Close-Up Culture’s Fantasy Movies are back! Inspired by Joker: Folie à Deux, we’re challenging you to create a superhero musical on a budget of $15,000,000. The catch is, however, you can only choose one option (rated from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000) from each of the five selected brackets. Pick wisely and pitch your movie in the comments below!
You can read James’ pitch below or listen to the below episode of the Close-Up Culture Podcast to hear how Anna and James fared in the past.
Overall Budget: $15,000,000
Category 1: Superhero
Batman – $5,000,000
Wonder Woman – $4,000,000
Ant-Man – $3,000,000
Green Lantern – $2,000,000
Catwoman – $1,000,000
Category 2: Villain
Joker – $5,000,000
Green Goblin – $4,000,000
Loki – $3,000,000
Enchantress – $2,000,000
Apocalypse – $1.000,000
Category 3: Lead Star
Denzel Washington – $5,000,000
Emma Stone – $4,000,000
Jenna Ortega – $3,000,000
Hulk Hogan – $2,000,000
James Corden – $1,000,000
Category 4: Music by
Taylor Swift – $5,000,000
Drake – $4,000,000
Billie Eilish – $3,000,000
James Blunt – $2,000,000
Victoria Beckham – $1,000,000
Category 5: Director
Christopher Nolan – $5,000,000
Patty Jenkins – $4,000,000
Lin Manuel Miranda – $3,000,000
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry – $2,000,000
Bhad Bhabie – $1,000,000
James’ Picks:
Category 1: Catwoman ($1,000,000)
Category 2: Enchantress ($2,000,000)
Category 3: James Corden ($1,000,000)
Category 4: Taylor Swift ($5,000,000)
Category 5: Christopher Nolan ($5,000,000)
Total spend: $14,000,0000
James’ Pitch: Catwoman v Cats – The Musical
The evil sorceress Enchantress has intentionally created a rip in time and space, causing the DC Universe to collide with the world of Cats (2019). Gotham is now overrun by unruly cats. Who will restore order?
Batman? Robin? No, of course not, it is Catwoman who is called in to use her feline sensitivities to help these troublesome cats back home. This proves to be no easy feat: she’s thwarted by the magic of Mr. Mistoffelees; bamboozled by the cunning of Macavity; dazzled by the moves of Rum Tum Tugger; and swarmed by Jennyanydots’ army of rats and cockroaches. All while the dastardly Enchantress casts spells on the cats to intensify their urge to sing terrible musical numbers and worsen Catwoman’s turmoil.
Catwoman becomes riddled with self-doubt. Is it time to admit defeat and call in Batman? Just as she’s about to send out the Bat signal, a trash bin rattles to the floor behind her. Out from it emerges Bustopher Jones (played once again by star actor James Corden), who claims he has the answer. The rest of the movie follows this unlikely duo as they round up the cats and fight back against Enchantress.
I’m going to leave the ending to my big-money pick Christopher Nolan, as he loves a good twist. I’m sure he’ll be glad to return to the DC Universe for such a prestigious project – and he’ll have fun trying to piece together these two totally incompatible universes. Nolan needs a real challenge after all.
I know what you’re thinking: Billie Eilish would have been a better pick for the psychedelic trip that will be this movie. Perhaps, but having Taylor Swift involved allows her to reprise her role as Bombalurina. Swift’s music will also pair nicely with the empowerment of Catwoman’s character as the film progresses, as well as the romance that buds between Catwoman and Bustopher (yes, I’m going there – heck it could have even been a love triangle with Batman if the budget allowed).
