Batman Returns Writer Reflects on Initial Fan Backlash to Keaton Movie
The screenwriter for Tim Burton's Gothic superhero sequel Batman Returns, Daniel Waters, describes how the initial fan reaction to the film was far from positive. The second installment in Warner Bros.' original Batman movie franchise, the movie sees the Caped Crusader (Michael Keaton) once again having to defend the citizens of Gotham against a new threat, the Penguin (Danny DeVito), who strives to get the city under his control before attempting to murder all of Gotham's first-born sons. However, the Penguin is not the only antagonist the Dark Knight is up against, as he also has to contend with the criminal antics of Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) as she seeks vengeance against her former employer, Max Shreck (Christopher Walken). Burton's movie set opening weekend box-office records upon release, and while it did receive criticism for being too violent and dark for a Batman film, Batman Returns garnered positive reviews, as well as two Oscar nominations.
However, despite its success, Warner Bros. felt that its darker tone was inappropriate for younger audiences and believed this was the primary reason why it didn't make as much of a profit as its predecessor, 1989's Batman. As a result, Burton was replaced as director on the next two installments by Joel Schumacher. Keaton declined to reprise his leading role for Batman Forever and Batman and Robin, as he disagreed with the new, more child-friendly direction the series was taking, and was replaced by Val Kilmer and George Clooney, respectively. Now, Keaton returns as Batman for the first time in 30 years in the upcoming DCEU moviesBatgirl andThe Flash, both of which follow-on directly from the events ofBatman Returns, ignoring Schumacher's installments altogether.
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