First off, I'm tired of hearing so many people complain about Bruce Wayne changing his voice when he's in the Batman costume. If Bruce Wayne talked like Bruce Wayne as the Batman wouldn't people figure that shit out right away? How intimidating does "I'm Batman" sound when you realize it's Bruce Wayne in that black armor, the same Bruce Wayne who bought the White Castle you work at just so he could watch it burn to the ground? Some effects may be lost.
Batman could go public like one of the Watchmen or even Iron Man. That does nothing for his situation though. Bats already has one hell of a burden being a superhero. For every person he saves, someone dies. Every week there's a new freak on the street because Batman's presence alone allows for villains. If a guy can get some black armor then surely a small Jewish man can buy a top hat and machine gun umbrella and slowly take over the underworld, all while enjoying Zoobooks! A guy can dye his hair green and put on war paint, but it's okay, because this is the weird part of town, a town called Gotham.
Will Nolan do another Batman? I think The Dark Knight will be tough to beat. But I think it can be done in several ways. I'm hopeful Nolan does another one because he's a great filmmaker. Even if he decided to take a break for 2 years, I'd still wait, happily.
The Joker Problem
Ledger's performance was unbeatable. I don't see too many actors rushing to the part because it is so tough to reimagine. What I wouldn't want to see is someone acting like Ledger as The Joker. Ledger really made it his own and in a way I think his version should be put to rest. However, I think a capable actor can reimagine the part. Daniel Day Lewis, Javier Bardem or maybe Ewan McGregor, but this wouldn't be the Phantom Menace, so maybe not.
The story line would have to change if The Joker was replaced. For instance, let's say Ledger's Joker was killed in some horrible way in Arkham Asylum. So, a new Joker hits the streets, he's different but still about anarchy, and still hates Batman because it's so much fun. Even if the writers were lazy and decided to use the version of Joker from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. In it, he's very calm, quiet and even goes on a TV show before hatching his plan to kill people. Javier Bardem comes to mind as this Joker as he could easily be quiet, plotting and a brutal savage in a fight.
As interesting as any other quality actor would be in the role, I'd rather see Joker locked up in Arkham in a darkened cell. There are other great villains in Gotham, and I could easily see Two Face leading the mob while stalking sewers and dishing out his own version of pure justice. Some villains just fit while others don't. Penguin could be cool, but he's basically Falcone but weirder looking. Riddler would be great if Nolan could darken him up a bit and wipe some of the remaining Schumaker shit off the character. The same could go for Mr. Freeze. No Man-Bat, no Killer Croc. No Bane. No Solomon Grundy.
Thoughts on the movie or your suggestions for villains? Who would make a good Joker? Should the series just end? Leave some comments if you feel so inclined...
