As far as Adam West is concerned, there's no reason for him to worry about where he fits into the Batman legacy, because when it comes to the numerous actors who've played the Caped Crusader, he knows he's in a league of his own.

"My Batman, I think of it as the Bright Knight; the others are the Dark Knight," West offered during the panel honoring the 45th anniversary of the "Batman" TV series on Friday at Comic-Con 2011. "It's just a different ball game, that's all -- not that I wouldn't love to play the Dark Knight's father."

 

[Related: See all TheWrap's Comic-Con coverage here.]

West was joined by his former co-stars Burt Ward (who played his trusty sidekick, Robin) and Julie Newmar (who played Catwoman). The panel, sponsored by television network The Hub, packed the hall with rabid fans of the campy superhero series, many of whom had clearly not been born yet when the series debuted in 1966.

During the panel, West discussed how he scored the role -- "I was hired to play Batman because they saw a commercial I'd done for Nestle's Quik," West recalled, "and they said, 'This is the turkey to play him" -- as well as the specific appeal that the series held for him.

"It was such a harmless show, and it was so much fun -- absurd," West offered. "I enjoy it so much more than any other series or movie I've done since."

Ward, meanwhile, discussed how he was injured while filming the series' famous scene when the Batmobile comes roaring out of the Batcave exit and hangs a sharp left. "On one of the takes, my door flew open; I grabbed the gear shift and broke my pinkie finger," Ward revealed. "They said, 'We have to get you to the hospital... but we have to get the shot first."

That wasn't the only discomfort that Ward experienced while shooting the program: There were also the infamous green tights. "I called them my python pants because they strangle you in every way," Ward noted.

Newmar, however (the first of three actresses to play Catwoman on the series), was considerably more satisfied with her Catwoman costume. "Well, if you wear black, it takes 15 pounds of your body," Newmar offered. "When you put on the heels, which were four inches, it takes what -- five pounds per inch off of your body?"

While the trio was quick to note how much they enjoyed filming the series together, West did hint at some degree of tension with one of the series' numerous guest stars. "Oh my God, there were so many of them -- about 120 -- and I enjoyed working with all of them except one."

Despite heavy prodding from the crowd, West declined to identify the object of his ire. Apparently, that's one for the Riddler to puzzle over.

 

Alexa Vega
Everett Collection/Dimension Films Director Robert Rodriguez is ginning up a reboot of his hugely profitable "Spy Kids" franchise. This one has a new crew of kids along with Jessica Alba and Joel McHale. It also features a return of the original main characters -- Carmen and Juni Cortez (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) -- only they aren't kids anymore. Call them Spy Young Adults.


In the first movie -- which came out way back in 2001 -- Carmen and Juni had no clue that their seemingly dull parents (played by Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) were actually semiretired members of the Organization of Super Spies. They quickly learned the truth, needless to say, and soon were members of the OSS themselves.



Daryl Sabara Then and Now
Everett Collection/Dimension Films In "Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World," which comes out later this summer, Carmen and Juni are still with the OSS and give the new kids -- Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook) -- some pointers and much needed spy gadgets in their battle against the fiendish Timekeeper.
Since the last "Spy Kids" movie came out in 2003, Daryl Sabara and Alexa Vega have been quietly building their grown-up movie careers. Daryl has appeared in episodes of "Weeds" and "Criminal Minds," and he's set to play a major role in the upcoming sci-fi spectacular "John Carter of Mars."
Alexa Vega starred in "Repo! The Genetic Opera" alongside Paris Hilton, and this year she was the lead in the comedy "From Prada to Nada" opposite Camilla Belle and Wilmer Valderrama. She also recently married producer Sean Covel. The Spy Kids have indeed grown up.
"Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World" opens on August 19. In the meantime, check out the exclusive trailer below.

Will Smith & Josh Brolin Asadorian-Mejia/Splash After nearly a decade away from movie screens, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are suiting up again to become "Men in Black." After the first two films made over $1 billion worldwide, it was just a matter of time before they put on their shades and fought aliens again. But if the photo to the left is looks a little off to you, don't worry. It's not a facelift that's making Jones look decades younger; it's another actor.

Photographers caught Will Smith and new costar Josh Brolin filming scenes for "Men in Black III" this week in the Bronx. According to The Hollywood Reporter, in the third movie Smith's character, Agent J, goes back in time to 1969 and encounters the younger version of Jones's Agent K, played by Brolin.  From the looks of the pictures, it seems that Brolin has stepped into Jones's patent leather shoes just fine.

See Will Smith and Josh Brolin on the set >>

The Two K's: Jones and Brolin Everett Collection/Asadorian-Mejia/Splash In many ways, Josh Brolin was a natural choice to step in as the earlier incarnation of Tommy Lee Jones. There is a marked resemblance between the two, especially with their matching black suits and slicked-back hair. They both have roots in Texas: Jones was born there, and Brolin's mother was a native. Both own ranches where they live when they're not working. They have also worked on the same film twice before -- "In the Valley of Elah" and the Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men" -- but they never appeared in the same scene. And since they're playing the same role in two different times, it stands to reason they won't in "Men in Black III," either.

However, Brolin is significantly older now than Jones actually was in 1969. Brolin is currently 43 years old, and Jones was 23 at that time. But since Brolin still looks young for his age -- and Jones has always looked old for his -- it basically evens out.

Josh Brolin red carpet photos >>

"Men in Black III" has been the subject of some controversy because, according to The Hollywood Reporter, cameras started rolling on the film without a finished script. In order to qualify for New York tax credits that were set to expire, the movie began shooting last November. The plan was for filming to go on hiatus from December through February, but that break was extended through March to finish the screenplay. But as the photographs show, the cast and crew are now back at work.

With a cast that also includes Emma Thompson and Jemaine Clement, "Men in Black III" is scheduled to open on May 25, 2012.

Batman 3 to be titled The Dark Knight Rises, will NOT feature the Riddler

Wow, actual details about the next Batman film! And from director Christopher Nolan himself! It must be Christmas somewhere. The notoriously tightlipped director recently spoke to the LA Times and confirmed the title of the next Batman film- The Dark Knight Rises- and also eliminated the Riddler as the villain.

To be fair, the idea of the Riddler as a character was purely based on guesswork from fans, and nothing that Nolan himself did or said. In fact, the script has only recently been completed, so any details that did not come directly from Nolan, his brother Jonah who co-wrote the screenplay, or David Goyer who worked on the original story must be viewed with a grain of salt.

The Riddler rumors hit a peak earlier this month when it was announced that Tom Hardy had been cast in “a lead role”. To be clear, it is not certain who Hardy will play, or if he is even playing a villain, but to the denizens of the intertubes it all seemed to fit together nicely. So back to the drawing board on whom Hardy will play. Some of the filming is set to occur in New Orleans, leading to further speculation that Hardy might play a more realistic version of Killer Croc.

Nolan also stated that he will not film in 3D, instead opting to film the movie in IMAX as he did with The Dark Knight. Surprisingly, Nolan claims that Warner Bros. fully supports his decision to skip the 3D craze and stick with just two of the Ds. Then again when you have a director that has made well over a billion dollars for the studio in just his last two movies, perhaps it isn’t so surprising that the execs agree to let him do things his own way.

So let the speculation on whom the villain is begin anew! The Riddler is out, Mr. Freeze was long ago eliminated, and the Joker will not be recast. The film is still in the casting process, and the studio is said to be looking to cast an actress for a lead role– but whether or not that means she will be an enemy to Batman or a love interest to Bruce Wayne is unclear. So what is your best guess? Who will face off against Batman? Sound off below! "Celerties Say Hello Video"

In Big Fan, comedian Patton Oswalt plays a huge New York Giants fan. The problem is, he doesn't exactly root for a team on Sunday in real life. So in his exclusive chat with PopEater, he summed up how he got into character: "Basically I had to draw on my geeky love for comics. It's the same spark, just different fuel."

Big Fan has been riding a wave of buzz since its Sundance Film Festival debut - even drawing implications of a Golden Globe or Oscar nod. "I honestly don't know what to do when you're nominated. I'm assuming they send a car for you, and you go to some parties.

"I'd be really happy if the movie got nominated... It would be good to see that happen knowing how hard Robert [Siegel] worked on this film."