Batman to return as Oscar bait?

Warner Bros., the studio that must be licking its chops right now over the success of the latest Batman flick, wants move than just box office receipts. It wants Oscar recognition as well.

Right now it seems like Heath Ledger will grab a posthumous Oscar nomination for supporting actor for "The Dark Knight." I'm betting the the movie is going to get a handful of technical nominations as well. But Warners is shooting for bigger fish, perhaps a picture and/or a director's nod. To that end, the studio plans, according to this story out of China, for goodness sakes, to re-release "The Dark Knight" to selected iMax theaters in January, the height of the Oscar voting season.

Frankly, I'm not sure I'm buying it. It makes more sense for Warners to schedule a DVD release right before Christmas. That will not only make it the potential No. 1 holiday gift for the upcoming season but it will allow the company to send DVD copies to all Academy voters, much like was done quite effectively with "Seabiscuit" some years ago. I'm positive more voters will be willing to watch it in their own homes than could be dragged to an iMax theater.

No Robin for this Batman

With the incredible box office and critical success of "The Dark Knight," Warner Bros. is chomping at the bit to begin work on the next Batman feature. The studio, of course, wants director Chris Nolan to return, but he has not agreed to anything as of this date, which really doesn't mean anything.

However, most people agree that the late Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker is the major reason for the success of the current film. The question is how to you top that? Batman's history includes a number of formidable villains that are being discussed, including:
Catwoman (there are a lot of people who say it's time for another woman in the mix to create some sexual tension for Batman).
The Riddler (would this character be taken seriously after being played by Frank Gorshin and Jim Carrey? Most think Nolan could do magic with The Riddler, however).
Deadshot (seems a little minor to me).
Ventriloquist and Scarface (a guy running around with a doll--I'm not too sure this would work).
Black Mask (Not that well known, but is gruesome enough to be formidable).
Hugo Strange (seems too close to the Scarecrow character, what with that fog mechanism of his).
Word is out that the Penguin and Mr. Freeze definitely won't be considered.

And neither will Robin. Warner Bros. said the introduction of Batman's well-known crime-fighting partner almost killed the franchise back in the 1990s. As one observer was quoted as saying (in what could be one of my all-time favorite quotes): "There are just too many negative connotations for Batman running around with a younger man in a leotard.’’