Releasing today from Insight Editions are Joker: The Official Script Book (available now through Amazon) and The Batman: The Official Script Book (pick it up via Amazon). These collector’s items are hardcover books that include the complete shooting scripts of their respective films and are an excellent pick-up for any fans of two of DC’s best movies ever.
Both books are quite similar, they’re the same height, feature similar covers that show the faces of the titular characters in each film, and look great next to one another (so I’d recommend getting both as they pair together quite nicely). Both scripts are prefaced with director interviews, with Todd Phillips’ Joker interview going a bit longer than Reeves’ thoughts on The Batman at nearly 30 pages long, which is nice considering how much longer the actual script is for Reeves’ movie. Both writer-directors give some great insight into their creative process and what they found most interesting about operating within the superhero genre.
As for the script themselves, they’re presently lovingly with color stills being included from iconic scenes, such as Arthur Fleck’s stand-up comedy act and Batman’s intense moments with Catwoman. These look great and there’s also some promotional imagery included within each book as well, making this much more than just a wall of text. As a fan of each film, I really enjoyed reading the descriptive text for scenes in each movie, seeing how much each director had envisioned during the writing process and how carefully planned each part of these movies is.
The Batman script book even includes the “Unseen Prisoner” scene that was deleted from the movie. We’ve all seen it by now, it’s the scene that shows Barry Keoghan’s Joker — a perfect setup for an eventual sequel. Including that scene is a really great move and makes it a real treat for hardcore fans of the Caped Crusader’s latest film.
It’s also fun to compare the writing styles of Reeves and The Batman co-writer Peter Craig to Phillips and Joker co-writer Scott Silver. Reeves and Craig use plenty of bold and underlined text to emphasize the key moments of each scene. Meanwhile, Joker‘s script is closer to an actual novel you would read, albeit with plenty of indentations and the dialogue you’d expect from a movie. It’s really interesting to see how the creative processes differ — and are occasionally similar — for each visionary.
Fans of the respective fans can’t go wrong by picking up The Batman and Joker script books. Insight Editions has done a great job giving these scripts the premium package with sturdy hardcovers, great interviews with the directors, and stunning stills from each movie to give context to the scenes you’re reading about. It’s a great way to see what goes into making both films and look great on the shelf of any collector.
ASSESSMENT: RECOMMENDED
Disclosure: ComingSoon received a copy of the product from the publisher for our Joker: The Official Script Book and The Batman: The Official Script Book review.
