6. A Reboot Doesn't Have To Include A New Version of the Characters Origin
In regards to the forthcoming reboot of Spider-Man hitting theaters next week, many fans have responded with "OH GOD NOT ANOTHER ORIGIN STORY!" and they're right to react this way. The execs behind The Amazing Spider-Man have failed to learn a lesson from two two other recent requels (which is what happens when a movie that going to be a sequel becomes a reboot) of super hero franchises. The Incredible Hulk and Punisher: Warzone both demonstrated something very important that Hollywood needs to remember, just because you're relaunching a franchise doesn't mean to have to retell the beginning of the story, especially if your audience already knows it by heart. One of the reasons that Batman Begins did such a great job of retelling Batman's origin is because it wasn't actually a retelling, it was a telling. Think back to every other live-action or animated version of Batman you've seen. How many of them actually had Batman's origin happen in them, in real time rather than flash backs? I dunno about you, but I can't recall any. Tim Burton's 1989 flick opens up with Batman having already been working the streets of Gotham for some time. His back story is only briefly touched on in the middle of the movie and comes off in a rather typical "action movie" fashion of the hero having a tormented past that drives him forward. His parents got murdered, he became a vigilante, he eventually avenges his parent and that's about it. If Burton had changed the motivating death from Bruce Wayne's parents to his High School sweet heart it wouldn't have made that big a difference to the narrative of the movie (although it would have enraged comic book fans to no end). Nolan is the first director to show us Bruce Wayne become Batman in the present instead of tacking on a few flashbacks to an already in progress story. Now that the story's been told, we don't need to hear it again. Instead, the next franchise can open up Batman already being an established hero. Better yet, it could serve as the origin of another character who can learn about the truth behind the Bat along with the audience. This would be a perfect way to bring Robin into the world of Batman. If it seems odd to suggest making the opening movie of a franchise the origin story of someone other than the main character, watch Tim Burton's Batman again. It's actually the origin story of the Joker more than anything else. One great reason to do it this way, is that it would establish the Batman/Robin a.k.a. father/son dynamic right out of the gate instead of changing the feel of the story mid franchise. This leaves room to do two more movies taking that dynamic even further. Why two more you might ask? Well there's another reason that were coming up on a good time to reboot the Bat series...