TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
Wait, @Magoose , what have been the fans reactions to this version of Batman? Most of the comic fans hated the Adam West adaptation for how they turned Batman into a joke (in their opinion), but an entire generation grew with that as their only adaptation of him. What are the thoughts/opinions of them?
Ladies and Gentlemen we have made a new timeline: One where Batman fans will always win over Superman fans in a versus debate due to the Ali vs Superman comic
Directed by: Bruce O'Brian
Written by: Mike Barr, Frank Miller
Produced by: Kathleen Kennedy
Production/Distribution: Colombia Pictures
Starring: Bruce O'Brian, Clint Eastwood, Alec Guinness, Faye Dunaway, John Travolta, Robert Redford, David Ogden Stiers.
Budget: 20 million
Domestic Profit: 715,181,052
International Profit: 345,201,472
Total Gross: 1,060,382,524
Merchendising: 698,576,728
Bruce's Profits (5% of Gross):53,019,126
Well… The Editors hadn't fucked your vision, and that you could claim, was a good thing. That was all you really felt like. That was what Kathleen told you, and despite reservations, you were starting to trust her word. She wasn't the worst person in this town, you, realized, and it was going to be nice to have someone you could trust that didn't work for you.
But it was really strange for you and Carrie not to be joined at the Red Carpet by Mike Eisner or anyone else from Lucasfilms, or even friends that you invited to the premiere because this was a Colombia picture. And there were different rules.
At that moment, Carrie placed a hand on your own, sensing your nervousness. "You know Alan isn't forcing you to come?"
"Yeah, but what kind of movie star would I be if I just bailed on responsibilities?" you asked.
"My husband." She said, with a smile rising on her face. "The Enigmatic Bruce the Goose? The Man I love."
You knew she was trying to cheer you up, but it was still causing you to feel the jitters as the limo was slowly pulling towards the theater. "Last chance?" She said.
"We're going." It was strange to be on the other side of the nervousness. Usually, Carrie was the one who was really nervous going to the premiere. But it seems you were the one that would be this time. This was the second film you had ever directed, after the somewhat… personal failure of Five Dates.
Not that it wasn't a financial success, but you were very much not happy with how people treated it. Not caring for the story it told, and that infuriated you.
Yet you sighed, and you smiled. "Well lets go." The door opened and you left first and helped Carrie out of the Limo.
You could not ignore the media that was taking so many pictures of you and Carrie that it was almost blinding with the number of flashes, you waved, and Carrie held you close because she knew you were about to bolt away into the theater. "Just smile." She said. "Just like we practiced."
"Easy for you to say?" You replied. "I hate this. Always have."
"Well, you just need to get used to it. Star Wars is going to get worse." She stated. "Are you ever going to tell me about what James was talking about? What Secret?"
You rolled your eyes. This again? Oh, you should not have asked George, now you were going to be carrying the burden for almost another year.
Damn, your curiosity. "Ask George." You said. "I'm sworn to secrecy."
Carrie huffed. "Great."
You saw Clint signing autographs and he turned to see you and Carrie. "Oh, seems the love birds have finally arrived?" He smiled as he handed over the pen and photo, as more camera flashes went off. "Have a good time?"
"Not really, I can't stand this. I'm only here because Alan asked." You replied.
"Honestly kid, if you haven't gotten used to it after nearly ten years in show biz, you have a big problem." He smiled and pointed to a cameraman and they snapped the picture. "It's not like these assholes are breaking into your house like that one paper did. You have to provide them with what they need. If you weren't such a recluse, you'd been left alone."
"I'm not a recluse!" You protested.
"Kid, you hardly do anything substantial for media and promoting your films besides the bare basics, you don't do interviews well, and you really are buried in work or your humanitarian work. You are a recluse in the eyes of Hollywood."
You shrugged. "Yeah, but I hate the media, and they hate me, the feelings should remain mutual."
"That is where you are wrong. The Media can tear the film to shreds, even if it's the best film of all time because they can and will affect how things can be perceived." Clint smiled. "Just remember that. And try to learn from it."
You shrugged. "Great."
-----------------------------------------------
Audience:D100 + 300 => 392
Electrifying, that was the Audience's reaction to Batman. You were really proud of yourself for how you managed to handle Batman's detective work with the camera, using it to act as a vision of how Batman operates, the slow zooms, the quick fade-outs… well it was perfect and new.
And the people liked it.
To say that America finally had its own version of the great Detective, was an understatement. They called Batman the Superior to Sherlock Holmes and accepted him as the greatest fictional detective.
But what you really noticed was how the comic book writer who was also the screenwriter of it felt. Frank Miller was a young writer who only finished the script when a few others failed too, and after it was almost ruined by…
He who should not be named.
But what made you happy was that he was now working at Marvel now… and turned into a sort of protegee to Stan Lee… or something, you didn't know, but he was soon about to take over the daredevil book. Something that you were very happy about.
But the big surprise was Kathleen. She was finally getting the recognition she deserved, but instead of basking in the Praise like you expected her to… all she did was heap praise onto you, and every one of the crew. Saying. "I just managed to get the ball rolling, I don't have the talent that everyone on set had."
It was… strange to hear that. It was like she knew her role… and was happy in it.
But she was also making boatloads of money, so you suspected that she was also trying to keep you and Alan Happy.
But what was surprising was the near-unanimous praise coming towards Clint… After making his name as a cowboy, detective, and only anti-hero… hit a home run as the only good cop in Gotham. It was like he took all the lessons he learned and threw them in the trash, and it made him far more compelling than he had had any right to be.
-----------------------------
Critics:D100 + 300 => 383
Yet what surprised you the most was the Critics. There was no universal praise of you. Some even called your Batman boring, a carbon mock-up of Conan's stoic masterclass. The action was as always excellent but always seemed second fiddle. This was not just Batman's story.
Yet they said your portrayal of Bruce Wayne was… captivating, Shakespearean, finding ways to grant depth, with only twenty minutes to the man behind Batman more depth than nearly 50 years of comics ever gave him.
Yet instead, you focused on the direction, where you really wanted to see what they had to say... That was what they said and took you off guard.
Excellence.
Even Ebert had finally granted you the credit you deserved. "The Film wastes not a single frame, trying to create an air of mystery, for Batman to solve, and that comes from the brilliant direction of Bruce O'Brian, who finally learned a thing or two in his time in Hollywood and from the masters he works with."
Awesome to see such a glorious debut for Batman that seems to be on the same level as Reeve's The Batman and the Dark Knight in terms of quality and iconicness. We also managed to prove to the world that we're a badass Director and with how great Batman is, people are undoubtedly going to be super hyped for Empire, maybe we can even make the first 2 billion dollar movie with it. I know this was originally meant to be an Actor's Quest, but I'm really happy with this new route as a Director and am really excited to see what our Filmography amounts to.
You know, Clint does have a really strong point that after a decade Bruce should wisen up and know how to play the media game with him causing his own grief over being such a recluse. Then again, it is one of Bruce's best flaws and him wanting some normalcy and quiet shouldn't be a crime, but that -10 has really come to bite us multiple times. Real tough balancing act, and hopefully Bruce can get the experience to grow and know how to handle the media masterfully.
Lastly a bit sad that John wasn't present in the post much, but the Carrie fluff makes up for it.
We're actually the third. Superman was the second. If Conan had just made half a million more we would have been the fourth and starred in 3 of the 4 billion dollar movies.
And once more, we show why we're the superior choice for Comic Book movies! Frank Miller gogin to Marvel (and being the one who wrote the script) is just the cherry on top!
Goddamn, we made so far the best adaptation of the Caped Crusader, and from what Magoose mentioned before, changed Batman Mythos and upgraded one of his old gallery of rogues ahead of time. Deadshot is sure to become one of the heavy hitters in the future.
Wait, @Magoose , what have been the fans reactions to this version of Batman? Most of the comic fans hated the Adam West adaptation for how they turned Batman into a joke (in their opinion), but an entire generation grew with that as their only adaptation of him. What are the thoughts/opinions of them?
Actually a bit scared by Miller Time becoming a thing at Marvel because when Frank goes batshit he truly does go batshit and make some terrible comics like All-star Batman & Robin which is outright the worst depiction of Batman in comics. Hopefully stan can guide him to be better, but something tells me we're gonna see a lot of Punisher comics dominate in the 80s.
Actually a bit scared by Miller Time becoming a thing at Marvel because when Frank goes batshit he truly does go batshit and make some terrible comics like All-star Batman & Robin which is outright the worst depiction of Batman in comics. Hopefully stan can guide him to be better, but something tells me we're gonna see a lot of Punisher comics dominate in the 80s.
Having read All-Star Batman & Robin...you're absolutely right. Dear God i don't know what the hell Miller was smoking there, but i hope he got help. Still, there are some moments in the later volumes (and mind you, some moments only) where it actually felt like he was giving some thought to the relationship between both Batman and Robin. So, at the very least, some aspects of his previus genius must have been there.
Because he was good before. For all that we harp on All-Star, we can't forget he was the one that also gave us Batman: Year One and the Born Again Storyline in Daredevil (one of the most Iconic ones, even though I still say Guardian Devil is the Best. Fight Me!). Miller at the moment has the chacne to be great...so long as he's also kept contained and not go into the darkness and deep path that came afterwards.
Actually a bit scared by Miller Time becoming a thing at Marvel because when Frank goes batshit he truly does go batshit and make some terrible comics like All-star Batman & Robin which is outright the worst depiction of Batman in comics. Hopefully stan can guide him to be better, but something tells me we're gonna see a lot of Punisher comics dominate in the 80s.
Having read All-Star Batman & Robin...you're absolutely right. Dear God i don't know what the hell Miller was smoking there, but i hope he got help. Still, there are some moments in the later volumes (and mind you, some moments only) where it actually felt like he was giving some thought to the relationship between both Batman and Robin. So, at the very least, some aspects of his previus genius must have been there.
Because he was good before. For all that we harp on All-Star, we can't forget he was the one that also gave us Batman: Year One and the Born Again Storyline in Daredevil (one of the most Iconic ones, even though I still say Guardian Devil is the Best. Fight Me!). Miller at the moment has the chacne to be great...so long as he's also kept contained and not go into the darkness and deep path that came afterwards.
I mean we'rr already extending a fair shake to Kathleen Kennedy and Mike Eisner(the latter of whom has more than proved his worth), so I don't see why Miller can't get one as well.
In the shadows of a city far away from what might have been Gotham, a group of brave Romanian freedom fighters gathered clandestinely, united by a common cause—to fight against the Soviets and their oppressive regime that had engulfed their nation. With unwavering determination, Damian Popescu, the charismatic and resourceful individual who had witnessed the corruption and injustice inflicted upon the people of Romania, having seen a glimmer of hope in these stories, rallied the various and desperate guerilla fighters and adopted the name "Batmenii" (The Batmen), in honor of the men who had given the ability to fight back—John O'Brian, their once commander, and John Milius, the man who would tell their stories—finding it a fitting tribute to both Drakul and the Wayne, as copies of both films filtered into Romania through their old friends in IRA and the Polish Underground State. Donning dark attire, modifying their armor to project something akin to their darkest knights, and vowing to protect the innocent and challenge the oppressive regime began appearing from the mountain forests as vengeful wraiths, sparing but a single soul, a runner to the enemy.
Each time the poor soul would be made quiet, and more would return to their forests, and each time the result was the same.
Among Romanians, the Batmenii would soon become known as the "Fiii lui Drakul" (Truest Sons of Drakul).
Among the Soviets, the Batmenii would soon become known the "Otrod'ya D'yavola" (Satanspawn).
Soon, with each fight against the Soviets, their story grew (slowly) into legend.
Soon, with each fight against the Soviets, their numbers grew.
Soon, with each fight against the Soviets, they grew emboldened.
Damian, driven by a personal desire for justice, began to devise a strategy to combat the corruption. He knew that they had to be careful, as the slightest misstep could cost them their lives. They studied their adversaries, gathering information on their operations, and identifying their ties to the Soviets.
Soon, the conflict escalated as the Batmenii clashed with all who gained their power from this oppression, and though many a encounter nearly proved fatal for Damian, he would emerge stronger and more determined, learning from his mistakes and honing his skills. As they continued their fight, in a bizarre parallel to the film, their actions caught the attention of Lieutenant Radu Ionescu, the one honest cop left in the Romanian police force. Together with his capable assistant, Sergeant Elena Dumitrescu, they embarked on their own mission to expose the corruption within the police department. And though their investigation led to a direct confrontation with Soviet agents, Damian saved Ionescu and Dumitrescu's lives, further solidifying their belief in his cause. In so doing, they discovered that each held a piece of an unfinished puzzle to Soviet Operations in their fair country.
And yet...that is only a small part in a much grander story, a story that is yet to fully unfold. A/N: Decided to finally write a follow up piece to the Spark of Rebellionomake from a couple months ago, since this felt the most appropriate time. Hope you enjoy.
Pretty sure you had a bit of a translator SNAFU there. "Spawns of Satan" would be "Отродья Сатаны" in Russian, though "Отродья Дьявола" (Spawns of the Devil) would be more likely to be used, as the word for "devil" is much more commonly used by russian speakers compared to "satan". Though considering the strong anti-religious stance of the Soviets, they would probably use a completely different nickname.
Pretty sure you had a bit of a translator SNAFU there. "Spawns of Satan" would be "Отродья Сатаны" in Russian, though "Отродья Дьявола" (Spawns of the Devil) would be more likely to be used, as the word for "devil" is much more commonly used by russian speakers compared to "satan".
I figure it's the unofficial nickname then, one coined by a kid from the countryside and wasn't suppressed fast enough, but what do you think the official one'd be then?
Take the most unimaginative and bureaucratic thing you can think of and you should be in the right ballpark. Those are the same guys who codenamed their secret Bioweapon program "Biopreparat" and used acronyms or portmanteaux made from the description of what it does for about half of everything else.
Take the most unimaginative and bureaucratic thing you can think of and you should be in the right ballpark. Those are the same guys who codenamed their secret Bioweapon program "Biopreparat" and used acronyms or portmanteaux made from the description of what it does for about half of everything else.
[]Mary is Adorable (Mary gets a roll bonus in the next special roll)
[]This is going to be cool (Mary loves watching movies together with her parents.
[]Being a Good Dad is Hard (Unknown positive Effect)
