After the premiere of “Batman’s return” in 1992, Warner Bros. She was not satisfied with his financial result or the reaction of a large part of the viewers. Parents complained that the dark and grotesque film was not suitable for their children, and some part of the minor viewers caused nightmares. In this case, it was necessary to thank Tim Burton, the author of two previous adaptations of comics about the defender of the city of Gotham, and in his place hire someone with a vision more friendly to a wider audience.
Many artists were considered, including John McTiernan, who eventually decided to implement the “glass trap 3”. Finally, Joel Schumacher, a recognized director of “Lost Boys” and “Fall”, was chosen, who was working on the adaptation of “client” by John Grisham. He never stood behind the blockbuster camera and felt that it would be a challenge for him. In the first place, however, he wanted to get a blessing from a person who initiated a cinema cycle.
“Tim Burton is my friend, so I had to ask him for permission. If he didn’t agree, I wouldn’t do this movie. It’s his franchise. We ate lunch, and he said:” Oh, take it, take it, please! ” – recalled Schumacher in an interview with” Forbes “. He was a bit surprised that Burton seemed annoyed by a series and cooperation with Warner Bros. Schumacher admitted that he fully understood him years later, after the premiere of “Batman and Robin”.
However, then working on the film about Batman was a fulfillment of his dreams. The director, born in 1939, loved the adventure of a Dark Knight as a child. However, some problems arose quickly. The creator of “Fire of Saint Elma” wanted to move the graphic novel “Batman: one”, which focused at the beginning of Bruce Wayne as a masked defender of the city of Gotham. The label did not agree to this idea. She wanted to continue, not prequel. In addition, Burton, who remained the producer of the upcoming film, has already made preliminary works, and the dates were chasing – there was no way to start from scratch.
The creators of the original script was the marriage of Lee and Janet Scott-Batchler. In their plot, Batman was a puzzle with man, and the whole focused on the trauma of Bruce Wayne after the tragic death of his parents. When Schumacher joined the project, he asked Akiva Goldsman, who worked with him at “client”, for rewriting the text. However, many Bathler ideas remained in the final version, among others a man puzzling a company competing with Wayne and the way he receives his costume. Initially, it was planned for the villain to cooperate with fear of sparrows. It was also planned to continue the threads of a woman from “Batman’s return”. Ultimately, it was decided to pair a puzzle with two faces, a former district prosecutor who, after disfiguring by gangsters, went crazy and became a champion of crime. In turn, Batman was to receive help from teenage Robin.
Casting problems quickly appeared. It was planned that Michael Keaton would play in the bat again. The actor was enthusiastically focused on the idea of adaptation of the “first year”. When he read the Goldsman script, he was not delighted. “When we met in the case of the third part, I wanted to do what Christopher Nolan in the movie ‘Batman – Beginning’). I told them: ‘We want to see how this guy started. We have a chance to fix what did not work out before. It could be brilliant. Despite the generous offer of Warner Bros. He gave up the role. “I think that Michael was dissatisfied with me. From the direction in which it went. In any case, the role was also played by issues with which I had nothing to do,” said Schumacher in an interview with “Forbes”.
The search for a replacement began immediately. The role was offered to Ethan Hawke, who rejected her. Burton proposed Johnny Depp. In turn, Schumacher considered the involvement of William Baldwin and Ralph Fiennes, and even Daniel Day-Lewis. His first choice, however, was Val Kilmer, who made a huge impression on him in the western “Tombstone”. The actor was a fan of the character and series from the 1960s with Adam West. When he received a proposal, he was shortly after visiting the African cave of bats as part of working on the film “Spirit and Darkness”. He read it as a sign. He agreed without reading the script and the questions who directed.
Robin Williams was interested in the role of man. The actor was previously mentioned as a favorite to play Joker in Burton’s “Batman”. At least such leaks went to the media to encourage Jacek Nicholson to play the most famous bat antagonist. Schumacher met with Williams, but he had the impression that he could not fully get involved. Meanwhile, time has been promising. Jim Carrey was offered to Jim Carrey, who thanks to the success of “Ace Ventura: Psi Detective” was a comedic discovery of the season.
The characters of two faces and Robin turned out to be a problem. The first appeared in Burton’s “Batman”. In the district prosecutor Harvey Denta, before he became the champion of crime, he was played by Billy Dee Williams. Burton wanted to put the figure of Robin in the “return of Batman” and involved Marlon Wayans in this role. It was supposed to be a completely different version of the bat assistant. In his vision he supported the superhero not on the battlefield, and in Bat-Jaskini, repairing damaged equipment. However, it was found that there were too many heroes in the film and Robin was cut out of the script. Williams and Wayans were contracted to repeat their roles in subsequent films. Before other actors were cast, both received high compensation for breaking the contract.
Schumacher wanted Two Faces to be played by Tommy Lee Jones, the Oscar winner for “Patched”, with whom he had the opportunity to work on “client”. It was proposed by producer Peter MacGregor-Scott, who was also an actor’s friend. He sent him the script of the third Batman. After two hours he received a phone call from Jones. “I don’t understand what is written here,” he said. “Then read it again and imagine that the fucked up Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones plays two faces,” the producer answered and threw the phone. Jones called back after a few hours and agreed to play in the film. The next day he signed a contract. Later, it turned out that his son, private comics, persuaded him to accept the offer. In turn, Robin’s role was given to Chris O’Donnell, a young actor who gained recognition as a performance next to Ala Pacino in “The smell of a woman”. However, the first choice was Leonardo DiCaprio, who did not accept.
Everything seemed on the right track. On the set, however, production faced many problems. On the first day of photos, Kaskader, who managed the new Batmobile, lost control of the vehicle. “It was the first day, we wanted to see how it was run, and what? And great, to the workshop” – Barbara Ling, responsible for the appearance of vehicles in the film, recalled in an interview with “The Hollywood Reporter”.
Soon it also turned out that Kilmer is very difficult to cooperate. In an interview with “Entertainment Weekly” Schumacher described his behavior as “childish and irresponsible”. The actor was to conflict with representatives of the technical division. When Schumacher pointed out to show them more respect, Kilmer did not speak to him for two weeks.
It was not the only conflict on the set. Jones did not hide that he hated Carrey. Although information about this appeared in the gossip press, “Ace Ventura’s star” did not refer to them for a long time. He did it only in 2014, when he promoted the film “Stupid and stupid more” in an interview with Howard Stern. “I love Jones. He is amazing. And somewhat gross. I was in the restaurant before our first great scene in the cave of a man puzzle and the waiter asked if I play with Tommy Lee Jones. ‘He is with us, sits in the corner’ He said: “I don’t really like you.”
Schumacher admitted in an interview with “Entertainment Weekly” that the actors caused him a lot of trouble. “I was told that Val is difficult and may not be the best choice for me. (…) Jim Carrey was a gentleman, and Tommy Lee Jones felt overwhelmed. I am tired of defending the overpaid, privileged actors. I pray that I would not work with them anymore,” said the director.
The production cost Warner Bros. $ 100 million. The film turned out to be a huge final success. He earned over 336 million worldwide. Critics also praised the lighter, more camp version of Batman’s adventures. Everyone needed one after Burton’s movies. “I did not expect such success. It seemed to me that nobody wanted another Batman. I went down the whole world, urging distributors to take him in” – recalled the director for “The Hollywood Reporter”. “We wondered how much he would earn at the opening weekend. It will reach 30 million? It turned out that we were nearly 52 million” – added the screenwriter Scott -Batchler.
“I was in Australia at the time. I got a phone call about the opening results. Of course I was nervous. I called a friend who was the head of the studio and asked what the situation was on Friday evening. And he said that we would probably break the record. I started running. I started running through the Australian wilderness, I had my hands up and shouted: ‘Yes!’
Preparations for the fourth part of the cycle began soon. “Batman and Robin” entered theaters in 1997. He was so angry that he almost killed a superhero cinema, and Schumacher apologized for him for the rest of his life – but this is a completely different story.