The 170-Minute Batman Forever Director's Cut You Never Knew Existed: Darker, Deeper, and More Intense
After two iconic movies together, Tim Burton and Michael Keaton walked away from a third '90s Batman movie after Warner Bros. decided to tone down the darkness and turn up the campiness in Batman Forever.
It's been revealed that there exists a three-hour director's cut of the film, reportedly far darker than the theatrical.
Directed by the late Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever and the later Batman & Robin were far more kid-oriented than their predecessors.
It featured brighter costumes, an unrealistic pink acid burn on half of Tommy Lee Jones' face, and Jim Carrey in all his 1990s absurdity. While maybe lower quality of cinema than Burton and Keaton's two films, Batman Forever was a lot of fun.
Podcaster Marc Bernardin said on his Fatman Beyond podcast with filmmaker Kevin Smith that he has it "on pretty good authority" that there's a 170-minute version of Batman Forever.
It went deeper into the childhood trauma that pushed Bruce Wayne into his vigilante work, focusing on the mental blocks he faced.
Bernardin said Schumacher approached Warner Bros. with this version and they immediately cut it down.
According to Bernardin, the studio's mindset was "we gotta sell these Happy Meals," and the more serious version was too much for kids. They hired Jim Carrey as the Riddler in an effort to turn away from the dark tones seen in Batman Returns, and they were adamant about staying on that course.
Schumacher's two Batman movies more closely resembled Adam West's campy 1960s Batman than the two Burton-directed films in the same series. Other than a few shared actors, they bear little resemblance.
Smith said that, especially with Schumacher's passing in 2020, he'd love to see this version of Batman Forever get a wide release. After DC set the precedent of director's cuts being released on HBO Max with the Snyder Cut of Justice League, anything is on the table.
Despite the absurdity of the film and the reported tension of co-villains Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face) and Carrey on-set, the film did well commercially.
It was second in the series at the box office with $336 million – narrowly behind 1989's Batman – on a $100 million budget.
While the film was fun, popular, and (maybe most importantly) sold a sold of toys, Schumacher took it a step too far with the follow-up. Batman & Robin is considered one of the worst films of all time – regardless of genre.
There's no official word on whether DC and Warner Bros. plan to release the Schumacher cut of Batman Forever. But if it manages to keep the fun campiness while adding some emotional depth, it's something fans would love to see released.