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Silver St. Cloud....could Isla pull it off?Genre: Action-Adventure (Too Conventional for Burton, Too Light in Tone for Nolan, Too Serious for Schumacher)
Premise: Batman's origins are explained. As are Dick Grayson's. Silver St. Cloud (who you'll probably only know if you read the comics) is set up as the love interest. There's a villain arch involving The Joker, but he's really not that threatening so it feels more like a subplot with Batman's character study the main thrust.
Writer: In the late 70's and early 80's Batman's status was waning and several films were attempted (including Batman in Space....awesome!). Tom Mankiewicz (who did uncredited work on many of the Superman films) completed this script in June of 1983. It was announced with a mid 1985 release date with William Holden intended to play Comissioner Gordon and David Niven to play Alfred. The directors considered included Ivan Reitman and Joe Dante (when they were at their peak!) This would've been an amazing film. But the Batman film went into rewrite hell, until eventually Tim Burton pulled them out with a very different script.
I have a confession to make. My name is Joe Christmas, and I used to find Batman boring. I mean, dry. Dull even. That is, until I started going to the Pasadena library and read the Arkham Asylum comic. And if you haven't, please do. Now I love Batman. Love him. I'm quickly exhausting every possible issue at the Pasadena library and they have several dozen.
Batman is fodder for great films. But, alas, y ou find out really quickly there aren't that many original screenplays being written. This idea becomes even less true when you look at already established ideas. This script contains weaker, less developed ideas of all the following Batman films. You'll find material used by all following Batman directors in here.
The draft starts with the ever-reoccuring scene, the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne in front of a movie theater before their young son, Bruce. The killer is later bumped off by his boss, The Joker. Bruce swears to seek revenge and spends the next twenty years becoming a man machine (Here's something I never saw in Batman films: Batman is a bad ass and has done everything. Normally, people go out of their way to make Bruce Wayne not seem like a pretentious jerk, but that's exactly what this guy would be in real life. A man who was smart and rich enough to do whatever he wanted).
Bruce begins to work as the Batman and forms an alliance with Comission Gordon against crime in the city. This guy running for office, Thorne, starts a campaign against Batman. Meanwhile, Bruce falls in love with Thorne's assistant, the smart and sexy Silever St. Cloud. (At times, this opening act felt dark and shady like a Frank Miller version, other times it felt like Mankiewicz was lapsing into another character (Bond maybe, he wrote the scripts for two bond films), and some other times everything was just a little bit too goofy.
But things get worse! The Joker comes to power and recruits the Penguin to help him. (A Burton reference to Batman Forever). Also, for some weird reason the Joker isn't described. At all. I get that this was probably for the sake of leaving it open to the director, but still!
There's a mid second act reveal The Joker has been hired by Thorne to do dirty work and provide a crime wave in the first place. And to deal with that pesky Bat, they turn him into an outlaw. (Nolan eat your heart out.)
So Batman quits. A few random events happens: the murder of the Flying Graysons and Bruce taking Dick Grayson on as his protege/pupil. (This is much better than the Schumacher thing in Batman and Robin, but at the same time Robin isn't really utilized to his top dollar. It's sort of rushed. Actually, this whole thing feels like Mankiewicz was trying to cram in as many Batman characters and ideas as possible).
Also, Silver St. Cloude is kidnapped by the Joker. (Another Burton reference).
The film ends with a showdown in a museum. (Remember the Burton movie? This scene stuck around in a less glorious form. Although, I wish the museum set pieces would've been better utilized).
Scooby Doo (Complete Crap)
Atilla (Poor, Few Redeeming Qualities)
X-Wedding Crashers (Mediocre)
Hot Rod (Good)
Definitely Maybe (Pretty Darn Good)
Isla Prospects: Okay. I'm aware one would need a time machine to pull this office, but Isla could totally nail a superhero love interest role, but it wouldn't be her greatest character or anything. Isla as Silver St. Cloud could be interesting, though, because both play the humor well. I think looks-wise, though, this is a terrible match up.
What I Learned: There are some great ideas here that totally don't work because they aren't brought up in very convenient times during the film. If Robin had been introduced any time for the midpoint of the second act, I would have totally been behind his character. But this was way too much too late. If you have a good idea, don't save it. Use it as soon as possible. Then incorporate it into the script. Otherwise, it'll just look tacked on.
Writer: In the late 70's and early 80's Batman's status was waning and several films were attempted (including Batman in Space....awesome!). Tom Mankiewicz (who did uncredited work on many of the Superman films) completed this script in June of 1983. It was announced with a mid 1985 release date with William Holden intended to play Comissioner Gordon and David Niven to play Alfred. The directors considered included Ivan Reitman and Joe Dante (when they were at their peak!) This would've been an amazing film. But the Batman film went into rewrite hell, until eventually Tim Burton pulled them out with a very different script.
I have a confession to make. My name is Joe Christmas, and I used to find Batman boring. I mean, dry. Dull even. That is, until I started going to the Pasadena library and read the Arkham Asylum comic. And if you haven't, please do. Now I love Batman. Love him. I'm quickly exhausting every possible issue at the Pasadena library and they have several dozen.
Batman is fodder for great films. But, alas, y ou find out really quickly there aren't that many original screenplays being written. This idea becomes even less true when you look at already established ideas. This script contains weaker, less developed ideas of all the following Batman films. You'll find material used by all following Batman directors in here.
The draft starts with the ever-reoccuring scene, the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne in front of a movie theater before their young son, Bruce. The killer is later bumped off by his boss, The Joker. Bruce swears to seek revenge and spends the next twenty years becoming a man machine (Here's something I never saw in Batman films: Batman is a bad ass and has done everything. Normally, people go out of their way to make Bruce Wayne not seem like a pretentious jerk, but that's exactly what this guy would be in real life. A man who was smart and rich enough to do whatever he wanted).
Bruce begins to work as the Batman and forms an alliance with Comission Gordon against crime in the city. This guy running for office, Thorne, starts a campaign against Batman. Meanwhile, Bruce falls in love with Thorne's assistant, the smart and sexy Silever St. Cloud. (At times, this opening act felt dark and shady like a Frank Miller version, other times it felt like Mankiewicz was lapsing into another character (Bond maybe, he wrote the scripts for two bond films), and some other times everything was just a little bit too goofy.
But things get worse! The Joker comes to power and recruits the Penguin to help him. (A Burton reference to Batman Forever). Also, for some weird reason the Joker isn't described. At all. I get that this was probably for the sake of leaving it open to the director, but still!
There's a mid second act reveal The Joker has been hired by Thorne to do dirty work and provide a crime wave in the first place. And to deal with that pesky Bat, they turn him into an outlaw. (Nolan eat your heart out.)
So Batman quits. A few random events happens: the murder of the Flying Graysons and Bruce taking Dick Grayson on as his protege/pupil. (This is much better than the Schumacher thing in Batman and Robin, but at the same time Robin isn't really utilized to his top dollar. It's sort of rushed. Actually, this whole thing feels like Mankiewicz was trying to cram in as many Batman characters and ideas as possible).
Also, Silver St. Cloude is kidnapped by the Joker. (Another Burton reference).
The film ends with a showdown in a museum. (Remember the Burton movie? This scene stuck around in a less glorious form. Although, I wish the museum set pieces would've been better utilized).
Scooby Doo (Complete Crap)
Atilla (Poor, Few Redeeming Qualities)
X-Wedding Crashers (Mediocre)
Hot Rod (Good)
Definitely Maybe (Pretty Darn Good)
Isla Prospects: Okay. I'm aware one would need a time machine to pull this office, but Isla could totally nail a superhero love interest role, but it wouldn't be her greatest character or anything. Isla as Silver St. Cloud could be interesting, though, because both play the humor well. I think looks-wise, though, this is a terrible match up.
What I Learned: There are some great ideas here that totally don't work because they aren't brought up in very convenient times during the film. If Robin had been introduced any time for the midpoint of the second act, I would have totally been behind his character. But this was way too much too late. If you have a good idea, don't save it. Use it as soon as possible. Then incorporate it into the script. Otherwise, it'll just look tacked on.
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