Here are 5 references to Tim Burton’s “Batman” that we spotted in “The Flash”, the new connected universe movie from DC Comics.
Attention, by detailing references, this article is likely to contain spoilers for “The Flash” or “Batman” (1989).
Discover the nods to Tim Burton’s Batman movie featured in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash.
Known replicas
If we are obviously entitled to “I’m Batman / I’m Batman” rather expected, two other sentences from The Flash directly echo the first film of the Dark Knight version Michael Keaton:
– “Do you want to be crazy? Let’s play!” a.k.a “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!” in VO. The line is reminiscent of the scene in Vicky Vale’s apartment, when the Joker holds the young woman prisoner and Bruce Wayne confronts him and with a confident gesture, smashes a vase with a poker (before being shot by the psychopathic clown).
Warner Bros.
– “How much do you weight?”https://www.allocine.fr/”How much do you weight?” : when Batman tries to operate the elevator during the extraction of Supergirl from the Russian base, we can hear this line, already heard at Burton. In the 1989 film, the Dark Knight asks Vicky Vale this question before latching onto the Bat-grapple with her.
A reference to the Joker
Michael Keaton’s Batman faced the Penguin and Catwoman but also the Joker interpreted by Jack Nicholson. In The Flash, we find a reference to this period, with the appearance of a well-known mechanical denture, already seen in the Tim Burton film.
Warner Bros.
At the top of Gotham Cathedral, Batman confronts the Joker and lands him a nice right hand which sends him to the ground and causes him to bleed. The clown holds his jaw and sends bloody, mechanical dentures onto the floor, which even gets his close-up! He then takes advantage of this diversion to hit the vigilante in the chest… and hurts himself very badly by colliding with his armor.
A wink of the moon
While the Batmobile appears in Flash’s single-player adventure, it isn’t exploited to make more room for the Batwing. The Dark Knight’s aircraft plays a key role in the film, since it is with it that Bruce Wayne bombs General Zod’s troops and allows the two Flashes to arrive on time at the battle site.
Warner Bros.
The Batwing allows itself a symbolic plan
We find in the film an iconic plan of the Batwing flying until it is placed on the moon to form the Batman logo (a bat on a light background). This logo is also used for the famous Bat-signal, posted on a roof in Gotham and regularly activated in the comics by Commissioner Gordon.
Danny Elfman remixed
We can hear in The Flash the famous theme of Danny Elfman, which later became the credits of the Batman series of 1992. That said, it has been remixed within a new composition by Benjamin Wallfisch, who signs the music of Flash and is also the author of the soundtrack of Shazam! but also of the two parts of That.
Warner Bros.
An essential and innovative wink, or how to go beyond simple fan service.
The Batcave and Wayne Mansion
At the time, Anton Furst used models and the technique of matte painting to create the entire cave, and production designer Dominic Capon of The Flash worked to render the Batcave from Burton’s film in 3D.
The construction of the Batcave was spread over three months, over almost 2,900 m2 of the set. A 3D scenery measuring 60m long, 40m wide and 14m high and fully constructed. In the movie universe, Batman retired in 1999, so the technologies of the Batcave stop at that time.
Warner Bros.
The set decoration team therefore looked for buttons, levers and handles from old aircraft control boxes to create the console, and the props designers created all the other elements from scratch. The waterfall you see there was created from scratch.
As for the Wayne mansion, it is in fact the compilation – if one can say so – of several real mansions:
- Knebworth House, which serves as the Gothic entrance gate to Tim Burton’s Batman
- Burghley House provided the exterior, including the roofs.
- Hatfield House served as the armory and the library which serves as Bruce Wayne’s office.
And the rest was created in the studio.
Other nods to Burton’s films will be revealed as you watch them, but have you noticed any others? Your keyboards !