8
Credit: DC / Warner Bros.If you thought Michael Keaton’s upcoming Batman return was big news, as Jack Nicholson’s Joker might say, “Wait till you get a load of this.”
This year marks 85 years since the Dark Knight’s first appearance in 1939’s “Detective Comics #27”, so, unsurprisingly, there are a number of Batman movies in the works. From sequels to spinoffs, reboots to re-imaginings, here are all the upcoming Gotham City outings.
Upcoming Batman Movie Projects
This October, Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) will be laughing its way into theaters after the first film grossed over $1B worldwide in 2019. The sequel sees the return of Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck/Joker, this time opposite Lady Gaga’s disturbing portrayal of Harley Quinn.
The Batman Part II (2026), the Robert Pattinson-led sequel to Matt Reeves’ grungy 2022 film that grossed $772.2M, is currently scheduled for a 2026 release. A reboot titled The Brave and the Bold (TBA) is also in the works, forming part of the new DC Universe (DCU).
Meanwhile, on the smaller screen, Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (TBA), the sequel to 2018’s dark and mind-bending anime movie Batman Ninja, has been given the greenlight. So, as you can see, there are plenty of upcoming Batman movies to be excited about.
Related: Michael Keaton’s New ‘Batman’ (1989) Series Explained
Another Batman Movie You Haven’t Heard Of
But there’s another Batman movie lurking in the shadows, and this one is a game-changer.
If you’re an avid movie fan like pretty much everyone these days, you’ll probably be familiar with the name Chris Stanley, the incredibly talented and professional costume/prop maker and movie critic who has two very entertaining YouTube channels, Chris Stanley and Cosplay Chris.
In a recent video posted to one of his channels, Stanley revealed that he’s involved in a brand-new and very exciting Batman movie project titled Gotham Noir (TBA).
Gotham Noir
During a formal announcement, Chris Stanley (producer, actor), Sarah Leiker (director, actor), and Danielo Barcelli (director) make some surprising revelations about their upcoming Batman fan film, one of which would leave even The Joker stunned into silence.
In 2023, the crew made the critically acclaimed fan film, Uncharted: The Oxus Redemption, based on the popular “Uncharted” video game series, which they achieved with around $7K via a Kickstarter campaign. Now, with a taste for fan films, they’re delving into the world of Batman.
However, this will be Gotham City like you’ve never seen it before.
Watch the video below, per Chris Stanley:
Related: Batman: Every Returning Version of the Dark Knight Explained
“This [Gotham Noir] is set in the early 1900s during a string of murders [that] The Batman has to stop along with some familiar faces,” Stanley says of the premise. “What we want to do different with Gotham Noir is inject a bit of horror in the world of Batman.”
Barcelli says, “Seeing as Batman has always had characters that are quite horrific in what they do, we felt that it was only fitting for the entire tone of it to be that reminiscent of Batman [1989], Batman Returns, very Tim Burton, but this time [with a] heightened level of horror, action, drama, and suspense.”
“We just want to tell a damn good story while adding horror elements,” Stanley adds.
Batman is no stranger to horror — you only need to look at the DC Comics that span the decades to see that the Dark Knight has certainly had his fair share of the macabre. But seeing him get the live-action horror treatment, especially on such a big scale, isn’t something we’ve seen before.
The goal for Gotham Noir is $100K, which makes the project far more ambitious than their last one. In fact, with an estimated runtime of 1hr 47 minutes and with Womp Stomp Films founder, producer, and director Vincent DiSanti onboard, we should be nothing but excited.
Vincent DiSanti is best known within the horror fan film community for the Friday the 13th projects, Never Hike Alone and Never Hike in the Snow, as well as last year’s A Nightmare on Elm Street fan film Dylan’s New Nightmare.
Gotham Noir‘s Cast and Characters
No stranger to alter egos and slipping into tailor-made, movie-quality Batsuits on his channel, Chris Stanley will be taking on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. He recently shared the Batman cowl on his channel, which you can check out here.
Gotham Noir also stars Kourosh Karimian (Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon), Sarah Leiker (Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Madelaine Hopkins (Dr. Lassie), and Richard Cotter (Alfred Pennyworth). The film will also feature “some familiar faces from the Rogues Gallery.”
Related: Upcoming ‘Batman’ (1989) Sequel: Every Returning Character Explained
Behind the Scenes of the Upcoming Batman Film
Luxxe Media, another YouTube channel involved with the film, has shared a “Gotham Noir Stunt Training Featurette” with Chris Stanley and Sarah Leiker on the mat, to give us an idea of what we can expect in terms of the level of choreography they’re committing to:
“This is a very brutal Batman,” Bruce Wayne/Batman actor Stanley (and producer) says in the video, “and a Batman [who] can’t exactly control his rage at the moment, which is something I’m really looking forward to.”
“Fans can expect a lot of bone-crunching sounds in these fights,” Selina Kyle/Catwoman actress (and director, actor) Leiker adds. “I’ll bring out the claws,” she says of her portrayal of the iconic Gotham City anti-hero.
Gotham Noir Synopsis
Per the Kickstarter campaign, Gotham Noir follows Batman (Chris Stanley) as he investigates “A string of murders in Gotham City in the lead up to Christmas,” soon finding himself on the trail of a prolific serial killer who targets “low income women of the night in the city’s poorest area, The Narrows.”
Meanwhile, a “newly appointed Commissioner Gordon (Kourosh Karimian) fights against his corrupt colleagues who don’t seem to take these murders seriously as they refuse to recognize his new title.”
Gordon teams up with Batman and Catwoman (Sarah Leiker) to “uncover the mystery of the murders.” However, Batman’s “early 20th century technology” might not be enough to take down this new enemy.
Interestingly, the upcoming animated series Batman: Caped Crusader (2024), which will stream on Prime Video this summer, takes place in the 1940s.
But while Caped Crusader will give us a Bruce Wayne/Batman unaided by modern and futuristic tech, Gotham Noir takes place even further back, in the early 1900s.
How You Can Help This Batman Movie
Gotham Noir is a not-for-profit fan film, so if it ends up “in the green” as the crew says in the announcement video, any profit they do make and what is left over will be given to charities outlined in the Kickstarter campaign.
Visit the campaign now to understand the budget breakdown, backer rewards, crew’s story, and lots more and find out how you can support this exciting Batman project.
Gotham Noir Release Date
There is currently no release date for Gotham Noir.
Gotham Noir is a fan film; it is not affiliated with Warner Bros., Time Warner, or DC Comics.
Are you excited about Gotham Noir? Will you be supporting the Kickstarter campaign? Let Inside the Magic know what you think in the comments down below!