Changes

====Film serials====

====Film serials====

[[File:Batman 1943.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin from the 1943 12-chapter serial ''Batman'' (copyright 1943 Columbia Pictures)]]

[[File:Batman-west-ward.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, from the 1966 television series ''Batman'' (copyright 1966 William Dozier/20th Century Fox)]]

[[File:Quiz1053outcome1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Michael Keaton in the 1992 film ''Batman Returns'' (copyright 1992 Warner Brothers)]]

File:Batman 1943.jpg|<small>Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin from the 1943 12-chapter serial ''Batman'' (copyright 1943 Columbia Pictures)</small>

[[File:Dead end batman.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Clark Bartram in the 2003 Collora fan-film ''Batman: Dead End'']]

File:Batman-west-ward.jpg|<small>Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, from the 1966 television series ''Batman'' (copyright 1966 William Dozier/20th Century Fox)</small>

[[File:Batman-begins01.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Batman (Christian Bale) interrogating in his own way a corrupt police detective in the film ''Batman Begins'' (copyright 2005 Legendary Films/Warner Brothers)]]

File:Quiz1053outcome1.jpg|<small>Michael Keaton in the 1992 film ''Batman Returns'' (copyright 1992 Warner Brothers)</small>

The first film dealing with the Caped Crusader was a 1943 12-chapter serial from Columbia Pictures starring Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft as Batman and Robin.  The plot of the film centered on a nefarious, stereotypical Asian scientist, Dr. Daka (J. Carrol Naish), who has a plan to steal valuable resources from the United States in order to support the Axis during the World War II.  Although low-budget, ''Batman'' introduced the concept of the Batcave (called the "Bat's Cave" in the film) and the hidden entry to it, as well as altering the appearance of Alfred from a portly servant to a leaner, robust individual.  ''Batman and Robin'' would follow it in 1949, also as a serial, starring Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan (Muir, 9; 72)

File:Dead end batman.jpg|<small>Clark Bartram in the 2003 Collora fan-film ''Batman: Dead End''</small>

File:Batman-begins01.jpg|<small>Christian Bale in the 2005 film ''Batman Begins'' (copyright 2005 Legendary Films/Warner Brothers)</small>

 

The first film dealing with the Caped Crusader was a 1943 12-chapter serial from Columbia Pictures starring Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft as Batman and Robin.  The plot of the film centered on a nefarious, stereotypical Asian scientist, Dr. Daka (J. Carrol Naish), who has a plan to steal valuable resources from the United States in order to support the Axis during the World War II.  Although low-budget, ''Batman'' introduced the concept of the Batcave (called the "Bat's Cave" in the film) and the hidden entry to it, as well as altering the appearance of Alfred from a portly servant to a leaner, robust individual.  ''Batman and Robin'' would follow it in 1949, also as a serial, starring Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan<ref>Muir, 9; 72</ref>.

====''Batman'' television series====

====''Batman'' television series====

Although the series caught on quickly, its ratings fell just as suddenly.  During the series' third season, Yvonne Craig was hired to portray "Batgirl", but this did nothing to slow the ratings plunge.  The last few episode of "Batman" were among the lowest rated television series of the 60s.   

Although the series caught on quickly, its ratings fell just as suddenly.  During the series' third season, Yvonne Craig was hired to portray "Batgirl", but this did nothing to slow the ratings plunge.  The last few episode of "Batman" were among the lowest rated television series of the 60s.   

For decades after, the "Batman" television series defined the filmed comic book template, which can be seen feature films such as "[[Doc Savage]]" and the television productions of "The Justice League" and "The Spirit".  In 1978 Adam West and Burt Ward would both be reunited in the two-part television special "The Legend of the Superheroes", in which Batman and Robin were part of a group of DC superheroes thwarting the attempts of a rival collection of villains to take over the world in a combination of camp and comedy; the second part of the special has both groups in a celebratory roast by Ed McMahon.  The camp-template was broken with the success of 1978's "[[The Incredible Hulk]]" starring [[Bill Bixby]], and based on the character owned by rival publisher [[Marvel Comics]].  Meanwhile, the course of the character in the comics since 1973 had returned him to his darker roots as writers and artists placed him in more compelling storylines and situations, culminating in 1986's four-part ''The Dark Knight Returns'' by Frank Miller, a work which helped influence director Tim Burton prior to putting Batman on the big screen once more.

For many years after, the "Batman" television series defined the filmed comic book template, which can be seen feature films such as "[[Doc Savage]]" and the television productions of "The Justice League" and "The Spirit".  In 1978 Adam West and Burt Ward would both be reunited in the two-part television special "The Legend of the Superheroes", in which Batman and Robin were part of a group of superheroes thwarting the attempts of a rival collection of villains to take over the world in a combination of camp and comedy, with the second part of the special having both groups taking part in a celebratory roast hosted by Ed McMahon.  The camp-template suffered by Batman would be broken in 1978 as well, by a successful show with well-written scripts titled "[[The Incredible Hulk]]" starring [[Bill Bixby]], and based on the character owned by rival publisher [[Marvel Comics]].  Meanwhile, the course of the character as written in the comics since 1973 had returned him to his darker roots as writers and artists placed him in more compelling storylines and situations, culminating in 1986's four-part ''The Dark Knight Returns'' by Frank Miller, a work which helped influence director Tim Burton prior to putting Batman on the big screen once more.

====Early animation====

====Early animation====

Batman also found a new home on Saturday mornings, courtesy of the Filmation and Hanna-Barbera studios.  In 1968, Batman appeared with Superman in Filmation's "Batman/Superman Hour", a program divided into individual shorts featuring "Dragnet" character-actor Olan Soule as the voice of Batman, and radio disk jockey Casey Kasem as Robin.  The following year the show would be cut to thirty minutes, with just the Batman shorts in Filmation's newly titled "Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder", also lasting a year.

While Adam West was in costume in prime time, the Filmation and Hanna-Barbera studios made several efforts to bring Batman to Saturday mornings in animated form.  In 1968, Batman appeared with Superman in Filmation's "Batman/Superman Hour", a program divided into individual shorts featuring "Dragnet" character-actor Olan Soule as the voice of Batman, and radio disk jockey Casey Kasem as Robin.  The following year the show was cut to thirty minutes, with just the Batman shorts in Filmation's newly titled "Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder", also lasting a year.

Hanna-Barbera created the "Superfriends" in 1973, again using Soule and Kasem for voice work, and placed Batman and Robin alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman in a "hall of justice" as the team fought minor villains around the world with a built-in moral message for children watching it.  The "Superfriends" proved a success, ultimately spinning off several creations through the early-1980s.

Hanna-Barbera created the "Superfriends" in 1973, again using Soule and Kasem for voice work, and placed Batman and Robin alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman in a "hall of justice" as the team fought minor villains around the world with a built-in moral message for children watching it.  The "Superfriends" proved a success, ultimately spinning off several creations through the early-1980s.

====Tim Burton films====

====Tim Burton films====

''Batman'' film took a darker turn in 1989, when the [[Tim Burton]]-directed [[Batman (film, 1989)|film]], starring [[Michael Keaton]], portrayed Bruce Wayne as a reclusive, quirky billionaire who probably was not entirely sane.  While at first wary of an actor known primarily for comedies playing Batman, some fans ended up going to other movies before its release just to see the trailer for the Batman film, and then walked out, not even watching the movie they paid for.  The film was a success, and was widely lauded for [[Jack Nicholson]]'s portrayal of Batman's nemesis, the Joker.  It was followed up with 1992's ''Batman Returns'', which, while not as well-reviewed or successful, was still accepted by the fans, and brought the iconic figures of Catwoman and the Penguin into the movie universe.

[[Batman (film, 1989)|''Batman'']] was released to the screen in 1989, taking a dark tone and look, with director [[Tim Burton]] portraying Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) as a reclusive, quirky billionaire who probably was not entirely sane.  While at first wary of an actor known primarily for comedies playing Batman, fans caught on after seeing the trailer to the film, with many of them paying for tickets just to see the trailer alone and walking out of the theaters without even watching the actual movie they paid for.  The film was a success, and was widely lauded for [[Jack Nicholson]]'s portrayal of Batman's nemesis, the Joker.  It was followed up with 1992's ''Batman Returns'', which, while not as well-reviewed or successful, was still accepted by the fans, and brought the iconic figures of Catwoman and the Penguin into the movie universe.

 

====Joel Schumacher Films====

====Joel Schumacher Films====

Tim Burton was replaced with Joel Schumacher for the third Batman movie in the new movie canon, ''Batman Forever'' (1995), which introduced Robin (Batman's iconic sidekick), and the villains the Riddler and Two-Face.  Whereas Burton had tried for a more dark and Gothic look, Schumacher went with bright neon colors and brought back some of the camp of the '60s TV series.  The movie did well at the box office, but received mixed reviews.  The fourth and final film of this "universe" was ''Batman and Robin'', released in 1997.  Widely regarded as the worst of the series by fan and critic alike, ''Batman and Robin'' returned fully to the campy tone of the TV series, featuring "candy-coated" sets, poor special effects, weirder science than normal from Bat-Media, character derailment, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as the lead villain Mr. Freeze, with barely 100 lines of dialogue, over half of which centered around cold-themed puns.  This film was reviled for years as having "killed" the franchise, and performed relatively poorly in ticket sales.  Prior to the release of ''Batman & Robin'', a fifth film, entitled ''Batman Triumphant'', was planned.  The film would have seen George Clooney return as Batman, with the villains reportedly being the Scarecrow (with Jeff Goldblum playing the role), and Harley Quinn (with Madonna reportedly being offered the role).  Other villains that would've appeared include the Mad Hatter (reportedly said to have been Martin Short) and Man-Bat (reportedly being played by Mark-Linn Baker).  Jack Nicholson would also return as the Joker, being a hallucination as a result of the Scarecrow's fear toxin.  Coincidentally, the Scarecrow would go on to appear in ''Batman Begins,'' played by Cillian Murphy.  The film had been slated for release around 1999-2001.

Tim Burton was replaced with Joel Schumacher for the third Batman movie in the canon, ''Batman Forever'' (1995), which introduced Robin (Batman's iconic sidekick), and the villains the Riddler and Two-Face.  Whereas Burton had tried for a more dark and Gothic look, Schumacher went with bright neon colors and brought back some of the camp of the '60s TV series.  The movie did well at the box office, but received mixed reviews.  The fourth and final film of the series was ''Batman and Robin'', released in 1997.  Widely regarded as the worst of the series by fan and critic alike, ''Batman and Robin'' returned fully to camp, featuring "candy-coated" sets, poor special effects, weirder science than normal from Bat-Media, character derailment, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead villain Mr. Freeze, who had with barely 100 lines of dialogue, over half of which centered around cold-themed puns.  This film was reviled for years as having "killed" the franchise, and performed relatively poorly in ticket sales.  Prior to the release of ''Batman & Robin'', a fifth film, entitled ''Batman Triumphant'', was planned.  The film would have seen George Clooney return as Batman, with the villains reportedly being the Scarecrow (with Jeff Goldblum playing the role), and Harley Quinn (with Madonna reportedly being offered the role).  Other villains that would've appeared include the Mad Hatter (reportedly said to have been Martin Short) and Man-Bat (reportedly being played by Mark-Linn Baker).  Jack Nicholson would also return as the Joker, being a hallucination as a result of the Scarecrow's fear toxin.  The film had been slated for release around 1999-2001.

The tone of the new movies influenced the 1991 critically-acclaimed ''Batman: The Animated Series'', a cartoon shown at first in prime time.  Some of its takes on certain villains - such as Mr. Freeze - became iconic, and it introduced several characters that eventually "immigrated" to the comics, such as Detective Renee Montoya, and the Joker's hench-girlfriend, Harley Quinn.

The tone of the first two Burton movies influenced the 1991 critically-acclaimed ''Batman: The Animated Series'', a cartoon shown at first in prime time.  Some of its takes on certain villains - such as Mr. Freeze - became iconic, and it introduced several characters that eventually "immigrated" to the comics, such as Detective Renee Montoya, and the Joker's hench-girlfriend, Harley Quinn.

====Sandy Collora short====

====Fan films====

Attempting to get attention for his directing skills, Sandy Collora spent $30,000 dollars to create a demonstration reel strictly for the fans.  The result was the 2003 short ''Batman: Dead End'', a film which drew on the imagery of comic artist Alex Ross, in addition to previously-published work by Dark Horse Comics, which pitted Batman against the Alien and Predator from the Hollywood films of the same names.  Starring Clark Bartram as Batman and Andrew Koenig as an escaped Joker, the film earned critical praise from comic veterans and fans alike.[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/tech/nextnews/archive/next030807.htm][http://www.collorastudios.com/projects/bde/bdemain.htm]

Attempting to get attention for his directing skills Sandy Collora spent $30,000 dollars to create a demonstration reel strictly for the fans.  The result was the 2003 short ''Batman: Dead End'', a film which drew on the imagery of comic artist Alex Ross, in addition to previously-published work by Dark Horse Comics, which pitted Batman against the Alien and Predator from the Hollywood films of the same names.  Starring Clark Bartram as Batman and Andrew Koenig as an escaped Joker, the film earned critical praise from comic veterans and fans alike.<ref>http://www.usnews.com/usnews/tech/nextnews/archive/next030807.htm][http://www.collorastudios.com/projects/bde/bdemain.htm</ref>

====Christopher Nolan films (''The Dark Knight Trilogy'')====

====Christopher Nolan films (''The Dark Knight Trilogy'')====

The film series was rebooted again in 2005, with ''[[Batman Begins]]'', a grittier, more "realistic" take on Batman.  In this film, director [[Christopher Nolan]] took Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale, halfway around the world in search of the answer to the riddle of criminality.  He learns to fight multiple opponents, conceal himself, and gains the will to act in defense of others.  Returning to Gotham after being declared legally dead, he deftly maneuvers himself back into the control of his murdered father's company and resolves to terrify the criminal element by making himself seem inhuman...and chooses the mantle of a bat, because bats scare ''him''.

The film series was rebooted again in 2005, with ''[[Batman Begins]]'', a grittier, more realistic take on Batman.  In this film director [[Christopher Nolan]] took Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) halfway around the world in search of the answer to the riddle of criminality.  He learns to fight multiple opponents, conceal himself, and gains the will to act in defense of others.  Returning to Gotham after being declared legally dead, he deftly maneuvers himself back into the control of his murdered father's company and resolves to terrify the criminal element by making himself seem inhuman, choosing the mantle of a bat, because bats scare ''him''.

Several critically-acclaimed comic book stories - among them ''The Long Halloween'' and ''The Killing Joke'' - were used as in the most recent entry in Nolan's series, ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', which has thus far exceeded all expectations.  Almost universally lauded by critics and shattering numerous box-office records, ''The Dark Knight'' featured the final complete performance of [[Heath Ledger]] as a monstrous version of the Joker, a psychotic who thinks the only sane way to live is without rules and wants to prove it to the world - and at the same time gave artists and writers who penned the Batman stories the version of the Joker they thought was closest to their own.  Though the tone at the start of the film is hopeful - Batman has inspired citizens to stand up for themselves again and has organized crime in the city reeling - it quickly spirals downward, embodying the theme that Nolan chose for the movie: things have to get worse before they get better.

Several critically-acclaimed comic book stories - among them ''The Long Halloween'' and ''The Killing Joke'' - were used as in the most recent entry in Nolan's series, ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' (2008), which has thus far exceeded all expectations.  Almost universally lauded by critics and shattering numerous box-office records, ''The Dark Knight'' featured the final complete performance of [[Heath Ledger]] as a monstrous version of the Joker, a psychotic who thinks the only sane way to live is without rules and wants to prove it to the world - and at the same time gave the artists and writers who penned the Batman stories a version of the Joker they thought was closest to their own.  Though the tone at the start of the film is hopeful - Batman has inspired citizens to stand up for themselves again and has organized crime in the city reeling - it quickly spirals downward, embodying the theme that Nolan chose for the movie: things have to get worse before they get better.

''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' was the third film in what has since been called ''The Dark Knight Trilogy''.  It was released on July 20, 2012.  Most of the cast from the previous two films returned.  New cast members included Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, and Marion Cotillard Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul.  The film takes place eight years after ''The Dark Knight''.

''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' was the third film in what has since been called ''The Dark Knight Trilogy''.  It was released on July 20, 2012.  Most of the cast from the previous two films returned.  New cast members included Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, and Marion Cotillard Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul.  The film takes place eight years after ''The Dark Knight''.

====''Gotham'' (2014)====

====''Gotham'' (2014)====

====DC Extended Universe====

====DC Extended Universe====

In 2013, WB announced that Ben Affleck would play ''Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', the sequel to the 2013 [[Superman]] reboot, ''Man of Steel''.  This film will be a sequel to ''Man of Steel'', and will be a continuation of the [[DC Cinematic Universe|DC Extended Universe]], similar to the Marvel movies.  This version of Batman is said to be older than previous ones, with a costume that's more accurate to what is seen in the comics.

In 2013, WB announced that Ben Affleck would play ''Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', the sequel to the 2013 [[Superman]] reboot, ''Man of Steel''.  This film will be a sequel to ''Man of Steel'', and will be a continuation of the [[DC Cinematic Universe|DC Extended Universe]], similar to the Marvel movies.  This version of Batman is said to be older than previous ones, with a costume that's more accurate to what is seen in the comics.