Hey folks, Harry here... Well it looks like Frank Miller and Darren Aronofsky have completely reconceived and made BATMAN YEAR ONE a period film. Now the problem is that a lot of people are expecting a straight adaptation of BATMAN YEAR ONE, Miller's groundbreaking series, HOWEVER, with Aronofsky and nearly 18 years passing with Miller... Well when they stepped up to adapt, they had some... well, radical ideas. Some that work, and probably some that really really don't. According to our scooper Spooky, Aronofsky and Miller are at Draft 3 now, and what he was able to lay hands on was the 1st Draft. And this... well I'm dying to read it myself. I'm a huge fan of Seventies Crime films... I loved reading the Neal Adams era Batman with those long long horns... He was mean and beat the hell out of people. Bringing real world crime into the universe and lingo from the era... this BATMAN script is not for purists, but rather... those of us that love those Elseworld non-canon stories like THE KILLING JOKE or DARK KNIGHT RETURNS... Obviously Warners has given notes on this, but well Warners' notes on BATMAN films in the past have never particularly helped. However, I place faith in Aronofsky and Miller, but have hesitation at some of this... This is very spoiler filled so read only at your own choice...
Ok so I sat down again and read this BATMAN YEAR ONE script that is dated
6/22/01
Darren Aronofsky ,Frank Miller..
My source tells me (and he has yet to fail me) that this is the real deal.I explained how I know him and all that source stuff in an eariler email. Now onto the story..It seems all the hints Aronofsky has given over the past 6 months are true.What we thought was just talk ends up being taken to the extreme. A 1970's style french Connection thriller..Well that and the fact that Aronofsky always seems to find a spot for drug addicts in his films. Well lets just start from the begining....
The films opens in 1953..Again (because film fans just can't seem to remember why batman came to be) We witness the horrible Murders of the wayne family..This is explained in about 5 pages.So do the plot holes start in the script yet? yes they do..Infact This story is full of pop culture references.. The details of whats going on around the story overwelm what is happening. Do we really have to know that the newest elvis single is playing in the streets on the night of the murder?..(YES THE KING HAS MADE IT INTO ANOTHER FILM,Does miller have a thing for elvis? Robocop 2 anyone?) The plot whole is the fact that Elvis did'nt have a national radio single until 1956..Anyways the mom and dad are gunned down..We had to see this because we have'nt figured out why Bruce wayne is batman (basicly the point of year one's concept..Yet is goes crazy from here)
(Here I'm sure is where Clint Mansell's Techno,disco Trip inspired score blasts over flashing images of Shag carpet and Bat logos.Somehow I think of a shaft like WAHH chicki chicki WAHH with a techno beat)
20 years later
Like I said Aronofsky seems to make sure DRUGS have a major role in each of his films.The opening lets us into this Herion-Under world smuggling on gothams harbor..A huge warehouse..Were The Penguin (Roman replacement) is made into a drug smuggling Mob boss..That talks bird jive. And yep we get to see some Herion pumping action..As the penguin shows Some of his goons what will happen if they turn on him.He attaches a thug to a table and injects tons of herion into him...dadada sceen plays out way to long..And then BAM! COPS BURST IN..Jim gordon and all..Smack smack.. Machine guns..Car chase..You keep expecting batman to show up but he never does.
GORDON HAS A BEER AND CHEETS ON HIS WIFE
Bruce wayne Takes an old school Girlfriend (yet he has been gone from gotham for sometime) Out on a night to some Gay disco club.. Then we sit through 30 pages of Bruce Wayne doing this and that.Suddenly relizing he is a BAT!..In this film he is driving with some blonde Bimbo in his Corvette and a bat slams into the windsheild causing an accident.He has some Flash backs (that play more like drug trips) and he looks at the girl after he saves her from the exploding car..He says "I've got a job to do"
GORDON HAS A BEER AND CHEETS ON HIS WIFE
Then BAM! We flash onto a sceen where Bruce wayne is dressed in a Black outfit..Fighting some thugs..Then he does the whole they are not afraid of me..I must be a Bat thing and makes an outfit..And converts his Stingray Corvette into a Batmobile. The black Alfred..hmmm..Well When Aronofsky said "Year One will be something Cool and Differnt" Is this what he meant?..A jive talken brotha..Well I'm no racest..But SPAWN is BLACK and ALFRED is WHITE! Batman walks out in the outfit and asks alfred "How do I look?" Alfred " Slammen!" (WHAT THE HELL?)
GORDON HAS A BEER AND CHEETS ON HIS WIFE
Inbetween this whole Bruce wayne becomes Batman alfed jive section.We see Jim gordon grow more and more concerned with the city.Bruce Wayne in support throws an Anti drug rally at wayne manor.Thus the penguin shows up and Starts some shit..Yep and Wayne Manor is burnt down.Harvey dent has a small sceen where he talks about the evil's of drugs..Oh wait! Dent is white (just so you guys know).Suddenly the next day (after all the main characters escape the blaze..Com'on !) Wayne has this huge high rise Studio 54 disco Apartment high above gotham.Ontop on the wayne corp building (now it's just me but..Wayne just returned to gotham city at the start of this film after 10 years of schooling in england..He is 23..When did he start wayne corp? possibly his dad did?..But this goes unexplained) Yep and suddenly A niffty Batcave is made in the "Depths of the Dirty town" as the script says..
GORDON HAS A BEER AND CHEETS ON HIS WIFE
Well here is where I guess the film hits the 1hr 20 min mark..With a good 50 minuits left..We kick in right?..Yeah it moves fast..But there is so much shit going on ...First off the penguin somehow just dissipers because ITS TIME FOR THE RED HOOD SAGA!..dada! On batmans first night out he brings some of the penguin's thugs tied up to Gordon (who is not yet a commishner)..This kinda begins the Gordon/Batman thing.We learn that A man in a RED hood has been robbing banks and bussiness's over the past few weeks..For some reason the Penguin and his few followers decide to take over the chemical factory.When The red hood shows up ..And we get to see just how the joker was made again!...BANG! ZAP! ZANG!...Big fight..Penguin goes to jail and the guy in the red hood bites it (or so we thought)..Gorden thanks batman for saving the day..Dadada!.. Did I mention GORDON HAS A BEER AND CHEETS ON HIS WIFE! God I guess this story is about him..But all we see him do is Drink,Screw,,and talk to batman...
But wait..The Bat-Signal..Batman is in the Batcave and get this THE RED PHONE RINGS!!! (WHAT THE FUCK!) Gordon" Batman a crazy fool calling himself Da joka is terrorizing the city!" Batman' I'm on it!"
Yeah we get this cool 20 page fight with the joker and Batman..You see he kipnaps GORDON"S DAUGHTER and takes her to an old amusment park where she is stripped nakked..And although we don't see it ,,It's implied she was raped..Yeah you guessed it The joker is pissed because" Gordon and Batman let his Red Hooded ass fall into some chemicals".So he shoots barbra in the back.(surprised?)..I guess it's also not a surprise when we see her alive in a hospital bed in the end?.. The thing is...Even though The joker talks more jive than Dolmite..And Batman is walking around like he knows whats up (This is like he first few weeks as batman,,And there are no screw up?..Com'on I wanna see Batman fall..I want to see the mistakes he learns from) Batman and the Joker do this Talking this (ala The killing joke) and they act like they have always known each other.. Joker " Wow A life full of pain..Frowning on the outside..Laughing on the inside..But now Bats..I smile FOR YOU!" (what the hell does that mean) Batman "I'm not one to smile" (you go BOY!) lalala...Big fight ontop of some Amusment park ride..Where Batman Discovers a plan to POSIN THE CITYS WATER SUPPLY! THIS MUST BE STOPPED
THIS IS A JOB FOR ...NANANANANA BATMAN!
So some shit goes down and it looks like the joker is dead (ofcourse he is'nt)..Gordon and batman have some coffe (No really they do)..Gordon visits Barbra in the hospital and kisses his wife for the first time in the film..(I can't belive they did'nt manage to fit one more GORDON HAS A BEER AND CHEETS ON HIS WIFE sceen)
Bruce wayne visits the hospital and leaves..With Black JIve Talken Alfred picking him up in a taxie.Explaining to bruce that "That he needs to get laid" Then the bat signal goes off high above..Bruce and alfred see it.. Alfred says " IT"S ON NOW!"...Bruce "Your damn right it is"
(Here I'm sure is where some more of Clint Mansell's Techno,disco Trip inspired score blasts ) Then we have some fun when we see (MAJOIR SPOLIER!) The joker is'nt dead..He is sitting on top of a building and flips a joker's card.He is starring at the bat signal!.. END!
Yes that is the incredible 70's ,French-connection-esqe,New and Cool Miller/Aronofsky EPIC..I tried to talk about the story (wait there was one of those?) But I did'nt even get into all the Hokey 70's pop culture Bullshit..Since then I have heard that the WB had a 2nd draft ordered..Then they read that And had a 3rd draft written (which I belive is being written now)..If this is what Year One is...Batman Beyond,Dark knight returns, Hell even TRIUMPHANT has a good chance of making it over this PILE OF SHIT!
Spooky!
