Bat Out of Development Hell – Part 4: Batman Beyond an R-rating

The Batman films have been titans in theaters for more than twenty years. Yes, even Batman & Robin made a lot money. The presence of these films, however, tends to overshadow Batman ventures in other mediums, mainly television. In 1992 kids watched as Batman: The Animated Series created a new Bat mythos different from the films or the long-standing comic series. Anyone part of the generation that was exposed to this version of Batman cites it as the foundation of their passion for the bat.

Bat Out of Development Hell – Part 3: Requiem for a Bat

In 2000, the frenzy that followed the release of X-Men had studios buying up any comic book property they could get their hands on and putting those titles into production before the ink was dry. And the heads at Warner Brothers did something a bit unfounded; they would develop multiple story ideas, which would eventually lead to the rebirth of the prized Batman franchise. They could have continued to build upon the previous films. A script was already ordered for Batman Triumphant (aka Batman 5) and George Clooney was contracted to play Bruce Wayne again. Or, they could go in a new direction, a vastly different direction.

Bat Out of Development Hell – Part 2: Nicholson Returns?

“Let me be the way I’m not in interviews. I’m furious. I’m furious. They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me.” — Jack Nicholson to MTV in 2007

During the above interview, Jack Nicholson was 70-years-old. It had been almost twenty years since the first Batman film. Obviously, this is an aging movie legend ranting about something that would never happen. Even Adam West got bent out of shape when he found out that he wasn’t considered for Burton’s 1989 reboot. To that I say: not true. A second appearance of Jack’s Joker could have very easily happened. Let me tell you why.

Bat Out of Development Hell – Part 1: Batman vs. Superman

The quest to bring Batman to the screen began in the late 70s. Superman was a hit, so why not try other superheroes? Film development being the hellish process it is, it took nearly ten years to get 1989’s Batman. Not bad considering Tim Burton and screenwriter Sam Hamm were literally creating the empirical baseline on which all Bat movies would be based. The various sequels would either be a little darker and sinister, a little goofier, and finally downright retarded. By 1997, the series seemed finished but was strangely saved a few years later by a band of mutants. X-Men brought back super hero movies like a phoenix (pun intended) and suddenly Batman had another shot. But what’s almost more interesting than Batman’s return to the big screen is the story of the various attempts to get him there.