Batman Forever
Short description
Batman Forever centres on Bruce Wayne's double life as Gotham City's protector, a role that grows more complicated when two adversaries emerge at once. Harvey Dent, the former district attorney left scarred and unstable after an attack, blames Batman for what happened to him and operates as Two-Face. Alongside him, Edward Nygma, a former employee of Wayne Enterprises, turns to crime as the Riddler after his ideas are rejected. As Bruce confronts painful memories of his parents' murder and begins a relationship with psychologist Chase Meridian, he also takes in Dick Grayson, a young acrobat whose family is killed, and the two eventually fight together.
Joel Schumacher directed the film, the eighth of twenty-one features he made in chronological order, arriving between The Client and A Time to Kill. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman with Lee and Janet Scott Batchler, and Tim Burton and Peter Macgregor-Scott produced. Val Kilmer plays Bruce Wayne and Batman, with Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, Jim Carrey as the Riddler, Nicole Kidman as Chase Meridian, Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson and Michael Gough as Alfred.
Released in June 1995, the film carried a budget of 100 million dollars and returned 337 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 5.5 out of 10 from 281,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.5 from 5,752 votes. A critics' rating of 5.3 from 73 reviews places professional assessments in line with those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Robin's costume is not a classic costume from the comics, but is based on elements of Tim Drake's costume (the third Robin).
- Unlike most of the characters in the film, Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) does not exist in the Batman universe or in other DC comic book series. She was created by the story’s writers, Lee Batchler and Janet Scott Batchler.
- Chris O'Donnell's sister can be spotted in the background in the party scene where Robin makes his first public appearance.
- Michael Keaton was supposed to reprise his role as Batman, but after Tim Burton left the project, he refused to participate as he was dissatisfied with the new script.
- Sandra Bullock, Rene Russo, and Cindy Crawford were considered for the role of Chase Meridian.
- Before Val Kilmer, the following actors were considered for the role of Batman: Daniel Day-Lewis, William Baldwin, Alec Baldwin, Ethan Hawke, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Hanks, and Johnny Depp.
- Initially, Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar's characters were named Lace and Leather. The studio felt this was too much for a film with a children's rating. They were eventually renamed Sugar and Spice.
- Marlon Wayans was originally cast as Robin when Tim Burton was being considered as director. But as soon as Joel Schumacher took the helm, Chris O’Donnell replaced him.
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Corey Haim, Mark Wahlberg, Corey Feldman, Marlon Wayans, Toby Stephens, and Scott Speedman all auditioned for the role of Robin.
- Scenes on Claw Island, detailing the creation of "NigmaTech" and the construction of the Riddler's device for collecting brain signals, were removed from the film.
- The Batmobile was usually driven by stunt doubles, but Chris O'Donnell insisted on driving it himself. As a result, he crashed the Batmobile.
- Joel Schumacher’s decision to place nipples and enlarged codpieces on the Batsuits, as well as an earring on Robin, caused controversy – it even worried Batman creator Bob Kane. Schumacher said he wanted the costumes to have an anatomical look, while the earring was intended to make Robin more melancholic. He also claimed that statues of ancient Greek gods served as the basis for the Batman and Robin costumes.
- David W. Hodges played Jack Napier, with his figure shown only in fog and only some facial features discernible. This character is listed as "The Gunman" in the credits. Joel Schumacher decided not to use footage from the first film and reshot the scene of the Wayne's murder.
- Director Joel Schumacher wanted Nicole Kidman to play Poison Ivy, but ultimately decided that Poison Ivy with Two-Face and the Riddler was too many villains for Batman. And the character of Poison Ivy was postponed for the film "Batman & Robin" (1997).
- When Chase Meridian calls for Batman with a signal, she says, "Am I ready, or do I need a skin-tight suit and a whip?" This is a reference to another DC Comics heroine – Catwoman.
- During filming, Kilmer, who was 'difficult' for directors and producers due to his meticulous acting and argumentative nature, nearly came to blows. And Schumacher didn't invite Kilmer to the next installment about the superhero.
- Several scenes with Saccharine and Spice have been removed from the film. These were primarily episodes where the girls use the Riddler's device.
- Dick Grayson mentions the alias Nightwing while choosing a name for himself, but ultimately chooses the alias Robin.
- Val Kilmer learned he would be the new Batman in a bat cave in Africa while preparing for the film "The Ghost and the Darkness" (1996). He accepted the role without even reading the script.
- At one time, Michael Jackson was interested in the role of the Riddler, but he was ignored. Matthew Broderick also expressed interest in the role. After Robin Williams turned down the role, Joel Schumacher offered it to Jim Carrey, because Schumacher and Warner Bros. studio felt he was the ideal candidate after the success of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1993).
- Joel Schumacher wanted Brad Dourif to play Scarecrow. However, Scarecrow had to be removed from the script. And Scarecrow was postponed for the film "Batman: Triumphant," which was never made.
- While learning to twirl a cane, Jim Carrey broke approximately 12 canes and damaged some furniture in his trailer.
- Tommy Lee Jones was Joel Schumacher's first choice for the role of Two-Face after working with him on "The Client" (1994). Jones accepted the role because his 11-year-old son Austin said that Two-Face was his favorite character.
- The Batman suit was so heavy that Val Kilmer lost 5 pounds filming just the initial fight scene.
- Doctor Burton was named in honor of director Tim Burton.
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