Of all the superheroes of the world, Batman stands tall as having the most movies all to himself. Starting with 1966's Batman with Adam West under the cowl all the way to the now filming The Batman with Robert Pattinson playing a young Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader has starred in nine solo live-action movies, which means we aren't counting Batman v Superman or Justice League in that count.
And, for the most part, the Batman movies are loved by fans. The campy nature of the 1966 film is better accepted now that we have the darker films of Burton and Nolan to better capture the essence of the character. But still, there are two Batman movies that no one seems to have much love for, and Batman Forever is the first of them. Director Joel Schumacher's first Batman movie was a hard push into a more goofy tone than the previous two Tim Burton films, but that doesn't mean there aren't some great things about it! Here are 10 awesome things you didn’t know about Batman Forever.
10 Arkham Asylum Makes Its Big Screen Debut
While it can seem like Arkham Asylum has always been a part of the Batman mythos, it didn't actually show up in the comics until 1974's Batman #258. Since then, the asylum best known for being completely unable to keep Batman's insane rogues locked up for more than a week has become one of the defining pieces of the Batman story.
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean really brought the hospital for the criminally insane to life, but it wasn't until Batman Forever that we got to see it in live-action.
9 Two-Face Makes His Live-Action Debut
One of Batman's best-known villains, Two-Face, was supposed to make his live-action debut in the fourth season of Batman, though he would have had a very different origin. Instead of being a District Attorney, the rogue was going to be a TV news anchor who was disfigured when a television set blew up in his face. Sadly, the show was canceled before filming on the fourth season began.
It took nearly 30 years, but Two-Face finally made his live-action debut in Batman Forever, although the version of the dual-sided villain that appears in the movie is nothing like his comic book counterpart.
8 Billy Dee Williams Was Paid To Not Be In The Movie
In Tim Burton's 1989 classic Batman, actor Billy Dee Williams, best known for playing Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars saga, was cast as Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent. As every comic fan knows, Harvey is destined to become one of Batman's greatest foes, Two-Face.
Billy Dee Williams and his agent knew this too, and that's why they made sure that the actor's contract stipulated that he would play Two-Face if a future movie was going to feature the villain. Joel Schumacher felt that Williams wasn't right for his version of the scarred rogue, but Warner Brothers still had to pay Williams to not be in the movie. That's some good work by his agent!
7 Tommy Lee Jones Made The Movie For His Son
With Billy Dee Williams fully paid to stay home, Schumacher offered the role of Two-Face to Tommy Lee Jones. Jones, best known for movies like Natural Born Killers and The Fugitive, seems like an odd choice for such a bright and cartoony movie, but the actor had worked with Schumacher on The Client and the two got along well.
Adding to Tommy Lee Jones' decision to take the role was his then eleven-year-old son Austin, who said that Two-Face was his favorite comic character. Jones would come to regret taking the role. He hated the make-up, hated the script, and really hated working with Jim Carrey.
6 Robin Williams Turned Down A Role Because He Was Denied An Earlier Role
Not many people were considered to play Riddler. Warner Brothers initially knew who they wanted, and they were pretty sure they would get him since the actor had wanted to be in a previous Batman movie. The actor was Robin Williams, and the role he was originally considered to play Joker way back in Tim Burton's first film.
When Warner Brothers offered Williams the role of Riddler, he turned it down instantly. Williams had been in talks to play Joker, but Warner Brothers quickly dropped him when Jack Nicholson showed interest, and the comic book-loving actor was still upset with how the studio treated him.
5 It Wasn't Joel Schumacher's Fault
While superhero movie fans like to blame director Joel Schumacher for everything that is wrong in Batman Forever and its sequel, Batman & Robin, the truth isn't quite that clean. Schumacher wanted to make a darker film, even suggesting they do a prequel to Tim Burton's films and adapt Batman: Year One, but Warner Brothers wasn't feeling it.
After the darkness of Batman Returns, Warner Brothers found itself with a lot of upset toy stores and one very angry McDonalds, who felt that the movie was too mature for their brand and threatened to stop any cross-promotion for a new Batman movie unless the tone was lightened. It was Warner Brothers execs who demanded that the movie be more kid-friendly.
4 Well, The Nipples Were
That said, Joel Schumacher is the man behind the Bat-nipples. He wanted the costumes to resemble the ancient statues of the Greek gods, and that included being as anatomically correct as a PG-13 movie could be. These days, the decision is looked at as one of the worst choices made in any Batman movie, and it's hard to disagree. Even Batman co-creator Bob Kane was upset to see his character's nipples so prominently displayed in the movie. Chances are, we won't be seeing something like this in any future Batman movies.
3 Val Kilmer Was Bob Kane's Favorite Batman
Speaking of Batman co-creator Bob Kane, the artist was very open about his love for Val Kilmer's take on the Dark Knight Detective. For Kane, the Top Gun actor was the best representation of how he saw not only Batman, but Bruce Wayne as well. Well, except for the nipples, but that wasn't Val Kilmer's choice.
As much as Bob Kane loved Val Kilmer as Batman, Kilmer hated playing the character. He argued with Joel Schumacher on set often and even spent two weeks of filming refusing to speak to the director.
2 Other Bat-Choices
Bob Kane loved Val Kilmer's take on Batman, but how would he have felt about the other actors Joel Schumacher and Warner Brothers considered to take over the role from Michael Keaton? William Baldwin almost got the role, but in the end, it went to Kilmer.
Along with William Baldwin, Warner Brothers was interested in having his Brother Alec Baldwin play Batman, but Alec had already signed on to star in The Shadow. Also considered for the heroic role were Tom Hanks, Daniel Day-Lewis, Kurt Russell, Ethan Hawke, Ralph Fiennes, and Johnny Depp.
1 The Robins That Weren't
These days, Chris O'Donnell is best known for his long-running series NCIS: Los Angeles, but when Batman Forever was being cast, he was a young up and comer who had made waves with his roles in Fried Green Tomatoes, School Ties, and The Three Musketeers.
While the role of Robin went to O'Donnell, he was one of many up and comers who Warner Brothers considered for the part. Other famous actors who either auditioned or were offered the role include Leonardo DiCaprio, Marlon Waynes, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Mark Whalberg.