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MOVIES

A number of Batman theatrical Film s have been made.

and Douglas Croft in 1943's The Batman]]
and Johnny Duncan in 1949's Batman]]

in 1992's ''Batman Returns'']]
as Bruce Wayne from ''Batman Begins'']]


Several low-budget, unauthorized Batman movies have also been made, including '' Batman Dracula '' (1964) by Andy Warhol ; '' Batman Fights Dracula '' (1967), made in the Philippines ; and a second Filipino movie called '' Alyas Batman En Robin '' (1993). (Critics who have seen this movie say it is very poor quality.)

Additionally, an independently-funded self-promo '' was produced by Sandy Collora in 2003, starring Clark Bartram as Batman. The film featured not only Batman but also Aliens and Predators from the popular 20th Century Fox film franchises, and generated considerable buzz.

In addition to the animated ''Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'', a number of movies based on the animated series have been released ''. ''World's Finest'' is feature-length but made for TV, and currently available as ''The Batman/Superman Movie''. '' The Batman Vs. Dracula '' is another spin-off movie from the 2004 animated series '' The Batman ''.

In 2003, comic book writer Mark Millar wrote an article claiming Orson Welles had once begun to make a Batman movie. The article was widely disseminated, but was later discovered to be a fraud perpetrated by Millar as an internet prank.


TELEVISION

In the late 1960s, the ABC Network aired a ''Batman'' Television Series with Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. The series aired for 120 episodes from January 12 , 1966 to March 14 , 1968 . It was a Parody of the ''Batman'' Movie Serial starring Lewis Wilson and the comic books under the strict Comics Code Authority with high Camp . It continues to be the version some associate with the Batman character, despite its being a Parody and the least representative of his depiction in comics, although some comic book stories were adapted to the TV series. The live-action TV show was extraordinarily popular; at the height of its popularity, it was the only Prime Time TV show besides '' Peyton Place '' to be broadcast twice each week as part of its regular schedule. (This was, however, inherent in its format, typically splitting full-hour stories into two half-hour episodes to be aired different nights of the same week.)

In 2001, OnStar , DC Comics, and Warner Bros. teamed up to promote the new OnStar onboard guidance system. The commercials featured Batman using OnStar to aid him against villains such as the Joker, Riddler, and Penguin. There were six commercials which premiered from 2001 to the beginning of 2002. The actor who played Batman ( Bruce Thomas ) in these commercials also played Batman in the '' Birds Of Prey '' pilot. The Batmobile used is the one from '' Batman '' and '' Batman Returns ''. Also Michael Gough reprised the role of Alfred one last time in one of the commercials.

There has been a lot of talk about a Bruce Wayne television series, featuring the characters of Bruce, Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon, Vicki Vale, Selina Kyle, and Alfred set around Bruce's teenage years. Shawn Ashmore , later portraying Iceman from the ''X-Men'' Film Series , was considered for Bruce, and Michael Rosenbaum , who gained fame as Lex Luthor on the hit ''Smallville'' Television Series , was allegedly cast as Harvey Dent. Story arcs would involve Bruce's growth into manhood, such as martial arts training, his journeys to Europe and Asia, his discovery of the Batcave, etc. Other stories would involve Harvey's difficult law education and his abusive father, Selina Kyle's love/hate relationship with Bruce, and Jim Gordon's struggle against corrupt officers on the Gotham City Police Department , etc. Many "future" DC characters were rumored to appear, like a young failed comedian who is to become The Joker , a young farmboy named Clark Kent , and other future heroes. Miles Millar and Alfred Gough , the producers and creators of ''Smallville'' had planned doing this, but after the '' Batman Begins '' film started production, the project was shelved. It is said that once the new Christopher Nolan franchise has ended, this will get picked up again.


Animated

There have also been several TV Animated Series starring Batman, produced by at least three different TV animation studios. The treatment of the character has varied with the decade; the 1990s and later series have had a darker, more sincere tone which has appealed to adult viewers, while still being accessible and entertaining to children. These cartoons include:

''' first (in production order) episode "On Leather Wings".]]


He also appeared in the episodes of ''Knight Time'' and ''The Demon Reborn,'' although in ''Knight Time'' he appeared only as Bruce Wayne.

Since 1997, '' on video (both VHS and DVD ) in which Kevin Conroy provides the voice of Batman. There are four volumes total, covering both Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: Gotham Knights. Two volumes cover the Superman animated series, and several stand-alone Justice League discs have been released, with complete season collections coming later in 2006.


NEWSPAPER

From 1943 to 1946, Batman and Robin appeared in a syndicated daily and Sunday newspaper Comic Strip distributed by the McClure Syndicate. Other newspaper comic versions appeared in 1953, 1966, and 1989. The original run is collected in the book ''Batman: The Dailies''.


BOOKS

Batman is also slated to appear in a novel by cyberpunk/horror novelist '' and compilations such as ''Batman: Cover to Cover : The Greatest Comic Book Covers of the Dark Knight''.

In 2004 ''The Batman Handbook: The Ultimate Training Manual'', written by Scott Beatty was published by Quirk Books (ISBN 1-59-474023-2). Written in the same style as '' The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook '' series, the book explained the basics on how to be Batman. Amongst the skills included in the book are "How to Train a Sidekick", "How to Execute a Backflip", "How to Throw a Grappling Hook" and "How to Survive a Poison Gas Attack".

Finally, there are of course countless sticker, coloring, activity, and other children's books featuring the Dark Knight.


RADIO

Beginning in March 1945, Batman and Robin made regular appearances on the '' Superman '' Radio Drama on the Mutual Broadcasting System . Efforts were made to launch a Batman radio series in 1943 and again in 1950, but neither came to fruition.


MUSICAL THEATRE

While a parody of a ''. This was in response to plans for a ''Batman'' musical which had been in place for several years, but was never produced. Series creator Paul Dini , who wrote the episode in question, also wrote a song for the fictitious musical entitled "Superstitious and Cowardly Lot."


VIDEO GAMES

See Also: Batman (video game)


Several Batman video games were created:


Batman also appears in the '' Justice League Task Force '' Super Nintendo fighting game, a couple of ''Justice League'' games for Game Boy Advance, and an arcade game based on Tim Burton's original movie. Also, the Sega Genesis game '' The Revenge Of Shinobi '' features a (non-authorized) Batman as Boss .

Batman will also appear in the upcoming '' Justice League Heroes '' game for PS2, Xbox, and PSP.


HEROCLIX

Batman has appeared as a Heroclix figure in the following Heroclix sets:


THEME PARK ATTRACTIONS


Several Six Flags theme parks, formerly owned by Warner Brothers , opened live-action "Batman Stunt Shows" as the movies increased in popularity.

s named "Batman and Robin: The Chiller." On the latter attraction, riders may ride on either the Batman or Robin versions of the coaster.

Six Flags Over Georgia contains the same "Batman: The Ride" and also features a basic looping coaster called "The Riddle" named after one of Batman's nemeses.

Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California has two Batman-themed coasters, the suspended coaster "Batman: The Ride," and "The Riddler's Revenge," a stand-up type roller coaster. This Six Flags park also features an entire themed area called "Gotham City" complete with architecture to match that of the fictional Gotham City.


BATMAN PARODIES AND REFERENCES


It should be noted that this list is far from exhaustive, a character that has existed continuously for nearly 70 years in many mediums will naturally become part of the cultural landscape. References to iconic images like the Bat Signal and references to catchphrases from the 1960's tv series (particularly "To the Batmobile!" and "Holy ''something'', Batman!") are innumerable.


  • Knight Watchman (based on Batman) and Galahad the Kid Whiz (based on Robin ) are part of Big Bang Comics ' recreation of the golden age and silver age of comics.



  • An episode of the BBC comedy '' Only Fools And Horses '' sees main characters Del-Boy and Rodney dress as Batman and Robin to attend an evening ball. They also subsequently save a woman being mugged.


  • Bart in '' The Simpsons '' comic books is known for occasionally wearing a dark mask and cape while calling himself "Bartman".


  • '' The Tick 's'' Die Fledermaus (German for "The Bat") is a Batman parody, with a smooth-talking, but craven personality substituted for that of Batman. In Fox's live action adaptation of The Tick, the character of Die Fledermaus was changed to " Batmanuel " and depicted as a phony Latin lover.


  • Filmmaker Kevin Smith 's character of Silent Bob spoofed Batman in his films '' Mallrats '' and '' Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back '', even going so far as to don a cape and pointed helmet. Smith continued his Batman references in his 2004 film '' Jersey Girl '', wherein Ben Affleck's character referred to the construction vehicle he drove as the "Batmobile."


  • There are five versions of Nighthawk from four different dimensions in the Marvel Universe :

  • --- The version of Nighthawk that had the most character development was arguably the second Nighthawk, due to his integration into the mainstream Marvel continuity.

  • --- The version that the rebooted version of Nighthawk from '' Supreme Power '' is based upon is actually the version who was a member of the Squadron Supreme , who was replaced by his adopted son Neil Richmond, after his death.

  • --- The version depicted in '' The Ultimates '' is a rebooted version of the second Nighthawk, as he is the leader of that reality's Defenders.



  • Darkwing Duck has various references to Batman. Several of his enemies resemble Batman's villains, much of Darkwing's gadgets resemble Batman's, and he has an alter-ego similar to Bruce Wayne.



  • '' Astro City '' contains the Confessor and Altar Boy, a riff on Batman and Robin.


  • '' Powers '' by Brian Michael Bendis introduced the Red Hawk and Wing, a play off of Batman and Robin. Wing is a homosexual (a reference to the accusations of Batman and Robin being gay) who, after making a pass at the Red Hawk, is beaten half to death and fired. Red Hawk is a sexual deviant who has alienated his partners in Unity (a Justice League analogue) and is killed by a crazed Super-Shock, a Superman analogue.


  • '' Ultimate Adventures '' had Hawk-Owl, a Batman archetype, complete with secret lair ("the Nest") and crime-fighting gadgets. Unlike Bruce Wayne, he's a socially inept middle-aged billionaire with a rather dangerous and expensive hobby who also lacks the traumatic murder experience of his DC counterpart, making him less 'severe' in some respects.




  • Spongebob Squarepants 's favorite heroes are Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy; the characters are a reference to Aquaman and mock the current perception of the 1960s ''Batman'' television program, including the theme of washed-out stars.





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