Before Warner Brothers rebooted the Batman franchise, several other Bat-projects were in the works following ''Batman & Robin".
Screenwriter Mark Protosevich impressed director Joel Schumacher with his take on Batman, and he was hired to write the follow-up to ''Batman & Robin''. The plan was to bring the Dark Knight franchise back to a serious tone. Although the proposed film is referred to as ''Batman Triumphant'', Protosevich reveals it was to be titled ''Batman Unchained".
While the script has never been leaked, rumours have circulated that Harley Quinn was to be one of the story's two villains. Protosevich confirms the character was in the screenplay, but she would have been significantly changed for the film. Instead of being the Joker's lover, she would have been his daughter. Whereas she was a psychologist in the comics, this version of the character was scripted as a toymaker. The screenwriter says he wrote Harley as "sadistic, in a mischevious, fun sense", while being good-hearted and conflicted. Seeking revenge for her father's death, she teams up with Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow to drive Batman insane and send him to Arkham.
Perhaps the most interesting revelation is that Hole singer and ''Sons of Anarchy'' actress Courtney Love lobbied for the role of Harley. Over the years, Madonna had also been long considered for the part. Although the film was scrapped, Protosevich had a lunch meeting with Love to discuss her career. "I think she had heard about the possibility of Harley Quinn being in the new Batman and was thinking she would be good for it," he says. "But we didn't really talk about that. We talked about a lot of other things. It was certainly one of the better lunches I've ever had in my career in show business."
One can only imagine how Love's portrayal of Harley Quinn would have been received. Still, we'll get to see Margot Robbie's depiction when the ''Suicide Squad'' film arrives in theatres next year.