Though the infamous (and ultra pricey) Spider-Man musical is still stuck somewhere in limbo after watching most of its cast drop out, that's not stopping Warner Bros. and DC Comics from bringing Batman to the stage. Oh yes, right now they're in the early stages of developing a tour, tentatively titled Batman Live, that will be put together in conjunction with Water Lane Productions, who also helped put out the Walking with Dinosaurs and Mamma Mia! touring shows.
Unlike Spider-Man's doomed Broadway musical, Batman Live would come nowhere near that spectacle in that it won't be a musical or a play. Instead, the show will be one of those "elaborate arena productions", and it will be primarily aimed at kids and families. Not exactly Batman on Ice, but I'd wager it will feel like a more put-together Universal Studios attraction.
That's not to say it'll be bad. In all honesty, I'd much rather an areana production than Batman and Robin belting out tunes on a Broadway stage. I imagine placing this will allow them to stage some pretty cool circus-like stunts, especially when it comes to fight scenes and scenes with the Batmobile. Heat Vision says that the show will feature numerous villains, and it'll be written by Alan Burnett, whose credits include Batman, Superman and Green Lantern animated TV shows. No date is set yet, though they're dabbling with 2011 or 2012, with the latter looking more likely.
Would you pay to watch a Batman arena show like this, or do you think it's something that belongs in a theme park and not traveling the country?
