batman

With the approaching release of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, sides are being taken across the internet of which of the two are the favorite superhero.

In the tradition of ScreenCrush series like You Think You Know Movies and You Think You Know TV comes a new YouTube series: Top Five! Each week (or so; we’ve got a lot of other stuff going on), ScreenCrush editor and critic Matt Singer will count down a particular topic from the world of movies (and probably write these introductory posts in the third person).

Two new spots highlight the escalating conflict between DC's biggest super heroes, and feature Jeremy Irons as Alfred and Laurence Fishburne as Perry White.

Two of the world's greatest Super Heroes, Batman and Superman, join forces with Hendrick Motorsports and superstars Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, as the pair of drivers prepare to face off during the March 20 NASCAR race in California.

Anyone following FOX’s Gotham (those brave souls) well-remembers the proto-Batman series’ quick introduction of almost-Joker figure Jerome, before Season 2 seemingly put a cap on the character in the most eye-rolling setup possible. Well, get ready to stretch that grin once more, as Ben McKenzie hints we’ve not seen the last of Cameron Monaghan’s cackling madman.

The camera, tilted diagonally, pans across the crowded dance floor of a nightclub called What A Way To Go-Go as Batman casually walks in through the front door. The music continues, but the dancing stops, as Gotham citizens take notice of the world's most famous crime-fighter in their midst. One of them shouts and points, almost fainting, a cigarette girl offers to check his cape, and the club's owner comes over to personally welcome him, asking if he'd like a table. "I'll stand at the bar," replies Batman, standing in the middle of the crowd in a cape, mask and tights, a bright yellow utility belt full of batarangs and explosives around his waist, "I shouldn't wish to attract attention." That, according to interviews, was the scene where Adam West understood exactly how to play the role that would make him famous: Reserved and stilted and almost painfully square despite the inherent ridiculousness of everything around him. And fifty years ago today, on January 12, 1966, that scene was broadcast as part of the debut of Batman, the television series that would define not just its title character, but --- for better or worse --- the place of superheroes in American pop culture for at least a generation.

Part of the fun comic book fans have had over the years is debating which superhero could defeat which superhero. Could Wolverine beat The Hulk? Could the X-Men beat The Avengers? There have been entire lines of books devoted to this very topic. Heck, Batman vs. Superman and Captain America: Civil War are both based on this very conceit. So, you can’t blame Matt Damon for getting into the fun when asked if his Jason Bourne, who he calls “my superhero”, could take his pal Ben Affleck’s Batman. As you might expect, Damon’s not stepping down from the challenge.

After yesterday’s three new Batman vs. Superman images from the pages of Empire magazine, today we have even more from the upcoming superhero film. From that same magazine article, we have both Ben Affleck and director Zack Snyder talking about this film’s version of Batman (which Affleck describes as a “f---ed up Batman”), plus a bunch of new photos from the film.

Following the Batman vs. Superman info dump that came out of Comic-Con, we thought it might be a while before we saw or heard anything from the upcoming superhero movie. After all, we did get an extended new trailer, new images and a new poster. But today, we have three new Batman vs. Superman pics each showing off one of the film’s three main characters: Batman, Superman and Lex Luthor.

When Warner Bros. announced their upcoming superhero schedule last year, one title notably missing was a solo Batman movie. Sure, Batman was going to be a big part of both Batman vs. Superman and the two Justice League movies, but would Batfleck be getting his own trilogy, a la The Dark Knight? It turns out, yes, yes he will. Latino Review is reporting that Ben Affleck will both star in and direct the spinoff, titled The Batman, which is set for November 2018.

Anne Hathaway memorably played Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, but she very nearly played another catty superhero. The Oscar-winning actress was set to play Black Cat in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4, which would have also featured John Malkovich as Vulture. That film was canceled shortly before filming and Sony eventually decided to reboot the whole franchise. That’s just one of the facts packed into the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies, which goes completely batty with The Dark Knight Rises!

The Batman vs. Superman trailer came and went, and we still didn't get a great look at Ben Affleck in the traditional Batman costume (we’ll leave that armored suit out of this). We’ve all seen that black and white promo shot, but what does Batfleck look like in clear, full color? Today, we have that answer.