Imaginary Stories: A DC Producer Quest

[CoreBrute]

Scarred Godfather with a rose motif could do for some stylish merch

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While it's not screaming McDonalds merchandise, I'm loving it.

Ideally, I'd be asking for a three/four-act structure with about a paragraph for each arc & for the introduction. Ideal casts or directors are certainly welcome as well, and may translate into cast members or directors suggested being interested in the script when it's offered. Longer is absolutely fine, and shorter is okay too if it's still hitting all of the major points, but the idea is to give a solid basis for discussion and revision from other players/actors in the setting. Pitches offered this way that got picked up would be a unique situation, where the thread member who made the pitch takes on a larger role in negotiations (the pitcher could choose to be the Alex Ford type figure, defending their choices and fighting for their vision... or they could abandon the pitch for the producers to do as they will with, and get more contribution points for their willingness to trust the thread's mind and choices).

I like the pitch here, though, and it's the first pitch offered in thread so I'm happy to be less strict with those guidelines! I'll offer 2 Contribution Points for this effort and a larger script option inspired by the old William Omaha McElroy appearances when the Catwoman scripts begin to come in. When we're approaching a situation where rolls come into play, I'll reach out and see if you're interested in using those points to affect the outcome of the roll. Contribution Points will be tracked in the "Voting" post accompanying each update until they are used up.

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Gotcha, you want a more developed pitch, 3 act structure coming up!

ACT 1: After the actions of the Batman disrupting crime and the police, Selina Kyle sees an opportunity to make an incredible amount of money from stealing that will help get her and her loved ones (specifically Holly Robinson, her ward/surrogate younger system) out of Gotham for good, change their lives for better. She's informed by an old friend, an accomplished thief named Jane Doe codename Copperhead, that she has a buyer for an artifact from the Gothan Natural History Museum, Tutankhamun's headdress (which we will call a crown even though that's not technically correct) and the 4 canopic jars containing his organs. To do this Selina assembles a team:

Waylon Jones aka Killer Croc, acting as the muscle. Looking for work post Falcone, aggressive and finds it difficult to relate to people because of his appearance.
Noah Kuttler aka The Calculator, acting as information coordinator and general egghead (no relation to Batman villain Egghead), always counting results on an old style calculator.
Margret Pye aka Magpie, creator of various gadgets for Selina to use in the mission, excitable young girl who wants to 'hack the planet' and other nonsense tech buzz words, really loves painting her nails
Lenny Fiasco, aka The Eraser, working in clean up evidence of crimes, think the Wolf/The Cleaner from Pulp Fiction, including scrubbing through camera footage, always carries a number 2 pencil "just in case".

They plan the heist, and it goes well, with Selina retrieving the crown, but not before having to stop Killer Croc from brutalizing a guard who happened to be on duty, much to his annoyance. They bring the crown to Jane's buyer, eccentric Egyptologist Professor William Omaha McElroy. And that's when things go horribly wrong. The Professor wears the crown and takes on the spirit and magical power of 'King Tut', then begins to summon the power from the Canopic Jars.

The canopic jars have different heads than normal ones, these have a snake, a bird, a crocodile and a cat, not possessing organs but the power of gods! The snake one glows and the power of Apopis goes to Jane Doe, giving her snake power, and King Tut tells her to "tie up lose ends" which means killing Selina and her crew .

Act 2: Selina is barely able to get away from the fight, but Waylon is left behind presumably for his own demise. Selina has to coordinate with the nerd squad part of the team. They try to find out if there is a way to undo what's happened, another ancient book from Egypt might have the answers. However, this is just before Copperhead and Waylon find them, as Waylon has been possessed by the power of Sobek, becoming even more crocodile like and gaining actual super powers. Selina and crew get away but not before losing Lenny (who Waylon says he's gonna 'snap like a pencil' even if not shown on screen).

The team finds a book that tells them that King Tut's power was sealed away by the gods in the jars, so one with those powers must take off his crown. However there's a time limit as King Tut is preparing a plague of biblical proportions to threaten Gotham, endangering everyone in it including Holly (got to have those personal stakes). The only way to withstand the power of a god's influence is to have a steadfast heart.

Act 3: Magpie thinks she has such a heart and goes to get one of the canopic jars, but is overwhelmed by the bird jar, giving her the powers of Horus. Catwoman has to sneak into King Tut's home, a pyramid palace he's made with his own power, and take the jar of Baast, who challenges her that she can never give up her goal once set-to become the greatest thief in the world. Taking that, she gains the power of Baast but retains her mind.

She is able to fight off Copperhead, avoid Killer Croc, confuse Magpie by appealing to her good side, before finally achieving the ultimate theft, and taking King Tut's crown. It crashes the palace, there's a big chase to get out, and everyone lives! The Professor doens't remember being King Tut, Killer Croc and Copperhead escape with some of their power still present (for future sequels), Magpie gives up her power as she 'hated being a bird brain', while Catwoman we leave it more vague if she gave up the power. But she has made an oath to become the world's greatest thief, and to honor Bast, she takes on a costumed mantle of her own by becoming CATWOMAN!

Cast:
Catwoman- Selina Kyle
The Eraser- Lenny Fiasco
Copperhead-Jane Doe
The Calculator- Noah Kuttler
Killer Croc-Waylon Jones
Magpie-Margaret Pye
King Tut-Professor William Omaha McElroy
Holly Robinson

I have no preference for writer, director or cast. Thread feel free to tear this up, use what you like, or don't, I'm not gonna fight for any of this and I trust you all, I'm just here for points!

 

[OldGlory76]

I absolutely love that story treatment! My suggestion would be to cast John Goodman as Professor McElroy/King Tut. He resembles the actor who played the character in the Adam West show and he's shown that he can be genuinely intimidating if the role calls for it.

I also have the idea that McElroy show signs that he's not on the up-and-up even before his full Heel Turn. It'd imply that while the magic is very real the whole "possessed by King Tut" thing is all in the Professor's head like in the Adam West show.

This is also a better way to give magical cat powers to Selina than having a random magic cat breathe them into her.

I'd have Selina's costume as Catwoman be slightly Ancient Egyptian-themed, but not to the point where it's distracting. Like having her mask have markings resembling kohl eyeliner.

 

[CoreBrute]

I absolutely love that story treatment! My suggestion would be to cast John Goodman as Professor McElroy/King Tut. He resembles the actor who played the character in the Adam West show and he's shown that he can be genuinely intimidating if the role calls for it.

I also have the idea that McElroy show signs that he's not on the up-and-up even before his full Heel Turn. It'd imply that while the magic is very real the whole "possessed by King Tut" thing is all in the Professor's head like in the Adam West show.

This is also a better way to give magical cat powers to Selina than having a random magic cat breathe them into her.

I'd have Selina's costume as Catwoman be slightly Ancient Egyptian-themed, but not to the point where it's distracting. Like having her mask have markings resembling kohl eyeliner.

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I agree 100% that McElroy is bad from the beginning, hiding his intent, same with Copperhead. The whole amnesia thing is just forgetting Selina's identity so he can't out her to the police, not removing guilt, while also a bit of a callback to the Adam West show.

John Goodman is always a win, I support that even if it might be too early for casting, it's still a smart call.

Spoiler: Maybe incorporate some Egyptian style gold into the costume too?

Obviously we show more of the face, but a little bit of divine gold might be a nice touch.

 

[Kir the Wizard]

Margret Pye aka Magpie, creator of various gadgets for Selina to use in the mission, excitable young girl who wants to 'hack the planet' and other nonsense tech buzz words, really loves painting her nails
Lenny Fiasco, aka The Eraser, working in clean up evidence of crimes, think the Wolf/The Cleaner from Pulp Fiction, including scrubbing through camera footage, always carries a number 2 pencil "just in case".

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With such a faithful adaptation of the Eraser (if not regarding his mask, then at least regarding his job), you're gonna risk angering Magpie cult banbase - after all, she's technically the first Superman/Batman team-up villain in several continuities.

I'd have Selina's costume as Catwoman be slightly Ancient Egyptian-themed, but not to the point where it's distracting. Like having her mask have markings resembling kohl eyeliner.

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As a temporary power-up (for toyetic releases) sure, but not for the long run.

 

[CoreBrute]

With such a faithful adaptation of the Eraser (if not regarding his mask, then at least regarding his job), you're gonna risk angering Magpie cult banbase - after all, she's technically the first Superman/Batman team-up villain in several continuities.

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Oh no, I don't want to offend such a massive following!
She still could be the first team up, we're just introducing her early here, then we can use her in a Superman/Batman crossover and attribute any personality difference due to changes from exposure to the Horus power. Besides I kept the basics: Gadgeteering, obsession with nails, being a thief. In 2003 that's saying a lot, and it's at least as faithful as Bullseye in the Daredevil movie

As a temporary power-up (for toyetic releases) sure, but not for the long run.

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I'm hearing multiple outfits! One cat burglar suit before power up, one Bast suit with power up, then one final suit for end of power as she adopts the Catwoman moniker permanently. We're gonna sell so many toys and Halloween costumes!

 

[Moon]

[X] [RATING] Fight for a PG-13 rating.
[X] [ALFRED] Fight for a traditional Alfred as Bruce's caretaker.
[X] [SELINA-Rework] Selina will be a hostess at Chi-Chi's secret club instead.
[X] [TWO-of-THEM] Mandate one Catwoman shared across the films.

 

[dreameater]

Technically Loeb isn't the mob, he represents the corrupt police force, the mob would be represented by Falcone.

Also I think we should lean into the idea that the 'crazies' aka those considered supervillains only start appearing after Batman show up, either because he inspired them, or he makes an environment suitable for them. If they already exist in Gotham beforehand, we miss out the existential dread that comes with Bruce worrying if he is the reason these dangerous entities have made a home in his city.

Killer Croc works pre-Batman because he's just a murderer with a skin condition, but post Batman he could get worse. Maybe he gets more murderous, loses his humanity someway, or perhaps exposed to some mutagen gas that shows up in another movie. Maybe we tie it to Catwoman and say while she finds a treasure to Bast, he finds a treasure to Seb and goes full magical crocodile man.

Also Flamingo didn't show up in comics until 2007, we're still in 2003. Not an impossible work around, but still something to note.

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Disagree here making it all "batman fault" undermines batman too much, also Loeb can use his position to act as a mob boss gotham is corrupt as hell its plausible, that then free's us up to have another batrogue take center stage, the advantage to scarecrow in my view is he meshes well into the gang structure being a "problem solver" Loeb turns to who then makes his own scheme that batman must content with eclipsing the man, I've read year one and while I like it I don't think its substantial enough to carry a movie too small, throwing a batrogue into the mix should solve that in my view.
I honestly don't see the appeal in removing the comic from batman by grounding everything felt like Nolan was ashamed of the source material at times.

How detailed do the scripts have to be to get a reward? I had an idea for the Catwoman script bounty.

If we're going heist movie, we can take inspiration from a film that was really succesful around this time period, Oceans 11 (2001). We can also take a bit from Mission Impossible 1 and 2 at this point, as well as female action led movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001). And we can tie it into this Batman movie!
This is going to be a lighter movie than the Batman one, because we want to get more audiences rather than just the same one. The idea is that Catwoman sees the weakness in both crime and the police force after Batman wrecks house in Year One, thinks this is the big chance to make some serious money. She assembles a team to steal rare artifacts from a museum for a buyer. This team consists of a variety of Gotham criminals, including Killer Croc from the Batman movie, acting as the muscle (needs a job now that Falcone...whatever happens to Falcone).

But who are they stealing for? That would be eccentric Egyptologist Professor William Omaha McElroy aka King Tut! Yes the guy from the Adam West tv show!



He's not going to be suffering from brain damage in this one, but is after the power of King Tut! Taking the power of the artifact, he will gain magical powers, which he uses as a way to start taking over the city. In the crossfire, he blasts Killer Croc with the power of Seb to make a full crocodile minion, while Catwoman gets hit with the power of Bast, giving her cat powers. (This is optional, we don't need to give her cat powers, but it's useful if she's not written with them in the Batman Year One movie)

Now Catwoman must use her new powers to defeat King Tut, by stealing back the crown that gives him his powers (TWO HEISTS!), before he summons a plague on Gotham (or something, we can hash out the details). Maybe she has to sacrifice her new powers by the end of the movie, or it gets reduced, but I think Killer Croc should remain somewhat changed by the experience, so he can be powered up for the next Batman fight.

What do you guys think? It's exactly the kind of popcorn action flick we can expect from 2003, and lets us bring in all kinds of zany silver age Gotham characters we wouldn't be able to put into the gritty batman world, while expanding the connected universe.

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While I wouldn't mind King tut being the buyer the latter bit is a bit cracky in my view, most of Selina's stories veer into mob stuff hard (its part of why I dont want year one to be pure mob) with one her chief rogue being black mask and often fighting people like the Falcone's, the heist could be an epilogue of sorts to the Batman with Selina inavertedly brining down the last of the old bosses, or we could go international with it like when in Rome, regardless I do agree on bringing in more unknown batrouges, either as allies or enemies or simply flavorful extra's. Ocean 11 seems like good inspiration having such a structure sounds good for it, we can also borrow from Selina's big score and intersperse backstory vignettes in the narrative to hide the heist plan better while exploring Selina's background(which would arguably require a bit of seriousness to it).

 

[Guiding Bolt]

Gotcha, you want a more developed pitch, 3 act structure coming up!

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Apocrypha threadmark added! Please choose a name for a script-writer to assign this pitch to when it comes up in story.

 

[CoreBrute]

Apocrypha threadmark added! Please choose a name for a script-writer to assign this pitch to when it comes up in story.

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Vijay Sahni (combined two Bollywood scriptwriters together, one known for crime action flicks, the other for a lot of stuff).

Disagree here making it all "batman fault" undermines batman too much, also Loeb can use his position to act as a mob boss gotham is corrupt as hell its plausible, that then free's us up to have another batrogue take center stage, the advantage to scarecrow in my view is he meshes well into the gang structure being a "problem solver" Loeb turns to who then makes his own scheme that batman must content with eclipsing the man, I've read year one and while I like it I don't think its substantial enough to carry a movie too small, throwing a batrogue into the mix should solve that in my view.
I honestly don't see the appeal in removing the comic from batman by grounding everything felt like Nolan was ashamed of the source material at times.

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I'm not saying it's Batman's fault. Yes Batman has inspired or caused some of his rogues gallery's existence but it's absurd to assume he caused all of it. But for most, the sheer coincidence is the timing they appeared after, or they filled in a gap where ordinary gangsters left vaccant, because they weren't afraid of Batman or wanted to fight him.
I just want there to be the doubt in Bruce's mind. "Am I doing the right thing, or am I making it worse?" which leads to some interesting thought processes, even if he decides it's better he's around.

Also Scarecrow is such a weird choice for a gang, he's a psychologist. If he's doing stuff it's not because he's a minion but due to his own goals, IMO but hey movies can differ.

While I wouldn't mind King tut being the buyer the latter bit is a bit cracky in my view, most of Selina's stories veer into mob stuff hard (its part of why I dont want year one to be pure mob) with one her chief rogue being black mask and often fighting people like the Falcone's, the heist could be an epilogue of sorts to the Batman with Selina inavertedly brining down the last of the old bosses, or we could go international with it like when in Rome, regardless I do agree on bringing in more unknown batrouges, either as allies or enemies or simply flavorful extra's. Ocean 11 seems like good inspiration having such a structure sounds good for it, we can also borrow from Selina's big score and intersperse backstory vignettes in the narrative to hide the heist plan better while exploring Selina's background(which would arguably require a bit of seriousness to it).

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It went cracky on purpose, this is how movies were like in early 2000s, random magic nonsense was everywhere.

I'm not sure about international stuff, because it removes the sensation that Selina and Holly are trapped in Gotham by their circumstance, if they can just fly to Rome or Egypt for a caper, they don't need a big score to 'get out'. Whatever happens I say keep it local to Gotham for this movie, especially to tie with the Batman: Year One.

But hey yours ain't a bad idea, an adaption of Selina's Big Score could be fun, and it's from 2002 so it fits the timeline perfectly.

 

[dreameater]

Vijay Sahni (combined two Bollywood scriptwriters together, one known for crime action flicks, the other for a lot of stuff).
I'm not saying it's Batman's fault. Yes Batman has inspired or caused some of his rogues gallery's existence but it's absurd to assume he caused all of it. But for most, the sheer coincidence is the timing they appeared after, or they filled in a gap where ordinary gangsters left vaccant, because they weren't afraid of Batman or wanted to fight him.
I just want there to be the doubt in Bruce's mind. "Am I doing the right thing, or am I making it worse?" which leads to some interesting thought processes, even if he decides it's better he's around.

Also Scarecrow is such a weird choice for a gang, he's a psychologist. If he's doing stuff it's not because he's a minion but due to his own goals, IMO but hey movies can differ.
It went cracky on purpose, this is how movies were like in early 2000s, random magic nonsense was everywhere.

I'm not sure about international stuff, because it removes the sensation that Selina and Holly are trapped in Gotham by their circumstance, if they can just fly to Rome or Egypt for a caper, they don't need a big score to 'get out'. Whatever happens I say keep it local to Gotham for this movie, especially to tie with the Batman: Year One.

But hey yours ain't a bad idea, an adaption of Selina's Big Score could be fun, and it's from 2002 so it fits the timeline perfectly.

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Yeah the idea was that some the rogues were around even before batman, scarecrow is actually one of batman oldest foes agewise so he fits, their of a different generation(he was old enough to be his childhood friend Thomas Eliot, Hush psychiatrist) .Additionally, I imagined Crane's role as a unassuming outside consultant brought in to solve the batman problem, of course in my take scarecrow kind of takes control of the entire operation with his own plan's for gotham growing out of Loeb's control he's a one man crew Loeb is just his jetpack and wallet here.

Other villain pitches that may work are doctor death as a minor antagonist(the first batman villain), the red hood(as a pseudo joker doesn't even have to verifiably be actaully joker) and the phantasm(from mask of the phantasm)
The Catwoman pitch is perhaps too cracky if we are to explore something as heartfelt as Selina's past as one of the downtrodden(which includes subject such as dead parents, street life, foster system, juvy and the mob) Selina's background would be easiest to explore in a solo film and there's a lot to work with in explaining how she became the person seen in Batman year one as well as her attempts at looking for freedom.

 

[Guiding Bolt]

The longer you and Aronofsky talk, the clearer it is that this partnership won't work out.

As you weave through the different topics of revisions, hearing begrudging grunts of agreement from Miller on some and quiet snorts of derision on other, Aronofsky's mood clearly declines. He takes the first requests well enough—he isn't so set on the Als to walk away from the project for them, and bringing Falcone back into the plot is something of an expected compromise—but as you continue to point out new areas for changes, slowly working up to the big demand for a PG-13 rating, the spirit leaves him. Aronofsky waves for you to stop as you bring up the rating topic and shakes his head. There are "irreconcilable differences," he says, between his vision for the film and what you and the studio desires. Controlled and respectfully, he shares his appreciation for the opportunity to work with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment on the project but makes clear his intention to leave the project.

Aronofsky leaves the meeting after that; Miller stays.

Frank Miller is an interesting man, and though most of your negotiations so far have been with his directing partner Aronofsky, Miller has been close throughout occasionally sharing his opinions and preferences. There's a rasp in his voice when he talks, brought on by his years of smoking, and there's always a crank in his expression that threatens a storm of disagreements and insults. Here, as the two of you sit in relative quiet after Aronofsky's departure, Miller stares you down and considers.

Eventually, Miller gives you a nod of approval.

The changes you've requested all bring the film closer in line with his work on the original comic, Batman: Year One, and you can imagine that the divergences were Aronofskyisms rather than additions they came too together. Miller thinks he can tone the film down to PG-13 and take out some of the darker elements. The sex worker to hostess change doesn't seem to bother Miller much – it's still "close to the subtext," he grunts – and he's pleased with the lack of major, unique character insertions into the already dense plot. He's ready to stay and get back to work on the next treatment of the script and material. If you trust him to stay on as a solo director, you're certainly capable of moving on with the production from here—but it might be a smarter move to look into a different co-director or a new directing staff entirely for the Batman project, in case Miller's moods turn or new developments taint his vision.

[] [DIRECTOR] Frank Miller will solo-direct.
[] [DIRECTOR] Seek out a new co-director for Batman: Year One. Production is delayed.
[] [DIRECTOR] Return to the drawing board for Batman's direction. Production is delayed.

 

[Guiding Bolt]

Voting will open at 6:00 PM CST 12/27/2022, ~approx. two and a half hours after time of post.

The negotiations here pushed too hard on Aronofsky, but largely placated Miller's concerns. Aronofsky would have stayed on with a PG-13 rating if concessions were made to his other areas (two of the following three: keeping Selina, keeping the Als, keeping just Loeb), or he would've stayed on in any situation where he's allowed to keep his R rating for the project. In real life, Miller has talked about how much he had to push back on Aronofsky about tone and whether or not Batman would commit as dark of actions as Aronofsky wanted to depict.

By demanding a more general-audience acceptable tone, and returning to Frank Miller's original Batman: Year One constructs, you keep Miller. Miller would have left if the film's antagonist was reworked from one of the mob-focused plots in favor of an empowered criminal or mascot-villain, keeping firm to his belief in Batman's grounded origins and his fight being against 'crime itself' rather than any clear supervillains.

This is, again, a very short update but I expect the next ones will have more substance to them. We'll be moving into February with the next update. As previously shared, in February we'll be looking at the first of the new Catwoman scripts, the first results of the Catwoman casting call, Alex Ford's updated scripts and director/star hunting. Depending on the choice made here, we'll also be looking for Batman: Year One's cast and locations or for new direction on the film without Aronofsky's presence.'

Spoiler: Compiled Voting Options

[] [DIRECTOR] Frank Miller will solo-direct.
[] [DIRECTOR] Seek out a new co-director for Batman: Year One. Production is delayed.
[] [DIRECTOR] Return to the drawing board for Batman's direction. Production is delayed.

Spoiler: Contribution Points Ledger

CoreBrute: 3 Contribution Points for Vijay Sahni's Catwoman and King Tut treatment

 

[Flake]

What do you guys think about the codirector? I'm undecided. The negotiations have gone on long enough however, an assistant director can be good as to shore up on Miller's directing weaknesses (if he has any) or become a backup just in case something unforeseen happens to Miller.

 

[KreenWarrior]

Skimming IMDB and Wikipedia, Miller has yet to direct a major motion picture, but is due to direct Sin City soon, which is indeed a good movie, however, he had Tarantino as a special guest director and Robert Rodriguez as co-director. I'm thinking that we should probably look for a co-director as backup.

 

[Kir the Wizard]

If this is going by Deadpool's America rules (where, say, Heath Ledger ended up not dying after a good roll or something), then, yeah, we could bring a co-director, or an assistant director, considering the post mentions Miller's health problems. Should be some of the more "craftsman" types, since Miller will obviously be the visionary (the original comic is acclaimed, and the cartoon adaptation was fine too, so unless Miller too decides to go kitsch like in The Goddamn Batman, we should be fine).
How is Irvin Kershner doing these days?

 

[KreenWarrior]

You know poking around Batman wikis, it's too bad that Aranofsky was so set on Big Al/Little Al. I think recasting Lucius Fox as an inventor/engineer for Wayne Enterprises and also guardian for little Bruce might have been an easier sell and still allowed a departure from Alfred. Of course, without Batman Begins to plant the idea, I imagine it's a longer road to get to that interpretation of Fox in the first place.

Edit: In terms of delays, only a month has gone by, so we're not in the weeds... yet. This would be far from the only thing that might delay production, though.

Edit the Second: I'm looking through action movie directors from the 2000's. Any chance we could get Martin Campbell? Casino Royale, Goldeneye and Mask of Zorro are pretty good showings, and James Bond and Zorro are superhero-adjacent. Might end up heavy on the explosions and setpieces though (is that a bad thing?), and I have no idea of his personality or if he'd work with Miller. And of course there's the specter of the future Green Lantern movie...

 

[Kir the Wizard]

Kershner and Miller worked on Robocop 2, so there's that.
Also, if Aranofsky was the one pushing for Joaquin Phoenix Batman, can we still change the Batman actor, or were the talks with JP done already?
Because if we can change Batmen, we might as well court Christian Bale, whose performance even grouchy Miller liked, apparently. Heck, Miller has alright sense regarding Batman movies, it seems. Maybe giving him this opportunity with developing the Batman side of the movie universe will help him get better and not become disillusioned with Batman.

 

[Moon]

Rodriquez is the only person I'd trust to take something of Miller's and make it work on the silver screen. Besides, he made Spy Kids 2 and that's Buscemi's best role ever.

[] [DIRECTOR] Robert Rodriquez

 

[KreenWarrior]

Can I submit a spec script?

I kind of got taken over by a muse for my ideas regarding the Bizarro/Supergirl movie and wrote up a treatment today. It's too early, we don't have a bounty and also ended up a Supergirl rather than Superman movie but I still figured it might be fun to post it as a quasi-omake if there is interest. Let me know if I should hang onto it @Guiding Bolt

 

[Moon]

Man it'd be dope if we did a Jason Blood/Etrigan movie.

 

[Guiding Bolt]

Can I submit a spec script?

I kind of got taken over by a muse for my ideas regarding the Bizarro/Supergirl movie and wrote up a treatment today. It's too early, we don't have a bounty and also ended up a Supergirl rather than Superman movie but I still figured it might be fun to post it as a quasi-omake if there is interest. Let me know if I should hang onto it @Guiding Bolt

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Absolutely--there's no bounty for it, but you can still post it as an option and receive benefits for it. It'll pop up as an option next time we're considering film options & potentially interested actors, actresses or directors might attach themselves to the script as a way to drum up public support or push WB towards production.

Also, if Aranofsky was the one pushing for Joaquin Phoenix Batman, can we still change the Batman actor, or were the talks with JP done already?

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So far, JP has only been contacted to audition for the role by your side of the project. Aronofsky may have said or promised more to him on the side. You'll be able to do a full casting call for it if you're interested in other actors, or there's a short list that'll pop up as options (inc. Bale, Cruise, a few other names that've been suggested or attached in that time period). New directors may bring their own preferences for actors with them if they join the production.

 

[Servo1991]

[X] [DIRECTOR] Seek out a new co-director for Batman: Year One. Production is delayed.

 

[KreenWarrior]

[X] [DIRECTOR] Seek out a new co-director for Batman: Year One. Production is delayed.

 

[dreameater]

This was always going to be a problem as is batman will be in production hell, sidenote random ideas would it all be interesting to use either or or both the red hood(ala zero year as a proto joker) and the phantasm(ala mask of the phantasm) Nolan's batman begins borrows a lot from year 1 but also felt the need to kick things up a notch with ra's, speaking of any interest in using them in this trilogy, a bond villain could be a fun antagonist(make no mistake ra's is a bond villain).

 

[KreenWarrior]

Ere's what I got.

Supergirl and the Rise of Bizarro, by Lucas Wainwright

The movie opens on the cleanup of the Metallo fight. A worker in a Hazmat uniform picks up a sample vial with a bit of glowing sludge. Cut to credits

As the credits fade out, we find Clark Kent at the Daily Planet offices, introducing his cousin Kara to Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane. He explains she's in town for a few weeks to see Metropolis. As they chat, Kara is clearly a bit uncomfortable and awkward and using some Kryptonian slang which they pass off as "studying abroad" ("Where?" "A very long way away.") News of a huge fire breaks and Clark disappears, leaving Kara to chat with Jimmy, who offers to take her out with his friends that night. Kara watches Superman on TV putting out the fire with his freeze breath while she flashbacks to Krytpon, where her parents put her in a spaceship and tell her to protect her cousin Kal-El, who's only a baby. Superman talks to the fire marshal and they reveal someone started the fire with behavior his wife described as "bizarro".

Kara preps for a night out, discussing unfamiliar Earth fashions and customs, while Clark drops a reminder that she should be careful because her powers haven't manifested yet, due to only having come to Earth recently. She reminds him in a wistful tone that she was supposed to be there to protect him, and he hugs her and sends her on her way. Kara goes to a club with Jimmy and a group of his friends, and her first power manifests - super hearing. Overwhelmed, she flees, and sees Jimmy's friend Isaac outside. He shares that he also felt overwhelmed, and discusses that he was recently hired by Luthorcorp and it's not what he expected. They bond over the idea of life not going as planned. Meanwhile Jimmy sees some people acting weirdly, follows them and gets infected.

Kara spends some time at the Planet, touring it with Lois and asking about both Clark and Superman. Lois reveals Clark's a bit mysterious and always seems distracted, it's why she's never asked him out, and that Superman seems perfect and like he's never needed help. Lois senses Kara's interest in a boy but thinks she's interested in Jimmy and gives her some dating advice.

Jimmy shows up for work but acts erratically, like he's sick or drunk. Clark, seeing a runaway train on the news, goes to deal with it. Lois suggests Kara take Jimmy home, thinking it might give them time to bond. Kara does, where he begins acting "bizarrely", leading to some comic relief where Kara at first doesn't know if this is normal Earthling behavior. Isaac is at Luthorcorp testing samples of debris from the Metallo fight, and notices they have some very strange biological properties when exposed to human cells. He brings it to his supervisor's attention, who immediately shuffles him off the project and gives him the day off. When Kara gets concerned, she calls Isaac, knowing his science skills might help and not wanting to bother Clark. Jimmy's behavior begins escalating, becoming violent rather than amusing and displaying superhuman strength. Kara is forced to hide in a bathroom.

Superman meanwhile stops the plane and finds the engineer acting disturbed, playing with the controls. Using his x-ray vision, he realizes that there are abnormal cells within the engineer's bloodstream and brain, and deduces that these are what's causing the problem. He flies a sample to Star Labs and instructs them to work on a cure, but another disaster strikes almost as soon as he does and he's forced to fly away.

Isaac arrives as Jimmy is pounding on the door and arrives just in time for Kara to send Jimmy flying across the room, her super-strength activated. Isaac realizes her secret but she refuses to discuss it - instead he sedates Jimmy and takes a sample. Not knowing what else to do, they leave Jimmy on the roof of the apartment building, chained up. Isaac analyzes the blood in a lab and he realizes there is a connection with the samples from the Metallo site, and also that there is a secret project dealing with these called "Phase 2".

Superman arrives to check on Kara, but before he can get anything out of her, he is struck by a wave of noise coming from the city - sirens, news bulletins, police radio calls. X-ray vision zooms across the city in an extended shot, showing dozens, hundreds of people infected, and wherever they go, disaster is striking. Where they're not causing disasters, they're infecting others. Kara wants to help, but he tells her it's too dangerous and flies off before she can even mention her newfound super-strength or Jimmy.

Over the next days, a field hospital is set up for the treatment and containment of the "Bizzaros", as they have been dubbed by the media. Clark Kent and Jimmy's absences are conspicuous as Superman is seen as a constant blur throughout the city, seemingly the only one immune to the condition. Lois makes a comment that's ambiguous as to whether she thinks Clark is Superman or whether she's just worried Clark has been caught up in the disasters in the city. Kara has been helping Lois with the increased workload and catches an offhand comment about Luthorcorp's involvement in the Metallo fight and the logos on the field hospital make Kara decide she has to investigate.

Kara and Isaac arrive at the field hospital. Kara uses her guest pass from the Daily Planet and drops Lois and Clark's names, gaining access. Together they snoop around and realize samples are being taken from all the patients and shipped off in vans. Kara's x-ray vision activates for the first time - but it doesn't help, the van is lead-shielded, something they both realize would only be done if it was intended to protect from Superman.

Following one of the shipments, they realize it's being taken to a black site Lexcorp facility, entirely lined in lead. Infiltrating it using Isaac's credentials and knowledge of the project, they realize that experiments are being done with Bizarro's, specifically involving tracking mutations in the DNA of the Bizarro cells and exposing them to samples of Superman's cells taken from the Metallo fight. Isaac realizes they are searching for a mutation that would let them infect a specific target - Superman.

Kara and Isaac are discovered by his supervisor and Luthor himself. Thinking quickly, Isaac pretends to be a traitor and that he brought Kara as a test subject. Luthor is impressed and puts him in charge of the tests on Kara. Kara is stored in a lead-lined, soundproofed room with massive magnetic manacles that hold her immobile.

Superman is feeling the physical and psychological toll of containing the Bizarro infection. He is told by Star Labs that a cure is on its way, but they have no mass-delivery mechanism, and the numbers of infected keep increasing. Thankfully, Kryptonians seem to be immune to infection.

Meanwhile, Luthor is seen lobbying the mayor to take charge of the situation. He states that the infected must be killed rather than wait for a cure, and notes they are vulnerable to a particular frequency of sound. Meanwhile, Luthorcorp secretly releases a horde of new infected through the city's sewer systems. Reluctantly, the mayor approves the plan.

Luthor's troops prepare to deploy sonic emitters and deadly energy weaponry. In the black site, Isaac, in communication with Kara, delivers a false evil speech about Kryptonians, in which he offhandedly comments that he thought Superman's heat vision and X-ray vision must be related. Kara herself has a memory of the damage her spacecraft suffered which resulted from a combination of extreme heat and cold. She manifests her freezing breath at the same moment as she figures out her heat vision, and combines the two of them to break out.

Hearing the news, they go to Star Labs, where a mass-deployable cure is being developed. Isaac provides Luthorcorp's research on the mutated version and they are able to finish an aerosolized cure and a fast-acting injected cure. On the news, they watch Superman be swarmed by a mass of new Bizarro zombies - and when they recede, Superman's posture has changed as he exhibits aberrant behavior. A citizen calls out "Superman?" and he speaks "No am Superman. Me. Am. Bizarro." Heat beams fly.

Kara realizes the only one who can cure Superman is her, as no one else would be able to get close to him. She is equipped with a Kryptonite-tipped syringe, and in a moment where she channels her memories of her purpose of coming here, and Superman's lessons on being a hero, she lifts off the ground and flies off.

Luthorcorp's sonic emitters cause the infected to clutch their heads and beams are flying into their ranks. Superman himself screams and throws himself into buildings and is buried under a barrage of bolts, but starts destroying the emitters with his heat vision. Before the death toll can truly mount, Kara emerges, deploying the cure by air and crashing into Superman.

A fight begins - Kara unused to her powers and clearly outmatched but able to think her way through the fight, but Superman clearly still the stronger and grabs her and beats her. Battered and bruised, Kara tries to get him to remember who he is, calling him both Clark and Kal-El and how she remembers meeting him as a baby and thinking he had the kindest eyes she'd ever seen. She tells him she'll always love him, and she'll always try to protect him, no matter what. The nascent heat beams in his eyes die away for a moment and she stabs him in the neck with the needle and he lets her fall, stumbling away. Meanwhile, the infected start waking up.

The city is safe. Isaac and Kara are having a quiet moment on a rooftop, looking at a grateful and peaceful city. Kara teases him before she lets him know she always knew he was lying at the black site because she could hear his heartbeat. She said that although he always seemed nervous around her, he seems perfectly calm now. He kisses her. Then the cry "Help!" is heard, and Kara stands up, opening her shirt to reveal a Supergirl costume, and flies off.