4. The Origin Issue
The superhero origin has truly become a staple of 21st century cinema, with at least one superhero origin story being released for pretty much each of my teenage years. For me, the last thing I want to see so soon after Nolans take on the Batman character is to see another re-hash of his origins. One of the main problems with the recent Amazing Spider-Man reboot was to revisit a story that had been told so recently and to improve so little on what many people consider to be the definitive beginning for the character. Despite these complaints, an origin story does serve a purpose. It provides a way for the audience to relate to a character before they become un-relatable due to their super-heroic escapades and it also allows screenwriters to build the world the characters inhabit slowly and naturally. Furthermore, they have been proven to be profitable and, as depressing as it is, that is all that really matters to most studio executives. If the proposed Batman reboot were to focus on Robin then we would avoid going through Batmans origins again. We could focus on a new story within the Batman universe, with a character that the modern cinematic audience is largely unfamiliar with. It also means that we can briefly revisit Batmans origins as a means of comparison with our new Robin character, perhaps using the reveal of his back-story to be the first time a reclusive Bruce Wayne opens up to his young ward. Such an approach would also give filmmakers a chance to create something new and original without the constraints of sticking to comic book lore. In my opinion the origin of Dick Grayson would not adapt well into a more realistic Batman universe. I dont think I would be alone in wanting to switch the tragic acrobat death in the comics origin with something more relatable and comparable to Batman. Following on with the theme of allowing filmmaker creation and innovation, a new Robin back-story would allow for a new look for the character. If Im being honest the classic red top and green briefs dont really do it for me. Lets allow the poor soul assigned to direct this reboot the freedom to create a costume that fits in with the idea of Batman and Robin as a duo of stealthy ninja vigilantes and not a couple of cheap cabaret dancers. If the director of this proposed reboot needs some inspiration I would suggest the Arkham City video game incarnation of Robin, which managed to strike the right balance between modern Batmans functionality and badassery.