More than 30 years after its release in theatres, Tim Burton’s Batman is still considered a classic even among today’s modern superhero films. To celebrate its 35th anniversary next year, Warner Bros., DC and TCG Entertainment have announced Batman will be the next in DC Films in Concert event to tour across the US and select international cities.
Directed by Burton in 1989, Batman starred Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Jack Nicholason as The Joker with Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale, Michael Gough as Alfred, Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent and Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon. The film proved to be a hit, becoming the most successful film at the box office for several years, and spurred a renaissance of sorts for the Batman where he was once again seen as the darker pulp hero he was originally envisioned as instead of the campy hero popularized in the ’60s Batman series led by Adam West.
Burton and Keaton went on to make a sequel with 1992’s Batman Returns and there were plans for them to do a third film before WB opted to make something lighter with Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Burton’s two films have remained quite popular still with Danny Elfman’s score considered to be an iconic piece of the character and his composed theme becoming the intro music to Batman: The Animated Series. Earlier this year Keaton reprised his Batman role in The Flash as he helped Ezra Miller’s Scarlet Speedster restore the multiverse after The Flash’s travel through time caused a ripple effect.
“Hot on the heels of our success with our first DC in Concert tour, we are excited to bring the classic 1989 ‘Batman’ and its acclaimed score to diehard fans and new generations for the film’s 35th anniversary,” said TCG Entertainment President Stephen Cook. “We create an unforgettable concert experience and are proud of the added creativity the DC in Concert series offers audiences to make the night an epic event.”
The tour will begin in January with the first performance taking place in Los Angeles. After a tour through the US, it will arrive in Paris and London in May. Additional dates and cities will be announced some time in the coming weeks.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.