually stunning as well as character driven films. I'd love to see him tackle any of these characters and give them a unique spin. I doubt he will ever make another superhero film. However, it's fun to think about. For me, I grew up on the Tim Burton Batman films and they helped shape my opinion on the character both visually and emotionally. While it's too bad we never got to see his quirky version of Superman, maybe someday we'll see a quirky Avengers or Justice League film. A man can dream . . .
Till Next Time!
JJ - The Comic Junkie!
