BATMAN TRIUMPHANT by “The Guard” 2003 Batman created by Bob Kane 2. The WARNER BROTHERS logo appears onscreen. Ominous notes sound. The logo morphs into a Bat-Emblem. Dark skies fade in around it. Brilliant blue light emanates from the Bat-Emblem, blinding us. BATMAN TRIUMPHANT FADE IN GOTHAM CITY-DUSK An aerial view of Gotham. Ancient architecture has mixed with the new millennium. The result: architecture that combines stone cathedrals and shining towers of glass and steel. Hundreds of cars, taxis, and buses cruise along the streets below, and a siren echoes from somewhere. SUPER TEXT: GOTHAM CITY CUT TO: EXT. FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF GOTHAM-DUSK A huge stone building set behind a large set of stone stairs. The bank building has a windowless exterior, with wide glass entrance doors. Several GOTHAMITES are going in and out. CUT TO: INT. FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF GOTHAM About 20 Gothamites are waiting in line in front of old- fashioned, gated bank windows. We can hear Classical music in the background. CUT TO: EXT. FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF GOTHAM-DUSK A black Hummer pulls to a perfect stop in front of the bank. Almost on cue, the doors open, and seven THUGS climb out of the Hummer. All of them wear black leather and ski masks. Two of them have submachine guns. 3. The other five have duffel bags and gas masks. The men turn as a back door on the vehicle starts to open. FADE TO: INT. FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF GOTHAM The front doors burst open and the seven thugs enter. Two of them lower their weapons at the citizens in the bank, who react with terror at the sight of them. The thugs spread out through the bank, holding customers at gunpoint. The front doors open and an eighth figure enters. The newcomer is tall and thin, and clad in a bizarre, makeshift costume of tattered brown rags. There is straw poking out of his trousers. A strange sackcloth mask with two slit-like eyeholes is pulled over his head. The effect is that of a living scarecrow. An accurate description. When THE SCARECROW speaks, his harsh voice is muffled under the mask. THE SCARECROW Masks! The thugs pull their gas masks over their faces. The Scarecrow reaches into his mess of rags, finds a hidden pocket, and removes a small black remote control. He presses a button on the remote Red gas starts to seep from the vents of the bank. At the sight of the gas, some of the bank's customers start screaming in fear. Several of them turn in circles, unsure of what to do or where to go. Some of them collapse onto the floor. Then the gas begins to take effect. Some of the people choke and gag. Others start to shake. Others scream. A FRANTIC WOMAN is curled into a small ball, clawing at her hair. FRANTIC WOMAN Spiders! Get them off me! In the corner of the bank, a LITTLE GIRL hugs a stuffed bear. LITTLE GIRL No, Mom! Don't shoot Dad! The Scarecrow watches all this with an almost bored posture. Then, he looks at his thugs, who have spread out even more, menacing people with their guns. Two of them are nowhere to be found. THE SCARECROW Where's the bank manager? 4. Two thugs drag a small, balding man in a business suit forward. BANK MANAGER Omigod... The Scarecrow looks down at the terrified man. THE SCARECROW Open the vault. BANK MANAGER I can't...it's on a time-lock combination release. I need the other- The Scarecrow raises a pistol into the air and aims it at the BANK MANAGER's face. THE SCARECROW Open the vault. BANK MANAGER Yes! Yes, all right! The thugs drag the manager over to the fault, where the manager begins to turn the huge wheel that unlocks it. The Scarecrow turns and watches some of the bank's customers. He straightens as he does. He seems to be feeding off their terror. He smiles beneath his mask, his dark eyes glittering in triumph. THUG #1 (O.S.) The vault's open. The Scarecrow turns toward his men and points at the huge vault on the other side of the bank. THE SCARECROW Grab as much from the vault as time allows. Batman and his groupies will be here soon. The thugs head into the vault with their duffel bags. FADE TO: 5. EXT. GOTHAM POLICE HEADQUARTERS-DUSK A tall, ancient brownstone building of 10 stories. The classic police globes are mounted in front of the building. Officers, detectives, and civilians are going in and out. CUT TO: INT. GOTHAM POLICE HEADQUARTERS Bustling offices. Officers are walking past with arrestees. Some detectives are talking over cups of coffee. Five women and a man are working the switchboards in a corner. One dispatch officer scowls and presses a button. DISPATCH OFFICER Repeat that, please. CUT TO: INT. COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE COMMISSIONER JAMES GORDON is sitting behind his desk (which is piled high with papers and assorted coffee cups), talking to someone on the phone. GORDON I don't care what he said. I want him- Gordon stops talking and looks up. A YOUNG OFFICER stands in the door. Gordon covers the phone with one hand. He scowls. GORDON Yes? YOUNG OFFICER There's a heist taking place at the First National Bank. Some freak in a mask. There are units there, waiting for backup. Could be a hostage situation. Gordon scowls. He hangs up the phone. GORDON Let's go. Gordon rises and grabs his trenchcoat off a coathook. He slips it on as he follows the officer out through the offices of the Gotham Police Department. CUT TO: 6. INT. GOTHAM POLICE HEADQUARTERS Gordon walks past an office cubicle, where a fat, black haired detective in a rumpled dress shirt is sitting at his desk, chewing on a pen, staring into space. GORDON Bullock, go up to the roof and activate the signal. And then meet me in the briefing room. DETECTIVE HARVEY BULLOCK swivels toward Gordon and smiles. BULLOCK Counting on the Batsquad? GORDON This is no time for jokes, Detective. Do it. Bullock grumbles something, but he stands and heads for the roof as Gordon and the other officer leave the offices. FADE TO: EXT. WAYNE MANOR-DUSK A huge stone manor, perched on a large estate looking over Gotham. FADE TO: WAYNE MANOR LAWN-DUSK On the huge lawn behind the manor, BRUCE WAYNE and DICK GRAYSON are finishing a round of croquet. ALFRED PENNYWORTH and his niece BARBARA WILSON are watching from chairs on the side. Bruce lines up a shot. Dick is leaning on his croquet mallet. BRUCE How's college going? DICK It's going all right. Barbara and I are in a lot of the same classes. Bruce nods, taking his shot. The ball goes right through the wicket. Bruce straightens. BRUCE You're dating. 7. Dick looks surprised. DICK Uh... Barbara looks up. BARBARA Yeah. Alfred smiles. ALFRED (chiding) Isn't that nice, Master Bruce? Two love-birds. Bruce nods. BRUCE If it doesn't interfere with business, then I'll be glad for them. Alfred coughs. He looks at Barbara, who is staring at her laptop. ALFRED What's that, Barbara? Barbara looks up. BARBARA Debugging a program. Dick smiles. DICK She's good with computers. Bruce nods. BRUCE So is Alfred. That's how she found out. Alfred smiles. ALFRED I think it was for the better, sir. Bruce nods. 8. Dick takes his shot, but the ball lands short of the wicket. DICK (frustrated) Ahhh! Barbara giggles. ALFRED Having trouble, Master Dick? Dick scowls. DICK I'm not all that good at this. Bruce smiles. He lines up his next shot. He takes it. The ball goes right through the wicket again. Dick frowns. Bruce smiles and turns to Barbara. BRUCE How's the apartment working out, Barbara? Barbara looks up from her laptop. BARBARA Great. My friends still can't believe I got into The Clocktower. ALFRED It is quite exclusive. DICK You must know someone. Barbara smiles. Bruce opens his mouth. Something catches his attention, and he closes his mouth and looks up. Steel fills his gaze, and his entire attitude changes. In a matter of seconds, Bruce sloughs off the image of a carefree billionaire as his grip tightens on his croquet mallet. Dick, Barbara, and Alfred look up. The BAT-SIGNAL floats on the clouds above Gotham, which can be seen in the distance. Bruce drops the mallet, turns and starts for the manor. Dick and Barbara exchange knowing looks and follow. Alfred picks up the discarded croquet mallets and follows them. CUT TO: 9. INT. WAYNE MANOR-LIVING ROOM The procession pauses in front of a huge grandfather clock, which appears to be built into the wall. With a sense of tradition and purpose, Bruce reaches up and turns the hands of the clock to 10:45. There is a click, then a machine-like whirring, and the entire clock SEPARATES from the wall and ROTATES OUTWARD, revealing a hole in the wall, and behind it, a dark stairwell, hewn out of stone. Bruce Dick and Barbara enter, and walk down the flight of stone stairs. CUT TO: INT. BATCAVE-MAIN CHAMBER Much larger than the last two films. It's been excavated a bit more to provide more room. But the familiar things are still there: The giant computer, the crime area, the vehicle recess. There are now three huge costume vaults in a triangular formation.