Turkey: We Want "Batman" Back

As you may or may not be aware, Batman is not only the name of a DC Comics superhero -- it is also the name of a city in Turkey:

Well guess what?

Now the mayor of Batman, Turkey, Hüseyin Kalkan, is planning to sue for royalties owed to the city of Batman by the makers of "Batman." Specifically, he is going to sue "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan. Because as we all know, Hollywood is where all the money is.

According to Kalkan:

“The royalty of the name ‘Batman’ belongs to us … There is only one Batman in the world. The American producers used the name of our city without informing us...”

While this proposed lawsuit sounds a bit extreme, Kalkan brings up an interesting point. Can or can not people use the Batman name for shops and restaurants and products -- as long as they mean Batman, Turkey?

According to the Hurriyet Daily News:

Şafii Dağ, a former Batman resident, currently living in the Germany city of Wesel, is one of those citizens who cannot use Batman as a title for his business, according to the newspaper. “I named my two restaurants Batman. But six months ago, a team of employees from the production company of the movie Batman made me change the title. Telling them that Batman was the name of my hometown did not change anything,” Dağ said.

Paging Jeff Trexler...

Via io9

WB "Rethinking DC Comics Strategy," Dumps "The Graysons"

The potential "Smallville" replacement "The Graysons," focusing on Dick Grayson and his family pre-Batman, has been scrapped, Variety reports. Apparently WB studio had Jeff Robinov had gave his blessing on the series -- only to take it away over the last couple of days. The reason? There is speculation that director Christopher Nolan, who has made it clear he doesn't want a Robin in his Batman movies, might have played a role. But Variety quotes sources as saying that the decision was all Robinov's, not Nolan's.

In particular, insiders claim that Robinov has ordered the WB to "rethink its DC Comics strategy."

From the official Warner Brothers statement:

"The studio has opted not to go forward with the development of 'The Graysons' at this time as the concept doesn't fit the current strategy for the Batman franchise. Warner Bros. Television is currently working on several replacement options for the CW."

How is the WB rethinking this strategy of adapting DC Comics characters for both the big and small screen? Were they afraid that having a Batman-themed (however tenuous the connection) TV show would water-down the movie franchise? Was Robinov afraid of alienating Nolan? And did proposed events in "Batman RIP" -- which might change the status quo of Dick Grayson and Robin forever -- have an impact on the decision?

Or, if WB is aiming for perfect synergy between their movies, TV shows, and other entertainment properties, does "Batman RIP" itself pose a problem?

Stay tuned: same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel. Or not.

story found via Blog@Newsarama

Robert Downey Jr: "F**k DC Comics"

"My whole thing is that that I saw 'The Dark Knight'. I feel like I'm dumb because I feel like I don't get how many things that are so smart. It's like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I'm like, 'That's not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.' I loved 'The Prestige' but didn't understand 'The Dark Knight'. Didn't get it, still can't tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I'm like, 'I get it. This is so high brow and so f--king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.' You know what? F-ck DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from."

--Robert Downey Jr.

I'll be honest with you, I caught the first 20 minutes or so of "Dark Knight" and felt no motivation to see the rest of the film. It didn't pull me in, it didn't compel me to want to see more or to care about the characters. I'm sorry. It was just like when I watched "Batman Begins" -- technically, a beautiful movie. Intelligent. Great performances. Pristinely shot. No motivation to see it again, no moments of wonder that I look back on fondly and remember. Just cold and beautiful.

In contrast, "Iron Man" grabbed me by the throat and said: "CARE ABOUT ME!" From the very first scene to the very last scene.

Since I found the "Spider-Man" movies to be very much in the same vein as "Iron Man," and "Superman Returns" more along the lines of the new Batman movies, is this just going to be a stylistic difference between these two studios? Can WB make a "Green Lantern" movie, for example, that can have the life and personality of an "Iron Man?"

Not saying "Dark Knight" is better than "Iron Man," or is a bad film. Just saying that "Iron Man" had a lot of heart, and when I think of "heart," I don't think of "Dark Knight."

And lovelovelovelovellovelove me some Robert Downey Jr.

Christian Bale WTF?????

No seriously, is this movie cursed? Is Maggie Gyllenhaal going to go apeshit and shave her head now?

(see, I thought I was going to be too distracted by SDCC to get my blogging mojo back. but the world keeps providing me with material)

Says it was all a fantasy in the end and never really happened:

Dark Knight Cake Prompts TV Station Evacuation

Shades of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force terrorism scare!

Police and firefighters were called into the station of KENS 5 Eyewitness News after receiving a chocolate cake with wires coming out of it.

Oops, it was only a Dark Knight promotion!

A spokesperson for a local theater explained that the TV station should have received an e-mail earlier telling them about the cake.

Hoo hoo ha ha:

Sort Of Looks Like Val Kilmer...

No? Not Val Kilmer? Maybe the chin?

...

Val Kilmer!

Dark Knight "Got Milk?" Ad

There's a Heath Ledger riff on this ad in my brain somewhere, I'm not going there...

No, I'm not doing it.

No, I'm not photoshopping it. No, I'm not doing it.

I'm going to my meeting. Putting computer away now. Karma is clean. At least for the next hour-and-a-half.

(via Bitten and Bound)

Occasional Links: The I Believe In Harvey Dent Edition

Spider-skills come handy when you're a window-washer. From Shanghaiist

• Regular OS reader David Miller has an unique series of online books through WOWIO -- The Writer's Block!

Basically, it's what happens when you take famous comic writers like Peter David, Gail Simone, Jim Shooter, and many more, and...

"...three writers are given the same 6 page chapter to script without knowing anything about the plot or being allowed to speak to one another. The authors let their muses take them (and you) on a literary trip that only they could craft."

This sound like a lot of fun! And they're apparently FREE! Holy crap! Go download 'em! (but don't share 'em 'cause WOWIO gets paid per download)

• Did Erik Larsen originally want to make Elektra a Skrull way-back-when?

"I wrote an opening scene in an issue of Nova the Human Rocket with an Elektra Skrull being arrested and hauled off after a battle with ol’ bucket-head and Ralph Macchio caught it (who knew he was paying attention?) and had me take it out (I swapped in a Savage Dragon Skrull, which allowed me to get in a free plug for my Image book) and that was the end of it."

• 6 new Dark Knight posters can be found at Film School Rejects:

I think they are sort of reminiscent of the Batman Returns ones. All-black posters, one each focusing on each main character, then a poster with all three of them:

• Holy crap again -- they've got a Galaxy Quest comic?! You mean, Galaxy Quest as in Tim Allen Galaxy Quest comic?!!!!

It's from IDW Publishing and hits stands in August.

• Finally, it's exactly what you need to buy for the Summer...your very own Charlie Chaplin axe-murderer t-shirt from Threadless:
  

(via Superpunch)

Dark Knight Poster: Shades of the WTC?

I found this official Dark Knight poster on The Beat, and I agree with one of the comments that it brings back memories of 911.

1. Skyscraper with plane-sized hole in it in flames? Check.

2. Debris falling from building? Check.

3. Smoke pouring from top of said building? Check.

But hey, at least Gotham has Batman, right?

And best of all: no tasteless exploitation of Heath Ledger!


(it should be noted, however, that as a native New Yorker, the emergency break pulled on my subway train by a passenger with a bad case of sciatica brings back memories of 911)