#7 LIVE-ACTION BATMAN BEYOND
Following the failure of Batman & Robin, Warner Bros. was in desperate need of a new take on the Dark Knight to get to the big screen. There was still money there, they just had to make sure not to piss of fans with something like their most recent effort. In order to get something out as quickly as possible, a rather ironic decision given neither project saw the light of day, WB began developing multiple takes on Batman for the big screen. The first was Darren Arronofsky’s Batman: Year One (which we wrote about in the previous article) and the other was a live-action adaptation of the popular cartoon series Batman Beyond.
Set many years in the future, Batman Beyond saw Bruce Wayne as a retired old man who brought teenager Terry McGinnis on to take over the mantle of the Bat. Series creators Paul Dini and Alan Burnett were brought on to write a script for the film with Boaz Yakin (Remember the Titans) set to direct.
“It was set in Gotham future but it didn’t quite have the fantastic futurist edge,” Dini later said about the film on the Fatman on Batman podcast. “It was sort like an amalgam, it had a little of ‘Dark Knight,’ a little bit of contemporary comics and Terry in the suit.”
The pair reportedly turned in a draft of the script and from there, nothing. Batman Beyond, along with the other developing Batman projects, stayed in limbo before ultimately disappearing entirely.
Though the Sorcerer Supreme is on his way from Marvel Studios, it wouldn’t be the first attempt at adapting the character. Find out more on page 8!
#8 DAVID GOYER’S DOCTOR STRANGE
Though he’s on track for a big screen debut in the near future from Marvel Studios and director Scott Derrickson, Doctor Strange hasn’t had an easy time getting on the big screen either. The first version of DOctor Strange that was on track was back in 1986 with Back to the Future co-writer Bob Gale writing the script. This version never happened and in 1992, A Nightmare on Elm Street writer/director Wes Craven signed on to pen the script and direct the feature for Savoy Pictures, which went bankrupt two years later.
In 1995, David Goyer was hired to write a script for the film, and as you can no doubt guess, nothing came of it. A number of other attempts were made at bringing the Sorcerer Supreme to the big screen, but in 2001 Dimension Films picked up the rights to the character and brought Goyer on once again.
“I did write a script for Dr. Strange for Columbia about 6 years ago,” Goyer told IGN at the time. “But it didn’t go very well. There were elements of the story that I liked – but in all likelihood, I would start from scratch this time.”
Goyer also commented on wanting to use as many practical effects as possible in the film, saying: “I would attempt to use as many practical effects and in-camera tricks as possible. I like CG (computer-generated imagery) the most when it is done subtly.”
Not even a year later though, Goyer would confirm he was no longer on the project.
What controversial director almost directed a female-led Marvel adaptation? Find out on Page 9!
