As everyone, including filmmakers and actors, attempts to pass the time and assuage anxiety during self-isolation, by doing things like Q&A sessions and favorite movie lists, True Detective creator/writer Nic Pizzolatto took to Instagram to share his idea for a Batman film. Or, really, his overall opinion of the Caped Crusader's psychosis. With three seasons of True Detective under his belt, Pizzolatto, who has no connection to any current (or future) Batman project, decided to answer a question from a follower. Here's his posted IG caption...

"Pestilence Days. A random answer to a supporter becomes a small Q&A on Batman... Hi, DC DC, Hi ...WILL WORK FOR FREE ***ADDENDUM: I PROBABLY ANSWERED YOUR OBJECTION SOMEWHERE IN COMMENTS, SO GIVE A LOOK... FINAL THOUGHTS: LEX LUTHOR COULD BE PROBLEMATIC FOR BATMAN... BUT A FRAIL, TWIGGY MAN WHO WON'T STOP SMILING? DRESSED LIKE A CLOWN, YOU SAY? I CANNOT IMAGINE ANY SCENARIO WHERE THAT TAKES MORE THAN TEN MINUTES-- G'NIGHT***"

Pizzolatto's Instagram slides, regarding his ideas about Batman, included...

“Batman is the only character in the world I didn’t create that I want a shot at. And he’s the only piece of geek culture I have any affinity for.”

Continuing...

“Batman’s no-kill policy is valid and should always remain. BUT the policy does not exist because 'killing makes me as bad as them' or some kindergarten bulls***. That never held water at all. Batman’s no-kill policy exists BECAUSE BATMAN’S REAL AND ETERNAL ENEMY IS DEATH. DEATH is his real enemy.”

And more...

“And his money doesn’t matter; it’s merely a convenience. It actually adds to his heroism: his wealth means he could have done literally ANYTHING else than what he devotes his life to.” “Batman’s superpower is not money. Batman’s superpower is that he thinks of everything. And he has the strongest will of the species. If he had some time to strategize, Batman could credibly defeat God.””

Here's Pizzolatto's original Instagram post. Click it to flip through his special Batman thoughts... [caption id="attachment_233931" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Click to flip through original IG post.[/caption] Following this, Damon Lindelof, creator of HBO's Watchmen and The Leftovers, humorously endorsed Pizzolatto's hypothetical "Batman vs. God" movie... Recently, director Matt Reeves said The Batman was about 25 percent of the way through its planned production schedule when it had to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that he is using this time to review the footage they've shot and tweak the tone of the DC film. For more on The Batman, check out Reeves' picks for his favorite Batman movies, the two detective movies that The Batman hopes to emulate, learn what composer Michael Giacchino had to say about scoring the film, and trace the origins of the new Batmobile. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-times-batman-and-robin-broke-up&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Call of Duty: Warzone's crossplay feature, which allows users to play Battle Royale and Plunder together using all platforms, may be more of a curse than a blessing for some console gamers. As reported by Eurogamer, console players are running up against PC cheaters in Battle Royale because of Warzone's crossplay feature, and as a temporary fix, the console gamers are turning off the feature completely (which his no easy task itself). You can check out some of the Warzone faithful's more frustrating experiences here, here, and here. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/23/call-of-duty-warzone-review"] At the beginning of last week, Infinity Ward tweeted out that they'd banned, so far, 70,000 accounts worldwide as part of their "zero tolerance" policy for cheaters.

We've now issued over 70,000 bans worldwide to protect #Warzone from cheaters. We're continuing to deploy dedicated security updates and work continues on improving in-game reporting. We'll share more details soon. We are watching. We have zero tolerance for cheaters.

— Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) April 13, 2020

The issues persist however, as console gamers, generically unfamiliar with the problems PC gamers face from cheaters, are now exposed to the madness of PC chicanery. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=6-video-games-that-should-be-netflix-shows&captions=true"]

Call of Duty: Warzone's crossplay feature, which allows users to play Battle Royale and Plunder together using all platforms, may be more of a curse than a blessing for some console gamers. As reported by Eurogamer, console players are running up against PC cheaters in Battle Royale because of Warzone's crossplay feature, and as a temporary fix, the console gamers are turning off the feature completely (which his no easy task itself). You can check out some of the Warzone faithful's more frustrating experiences here, here, and here. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/23/call-of-duty-warzone-review"] At the beginning of last week, Infinity Ward tweeted out that they'd banned, so far, 70,000 accounts worldwide as part of their "zero tolerance" policy for cheaters.

We've now issued over 70,000 bans worldwide to protect #Warzone from cheaters. We're continuing to deploy dedicated security updates and work continues on improving in-game reporting. We'll share more details soon. We are watching. We have zero tolerance for cheaters.

— Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) April 13, 2020

The issues persist however, as console gamers, generically unfamiliar with the problems PC gamers face from cheaters, are now exposed to the madness of PC chicanery. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=6-video-games-that-should-be-netflix-shows&captions=true"]

Here at IGN we occasionally like to showcase something from geekdom's rich history -- a pop-culture Time Capsule, if you will, that gives us a peek in to the past, perhaps providing a new appreciation for previous projects. If you'd like, please check out the past few Time Capsules:

• George Lucas' first day writing Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
• The Rock kicking Seven of Nine's Borg butt on Star Trek: Voyager
• The Tom Waits interview that may have inspired Heath Ledger's Joker
• Christian Bale auditioning in Val Kilmer's batsuit from Batman Forever
• Kevin Feige's 2006 tease for the Avengers and the MCU

[poilib element="accentDivider"] If one thing still holds true after 30 years, if one universal constant still remains, it's that bustin' makes us feel good. Once upon a time, a quartet of unlikely heroes stopped - nay! - busted a battalion of ghouls and ghosts, preventing them from turning New York City into, well, to be honest, a much nicer and friendlier place. Their first challenge was to defeat a shapeshifting, apocalyptic entity named Gozer. They got covered in goo. Then, a few years later, they vanquished a seemingly-immortal 16th century tyrant using a river of pink slime that had formed in the sewers. They got covered in goo again. Then... these champions vanished. When the gooing got tough, the tough got gooing. But did you know that phantom menacers Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore were close to having one last ride about 20 years ago? Yes, Ghostbusters creator and star Dan Aykroyd wrote a full Ghostbusters III script, subtitled Hellbent, back in 1999. And the story put the Ghostbusters in the crosshairs of... Satan himself! Usually, with these Time Capsules, there's a fun little video component. Nothing like that exists for this particular slice of retrovertigo, but here's a look at the screenplay in all its "dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria" glory...

So then what was Hellbent all about? IGN actually made grabby hands at the screenplay back in 2002 with an exclusive script review. At the time, we didn't give out too many spoilers, since the movie was only in the sixth concentric circle of Development Hell, but now, with Ghostbusters: Afterlife serving as a direct franchise sequel, we can dig into the Hellbent plot a bit more.

The place? New York City. The people? Still WALKIN HERE! Hell, which is a darkened mirror version of NYC called "ManHELLton," has become overstuffed and congested. So much so that, like actual heartless Big Apple landlords, it's evicting people. Those cursed souls then make their way back into the world of the living. The Ghostbusters, now a few years removed from their museum showdown with Vigo the Carpathian, slip-slide into Hell and confront the Devil - who is presented as a smarmy business mogul named Mr. Sifler. Luke Sifler. Lu-cifer. I think you get it. Don't get it? It's Lucifer. Got it now? Good. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ghostbusters-afterlife-trailer-breakdown&captions=true"] Ghostbusters III isn't wholly about the main squad however. The original characters only have supporting roles as the story, smartly, set out to set up a new generation of wrath wranglers. In the script we read, Ray and Egon cope with Venkman retiring from the team and leaving with Sigourney Weaver's Dana Barrett. In the film's big twist, Venkman then appears as a ghost in the final scenes, having died off-screen (somehow), now existing in a form he once so eagerly busted. The reason Venkman was more marginalized in the Hellbent script was because Bill Murray repeatedly refused to participate in the project and the thought was he might come back if he only had to shoot for a day or two. The new characters, according to our report, weren't that impressive. The lead, Franky, is described as "a body-pierced, tough New Jersey punker." In fact, given the era, the rest of the squad seems suited for background work in Crazy Town's "Butterfly" video. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/10/all-the-ghostbusters-afterlife-clues-that-point-to-gozer"] Alas, this movie never came to pass. Instead, Ghostbusters was rebooted in 2016 by Paul Feig and now, though delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, from Jason Reitman, will serve as a decades-later follow-up to Ghostbusters II. The original surviving cast, except for Rick Moranis, will all appear in some capacity as the new cast -- Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd -- discover a crucial connection to the '80s Ghostbusters team in a small Midwest town. And if you're clamoring for moving images and synced sound, here's a trip back to 2009 for IGN's review of the Ghostbusters video game. Why this project? Well, at the time -- with Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson all onboard -- this was Ghostbusters III. It's a direct sequel to the two movies. And while the story isn't Hellbent, some of the alternate dimension ideas that are featured in the game were based on concepts from that script... [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Here at IGN we occasionally like to showcase something from geekdom's rich history -- a pop-culture Time Capsule, if you will, that gives us a peek in to the past, perhaps providing a new appreciation for previous projects. If you'd like, please check out the past few Time Capsules:

• George Lucas' first day writing Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
• The Rock kicking Seven of Nine's Borg butt on Star Trek: Voyager
• The Tom Waits interview that may have inspired Heath Ledger's Joker
• Christian Bale auditioning in Val Kilmer's batsuit from Batman Forever
• Kevin Feige's 2006 tease for the Avengers and the MCU

[poilib element="accentDivider"] If one thing still holds true after 30 years, if one universal constant still remains, it's that bustin' makes us feel good. Once upon a time, a quartet of unlikely heroes stopped - nay! - busted a battalion of ghouls and ghosts, preventing them from turning New York City into, well, to be honest, a much nicer and friendlier place. Their first challenge was to defeat a shapeshifting, apocalyptic entity named Gozer. They got covered in goo. Then, a few years later, they vanquished a seemingly-immortal 16th century tyrant using a river of pink slime that had formed in the sewers. They got covered in goo again. Then... these champions vanished. When the gooing got tough, the tough got gooing. But did you know that phantom menacers Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore were close to having one last ride about 20 years ago? Yes, Ghostbusters creator and star Dan Aykroyd wrote a full Ghostbusters III script, subtitled Hellbent, back in 1999. And the story put the Ghostbusters in the crosshairs of... Satan himself! Usually, with these Time Capsules, there's a fun little video component. Nothing like that exists for this particular slice of retrovertigo, but here's a look at the screenplay in all its "dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria" glory...

So then what was Hellbent all about? IGN actually made grabby hands at the screenplay back in 2002 with an exclusive script review. At the time, we didn't give out too many spoilers, since the movie was only in the sixth concentric circle of Development Hell, but now, with Ghostbusters: Afterlife serving as a direct franchise sequel, we can dig into the Hellbent plot a bit more.

The place? New York City. The people? Still WALKIN HERE! Hell, which is a darkened mirror version of NYC called "ManHELLton," has become overstuffed and congested. So much so that, like actual heartless Big Apple landlords, it's evicting people. Those cursed souls then make their way back into the world of the living. The Ghostbusters, now a few years removed from their museum showdown with Vigo the Carpathian, slip-slide into Hell and confront the Devil - who is presented as a smarmy business mogul named Mr. Sifler. Luke Sifler. Lu-cifer. I think you get it. Don't get it? It's Lucifer. Got it now? Good. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ghostbusters-afterlife-trailer-breakdown&captions=true"] Ghostbusters III isn't wholly about the main squad however. The original characters only have supporting roles as the story, smartly, set out to set up a new generation of wrath wranglers. In the script we read, Ray and Egon cope with Venkman retiring from the team and leaving with Sigourney Weaver's Dana Barrett. In the film's big twist, Venkman then appears as a ghost in the final scenes, having died off-screen (somehow), now existing in a form he once so eagerly busted. The reason Venkman was more marginalized in the Hellbent script was because Bill Murray repeatedly refused to participate in the project and the thought was he might come back if he only had to shoot for a day or two. The new characters, according to our report, weren't that impressive. The lead, Franky, is described as "a body-pierced, tough New Jersey punker." In fact, given the era, the rest of the squad seems suited for background work in Crazy Town's "Butterfly" video. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/10/all-the-ghostbusters-afterlife-clues-that-point-to-gozer"] Alas, this movie never came to pass. Instead, Ghostbusters was rebooted in 2016 by Paul Feig and now, though delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, from Jason Reitman, will serve as a decades-later follow-up to Ghostbusters II. The original surviving cast, except for Rick Moranis, will all appear in some capacity as the new cast -- Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd -- discover a crucial connection to the '80s Ghostbusters team in a small Midwest town. And if you're clamoring for moving images and synced sound, here's a trip back to 2009 for IGN's review of the Ghostbusters video game. Why this project? Well, at the time -- with Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson all onboard -- this was Ghostbusters III. It's a direct sequel to the two movies. And while the story isn't Hellbent, some of the alternate dimension ideas that are featured in the game were based on concepts from that script... [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

A little over a month ago, when folks were in the first stages of self-isolating, Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn took to Twitter to share 10 of his favorite lesser-known films, some cult gems, for people to watch while in quarantine - from The Wanderers to Bong Joon-ho's Mother to Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Now Gunn is back with even more movie recommendations. This time though, the genre is "Action" and the list is...substantially longer. Titled "A+ Action Movies to Watch in Quarantine," Gunn lists off 54 cage-rattlers, from '80s classics like Die Hard and Robocop to Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow and Mission Impossible: Fallout to South Korea's Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. Here's the first part of Gunn's Twitter thread, followed by the full list below...

A+ Action Movies to Watch in Quarantine (a thread): Kung Fu Hustle (2004) The Matrix (1999) The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) Die Hard (1988) Edge of Tomorrow (2014) JSA: Joint Security Area (2000) Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010) Lady Vengeance (2005) (cont'd)

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 17, 2020

• Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
• The Matrix (1999)
• The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
• Die Hard (1988)
• Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
• JSA: Joint Security Area (2000)
• Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)
• Lady Vengeance (2005)
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
• Bullitt (1968)
• North by Northwest (1959)
• The Yellow Sea (2010)
• The Raid: Redemption (2012)
• Hero (2002)
• Night Watch (2004)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
• Taken (2008)
• The Heroic Trio (1993)
• The French Connection (1971)
• Robocop (1987)
• The Killer (1989)
• The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
• The Legend (Fong Sai Yuk) (1993)
• Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
• Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
• The Villainess (2017)
• Revenge (2018)
• Crank (2006)
• Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
• Escape from New York (1981)
• Battle Royale (2000)
• Full Contact (1992)
• Oldboy (2005)
• Thunderball (1965)
• La Femme Nikita (1990)
• Leon: The Professional (1994)
• Magnum Force (1973)
• Speed (1994)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• ’71 (2014)
• Payback (theatrical cut) (1999)
• Equilibrium (2002)
• John Wick (2014)
• Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008)
• Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (2008)
• Where Eagles Dare (1968)
• Ms. 45 (1981)
• Green Snake (1993)
• Captain Phillips (2013)
• Seven Samurai (1954)
• Rolling Thunder (1977)
• The Wild Bunch (1969)
• V for Vendetta (2006)
• Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

Have you seen all of these films? Of the ones you have seen, which do you recommend? Let us know below! In other action flick-related news, San Diego Comic-Con 2020 has officially been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is the first time in the con's 50-year history that SDCC has been canceled. The event is slated to return to the San Diego Convention Center from July 22-25, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/18/comic-con-is-canceled-ign-now"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

A little over a month ago, when folks were in the first stages of self-isolating, Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn took to Twitter to share 10 of his favorite lesser-known films, some cult gems, for people to watch while in quarantine - from The Wanderers to Bong Joon-ho's Mother to Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Now Gunn is back with even more movie recommendations. This time though, the genre is "Action" and the list is...substantially longer. Titled "A+ Action Movies to Watch in Quarantine," Gunn lists off 54 cage-rattlers, from '80s classics like Die Hard and Robocop to Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow and Mission Impossible: Fallout to South Korea's Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. Here's the first part of Gunn's Twitter thread, followed by the full list below...

A+ Action Movies to Watch in Quarantine (a thread): Kung Fu Hustle (2004) The Matrix (1999) The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) Die Hard (1988) Edge of Tomorrow (2014) JSA: Joint Security Area (2000) Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010) Lady Vengeance (2005) (cont'd)

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 17, 2020

• Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
• The Matrix (1999)
• The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
• Die Hard (1988)
• Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
• JSA: Joint Security Area (2000)
• Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)
• Lady Vengeance (2005)
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
• Bullitt (1968)
• North by Northwest (1959)
• The Yellow Sea (2010)
• The Raid: Redemption (2012)
• Hero (2002)
• Night Watch (2004)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
• Taken (2008)
• The Heroic Trio (1993)
• The French Connection (1971)
• Robocop (1987)
• The Killer (1989)
• The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
• The Legend (Fong Sai Yuk) (1993)
• Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
• Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
• The Villainess (2017)
• Revenge (2018)
• Crank (2006)
• Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
• Escape from New York (1981)
• Battle Royale (2000)
• Full Contact (1992)
• Oldboy (2005)
• Thunderball (1965)
• La Femme Nikita (1990)
• Leon: The Professional (1994)
• Magnum Force (1973)
• Speed (1994)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• ’71 (2014)
• Payback (theatrical cut) (1999)
• Equilibrium (2002)
• John Wick (2014)
• Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008)
• Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (2008)
• Where Eagles Dare (1968)
• Ms. 45 (1981)
• Green Snake (1993)
• Captain Phillips (2013)
• Seven Samurai (1954)
• Rolling Thunder (1977)
• The Wild Bunch (1969)
• V for Vendetta (2006)
• Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

Have you seen all of these films? Of the ones you have seen, which do you recommend? Let us know below! In other action flick-related news, San Diego Comic-Con 2020 has officially been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is the first time in the con's 50-year history that SDCC has been canceled. The event is slated to return to the San Diego Convention Center from July 22-25, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/18/comic-con-is-canceled-ign-now"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game talk show. This week we're discussing the PlayStation 5's launch constraints, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Resident Evil 3, Animal Crossing, and more. Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service. Listen on: Apple Podcasts YouTube Spotify Stitcher

Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game talk show. This week we're discussing the PlayStation 5's launch constraints, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Resident Evil 3, Animal Crossing, and more. Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service. Listen on: Apple Podcasts YouTube Spotify Stitcher

Many years before he won the Academy Award as Best Actor for the title role in Joker, Joaquin Phoenix was director Darren Aronofsky's first choice to play the title role in his Batman: Year One screen adaptation. While that has been public knowledge for a few years now, Aronofsky recently revealed who Warner Bros. wanted for the role and ultimately why his vision of a Batman origin movie fell apart long before Christopher Nolan tackled it in Batman Begins. “The studio wanted Freddie Prinze Jr and I wanted Joaquin Phoenix,” Aronofsky told Empire. “I remember thinking, 'Uh oh, we're making two different films here.' That's a true story. It was a different time. The Batman I wrote was definitely a way different type of take than they ended up making.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/14/actors-you-didnt-know-almost-played-batman"] Aronofsky, a huge fan of Batman: Year One writer Frank Miller's work, wanted to go even grittier than the seminal DC comic did, with Miller saying Aronofsky's "vision of Batman was darker than" his own. "The Batman franchise had just gone more and more back towards the TV show, so it became tongue-in-cheek, a grand farce, camp," Aronofsky explained back in 2012. "I pitched the complete opposite, which was totally bring-it-back-to-the-streets raw, trying to set it in a kind of real reality -- no stages, no sets, shooting it all in inner cities across America, creating a very real feeling. My pitch was Death Wish or The French Connection meets Batman." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=before-joker-joaquin-phoenix-played-superboy-on-tv&captions=true"] Such '70s movie influences ended up coming into play with director Todd Phillips' Oscar-nominated Joker nearly two decades later. While Aronofsky's vision of a young Batman didn't pan out, director Matt Reeves' The Batman, currently on hiatus due to COVID-19, will see Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight early in his career as a crime-fighter, with Reeves citing two particular '70s film classics as his touchstones for the film.