Image: Batman Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, DC

Over the years, Frank Miller has turned out a number of Batman stories, ranging from “essential” to “oh my god, no, my eyes, my eyes” But in a recent interview, Miller gave his vision for a Batman movie and, well, it actually sounds pretty great.




Here’s what he told Variety (warning: he really hates toys):

My dream would be to make it much smaller. To lose the toys and to focus more on the mission, and to use the city a great deal more. Because he’s got a loving relationship with the city he’s protecting. And unlike Superman his connection to crime is intimate; it has been ever since his parents were murdered. And he defeats criminals with his hands. So it would be a different take. But it will never be in my hands, because it would not be a good place to make toys from. There wouldn’t be a line of toys.


There’s a lot of truth to this. Gotham as a city should be prevalent in a Batman movie. And stripping spectacle and alternate outfits (for more toys!) is also a movie that would set the new Batman apart from the rest of the superhero crowd.

Miller said this was kind of how his and Darren Aronofsky’s live-action version of Batman: Year One had been intended to play out. “That screenplay was based on my book ‘Batman: Year One,’ and yeah it was much more down to earth,” he said. “In it, a fair amount of time is spent before he became Batman, and when he went out and fought crime he really screwed it up a bunch of times before he got it right. So it was 90-minute origins story.”

I don’t think Miller’s actually implying that we should do the origin again, because he’s describing the franchise and then an old script he did. Besides, the smartest thing DC and WB are doing right now is not telling the Batman origin story in his standalone movie again. Although, I’d say it’s even money if the next Batman movie will also manage to flashback to the death of the Waynes. just like Batman v Superman did.

Speaking of Batman v Superman, Miller also had this... strange exchange with the reporter about that movie:

Have you seen the movie “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”? Yes. And what did you think? I’ll just say: ‘Thanks.’ What can I say? — he laughs — no, actually I’ll withdraw that; I’ll say: ‘You’re welcome!’


Thank you, Frank. I guess.

[Variety via Slashfilm]