Time for another big casting rumor related to one of Star Trek’s new crew, and this time it is Karl Urban. According to an online report, Warner Brothers is thinking about bringing the Batman franchise back to the small screen, with Karl Urban, Star Trek’s new Dr. McCoy, being considered for Bruce Wayne/Batman
Pow! – Could Urban Go From Bones To Batman?
The new report comes from Comic Book Movie which cites "insider sources" saying that Warner Brothers plans on bringing the Batman franchise back to live action television following Christopher Nolan’s 2012 film The Dark Knight Rising. The report says that WB would want to keep the feel of the Nolan series and they have already put an executive onto the project. And apparently they are already thinking of casting:
The Actor they have mentioned as a "type" to play Batman/Bruce Wayne is Karl Urban. Karl plays Dr. McCoy in the new Star Trek franchise.
Of course the report is a rumor, but the notion that Warner Brothers would be looking to bring Batman to live action TV is not surprising. With Smallville in its final season and a "Nolan trilogy" of Batman films wrapping up in 2012, the time could be right for WB to look to another of its DC characters to take on TV. WB may also be motivated by their comic book rival Marvel, who have recently announced plans for a number of new live action shows, starting with the return of the Incredible Hulk to TV.
As for Urban (who would be turning 40 in 2012), it is unknown if he would be willing to do a weekly TV series, but the report (if true) notes that they are looking for an Urban "type", which could mean thy are actually looking for a younger (and presumably cheaper) actor who is similar to Urban.
Another question is: can anyone step into the dancing shoes of the last TV Batman: Adam West.
I think he would make a great one. He does have the Adam West chin
YES! Carl would be so badass as Batman! A live action batman and not just another cartoon would be killer. New Batman TV series and one day a new Star Trek TV series, happy happy happy.
@2. You are SO right on, and if they added a new James Bond flick, it’d be a Tri-Fecta!
Karl Urban would be an awesome Batman. Just make sure he still has plenty of time to be Bones!
A few years ago, I attended the midnight, opening night showing of Disney’s MEET THE ROBINSONS at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles.
Just prior to the movie beginning, the Mighty Wurlitzer organ literally rose from beneath the stage… but instead of a piano player accompanying it, the one and only Adam West stood tall, and subtly did the Batusi and wearing a happy smile.
And for some fun, here’s the Adam West and Burt Ward screen test for 1960s TV Batman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk0LkkpRL0o
And here’s the Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell screen test for the same roles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vpl-eO6Tik
And if anyone’s keeping count, please add my vote. Karl Urban would make a fantastic modern style Batman.
the batuzzi!
Dang! Misspelled my own moniker! That’s BATUSI.
You guys seriously report this crap? Obviously someone with an overactive imagination is posting at ComicBookMovie. I thought TrekMovie was a bit pickier about what they would link to though – you’ve got a great site here.
Batsui is eaten with chopsticks and served with sake.
Karl would be great, of course, but a 40 year old Batman? Would it be good to have a middle-aged Batdad or would that be a totally different character. Dunno. But, I’d be there at the right bat-time and bat-channel.
Not very excited about a Batman TV
Can Karl Urban do a good Bruce Wane / Batman? Yeah I think he probably could.
Should WB return Batman to the small screen? No.
They won’t do it right or they won’t take it seriously. This is just an attempt to cash in on the success of Christopher Nolan’s films without understanding WHY they were successful in the first place. It’s not about quantity. It’s about quality.
YYYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the future doctor approves
No!
I like the idea of it coming to TV. Hope it’s more fun that the movies. Which for me have been no fun at all. Loved the ’60’s Batman show. Adam West was the greatest! Met him a few times. And I’ve long thought that Lyle Waggoner screen test was fascinating.
Of course, this is just a rumor, so it has to be taken with a grain of salt.
It’s entirely possible that Warner Brothers is actually preparing a new incarnation of the “Batman” film franchise after the third and final Christopher Nolan film. That idea makes more sense, especially considering that Karl Urban (if in fact he is cast as the new Batman) is a rising movie star in Hollywood. Plus, if they are going to stick to the style of the Nolan films, the big screen would be a better fit.
Batman is much better as a movie character. Totally uninterested in seeing a live action TV show. Nothing will ever beat Batman The Animated Series, IMHO.
Post #15 is mine. I accidentally typed in my real name after my alternate name (Red Dead Ryan) was somehow deleted.
#16
Agreed! Batman: TAS was the best!
#17
Ryan, you should really stop exposing yourself on this site. At least put on a trenchcoat for God sakes. ;)
I bought the Batman TV series on DVD at the Trek Convention in Vegas. It’s not available on DVD generally. I have been really enjoying it. I really like the TV show; it’s fun and not dark.
If Karl Urban ever decides to take a job on a tv show, I wanna see him as Bones on a new Star Trek series. Period.
19
I assume the dvds you bought were bootlegs?
Apparently FOX, who produced the series didn’t own the home video rights, as it was well before home video took hold. When Warner Brothers bought the Batman franchise, they would get at least half of all the dvd revenue from the 60’s show. FOX obviously doesn’t want to share revenue with a rival studio so that is why the Batman series won’t be released. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure about this.
15+17
Ryan, if you were a superhero, you’d be dead by now! :>)
#22
Are you sure about that Harry? Maybe this was all part of a master plan……
By the way, nice to hear from you! I know you are a fan of Superman, but how much do you like Batman?
Batman is my favorite superhero. He’s flawed, has no powers, and has to rely on his wits, physical strength, cool gadgets and hot cars!
think i read somewhere there is a distinct possibility the series will finally hit dvd…i wont hold my breath
but the new hub channel has it…
check your bat-cable or bat-satellite carrier
Ryan
I’ve never mentioned this, but Batman is my favourite superhero as well, for much the same reasons you mentioned. I remember when I was about 13, I paid a lot of money at a comic book store to buy a mint-condition copy of Detective Comics #52 ( I think that was the number). I sold it years later, but I was always enamored with The Batman!
25
Harry
I don’t know if you play video games, but “Batman: Arkum Asylum” is an awesome game. Maybe the best superhero game. Its available for the Playstation 3 and XBox 360. Worth checking out if you haven’t already!
Urban as Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise on the television show Star Trek.
That is what I want.
Am I the only one who noticed “Marvel” in the report. Batman is a DC property. I lol’d a bit, then I became annoyed. Please, fix it. FIX IT!
26
You know, it’s funny, Ryan, I’ve never really played video games. Maybe I should…
Will they call it Gotham City?
#9 Cmdr -Christian Bale is 37 years old. They are just about the same age.
I think the whole idea is kind of lame.
@28
No, I noticed too.
It feels a bit offending that they mixed up Marvel with DC Comics. D:
Urban? No way, Jose.
For a TV Batman to evoke the Adam West era, they’d be lucky to end up with say… Nick Lachey? Looks the part of Bruce Wayne.
I’d rather see a Nightwing series; he’s the perfect combination of Batman & Spiderman, with a little of the Crow thrown into his costume.
He’s younger & hipper than Batman, has a really interesting back story to refer to & the potential for action sequences would be over the top.
Of course he does have two lame names: Nightwing & Dick Grason, you’d have to call the series Bludhaven.
Maybe Karl can guest as Bruce Wayne from time to time-
Learned somethings from the video. Batman has his own drink It’s a large fresh orange juice. And they call it a “Batman Special.” Try ordering that in a bar and see what looks the bartender gives you.
And I remember people making fun of the Batman-Robin thing. The joke is maybe they’re gay. (Wikipedia link below.) Well listen to the dialogue.
Batman to Molly (Jill St. John, aka Tiffany Case in “Diamonds are Forever”) “You interest me strangely.” (at :55)
Holy amgiguoulsy gay duo (see SNL) , Batman! Gorgeous Bond girl Jill St. John ‘interests you strangely?” Is this the smoking gun?
Has Batman been outed? Or is our hero still a virgin? Stay tune. Same time. Same Bat channel. : )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman#Homosexual_interpretations
This is an absolutely ridiculous, brain-damagedly stupid rumor – pure ignorant fanboy fantasy nonsense.
TV networks/studios don’t (and actually can’t) plan projects this far ahead. Plus, Karl’s a film actor who would never in a million years do a CW TV series (and yes, he’ll be 40 in 2012). And there’s just no way the film division will let the TV division screw around with the Bat-franchise.
Crap like this annoys me.
I can’t see him taking this on, though he’d be good. Hell, he’s good in everything he does.
Thought he was terrific in RED. Properly good.
Spider-man, Batman, Superman, The X-men, the Fantastic Four, Wonder Woman… they are all composed to be serials. Whenever someone tries to tell a single one shot story ends up playing with the origin, which we all know too well.
And right now, all the best writers are on TV. Come to think of it, Karl would be a great Batman and Bruce Wayne, but a series like this would not only need a superb casting of villiains, but a superb casting of writers as well. They have to remember that the main Batman comic book is called Detective Comics, and give THAT a big thought. He’s suposed to be a detective, not Inspector Gadget.
Nolan has teached DC that DC characters work better in realistic worlds. Let’s see if they are able to remember it.
Oh, and please, no Robin or Batfamily at least untill it begins loosing audience.
As awesome as he’d be as Bruce Wayne, I’m still holding out hope for a new Trek TV series, and AFAIK, now that De Kelley is sadly no longer with us, Karl Urban IS Bones McCoy.
I meant AFAIC…
So… some of you think a 40-year-old can’t play a superhero?
Hmmm… someone should really tell Robert Downey Jr. then….
You know what’d be really cool?
If they put Batman in Smallville, an appearance later in the season before it all ends. Does WB have any idea how many people would watch that? The ratings would explode. They’re idiots if they don’t consider it.
And I know that they considered putting Bruce Wayne as Adam Knight in season 3 but couldn’t because Batman Begins was in production. People aren’t stupid, they can handle multiple versions of the same character (as Batman proves with his multiple animated shows, DC one shot animated movies and the film franchise). They could use Smallville as a launching pad for Wonder Woman as well.
Alternatively, have Tom Welling as Superman appear in early episodes of those shows.
What does everyone think?
Rumor yes, but that sure doesnt mean it wont happen. I can see Batman returning to TV, why not. And as mentioned, Marvel is getting geared up to do a bunch of live action TV. And the shame of it is, zipo, nothing, zero, not even a lousy rumor about a new live action Star Trek series. What a shame. I sure hope CBS either realizes they can do something with Trek (And I mean a series based on Star Trek 09, and not another spin-off) or sells the brand to a studeo that will actually do something with it.
Okay, I’ve said this before and I am not Karl Urban’s agent. But I would like to see more Dr. Leonard McCoy in the next movie. Watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture the other day, and he gets all the funny lines. He pretty much gets them in all the movies. And they ususally come with his aversion to the transporter. On that I could see why. The thing jumbles your atoms and puts them back together somewhere else. He also had great ending lines in “Amok Time” and “Journey to Babel.”
So in the next film, could we send him on an away mission, maybe a couple. How about at least one away mission with Kirk and Spock. I miss the Kirk-Spock-McCoy trinity. Love his passionate, bleeding heart progressive nature, and cantakerous personality.
Dammit Jim, he’s a Doctor, not a Playboy Millionaire Vigilante…
I have no desire to see another Adam West-esque Batman series but god, I love it! It’s CLASSIC! Robin, to the batmobile!!!!!
theres a Batman vs Star Trek fan film?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nu0idBkBYA
From what I’ve heard the hold up on the Batman release….(which is incredibly stupid, and in my opinion they’ve missed their opportunity – they should have released one while Gorshin was still alive to contribute audio commentary with West and Ward ) but I’ve heard it revolves around William Dozier’s daughter who found an old contract in her attic stating that the heirs of Dozier get a cut of the show. And they simply don’t want to pay. Shame.
#48 – I’m a fan of the show as well and from what I’ve read it actually is a little more complicated than that. Apparently, given how the contracts were written up for the guest villains, any studio releasing a DVD of the series would also need to get releases from the actors (or their estates) and the rationale right now is that there wouldn’t be enough money made to satisfy everyone. It’s a shame really because it is such a classic show.
As for the idea of Karl Urban being Batman, I think he could pull it off but by the time The Dark Knight Rises comes and goes he will be 40 and I wonder if the studio will think him too old for the role at that point.
I think they will get an actor in his 20s for the Batman series. I hope if they really do this series, that there will be some guest appearances of some of the heroes we have seen in Smallville.