I think rightfully so, because four-year-olds buy Batman stuff… so they really need a PG property.”Īs curious a tale as it is, the ditched development of Year One certainly seems like an odd chapter in the potential cinematic history of Gotham’s Dark Knight (although we can’t pretend the idea of a Darren Aronofsky-directed Batman film isn’t an intriguing one). Aronofsky has since admitted that, saying “I think Warners always knew it would never be something they could make. Year One could have been just as tricky – albeit for different reasons – for Batman’s cinematic potential as Batman & Robin, but the chances of it getting made were always fairly slim. Jim Gordon is a suicidal father-to-be, and remains Batman’s lone ally on the force. Her romantic interest in Bruce – who saves her early on, before she becomes Catwoman – is one of the few things carried over from the comics. Bruce uses what he learns in Al’s garage to turn his Lincoln Continental into a makeshift Batmobile.Īlfred wasn’t the only character rigorously reimagined – Selina Kyle is no longer a cat burglar, but a 20-something dominatrix working at “The Cathouse” brothel (elements of this could be found in the comics as well). Remember Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family butler and trusty assailant to Batman’s mission? Well, Millar and Aronofsky’s script throws him out in favor of “Little Al” – a “gigantic, early middle-aged black man” who works in a garage and took Bruce in as a young runaway. No fall in the Wayne Manor grounds, no inherent fear of Bats… and that’s not the strangest part of Year One.
When Bruce punches criminals, the ring leaves a mark a bit like a bat, y’see. The bat part of things comes into play as the media interpretation of a ‘TW’ inscription on a ring that Bruce’s father gave him. Without the Wayne money to support him, he makes homemade explosives and wears a hockey mask as part of his first costume. He’s given “the claustrophobic room of an obsessive compulsive” for a home and the script describes his first outing as a crime fighter as an “almost orgasmic release of raw, pent up violence.” The comic was revolutionary at the time and is still considered the gold standard of Batman origin stories, but it’s nowhere near the same level of weirdness and disregard as this never-made film, which took a very odd approach to the Batman mythos.įirstly, Aronofsky and Miller reimagined Bruce Wayne as a nightmare-tormented garage worker who fled from the Wayne fortune upon seeing his parents murdered as a child. His flair for the subversive and surreal side of cinema goes some way to explaining just how radical a reimagining the script had in store. It was a script he co-wrote with Frank Miller, who penned the much-loved comic of the same name in 1987. In development around the year 2000, Year One was set to be helmed by Darren Aronofsky. It has a script that you can still read online if you’re inclined to find out the whole grizzly story for yourself.
As time went on, the character was re-invented to become who he’s now known to be: an ex-special forces butler who becomes Bruce Wayne’s surrogate father and confidant.Notorious, this one – it’s a project that you can definitely file in the bizarre folder. He was often somewhat bumbling and was meant to be a foil at first for the caped duo as they tried to hide their superhero identities. Known for taking over the parenting duties after Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered, Alfred has been portrayed in various forms over the years by various actors.Īlfred first appeared in comics in 1943 and was initially an overweight detective of sorts who simply showed up on Batman and Robin’s doorstep declaring himself their butler. This character, despite often sitting in supporting or background roles, plays a big part in the Dark Knight’s life. Everyone knows about Batman and his nightly escapades beating up criminals, however only rarely does his butler Alfred Pennyworth get the proper acknowledgment he deserves.
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