While others will come to accept that [Batman's] crusade has come to an end, for Dick Grayson it begins again.
Grayson is a 2004 Short Film by director John Fiorella revolving around Dick Grayson, former protege to Batman, who has apparently been murdered. To avenge him, husband and dad Grayson puts on his old tights, vest, and mask and dives into Gotham's underworld to find out who killed his former mentor. However, a litany of characters, from Chief O'Hara and throughout the DC Universe from Superman to Green Lanternnote defy Grayson's attempts to uncover the truth.
The film is in the form of a trailer for a fictitious movie with the same name. There exists a full-length screenplay based on the trailer, though due to copyright issues it is never planned to be made. Despite a DC moratorium on fan films, Grayson is considered one of the best and most imaginative.
Here's a link
to the trailer and you can find an interesting “behind the scenes” documentary here. The original feature-length screenplay can be found here and a revised draft here.
Grayson provides examples of the following tropes:
- Adaptational Villainy: Chief O'Hara is present as a Corrupt Cop, as opposed to an ally to Batman and Commissioner Gordon.
- Ambiguous Situation: Done deliberately thanks to the film taking the form of a trailer:
- There is a shot of Dick angsting while a Batman silhouette stands ominously in the background. Commentary acknowledges the mysterious nature of that shot and leaves it up in the air whether or not that's just a Batsuit on display, Batman is revealed to be actually alive, or Dick is hallucinating seeing him.
- The shot of Batgirl beating up criminals. As with the above, it's left to the viewer's interpretation whether or not this is just a flashback or if Barbara is joining her husband in returning to superheroics.
- Darker and Edgier: By all accounts, this short film seems to be a grittier version of the 60s Batman TV Show.
- Driving Question: Who killed Batman? And why don't they want Grayson involved?
- Ensemble Cast: or almost certainly would be, if Hollywood were to make such a movie, and pick actors to play the various superheroes and villains.
- Face–Heel Turn: Chief O'Hara. All is known is that he wants Robin "out of the equation".
- Fanon Discontinuity: In the DC universe, Dick Grayson does go solo, but under the name Nightwing, not as Robin. In this film, Grayson reprises his Robin alter ego. The director discusses this in the "behind the scenes" footage saying it was a deliberate decision as Robin is far better known than Nightwing by the general public outside of comic fans.
- Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: O'Hara gives this to someone while also yelling at them.
- Happily Married: Dick and Barbara, until he put on the costume again.
- Male Gaze: Selina Kyle is introduced with a shot of her ass as she does a Supermodel Strut.
- Mythology Gag:
- The fanfilm is ripe with references to the 60s Batman show, right down to having Chief O'Hara as a major character.
- The Joker has long green fingernails, similar to his appearance in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.
- Noodle Incident: Grayson seems to have a negative history with Superman, if the scene of Grayson knocking a comics shelf which includes a Superman comic is anything to go by.
- No-Sell: Grayson tries to punch Superman, only for this reaction to happen.
- Off-the-Shelf FX: The Batman memorial statue was a figure painted gray and made to look large through forced perspective, the same technique was used for the shot where Superman lifts an armoured right car (a toy about a foot long in real life). The shot of the underside of the car was the directors own car on a car lift at a local body shop. Also, the body bag Batman is zipped up in was simply a garment bag and the bullets Grayson blocks with a metal plate are simple fireworks taped to a board and set off.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Throughout the short, the Joker is as Laughing Mad as ever. However, when taking aim at Chief O'Hara and the child he's holding, he's noticeably frowning.
- Real Trailer, Fake Movie: of a literal sort: Grayson is the name of a long-form movie based on the trailer presented in (as) this film, which was never made.
- Retired Badass: Barbara, the former Batgirl. When she learned Dick is putting on the suit, she took their daughter and left him until he stops.
- Revised Ending: The original screenplay draft ended on an ambiguous 'what now' note as Superman broke free from his brainwashing and no one was sure what to do next. The revised draft continued past it and had Bethany adopted by Dick and Barbara, and Superman enlisting Robin's help against Darkseid.
- Secret-Keeper: Gordon and apparently O'Hara know Grayson is Robin. O'Hara may also know Clark is Superman and Grayson definitely does.
- Supermodel Strut: Selina walks up to Chief O'Hara while doing a deliberate, confident strut.
- Skyward Scream: Wonder Woman, at the sight of Superman's body.
- Taking the Bullet: Robin dives in front of O'Hara and a baby to shield them from getting shot by the Joker.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: The actor playing O'Hara's Irish accent is over broad in a couple of lines making him sound slightly comical.
- Zipping Up the Bodybag: Batman at the start of the film.
