Joel Schumacher Wanted To Make His Version Of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight
Batman Forever and Batman & Robin are considered two very campy, lighter adaptations of Batman, but director Joel Schumacher intended to make his version of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.
After Tim Burton's success with 1989's Batman, Warner Bros. granted him creative freedom on Batman 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.
Batman Forever Is Actually A Better Batman Movie Than People Remember
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 what Christopher Nolan was able to do with The Dark Knight in 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
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