Re: HT Batman 1989 Coming
When it comes to Batman product, Batman and Robin is the perfect example. The security on that film was as tight as it could be in 1996/1997 and all these companies had reference material, well in advance. That film and the Phantom Menace were actually the start of all the internet spoiler/information hoopla that happens to this day. Before people actually saw B&R and figured it was utter ____, there was tons of contrived stuff going around.
Almost all the toys that came out for that film, including Mr. Freeze, came out so early because the designs that Hasbro were given were simply concepts. They were made well into advance. I don't think one character or figure was a complete 100% translation from the film. They were all the early film art concepts. A couple months later, yeah, they made a few accurate ones but those early ones were all early concepts that WB, director or whatever turned in. Hasbro worked pretty close with them too.
Remember all that TDK art Void? The depictions that had the Begins looking Bale head on top of the concept art for the, then new TDK suit? That was all 2006/2007 reference. Then they had all the pre-Ledger punk looking concepts of Batman against him in the interrogation room and then the really early photos of Ledger as Joker well into pre-production.
That was all given for marketing, well before the film was even close to being made, maybe even filmed. Hell, the Mattel Movie Master figure that came out in May 2008 was modeled after those production photos of Ledger as the Joker. The neutral costume shots with the white background. Most of which were used for the marketing art work too.
