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*2005: In [[Krypto the Superdog]], Batman is the owner of [[Ace the Bat-Hound]], although Ace prefers to refer to himself as "Batman's partner," rather than his pet.
*2005: In [[Krypto the Superdog]], Batman is the owner of [[Ace the Bat-Hound]], although Ace prefers to refer to himself as "Batman's partner," rather than his pet.
*
*
*2008: ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]''-- An upcoming [[animated]] [[television series]] based in part on the comic book series [[The Brave and the Bold|of the same name]], which is scheduled to debut on [[November 14]], [[2008]] on [[Cartoon Network (United States)]]. Based on ''[[The Brave and the Bold]]'', the series will have Batman team-up with several other [[DC Comics]] heroes.
*2008: ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]''-- An upcoming [[animated]] [[television series]] based in part on the comic book series [[The Brave and the Bold|of the same name]], which is scheduled to debut on [[November 14]], [[2008]] on [[Cartoon Network]]. Based on ''[[The Brave and the Bold]]'', the series will have Batman team-up with several other [[DC Comics]] heroes.


==Newspaper==
==Newspaper==

Revision as of 13:17, 3 September 2008

Theatrical movies

Main article: Batman (film series)

A number of Batman theatrical films have been made. There have also been several attempted projects during the hiatus between Batman & Robin and Batman Begins.

Batman film hoax

Comic writer Mark Millar wrote in 2004 about a failed attempt by director Orson Welles about a Batman project with himself as both director and title character. Although it has been long since proven to be a work of fiction, it is partially based on a previous Welles attempt to adapt The Shadow onto the big screen.

Direct-to-video

Television

Live action

Bruce Wayne

In 1999, Tim McCanlies wrote a pilot script and series bible for a planned series called Bruce Wayne. Taking place in his teenage years, the series would cover his passage into young adulthood, training, and development into becoming Batman. Other characters would include Alfred, Sergeant Jim Gordon, law school student Harvey Dent, and a seductive young Selina Kyle. Planned to run for five to six seasons, it would show how he acquired his martial arts skills, his equipment, and detective abilities he would use in his war on crime. It would also focus on corruption within the board of Wayne Enterprises (an element which found its way into Begins to some extent), police affiliation with the mafia, etc. Bruce Wayne was nearing pre-production when Warner Bros. movie division felt it would conflict with the planned Year One movie and scrapped it. The result was Batman Begins.

Smallville

The producers of Smallville wanted to get a teenaged Bruce Wayne onto the show as a recurring character acting as a friend and foe to Clark Kent, while being a potential love interest to Lana Lang. Scripted as being two years younger than Clark, the young Wayne was wandering around America trying to find his purpose in life and training in martial arts. His main story arc was to be involved in a feud with Lex Luthor over Lexcorp and Lionel Luthor's rivalry with Wayne Enterprises. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar had stated as far back as Season 1 that they would love to have the pre-Batman on the show.[citation needed]

Due to legal issues and the production of Begins, the planned idea was cut from the drawing board. Ian Somerhalder was cast as a stranger named Adam Knight, (named based on Adam West and The Dark Knight) who served as a boyfriend for Lana in at least seven episodes. This was in response to the plans of Wayne coming undercover to Smallville while investigating Luthor[citation needed]. However, in 2007, Gough stated that while it is impossible to get Wayne on the show, "there are other characters out there we can exploit."

Animated

File:NewSDMovies Batman and Robin.JPG
Title card for The Dynamic Duo's guest shots on The New Scooby-Doo Movies in 1972.

Olan Soule reprises his role as Batman in all but the last two Super Friends series, where he is replaced by Adam West, who had previously played Batman in the live action TV series.

Batman also appeared in the various cartoons set in the DC Animated Universe;

Batman throughout the DC animated universe.

In this series, Batman is a young crime fighter just three years into his career as Batman. He is voiced by Rino Romano. This is positively not set in the DC Animated Universe.

Newspaper

Main article: Batman (comic strip)
Main article: Batman and Robin (comic strip)

From 1943 to 1946, Batman and Robin appeared in a syndicated daily newspaper comic strip produced by the McClure Syndicate. Other versions appeared in 1953, 1966, and 1989. The original run is collected in the book Batman: The Dailies. One more comic strip series ran briefly after the success of the 1989 film.

Books

Batman is also slated to appear in a novel by cyberpunk/horror novelist John Shirley, entitled Batman: Dead White from Del Rey books. Many other novels and short story collections featuring Batman have been published over the years, including novelizations of each of the recent movies and several of the more popular comic book arcs. There are also several more scholarly works, aimed at either Batman's history or art, such as Les Daniels' Batman: The Complete History and compilations such as Batman: Cover to Cover : The Greatest Comic Book Covers of the Dark Knight. In 2004 The Batman Handbook: The Ultimate Training Manual, written by Scott Beatty was published by Quirk Books (ISBN 1-59474-023-2). Written in the same style as The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, the book explained the basics on how to be Batman. Amongst the skills included in the book are "How to Train a Sidekick", "How to Execute a Backflip", "How to Throw a Grappling Hook" and "How to Survive a Poison Gas Attack". Finally, there are of course countless sticker, coloring, activity, and other children's books [1] featuring the Dark Knight.

Radio

Beginning in March 1945, Batman and Robin made regular appearances on the The Adventures of Superman radio drama on the Mutual Broadcasting System. Efforts were made to launch a Batman radio series in 1943 and again in 1950, but neither came to fruition.

In 1994, the comic book storyline Batman: Knightfall was adapted to radio by BBC Radio 1. It was adapted, produced and directed by Dirk Maggs - with music composed by Mark Russell - who had recently made Superman: Doomsday & Beyond on BBC Radio 5. This show, however was not commissioned of its own, but rather to be three minute episodes on the Mark Goodier Show. This meant it was written with a sense of immediacy; having to make an instant effect and each three minute segment contains a major plot development or sound effect stunt and end on a cliffhanger. DC acknowledged the effort in an issue Shadow of The Bat by having villains jump past a sign that read Dirk Maggs Radio. Michael Gough reprised the role of Alfred Pennyworth from the Burton/Schumacher film series.

Batman was also featured in the audiobook adaptation of Infinite Crisis.

Both Batman & Robin are mentioned in the 2007 song, "Make Me Better" by Fabolous ft. Ne-Yo

Musical theatre

While a parody of a Batman musical was featured in one of the most recent series' comics, in 2002, Jim Steinman, David Ives, and Tim Burton had worked on a theatre production called Batman: The Musical although it was ultimately cancelled. Steinman has recently revealed five songs from the musical. The first is the opening theme for "Gotham City" and the entry of Batman with his tortured solo "The Graveyard Shift"; followed by "The Joker's Song (Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?)", "The Catwoman's Song (I Need All The Love I Can Get)", "We're Still The Children We Once Were" (the climactic sequence) and "In The Land Of The Pig The Butcher Is King", sung by the corrupt blood-suckers ruling Gotham, recently covered on the Meat Loaf album Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. These songs can be heard at the Batman: The Musical memorial site, Dark Knight of the Soul

A Batman musical is also parodied in the animated series Batman Beyond. The episode "Out of the Past," (first aired October 21, 2000) opens with Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis attending a performance of (a fictional)Batman: The Musical, featuring caricatures of prominent members of the Rogues Gallery (Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn). Series creator Paul Dini, who wrote the episode in question, also wrote a song for the fictitious musical entitled "Superstitious and Cowardly Lot."

An episode of the sketch comedy show Mad TV also featured a Batman: The Musical parody called Batman V: Out of the Cave which starred Tommy Tune as Batman, and Ben Vereen as Robin.

Video games

Main article: Batman computer and video games
File:Batman game.jpg
Screenshot from the Batman Begins video game

Several Batman video games were created:

Batman in The Revenge of Shinobi

Batman appears in Justice League Task Force Super Nintendo fighting game, a couple of Justice League games for Game Boy Advance, and an arcade game based on Tim Burton's original movie. Also, the 16-bit Sega game The Revenge of Shinobi features a (non-authorized) Batman as a boss. He appears in the Justice League Heroes game for PS2, Xbox, and PSP and will appear in the crossover game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe [2].

Games, action figures, and other toys

Batman is one of the few fictional characters that can be defined by his toys and merchandising. The first boom started in 1966 during the hit television series, and since then, along with every major movie or cartoon series has come a wave of toys, collectibles, and just about any other merchandise imaginable. Over the years, hundreds of Batman action figures, die-cast models, and other miscellaneous items have reserved the store shelves. Of the many companies that have acquired the rights to make Batman merchandise, some of the most well known include:

File:TIA 2006ToyFair LEGO Batman Promo Dscn7058a.jpg
Lego Batman statue, Javits Convention Center

Batman has appeared as a HeroClix figure along with other Batman characters in the following HeroClix sets:

For April 2006, Lego introduced a Batman line which also includes characters such as the Joker and Two-Face, at American International Toy Fair.

Theme park attractions

The Batwing Spaceshot tower is 61 metres (200 ft) tall.

Several Six Flags theme parks, formerly owned by Warner Bros., opened live-action "Batman Stunt Shows" as the movies increased in popularity. Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey is home to a looping, suspended roller coaster named "Batman: The Ride" Six Flags Mexico in Mexico city, Mexico has also a looping, suspended roller coaster named "Batman: The Ride" (Six Flags Saint Louis has the same ride, as does Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois) as well as twin roller coasters named "Batman and Robin: The Chiller." On the latter attraction, riders may ride on either the Batman or Robin versions of the coaster. But unfortunately in the 2007 offseason, the ride was removed after a long history of technical difficulties and occasionally breaking down. Six Flags Over Georgia contains a Gotham City area that contains the same "Batman: The Ride" and also features a looping coaster called "The Mindbender" that was adapted to fit the color tone of The Riddler after Batman Forever came out to fit the Gotham City section of the park it shares with "Batman: The Ride". Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California has two Batman-themed coasters, the suspended coaster "Batman: The Ride," and "The Riddler's Revenge," a stand-up type roller coaster. This Six Flags park also features an entire themed area called "Gotham City" complete with architecture to match that of the fictional Gotham City. Warner Bros. Movie World in the Gold Coast, Australia, also has two Batman-themed rides. Batman Adventure - The Ride, revamped in 2001, is a motion simulator style simulator ride while Batwing Spaceshot is a vertical free-fall ride. In 2008, Six Flags Great Adventure,and Six Flags Great America, will receive The Dark Knight Coaster, based on the newest Batman film coming out in July. They will be Wild Mouse roller coasters, indoors, heavily themed, and give you a feeling that you are being stalked by The Joker. They will all be expected to be open by Memorial Day weekend. Six Flags New England was originally going to receive this Roller Coaster, however due to problems with building permits, the park scratched the project.

External links


  1. ^ http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/a500batman.html
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