The
Next Batman Movie
Written
By: The Ascended Ancient
A/N: This is just my idea for how the next Batman movie should play out. It's not at all official, and I'm not making any money off of my idea (unless Christopher Nolan reads this, likes it, and wants to buy it. Wouldn't that be cool? Yeah, I know, in my dreams). It stars the Riddler as the main villain, with a unique twist that's all my own. And I'll be introducing Robin in a very dark way. As for what the title of this fictitious Batman would be, I haven't quite made up my mind yet. I'll figure it out before the end, though, I promise. Enjoy.
The movie starts out with a mix of flashbacks and real life action. We see the adult Dick Grayson equip himself with a light bullet proof vest, climbing rope, knives, and a silenced pistol. He ties a bandana with eye holes over his face. Then comes young Dick, spending time with his parents. There are clips of his dad doing knife tricks and his mother swinging on the trapeze. Back to the present, where Dick is climbing up the side of a building with an acrobat's grace. He reaches the top and pulls out a pair of binoculars and spies on a mobster. Flash back again to young Dick as he witnesses mobsters break into his parent's place and threaten them at gunpoint, demanding money that the Graysons owe them. The boss of the thugs is the man Dick is spying on right now. In the present, Dick uses the rope to get the drop on the mobster and his boys. He uses the knives in expert fashion, slicing and throwing them to take down his foes. He then draws the gun on the mobster. In another flashback, we witness the mobster and his boys shooting and killing the Graysons. Dick runs away. In the present, he pulls off his mask and tells the mobster that he's not running anymore, that the mobster and his cronies are going down. Then he puts a bullet in the man's head.
Meanwhile Batman is still out saving the people of Gotham, even though they regard him as public enemy number one. There's an incident where some of Dr. Crane's Fear Toxin is released in a poor area of the city, and Batman delivers the antidote to a local clinic that can't afford to purchase it. The head doctor, rather than thanking him, begs him to go away, and the moment Batman turns his back he triggers the silent alarm. Running from the police, Batman gets a bullet wound.
This situation is taking its toll on him, as is revealed when he returns to the new Batcave at Wayne Manor. It's far more sophisticated than either of the two previous caves, and is separated into several chambers. There's the garage, where the Batpod is parked. There's the equipment room, where the suit and gadgets are stored. And there's the research room, where a sophisticated computer is tied into the police database.
Anyway, Bruce is struggling to keep going. It's not the lack of praise; it's the lack of progress. Without Dent to prosecute them, the mob is rebuilding, and with Batman now a pariah rather than a source of inspiration, people are more willing to give in to them. Alfred tries to prop him up with his perpetual words of wisdom (god bless Michael Kaine in this role), but it doesn't
do much good. Bruce became Batman to make a difference on a large scale, but now the only impact he's having is on small things. Alfred now asks if he is considering just giving up this fight, and Bruce absolutely refutes that. However, he is considering fighting in a different way. He is starting to wonder if by hanging up the Batsuit and focusing full-time on his company, maybe he can build it up into a powerful enough force for good that it's economic power can do what his alter-ego can't. Alfred asks if he's referring to the banking deal, and Bruce says that it's the centerpiece of his plan. He hasn't finalized his decision to abandon Batman yet, though, and in the meantime he says that he needs to get a new suit, because he's currently patching up a bullet wound (Not a serious one, really nothing more than a graze).
Meanwhile, in the Gotham PD, Commissioner Jim Gordon and his chief Lieutenant, Herald Timider, analyze a report of last night's Batman sighting. Timider displays himself to be an ally of Gordon in the department in trying to cover Batman's ass despite their mandate to hunt for him. Timider provides Gordon with the only clean blood sample recovered from last night's crime scene after Batman was shot so that Gordon can contaminate it so that a clear DNA match can't be made. Gordon obviously hates the current situation, and believes that the Gotham PD was far more effective when they were working with Batman, even if it was off-the-books.
Downtown, Dick Grayson is in his apartment. It's clear from what's there that he's a performer, doing tricks and stunts on stage to earn a living. He's also assembled a decent arsenal and a lot of intel on the mob hierarchy, all the way up the chain of command to Sal Maroni. He gets a call from a source who conceals his voice with an electronic filter. This person gives him information about where one of his targets will be tonight.
At Wayne Enterprises, Bruce meets with Lucious Fox. The two men attend a meeting with the heads of the eight largest banks in America. Wayne is negotiating with them personally, with Fox advising him, and they're in the final stages of the discussions. At the heart of it is a proposal to ease up on credit restrictions and interest rates on the poor of Gotham. After some technical corporate mumbo-jumbo, the bank heads agree. Bruce leaves Lucious to work out the details of a few financial transactions between them.
When the meeting is over, Bruce and Lucious talk about this deal. Bruce believes that Wayne Enterprises can do more for the struggling and impoverished not just in Gotham but across the country. He says that Batman isn't the only means through which he can do good; his company is a powerful asset that he needs to use more proactively.
He also informs Lucious that the new suit isn't good enough, he needs another one with the same flexibility yet tough enough to take bullets. Lucious replies that with the federal warrant the Gotham PD received to try and track down how Batman is being supplied with his equipment, he can't grant any of Bruce's requests yet. Not for a new Batmobile, and not for a new Batsuit. He does mention that he's trying to work on some angles, but there's no guarantee they'll bear fruit.
Retiring to his office upstairs, Bruce revels in his frustration. He sees on the news that the outbreak of Fear Toxin is being contained and cured far more rapidly than expected, but that headline is secondary to reports of Batman having terrorized the already fear-stricken residents
of that area last night. As he watches this he gets a phone call. It's from the same man who is talking to Dick. He lays out the first riddle of the movie, and says that a man's life is depending on it. He finishes the call by referring to Bruce as Batman. Shocked by the threat to a man's life and that this caller knows his true identity, Bruce Wayne immediately springs into action trying to solve this riddle.
End of Part 1
A/N: Well, I wanted to cut it off here for now. I'll get back to this soon, until then, please review.
FYI: I'll be skipping over the details of the riddles, because quite frankly I don't have the skill to think them up and I really have no interest in wasting the energy to do so.
