People tend to forget what an impact the original Batman had on the film industry. Prior to Tim Burton’s efforts on Batman, the biggest comic book adaptation also came from the world of DC Comics. It was Richard Donner’s Superman, but Burton’s effort was every bit as unique as the Caped Crusader is to the Blue Boy Scout. Earlier in 2023, we got to see the return of Burton’s Batman, Michael Keaton, thanks to his supporting role in the ill-fated The Flash movie. And that has opened up all sorts of interest in the world of Batman, leading to this interesting story about Batman Returns.
Once Tim Burton and Michael Keaton hit it big with Batman, a sequel was inevitable. Batman Returns was marked by the introduction of Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman and Danny DeVito’s Penguin. And during an interview with IndieWire, Batman Returns screenwriter Daniel Waters discussed a joke he wanted to thread throughout his sequel, which Keaton unceremoniously nixed. According to the interview, Waters was no fan of Batman, and wanted to criticize the movie for being a merchandising machine. Waters explains that his version of Batman Returns would have opened up on a Bat logo, which would have panned down to an in-universe store. And his script would have included multiple digs at the commercialization that came from Batman being so popular – not dissimilar to the way The Flash called back to Keaton’s Batman run on several occasions.
