The future of the Nolanverse
Lately - thanks to now owning a copy of both the film and the screenplay/art book - I've been writing fic thinking a lot about the dilemma Chris Nolan and company find themselves in post-TDK.
They've just pulled off one of the most successful films of all time. Unfortunately, the film itself cuts off so many logical follow-throughs: it's almost too complete. They made the debatable decision of ending Harvey's arc in one film, so no Two-Face for the third. Heath Ledger's Joker will also never see an encore performance. And how do you match the level of charisma and energy he brought to that film as a whole? I think the simplest answer is, you don't. You go for a complete 180 in tone, and especially in the villain. And you bring things back around to Bruce. That's where it should all start and end, right?
So I've been thinking, and watching lots of Batman: The Animated Series (*HEART*), and talking with the husband about one of my (our) other favorite Batvillians, one that needs redemption almost as much - if not more - than Two-Face did after Batman Forever. And that is: Mr. Freeze.
Okay, HALT. What is your experience with Mr. Freeze? If it is merely the atrocious Arnold version in Batman and Robin, then I am deeply sorry. The portrayal I am most familiar with is the one in the aforementioned animated series, which I consider close to definitive (God bless that series, it took so much from the comics and streamlined it to its essence). I have several reasons for wanting to see Nolan's take on this character above the rest of the Rogue's Gallery. They are:
Anyway. I would seriously kill to see Nolan tackle this. I harbor no delusions, though. I'm sure the story he and Goyer are reported to be working on is something completely different - I don't know if Nolan even likes this character or has been exposed to any decent portrayals of him - and I want him to be doing something that interests him most of all, because that's what'll guarantee us another great film.
But what if... yeah, I can dream.
They've just pulled off one of the most successful films of all time. Unfortunately, the film itself cuts off so many logical follow-throughs: it's almost too complete. They made the debatable decision of ending Harvey's arc in one film, so no Two-Face for the third. Heath Ledger's Joker will also never see an encore performance. And how do you match the level of charisma and energy he brought to that film as a whole? I think the simplest answer is, you don't. You go for a complete 180 in tone, and especially in the villain. And you bring things back around to Bruce. That's where it should all start and end, right?
So I've been thinking, and watching lots of Batman: The Animated Series (*HEART*), and talking with the husband about one of my (our) other favorite Batvillians, one that needs redemption almost as much - if not more - than Two-Face did after Batman Forever. And that is: Mr. Freeze.
Okay, HALT. What is your experience with Mr. Freeze? If it is merely the atrocious Arnold version in Batman and Robin, then I am deeply sorry. The portrayal I am most familiar with is the one in the aforementioned animated series, which I consider close to definitive (God bless that series, it took so much from the comics and streamlined it to its essence). I have several reasons for wanting to see Nolan's take on this character above the rest of the Rogue's Gallery. They are:
- Thematically, there is no more perfect follow-up to the Joker. Think about it. Batman's moral dilemma in taking on the Joker was that he wanted so badly to kill the muthereffer, it nearly drove him off the edge. With Freeze, the moral dilemma is quite the opposite. Everything he does is because of his wife: his demented crusade to make everyone experience what he experiences, and the extravagent, desperate lengths he goes to in order to search out a cure for her condition. Now Batman's issue is reversed - you want so badly to help this muthereffer out of his hole, but he's dug it too deep. After Rachel's death in TDK especially, Bruce's empathy level with Freeze's situation would be... well, high. It's once again a perfect foil. Freeze lets his grief rule him. So does Bruce, to an extent - it's how Batman was formed, after all - but he takes control of it in a way Freeze refuses to (or maybe can't, at this point). Thus, we'd go from the most unsympathetic Batvillian to the most sympathetic. Next to Harv, of course, but I think Freeze beats him out just a bit; done right, he's so damn dramatic and heartbreaking.
- He could be made to fit Nolan's realism without too much core change. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there actual medical conditions where a person needs constant exposure to cold to survive? Even extreme levels of it? Surely it's not too much of a stretch, if we take away the silly suit and simplify his look a bit. The real heart of the character is the tragedy with Nora, after all. And that, at least, is completely human.
- Freeze stands out. When I first heard Nolan was taking on the Joker, I just could not fathom how he'd fit into the hyperrealism of this particular Batverse, but that's half of what made it such a compelling decision. The Joker stands out in Gotham - and yet, the execution of his character makes complete sense within the stylistic conventions of the films. I feel like the same could be done with Freeze. He's another example of a "freak" born of escalation (perhaps in a more indirect way than Joker, but still), and he's different enough to draw all eyes to him.
- Wintertime in Gotham would rock so hard. No, seriously: it doesn't have to be because of Freeze and his crazy machinery (obviously, that idea is a bit too over-the-top for the Nolanverse), but just as a way of distinguishing the mood of this film from the first two, and giving Freeze his playground. There have been some lovely portrayals of this before, in the comics and the animated series. I think it'd be just beautiful.
- We need someone with gravitas to counteract the Joker's chaos. Freeze runs on more than whims, and there's a whole mess of character exploration that could stem from his introduction. Especially for Bruce, which is, after all, the most important thing (IMHO).
Anyway. I would seriously kill to see Nolan tackle this. I harbor no delusions, though. I'm sure the story he and Goyer are reported to be working on is something completely different - I don't know if Nolan even likes this character or has been exposed to any decent portrayals of him - and I want him to be doing something that interests him most of all, because that's what'll guarantee us another great film.
But what if... yeah, I can dream.