Remember Joel Schumacher’s Batman series of films?
While promoting his latest movie, Trespass, Schumacher offered up some details on his Batman franchise.
A fifth Batman movie was in the works, “Batman: Triumphant,” that was going to see Nicolas Cage as the Scarecrow using his “fear toxins” making Batman see his former enemies – with the return of Jack Nicholson as the Joker.
Schumacher also states he begged Warner Bros. to do Frank Miller’s adaption of the “Dark Knight,” but the studio wanted a family-friendly movie so that is why they went with Batman and Robin.
“I was supposed to do a fifth one,” Schumacher told IndieWire. “I was talking to Nic Cage about playing the Scarecrow. I had begged the studio for [the Frank Miller comic] ‘The Dark Knight [Returns],’ but they wanted a family friendly, toyetic thing.”
As the movie came out and crashed, the relationship between Schumacher and Warner Bros. went sour, with Schumacher leaving the Batman franchise and a third John Grisham adaptation, “Runaway Jury.”
However, Schumacher states he really has no regrets as he did what he was paid to do.
He ruefully adds, “And I gave up a lot of money, but, no regrets.” Not that he’s hurting for cash, as he notes, “I have awards for selling more Batman toys than anyone in the world.” In regards to “Batman and Robin,” he was convinced he made “the wrong choice” but says, “I did my job. It was more family friendly and it sold a lot of toys, and it supported the Warner Bros. stores. But I did disappoint a lot of fans.”
