Batman: Dead End is a superhero fan film written and directed by Sandy Collora that premiered on July 19, 2003 at San Diego Comic-Con, and on the internet shortly thereafter. The film crosses over the DC Comics superhero Batman with the Alien and Predator science fiction film franchises.
| Batman: Dead End | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Sandy Collora[1] |
| Written by | Sandy Collora |
| Based on | Characters by Bob Kane Bill Finger Jerry Robinson Dan O'Bannon Ronald Shusett Jim Thomas John Thomas |
| Produced by | Daren Hicks Simon Tams |
| Starring | Clark Bartram Andrew Koenig |
| Distributed by | Collora Studios TheForce.Net |
Release date |
|
Running time | 8 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editDuring a stormy night in Gotham City, the Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum while Batman prepares to hunt for him. Batman finds and corners the Joker in an alleyway, but before Batman can take him back to the asylum, the Joker is quickly dragged off by an Alien and is presumably killed. Another Alien attacks Batman, but is killed by a Predator, which Batman fights and defeats. Suddenly, more Predators appear just as more Aliens emerge from the darkness behind Batman. The film ends abruptly with a cliffhanger as Batman is surrounded by the Aliens and the Predators.
Cast
edit- Clark Bartram as Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Andrew Koenig as the Joker
- Kurt Carley as the Predator
- Jake McKinnon as the Alien
- Dragon Dronet, Patrick Magee and Kurt Carley as other Predators
Production
editThe film was made for a reported $30,000 and filmed in parts of North Hollywood, California, as a stand-in for Gotham City.[2][3] Collora filmed a similar project, 2004's World's Finest, with much of the same cast and crew.
Sylvester Stallone and Mark Hamill (who voices Joker in Batman: The Animated Series) were originally cast as Batman and Joker. Stallone eventually dropped out due to his agents telling him that Warner Bros. could get involved. Hamill dropped out for similar reasons, as Hamill dropped out after Stallone did. [4]
Reception
editFilm director and comic book writer Kevin Smith called it "possibly the truest, best Batman movie ever made",[5] and comic book artist Alex Ross praised it as "Batman the way I've always wanted to see him".[6] Collora has stated in interviews that the film was made as a demonstration reel to attract attention to his directing skills, and as such, succeeded in its goal.
Fan Films Quarterly listed Batman: Dead End as one of the 10 most pivotal moments in fan film history in its Summer 2006 issue.[7]
See also
editThe Dark Horse comic books which first touched on similar themes are:
References
edit- ^ Keller, Adam (May 13, 2018). "Behind The Mask: The Batman Dead End Story". Film Threat. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ Pethokoukis, James (August 8, 2003). "Finally, a good Batman sequel". U.S. News & World Report. Washington DC: U.S. News & World Report, LP. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009.
- ^ Weldon, Glen (March 21, 2017). Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture. Simon and Schuster. p. 227. ISBN 978-1476756738.
- ^ https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/action-star-sylvester-stallone-almost-played-batman-bts-footage-revealed/ar-AA1sFLI3
- ^ JoBlo (pseudonym) (2004-01-02). "BATMAN: DEAD END". Joblo.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "BATMAN: DEAD END". Filmthreat.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "10 Most Pivotal Moments In Fan Film History". Fan Films Quarterly. Summer 2006.
External links
edit- Batman: Dead End
- Collora Studios - Filmmaker's website
- Batman: Dead End at IMDb
- Batman: Dead End at TheForce.net
- Batman: Dead End review at Film Threat
- Batman: Dead End behind the scenes Archived 2012-10-23 at the Wayback Machine at EW.com