Batman ForeverandBatman & Robinare considered two very campy, lighter adaptations ofBatman, but director Joel Schumacher intended to make his version of Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight.
After Tim Burton’s success with 1989’sBatman, Warner Bros. granted him creative freedom onBatman Returns, which meant tapping into his gothic, much darker style. Unfortunately, the sequel did not live up to its box office potential and the studio decided to head in a new direction with Schumacher, which resulted in much more colorful,kid-friendly adaptations of Batman.
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Before his passing in 2020, Schumacher shared with The Hollywood Reporter back in 2015 that he was close to directing his mature version of the Batman, similar to whatChristopher Nolan was able to do withThe Dark Knightin 2008. “After ‘Forever’s success, I wanted to do ‘The Dark Knight.’ It was going to be very dark. I remember going to the set of ‘Face/Off’ and asking Nic Cage to play the Scarecrow,” Schumacher said. “The studio, and I’m not sure the audience, was in a frame of mind to go too dark with Batman at that time.”
Of course, as fans know, audiences eventually came to accept, if not expect, dark and serious takes on the Batman, something Schumacher noted at the time. “It’s interesting how our culture has changed. How the socioeconomic, political culture makes it absolutely palatable to see Chris [Nolan]’s Batman — for instance, ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ which is such a comment on exactly what’s happening,” Schumacher said. “You might be able to track that on all the movies. Maybe Batman is one of those things like pi. It’s the center of the universe.”
While Schumacher’s distinct tone with both of hisBatmanfilms received poor reviews from critics, the director is no stranger to creating engrossing thrillers/dramas such asPhone Booth,A Time to Kill, andThe Client, so it would have been interesting to see where his vision could’ve led if he were to helm anotherBatmanproject. Even with the poor reception from fans, Schumacher’sBatmanfilms eventually led to the much-needed reboot in 2005 withNolan’sBatman Begins, a film that reinvented the comic book genre by injecting it with a much more mature and realistic tone.
Now, it’s Matt Reeves’The Batmanthat looks to continue that darker, more grounded route for the caped crusader, as the upcoming film seems to be a combination of David Fincher’sSevenand Nolan’sThe Dark Knighttrilogy.The Batmanstars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne / Batman,Paul Dano as The Riddler, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and Peter Sarsgaard as district attorney Gil Colson.
The Dark Knightand Schumacher’sBatmanfilms are streaming on HBO Max.
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