In 1995, Warner Bros. gave its "Batman" film franchise a makeover: Tim Burton was out as director and, after creative differences, Michael Keaton left the Caped Crusader behind.
With a fresh Bruce Wayne looking over Gotham City — Val Kilmer — and in the campier, more pop-culture-friendly mold of its new director, Joel Schumacher, "Batman Forever" proved to be divisive. While critics praised its visual effects, they dismissed its main characters — including Nicole Kidman as a criminal psychologist — as lacking substance and accused its villains — Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face and Jim Carrey as the Riddler — of overacting and being too over-the-top.
Even so, Schumacher's film was a box-office success, with summer audiences packing into theaters to watch all 122 minutes of the superhero blockbuster. But what if that version wasn't the one the late Schumacher wanted audiences to see?
