Why Arkham Asylum Deserves A Live On-screen Adaption
Image Source: Gotham Wiki
Gotham has always loomed large in the world of Batman. The imposing towers, decaying architecture, and seedy alleyways of this aging metropolis provide the Caped Crusader with a grungy urban playground perfect for interrogating criminals and brooding. The Batman does an especially good job of using its urban set pieces for dramatic effect. The film’s incredible opening sequence focuses on criminals fleeing away from the Bat Signal only to find themselves running toward Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight as he emerges from the shadows in a subway station. From bounding through bouncers in a hostile nightclub to exploring the decrepit hallways of an abandoned orphanage, Batman finds himself spending time in some eerie, unsettling environments. One of Gotham’s most iconic locations, Arkham Asylum, deserves a visit during one of the sequels. This infamous home for the criminally insane could provide exactly the right place to delight audiences with spectacular scares and supervillains in live-action.
Expand The Rogue Gallery
A brief scene in The Batman revealed this universe’s version of the Joker commiserating with the Riddler behind bars. Yet many fans want to see a new face beyond the Clown Prince of Crime. There would be no shortage of villains to choose from at Arkham Asylum. A cerebral foe could be Dr. Hugo Strange, the psychiatrist who discovers Batman’s true identity in the comics. For a more disturbing take, the film could make use of a violent opponent like the mad surgeon Professor Pyg or the knife-wielding serial killer Victor Zsasz. The canonical list of patients in Arkham Asylum is extensive, and an entirely new baddie could plot from a cell.
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Shine A Light On The Past
The Batman took a surprising turn when it portrayed the Wayne family not as saints, but as flawed elites with a checkered past. The Wayne family fortune becomes a source for money laundering. On a darker note, Thomas Wayne orders the criminal Falcone to intimidate a journalist who finds evidence of his wife Martha spending time at the Arkham Asylum.
This opening leaves room for greater exploration into the Wayne family’s secrets. The Waynes have a long history with the Arkham family, and it is possible that there are further details about their involvement with Gotham’s corrupt institutions. Bruce Wayne might also uncover and wrestle with new uncomfortable information about how his mother and relatives suffered from mental illness.
Focus On Madness
Image Source: Rare Gallery
Each Batman film brings a distinct challenge that the man behind the cowl must grapple with. In Batman Begins, Batman overcomes fear to face Ra’s Al Ghul and Scarecrow. Batman later battles for Gotham’s soul in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises as the Joker, Two Face, and Bane all seek to prove that the city is too damaged to be saved. The Batman depicts Batman solving mysteries on his way to becoming The World’s Greatest Detective.
A new angle could be Batman fighting to retain his mental clarity and focus. The police in The Batman points out the oddness of a grown man dressing up in a bat costume to fight crime. Robert Pattinson’s Batman, who already struggles with his sense of moral purpose, could lose grip on reality and experience the boundaries of sanity in the walls of Arkham Asylum.
Expand The Corruption
One of the key themes of The Batman was that everyone could be drawn away from their moral compass. Systematically, the Riddler shows one by one how virtually every member of Gotham’s society was complicit in the city’s drug trade. This tale of corruption could continue in Arkham Asylum. The staff at Arkham Asylum are notoriously negligent, willing to prescribe high-risk treatments and experimental procedures, and are prone to insanity themselves.
Bring Out The Creepy Factor
Image Source: The UBJ
Arkham Asylum presents an opportunity to build a next-level creepy set piece. In the comic Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, a crumbling Victorian mansion presides at the center of Arkham Asylum. The video game Batman: Arkham Asylum filled Gothic buildings with sterile hospital-like hallways. Bringing this extensive environment to life could be challenging. Yet the level of spectacle and sheer terror that could come of it would be worth the price of admission alone.
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