MOVIE NEWS – The writer of Batman Forever has once again entered the fight for the release of his previously unseen director’s, i.e. “Schumacher-cut”.

Fans of the legendary “Schumacher cut” of Batman Forever have rekindled hope. According to a report by Collider, the existence of Joel Schumacher’s director’s cut was also confirmed by Akiva Goldsman, the screenwriter of the 1995 sequel starring Val Kilmer. Goldsman participated in San Diego Comic Con’s “Producers on Producing” panel discussion moderated by Collider and editor-in-chief Steve Weintraub. Not only did he confirm its existence, but he also shared details about what it would take to make it appear.

The “Release the Schumacher Cut” movement gained momentum after fans successfully tried to convince Warner Bros to release Zack Snyder’s original vision for Justice League. The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign has encouraged a new legion of fans to pressure the studio to “fix” Batman Forever, the disappointing sequel to Tim Burton’s Batman films. Rumours persisted for years that the film’s original cut was much darker, with additional scenes that offered a darker tone closer to the Burton films. During the panel, Goldsman confirmed that this was true:

“Yes, it [the Schumacher Cut] does exist.”

Goldsman went into more detail about the original director’s cut, rumoured to be two and a half hours, 30 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. He said he remains committed to releasing Schumacher’s original cut. Especially after the director passed away in 2020 at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer.

“There is a preview called ‘Preview One.’ Most of the material that is available is put back together. There’s not a lot out there that folks haven’t seen that you couldn’t cobble (together). I did talk to Warner. This was one administration ago. My fantasy was to try and resurrect (the original cut) as a sort of celebration with Joel after he died.”

A giant bat and psychological undertones

The “Schumacher Cut” is best known for containing a scene in which Bruce Wayne has a nightmare. In it, he comes face to face with a giant bat. The scene is shown briefly in the film’s trailer but was left out of the theatrical cut. Further scenes highlight Bruce’s personal mental anguish over the murder of his parents, portrayed with all seriousness by Val Kilmer.

“It was darker. Bruce was haunted by his past. He felt guilty. It’s all the stuff you read. None of that is mysterious. It was a more modern interpretation of the narrative, and what’s not dissimilar to those [stories] that we sort of caught up with now. I’ve seen it. It was put back together.”

Goldman also revealed how finished the film was. He stated that some items were not yet completed and ready for the public. He also revealed how much it would cost to complete. However, the recent merger with Discovery derailed his efforts.

“There are some visual effects that need to be finished. There would be some music that would have to be if not re-scored or rewritten. The whole soup to nuts was about a million bucks. They were on the verge of doing it and then Warner got sold again. There’s a-whole-nother DC. Once the new DC world is moving forward, I will bat my eyes with everybody again and see if once more we can answer that.”

Why do fans hate Batman Forever?

Batman Forever is not popular with fans despite grossing over $335 million worldwide (according to Box Office Mojo). This is primarily due to the film’s tone and gaudy colour palette, which was a massive change from the Burton films. Producer Michael Uslan always wanted a Batman movie that was closer to the darker tone of the 1970s comics. Burton provided precisely that. However, criticism over the violence of Batman Returns prompted Warner Bros to call for a lighter, family-friendly tone. Because of these changes, Michael Keaton left the film, and fans were unhappy with the result.

The director’s version was characterized as being much more serious than the theatrical version. However, you shouldn’t expect miracles from it. The film still features over-the-top performances by Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones, and there’s the “nipple” batsuit, which many say is a major part of the film’s problems. Additional scenes would probably make the overall picture more balanced, but they hardly make the movie completely different…

Source: Collider, Box Office Mojo