One of the more heartwarming stories of 2013 was the surreal wish that came true for five year old Miles Scott. Scott is a cancer survivor from Northern California who had a wish to be ‘Batkid.’ The Make-A-Wish foundation heeded his call and when Scott’s cancer went into remission, something happened that even the charity organization couldn’t have imagined.
The wish went viral and the city of San Francisco was transformed into a Gotham City adventure, with over 12,000 people volunteering to help. The event was viewed all over the world. They dressed Scott up as Batkid and along with the “real” Batman, went on an elaborately planned crime-fighting spree in a black Bat-Lamborghini. The adventure involved Scott saving a damsel in distress, diffusing a bomb, chasing down the Riddler, and saving the SF Giants’ mascot, who was being held hostage by the Penguin in a chase through the city into AT&T Park. The day ended with Scott getting a key to the city from the Mayor for his efforts. The San Francisco Chronicle ran a special edition newspaper in his honor and he even received a congratulations from President Obama. It truly became larger than life.
Check out which reporter wrote the article 😉
Clearly this is a tender, heartwarming story that falls directly in Julia Roberts’ wheelhouse. It is hard to imagine Roberts ever being in a straight forward superhero movie. (Although she would have made the ideal Jean Grey in her prime.) This is just speculation since her role hasn’t been formally announced, but Roberts playing a mother whose dying son’s wish is to be Batman sounds about her speed. The son then recovers and the entire city pitches in to make his wish come true. They haven’t shot a frame yet and it’s already making eyes water up.
Roberts is producing the film with her Red Om Films company, who are known for making Mona Lisa Smile and Eat Pray Love. Clearly the tone for the Batkid Begins movie becomes clear when looking at the company’s resume. However this could offer something a little different than past films. If the superhero adventure sequence is done correctly, it could bring in demographics that usually don’t come to Roberts’ movies.
There is a documentary on the way called Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World, which is directed by Dana Nachman (The Human Experiment) and is set to hit the festival circuit this year. So we can add yet another Batman movie coming to theaters soon, in addition to Dawn of Justice, the Lego Movie starring Batman, and maybe even the Suicide Squad. Are you excited to see this story brought to the big screen? Let us know on the comment boards and make sure to share our stories on Reddit, , , and !
Source: ScreenRant