CHAPTER 4:
JOEL SHUMACHER AND THE MOVIES OF DOOM
Batman Returns has split many peoples. People love the 1989 film, but were very mixed on Returns. Some said it was an interesting twist on the characters, other said it was nothing but a darker version og the 60s tv show. Personally, I like the Burton Batman films in the same way I like the Singer/Vaughn X-Men films. While they stray from the comics, I enjoy them for what they are. And Burton is a great director, though there's no denying he hasn't made some duds.
He's made some great films that were 100% suited for his style...
some films that weren't perfect, but were pretty enjoyable..
and some films that were just plain bad.
However, Burton's Batman 3 sounded interesting, to say the least.
Burton's third Batman film, Batman Continues, had Micheal Keaton and Billy Dee Williams return as Batman and Harvey Dent, who was to become Two-Face. The late great Robin Williams was cast as the Riddler. Rene Russo was cast as the love interest. And, after two movies where he almost played Robin, Marlon Waynes was cast as the Boy Wonder. And Catwoman was supposed to cameo. Burton was ready to go...
In the last chapter, I noted how WB giving Burton full creative control on Returns was a mistake. See, when he brought more of the Burton style into Returns, people didn't react nicely and the film didn't make as much as WB wanted to. So they wanted to put the franchise in a more mainstream direction. So Burton was booted off the project and was replaced with Joel Shumacher.
A treatment for Batman Forever was written which includedthe Riddler, like Burton wanted, except he was a psychopath with a pet rat. Shumacher kept many elements from the script, but said the script should be "lightened down". This resulted in Micheal Keaton and Rene Russo leaving because they didn't like the direction the film was going in. Shumacher also wanted to base the film off of Frank Miller's Year One, but WB turned it down, as they wanted a sequel, not a prequel.
Now for casting. After Russo left, Robin Wright and Linda Hamilton were considered for her part before it went to Nicole Kidman. Shumacher decided to switch out Waynes with a white actor and they wanted Leonardo DiCaprio or Mark Wahlberg. But the role went to Chris O'Donell After Keaton left, Ethan Hawke, Johnny Depp, William Baldwin, Tom Hanks, Keanu Reeves, Alec Baldwin, Ralph Finnes, and Kurt Russell were all considered for Batman. Kilmer conflicted with Shumacher, but bonned with Jim Carrey. Speaking of Carrey, before he was cast as the Riddler, Micky Dolenz was considered after Robin Williams left. Also, Micheal Jackson lobbied hard for the part. Carrey also conflicted with Tommy Lee Jones, who played Two-Face. Shumacher said he would never work with Kilmer, Jones, or Carrey again.
And he kept his word on that...
for the most part.
When the film was released, it did what WB wanted it to do... better box office. However, it got mixed reviews from critics. Some liked Carrey and Kilmer, while others disliked Jones, Kidman, and the giant tonal shift between movies. Nonetheless, the film was still a hit. So WB sannounced a fourth film.
In August 1995, Shumacher and writer Akiva Goldsmith signed on for Batman & Robin. When the two were making A Time To Kill, they started to develop the story. Shumacher wanted the film to be a homage to the 60s show. He also based some of the story off the Batman: TAS episode, Heart of Ice, which reinvented Mr Freeze into a darker character. This is where the problems come in.
Look, I have no problem with a full-on campy Batman. In fact, I think The LEGO Batman Movie looks great. But Shumacher wants Batman & Robin to be based off of the 60s show and the goofier Batman comics. And combining that with the darker Batman will make the film uneven. This is reflected in the final film.
Now for casting. William Baldwin was going to replace Kilmer, but the role went to George Clooney. Patrick Stewart was considered for Mr Freeze, while Hulk Hogan and Anthony Hopkins auditioned.
When the movie was released, here's how people reacted...
The movie was critically panned for the acting, humour, characters, story, and writing. The film was also a box office bomb and is still the lowest-grossing Batman film.
Live-action Batman film, I mean.
I swear Mask of the Phantasm would have been a hit if it had better marketing people.
But enought about Batman. Let's talk about Superman and the films of Superman that never came to be.
TO BE CONTINUED...