Batman: the New James Bond?

After my post yesterday about Heath Ledger, it reminded me that years ago, I remember thinking, “Who will be the next James Bond?” Today, I find myself thinking, “Who will be the next Batman?”

The first Batman movie, directed by Tim Burton, was released in 1989. Batman is my favourite superhero because he has no super-powers and relies solely on nerve and skills any human has the potential to pick up. Batman and James Bond have a lot in common.

As each Batman movie is released, I have noticed that the characters are becoming darker, the storylines tighter, and of course, one has to wonder who will be the next “Batman Girl”. Despite the movie “Batman and Robin”, the movies are generally interesting and attract the times hot talent, such as Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, amongst others. For the record, my favourite Batman is Val Kilmer (Batman Forever).

Heath Ledger has had resounding acclaim for his character “The Joker”. As a horror writer, I find Batman fascinating, not only how the movies evolved, but how the lines between action/adventure and action/horror have grown as well as the entertaining psychology of how he came to be.

It is annoying that elements within Batman change, ie, how his father died. For example, in Batman Forever, Harvey Dent was scarred by burning acid in the courtroom. In Batman the Dark Knight, Dent acquired his disfigurement from fire. James Bond is just as annoying. Despite the darkening themes and wider array of violence and graphical imagery, It is surprising to learn that “Batman The Dark Knight” was only rated PG-13, the same as the last few Harry Potter movies (and James Bond’s Casino Royale).

Gadgets with surprising twists, cars and other vehicles seen nowhere else in the world, alter-egos, specialised training, the next hot girl. Now, who do you think I am talking about: Bond or Batman?