There is a legacy of "Batman" and the actors who've played him. How does your approach differ?
I think that you have with the Tim Burton ones a great stylized version. But to me, whilst I enjoyed those ones, it was more the stylization of the villains than Batman himself. I didnt see a whole lot going on in Batman. The other ones just werent my thing at all. And I just felt that I wanted to attempt to base it in reality, starting from a realistic point of view of the pain and the trauma that a child has been through, and really looking at it as that instead of just [he's] this incredibly theatrical character that jumps around in a Batsuit, which to me would be kind of stupid if I met him in the street. You know, I dont think I would be intimidated. I would laugh at him.
You had to get to a point where the audience would be drawn in enough to believe that this guy has gone through so much pain and anger, and then we have a really nice backstory about how he creates the Batman. And also, theres a very nice practical backstory to every gadget, and to the Batsuit and to everything. Everything is explained in the movie. Nothing was taken for granted at all. Theres no assumptions that the audience would just understand it immediately. We wanted to show how did this happen and why did he choose everything. And its all explained very, very well and in detail. And in making that kind of approach, I think it couldnt help but appear different because you got a real character, you know?
We were focusing on Bruce Wayne and Batman, whereas what I would find in watching most of the other movies, and also the TV series and things, I always found the villains much more interesting. And that was the main revelation to me in reading one of the graphic novels. Batman is the most interesting of them all, you know? I mean, hes the really on-the-edge one because hes the guy that, okay, hes doing good but hes the Dark Knight. I mean, a knight is meant to be in shining armor and hes the Dark Knight. He could do good things but man, he could just as easily flip over and become like the ultimate villain. Hopefully weve been able to portray that in a more character-based way than has been shown before.
I mean, hes the really on-the-edge one because hes the guy that, okay, hes doing good but hes the Dark Knight. I mean, a knight is meant to be in shining armor and hes the Dark Knight. He could do good things but man, he could just as easily flip over and become like the ultimate villain. Hopefully weve been able to portray that in a more character-based way than has been shown before.
Whats your favorite gadget from the film?
The car. It has to be because theyve done such a radically different thing with it. What I love about it is that aesthetically it kicks ass. It looks f***ing stunning.
There were a couple of times driving down the street in Chicago where its like, We can load it on the truck or just drive 5 minutes down there, and they just drove 5 minutes down there. And you see that thing just going down the street and everybody is stopping and looking. What the hell is this? There was even this guy who crashed into it. This poor drunken guy who didnt have a license, who said he got so panicked when he saw the car he thought aliens were landing and he put the pedal to the metal. I wasnt in it it was the stunt driver driving it at the time. He put the pedal to the metal and sideswiped the Batmobile.
How heavy was the suit and what was your first reaction when you saw yourself in it?
Actual poundage, Im not sure of how heavy it really was. And my first reaction in seeing it... I remember I tried on one of the old ones for the screen test they had to do, but, you know, it didnt fit exactly. It hadnt been made for me. The first time I put on the one that actually was made for me, it was like I said. It was like looking at a creature. It kind of wasnt me in there at all, and thats how I liked it. I didnt want to have any kind of recognition of myself or Bruce Wayne, once hes inside of it at all.
I think what's better is the fact that he doesn't seem to be a Batman fan at all... rather... an actor taking on a specific role.
THIS will help the portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman the most... that a man with an open mind read about Batman and decided... hey... this guy is pretty fucked up.
That's a really great interview. Everyone should go read the entire thing. It's really refreshing the way Bale approaches his roles. He's in the business and doing his chosen roles for all the best reasons. Bale's just a standup guy.
Did you get to keep [a Batmobile]?
That was the first question [I asked]. They looked at me and they went, You f***ing kidding? So I didnt get to keep one of them.
There is a legacy of "Batman" and the actors who've played him. How does your approach differ?
I think that you have with the Tim Burton ones a great stylized version. But to me, whilst I enjoyed those ones, it was more the stylization of the villains than Batman himself. I didn’t see a whole lot going on in Batman. The other ones just weren’t my thing at all. And I just felt that I wanted to attempt to base it in reality, starting from a realistic point of view of the pain and the trauma that a child has been through, and really looking at it as that instead of just [he's] this incredibly theatrical character that jumps around in a Batsuit, which to me would be kind of stupid if I met him in the street. You know, I don’t think I would be intimidated. I would laugh at him.
You had to get to a point where the audience would be drawn in enough to believe that this guy has gone through so much pain and anger, and then we have a really nice backstory about how he creates the Batman. And also, there’s a very nice practical backstory to every gadget, and to the Batsuit and to everything. Everything is explained in the movie. Nothing was taken for granted at all. There’s no assumptions that the audience would just understand it immediately. We wanted to show how did this happen and why did he choose everything. And it’s all explained very, very well and in detail. And in making that kind of approach, I think it couldn’t help but appear different because you got a real character, you know?
We were focusing on Bruce Wayne and Batman, whereas what I would find in watching most of the other movies, and also the TV series and things, I always found the villains much more interesting. And that was the main revelation to me in reading one of the graphic novels. Batman is the most interesting of them all, you know? I mean, he’s the really on-the-edge one because he’s the guy that, okay, he’s doing good but he’s the Dark Knight. I mean, a knight is meant to be in shining armor and he’s the Dark Knight. He could do good things but man, he could just as easily flip over and become like the ultimate villain. Hopefully we’ve been able to portray that in a more character-based way than has been shown before.
Not only does Nolan get what Batman's really about (and more importantly what he's not about), but Bale does as well. And yet there are some that still doubt this movie will come through...silly fools.
Yeah, everything about this sounds awesome. I hope he read Dark Knight Returns though. The openingby Frank Miller is just amazing in that book. Talking of retired villains and their fear for the Bat. It doesn't have much to do with a young Batman but it definetly gives another layer of depth to the character.
Six minutes of footage screened at this past weekend's WonderCon and a full scene-by-scene description is up at World of KJ:
Christian Bale came out to a STANDING OVATION. Contrary to Julian McMahon, he's not playing the Hollywood friendly guy thing going on, but rather someone here to please the fans. He really came across as an ACTOR, not a MOVIE STAR. There's a certain seriousness to him and you can really see that he's being humble and respectful to the Batman fans. Everybody swarmed to do the Q&A thing. Lots of good questions were thrown. I'll try to list the good info.
- Bale revealed that he just signed a contract to do 2 MORE SEQUELS!!!!! WHAAAAA HOO! He said that Christopher Nolan didn't though. But it doesn't mean that he won't. It's just not confirmed yet with him. Nolan wants to see how this one turns out first.
- Bale talked about the works of Frank Miller , Jeph Loeb , Tim Sale , etc. and this impressed a lot of people. People around me were whispering how surprised they are at how knowledgeable Bale is on Batman. Applause for him.
- A guy asked Bale if he approached Bruce Wayne and Batman as two characters or one. Bale said the way he approached the character is that Batman is the real person, the real character he had to embody, and Bruce Wayne is a mask he put on to become socially acceptable, so playing Bruce Wayne was something more of a charade. This is the PERFECT way to describe Batman. A lot of fans thought so too. They were so pleased that they started clapping like mad.
- Bale said that the reason they're doing this movie is because they understand the frustration of the fans never getting a satisfying Batman movie. That is the reason that this movie is not a sequel or a prequel. it's a reinvention, something purely made for the hardcore fans who've been waiting all these years for a Batman movie and never gotten one. Bale's aim is for the most loyal Batman fan to come out of the theater satisfied, and for the general public to come out surprised and educated at how deep and great this character is. Bale called Batman an "American Mythology". Another huge round of applause.
- Bale made an interesting theory, saying that Batman really wants to kill, but has to constantly hold himself back. "Because Batman NEVER kills!" I love how he said it in that tone as if he's trying to mock the Burton movies.
- Bale shared with us Christopher Nolan's view on Batman: that he is actually quite naive. According to Nolan, Batman originally thought that this would be a job with an end. That he would become Batman, clean up Gotham, and then stop when restored the peace his father wanted. But then he became trapped in himself when his decision to become Batman jumpstarted a vicious cycle. Supervillains popping up, and Gotham became too dependent on him, something he never intended it to be. And so Batman realize that his job will never end. That he would have to be Batman forever.
- Bale talked about the martial arts "Keysi", how brutal it is, and how it suits Batman's fighting style perfectly.
- Somebody asked what Bale thinks of Adam West . Bale said that Adam did a great job with his thing, but the role he was given was basically a Batman spoof, whereas he himself is playing the real deal. "I'm not doing a spoof. I'm not camping this up."
And after that.... the long-awated moment.... A SIX MINUTE TRAILER OF BATMAN BEGINS!!!!!!!
- The clip opens with young Bruce Wayne and Rachel running around in Wayne Manor's garden, playing. I was stunned at the look of the cinematography. It's grainy, bleached and washed out... looking almost like a foreign art picture. It's really amazing. Anyways, they're playing hide and seek and Bruce falls into an old well.
- Young Bruce discovers a cave. Thousands of bats attack him. A voice calls out "Don't be scared, Bruce." It's his father, descending down the well on a rope. Bruce reaches up for his hand.
- Thomas Wayne tucks little Bruce in, telling him that he should not be afraid, that he should be brave.
- The Wayne family are watching an opera. There are bat-like people dancing onstage, and this reminds Bruce of the bat attack. Bruce gets scared and begs to leave. His parents get embarrassed.
- They're walking outside the theater. Thomas is lecturing Bruce on being brave. Suddenly a mugger with a gun appears and asks Martha Wayne to give him her jewelry. Martha refuses and the mugger shoots at her. Things get blurry as if there's a struggle. Thomas shields Martha with his own body and gets shot. Bruce falls into a shock. Shaky cam close up the gun going off again. This is the part where I gasped and put my hand over my mouth. The scene was played really intensely, and really really horrific, almost something out of a gangster picture.
- The theme from "Requiem For A Dream" starts to play during the funeral scene. Alfred (MICHAEL CAINE!) stands over Bruce, comforting him. Richard Earle (RUTGER HAUER!) comes up to Bruce and says that he'll keep the company safe until Bruce is old enough to take over.
- Back at the Manor, Bruce is crying. "I miss them, Alfred. I miss them so much." Alfred hugs the crying boy. Michael Caine then delivers a heartbreaking "I miss them too, Master Bruce..."
- Fade to black. A speech from mob boss Carmine Falcone (TOM WILKINSON!) starts. It's absolutely FANTASTIC. The speech was good, but I'm talking about Wilkinson's delivery. The screen fades in to Falcone and a ragged looking old Bruce Wayne having a conversation in a seedy looking bar. Bruce just listens as Falcone lectures and insults him. "You're the Prince of Gotham. You're a rich pretty boy, don't come in here acting like you know things. You travel 1000 miles just to meet people who don't recognize you!"
- As he was saying that, it fades to Bruce climbing the Tibet mountains. He discovers a temple and enters. Ra's Al Ghul (KEN WATANABE!) sits on a throne in front of him. Ra's speaks to Bruce in some foreign language. Henri Ducard (LIAM NEESON!) steps out of the shadows to translate. A gang of NINJAS surround them. "What are you looking for?" asks Ducard. Bruce answers "The need for justice." (I think)... Ducard then suddenly attacks Bruce. They trade elbows brutally. This keysi stuff is cool. Ducard beats Bruce down.
- Ducard and Bruce are swordfighting on ice. "Your parent's death was not your fault!" Ducard exclaims. Then he beats Bruce. "It was your father's." This got Bruce mad. Bruce retaliates and beats Ducard. "Yield."
- Bruce is in a ceremony in the temple. Ducard asks him... "Are you ready to begin?"
- Montage of Bruce putting together the Batman costume and putting it on.
- Shot of Batman standing on a rooftop, watching over the city below. His cape blowing in the wind.
- Jonathan Crane (CILLIAN MURPHY!) looking really scared and hiding next to a crate. "He's heeeeeere..." An off screen person asks, "Who?" Crane, terrified, responds... "The Batmaaaan!"
- Shot of Batman walking down a hallway with thousands of BATS following him.
- Shot of Batman jumping down the middle of a staircase.
- Various shots of Batman firing his grappling hook and swinging around.
- Ra's Al Ghul is in a high rise apartment, looking over the Gotham skyline. He delivers his bad guy speech, then smiles wickedly and says "Gotham city must burn to the ground."
- Shot of Wayne Manor burning.
- Quick shots of various action scenes: Batman fighting, Batman swinging around, Gordon looking worried, Monorail cars disengaging, The Batmobile making what seems to be a 30 feet jump, GCPD cars crashing and flying around in the air during a car chase, Monorail getting derailed and smashing into buildings, Batman crashing into things, Batman looking at the camera intently...
- BATMAN BEGINS
- Batman is standing on a rooftop looking down. He jumps down and expands his cape into a glider. He glides through a haze of orange smoke. Batman lands on what seems to be the roof of a construction site or a burned down building. Darkness is around him. Batman looks around... out of the darkness a voice calls out "Boo!". SCARECROW steps out of the darkness and douses a cup of gasoline onto Batman's face. As Batman tries to wipe his eyes, Scarecrow flicks on a lighter (SEE AVATAR) and lights Batman on fire. Scarecrow then kicks Batman out of a window. Batman, with his cape and cowl abalze, falls down the side of the building to his apparent death.
Sounds awesome. Am I the only one that thinks Cillian Murphy playing Scarecrow seems kind of odd? I mean, I like the guy a lot, but he just seems a bit too subdued to play such a psychopath.
He's not supposed to be a psychopath at the same level of the joker; he's just a bully that gets off on other people's fear. Sounds like another character now, doesn't it.
He's not supposed to be a psychopath at the same level of the joker; he's just a bully that gets off on other people's fear. Sounds like another character now, doesn't it.
