batman 5, gladiator 2

The official announcement came this week that Christian Bale will be supplying the role of the next Batman. Christopher Nolan is directing - you might remember him from such stylish films as Memento and Insomnia. Yes, I do believe there may be hope for the franchise yet. Although I'm still not convinced that Bale can pull off Bruce Wayne. He doesn't have that brooding look about him, just maybe the pouty rich boy from Shaft. The film is supposed to get underway in February 2004 with the tentative title "Batman: Intimidation". It's also rumoured that both The Scarecrow and Rhas Al Ghul will be villains in this one.

There is also official word from Ridley Scott that there will indeed be a sequel to Gladiator. A great film with a lot of memorable lines, it was definitely entertaining. But does it deserve a sequel? It's hard for me to say, because I must admit I found the setting extremely appealing. Scott says the script is complete, and they are focusing on a time period after the first film that chronicles the life of Lucius (the little boy) probably when in his late teens/early 20s. I imagine he will be either the Emperor or a high-ranked solider; one thing for certain is we will be seeing some more large scale battles like in the beginning of the first film. Interesting news, but I'm not getting excited or anything.

(thanks to Dark Horizons for the tips)