another warped tasteless idea that if I had the money I would do myself.
Remember when I said that theres plenty of things that I like that you think are endlessly stupid? Heres your first of many opportunities to point and laugh. I do love comic books. Like a lot. Several trade paperbacks are strewn about my room at any given time. I became a fan back when I was working at the movie theater and my coworkers brought stuff in to read during the down time. Someone brought in Watchmen by Alan Moore one time, and I read it up in the booth in the half-light, with all the little wheels spinning. I knew nothing about comics, but I knew that Watchmen was significant. It was art, it was literature, and it was shattering. I largely held hero comics in contempt (and I still do), and Alan Moore brought it all down like a massive game of Jenga. Neatly, methodically, letting the weight of it shift, until it all rested on one idea and then pulled the linchpin. The hero had been undone and anything could happen.
I took a comparative mythology course back at the JC, and the professor did a segment on comics as postmodern mythology. It seemed like a totally defensible premise. From then on I was unapologetic about my love of comics. So point and jeer if you must but I fancy myself as much of a self-righteous snob as you are. So were even. And furthermore, I take the trend of comic book film adaptations pretty damn seriously.
A few years later I lived in a residence hall and there was a film student there from New Zealand who was eventually involved in the filming of the Lord of the Rings (like pretty much all of NZ, and afterwards went into business accounting if I recall correctly). And this Kiwi is the reason why some have heard me say that film students like movies that no one else likes for reasons that no one understands.
Some time after Batman4 had temporarily nailed the coffin shut, he and I had hypothetical discussions about how to resurrect the franchise. We would pitch casting and story ideas at each other. Of course the all-important decision as to who would play batman was endlessly debated. I said Ray Liotta would be a good choice, and among his picks was Rupert Evertt. I needed Batman to be psychotically violent, like crazy scary an R rating that seriously pushed the limit. I feel that all too often the portrayals of Batman focus too much on the pretty-boy and detective aspects of Bruce Wayne and gloss over the obvious that Batman is totally psycho. So how could I align this goal with the notion of an openly gay actor playing Batman? Well, I got an idea a very politically incorrect idea that Im sure most would find offensive (read no further).
I recalled the death of Gianni Versace who was shot by a gay man on a killing spree, and as a result the phrases gay serial killer and gay rage were kicked around by the media for a while. My idea was that Batman would be a kind of s+m/bondage gay guy in denial. He would womanize and try to be attracted to all the hot, supermodel, upper crust that all want him. But at the end hes frustrated and self-loathing because hes attracted to men. So at night he puts on his leather/latex costume and kicks the sh*t out of criminals which he hates BUT to whom hes sexually attracted. Its a great opportunity to really amplify the split-personality aspect of the Batman character. Of course, theres also the opportunity for all kinds of extreme adult situations. Batman could extract information from criminals with sadistic, overtly sexual torture. He could even beat a bad man unconscious and then have his way with him. Joker could be in it and there could be plenty of crazy kinks associated with him. Hell, the Joker could be bisexual, cuz thats oh so threatening. At least with gayness, you know what youre getting, but ambiguity makes everybody lose it. Yes, the Joker would be ambiguous, bi, Bowie-esque, and taunt the Bat with mind-bending dialogue about sexual and gender identity. And Batman would struggle to comprehend, and come to terms, etc etc. Yea, that sounds like a really great elseworld comic! Maybe throw in some kind of 3rd party observer girl villain, like a bi ninja, girl-Grendel or something. This could be a limited series with some spin-off potential! But its an idea thats far too edgy and crazy to actually execute in print, much less a film. And thats the main reason that Im putting it out there. At the risk of thoroughly outraging some of you, someone might take it upon themselves to actually draw it. And wouldnt that be cool. When Im a millionaire Ill commission its production, and have totally unknown bad-asses write and draw the thing.
To be fair, this idea has since been worked out somewhat with the character of Midnighter in Warren Ellis comic The Authority, whose partner is a Superman-styled character. So dont get mad at me. You can get mad at the people who already did it. Its an interesting take on Batman and Superman, but its obviously not where Im going with it. Psycho Gay Batman!
Remember when I said that theres plenty of things that I like that you think are endlessly stupid? Heres your first of many opportunities to point and laugh. I do love comic books. Like a lot. Several trade paperbacks are strewn about my room at any given time. I became a fan back when I was working at the movie theater and my coworkers brought stuff in to read during the down time. Someone brought in Watchmen by Alan Moore one time, and I read it up in the booth in the half-light, with all the little wheels spinning. I knew nothing about comics, but I knew that Watchmen was significant. It was art, it was literature, and it was shattering. I largely held hero comics in contempt (and I still do), and Alan Moore brought it all down like a massive game of Jenga. Neatly, methodically, letting the weight of it shift, until it all rested on one idea and then pulled the linchpin. The hero had been undone and anything could happen.
I took a comparative mythology course back at the JC, and the professor did a segment on comics as postmodern mythology. It seemed like a totally defensible premise. From then on I was unapologetic about my love of comics. So point and jeer if you must but I fancy myself as much of a self-righteous snob as you are. So were even. And furthermore, I take the trend of comic book film adaptations pretty damn seriously.
A few years later I lived in a residence hall and there was a film student there from New Zealand who was eventually involved in the filming of the Lord of the Rings (like pretty much all of NZ, and afterwards went into business accounting if I recall correctly). And this Kiwi is the reason why some have heard me say that film students like movies that no one else likes for reasons that no one understands.
Some time after Batman4 had temporarily nailed the coffin shut, he and I had hypothetical discussions about how to resurrect the franchise. We would pitch casting and story ideas at each other. Of course the all-important decision as to who would play batman was endlessly debated. I said Ray Liotta would be a good choice, and among his picks was Rupert Evertt. I needed Batman to be psychotically violent, like crazy scary an R rating that seriously pushed the limit. I feel that all too often the portrayals of Batman focus too much on the pretty-boy and detective aspects of Bruce Wayne and gloss over the obvious that Batman is totally psycho. So how could I align this goal with the notion of an openly gay actor playing Batman? Well, I got an idea a very politically incorrect idea that Im sure most would find offensive (read no further).
I recalled the death of Gianni Versace who was shot by a gay man on a killing spree, and as a result the phrases gay serial killer and gay rage were kicked around by the media for a while. My idea was that Batman would be a kind of s+m/bondage gay guy in denial. He would womanize and try to be attracted to all the hot, supermodel, upper crust that all want him. But at the end hes frustrated and self-loathing because hes attracted to men. So at night he puts on his leather/latex costume and kicks the sh*t out of criminals which he hates BUT to whom hes sexually attracted. Its a great opportunity to really amplify the split-personality aspect of the Batman character. Of course, theres also the opportunity for all kinds of extreme adult situations. Batman could extract information from criminals with sadistic, overtly sexual torture. He could even beat a bad man unconscious and then have his way with him. Joker could be in it and there could be plenty of crazy kinks associated with him. Hell, the Joker could be bisexual, cuz thats oh so threatening. At least with gayness, you know what youre getting, but ambiguity makes everybody lose it. Yes, the Joker would be ambiguous, bi, Bowie-esque, and taunt the Bat with mind-bending dialogue about sexual and gender identity. And Batman would struggle to comprehend, and come to terms, etc etc. Yea, that sounds like a really great elseworld comic! Maybe throw in some kind of 3rd party observer girl villain, like a bi ninja, girl-Grendel or something. This could be a limited series with some spin-off potential! But its an idea thats far too edgy and crazy to actually execute in print, much less a film. And thats the main reason that Im putting it out there. At the risk of thoroughly outraging some of you, someone might take it upon themselves to actually draw it. And wouldnt that be cool. When Im a millionaire Ill commission its production, and have totally unknown bad-asses write and draw the thing.
To be fair, this idea has since been worked out somewhat with the character of Midnighter in Warren Ellis comic The Authority, whose partner is a Superman-styled character. So dont get mad at me. You can get mad at the people who already did it. Its an interesting take on Batman and Superman, but its obviously not where Im going with it. Psycho Gay Batman!