DC ELSEWORLDS: Reimagining Keaton Sequels & DC Films that Never Were

Over the years, there have been a number of films, real or rumored, that DC never acted on. Pitches of films that never were. I thought it'd be fun here to share your favorite, and hear SHH posters' thoughts on what they would have liked to see / how they would have shaped the franchises of yesteryear with the benefit of hindsight.

After Burton left Batman III, but Keaton stayed on--how would you have crafted the third film? What about the scripted Batman Triumphant? If you start pulling on that thread, you can begin to imagine the possibilities if Keaton stayed on for not one, but two movies. Three? Maybe that would have blossomed into Batman vs. Superman, or a Batman Beyond on screen already. Or maybe you preferred Kilmer to Keaton, but have different ideas on story or supporting cast, like Robin Williams over Jim Carrey as Riddler.

Or the infamous Superman Lives--would you have stuck with Burton & Nicolas Cage, or moved in a different direction like the studio? What would your cast have been? What if you had the chance to rework and recreate Superman Returns into a franchise-starting Superman film like we all hoped for?

And those are just the big two--there have been plenty of other cancelled movies from Pfieffer's Catwoman to Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman treatment, to Miller's Justice League: Mortal, and so on. Maybe you could have made actually-released films like Jonah Hex or Green Lantern better, and built franchises there. Or rumored casting / storylines that never were (I'm looking at you JGL as Alberto Falcone in TDKR) that captured your imagination.

This is simply a creative & fun thread--add your casting choices or story pitches, your fan art, edits, or your wishlists!

 

I'll start it off, with a reimagining of Batman Forever:

It's a post-Batman Returns world, and McDonald's has spoken!

Tim Burton is ousted from the director’s chair and, after having already seen the writing on the wall, has moved onto his next project, Ed Wood.

Warner Bros focuses it’s energies into resigning Micheal Keaton, and manage to do so by offering the star a whopping $15 million payday. Keaton makes the studio promise that the film will explore the Batman: Year One storyline from the comics.

Fearing the backlash from parents’ associations and commercial sponsors if the sequel veers “too dark” again, Warner Bros goes back to their golden goose that gave them their first superhero blockbuster smash—Richard Donner, fresh off the hit Lethal Weapon franchise. Though he promises the studio a lighter take on the character, Donner’s able to strike a balance in the film that appeals to all audiences.

As production kicks into high gear with Burton returning as producer, Warner Bros offers two casting notes: Rene Russo as the female lead, and recast Harvey Dent with a star more bankable than Billy Dee Williams.

Filming begins in 1994 with a July 1995 release, reinvigorating the franchise with a bold new chapter in the Burton universe:



BATMAN FOREVER
directed by Richard Donner
July 1995

Bruce Wayne / Batman: Michael Keaton
Alfred Pennyworth: Michael Gough

Dick Grayson / Robin: Leonardo DiCaprio
Dr. Chase Meridan: Rene Russo

villains
Edward Nygma / Riddler: Dustin Hoffman
Harvey Dent / Two Face: Denzel Washington

gotham central
Commissioner James Gordon: Pat Hingle
Det. Harvey Bullock: Treat Williams
Det. Renée Montoya: Jennifer Lopez

additional / supporting
Alexander Knox: Robert Wuhl
Sal ‘Boss’ Maroni: Dan Hedaya
Dr. Jonathan Crane: Alfred Molina
Henri Ducard (flashback): Tchéky Karyo
Young Bruce (flashback): Unknown, 18-22

cameo
Jake Napier / Joker: Jack Nicholson




It's been 3 years since the Penguin's Christmastime assault on Gotham City, and BRUCE WAYNE is sinking deeper into his seemingly-endless crusade against crime as the BATMAN.

Gotham District Attorney—and Bruce’s closest friend—HARVEY DENT is horribly scarred during the public trial of notorious gangster SAL MARONI. Now serving his own brand of justice, Dent descends into madness as the villainous TWO-FACE—acting as the self-appointed judge, jury, & executioner of Gotham City's underworld.

On one fateful night, young acrobat DICK GRAYSON is orphaned when the Haley Circus finds itself in the crosshairs of Two-Face’s crusade. And like Bruce Wayne before him, the young ward is forever changed by his parents’ murder—spurred into action as the heroic ROBIN.

As Bruce splits his time mentoring Dick and battling against his old friend, he’s flooded by memories of his own childhood and his years training in the Himalayas with HENRI DUCARD. Bruce seeks the help of DR. CHASE MERIDAN to conquer his traumas—further highlighted in flashbacks of Batman’s early days in Gotham City working with a young Harvey Dent to take down the mob.

Tensions rise in a corrupt Gotham City as criminals are openly hunted. COMMISSIONER GORDON is pressured to issue a warrant for the Batman’s arrest headed up by DETECTIVES BULLOCK and MONTOYA.

Lowly Wayne Tech employee & secret criminal genius EDWARD NYGMA cozies up to the corrupt police & city officials to offer his help in deducing the Batman's true identity. In the shadows as THE RIDDLER, Nygma’s motives are much more sinister as he partners with Two-Face to cripple Gotham City…

Batman Forever serves as a sequel with prequel elements—honoring the two films that came before it and further adding to the lore of Batman’s origin & mythology. In a surprise cameo appearance, Jack Nicholson returns as THE JOKER to haunt Bruce’s memories in a stunning visual sequence exploring Batman’s psyche (wrought by the experimental herbal medicinal therapies of Dr. Meridian's colleague, DR. JONATHAN CRANE).

 

lol I love this; especially the D'Onofrio pick for Bane--really awesome. And very 90s. He really would have been great against Keaton. Now I want that movie.



And love the inclusion of Brad Dourif as The Scarecrow--one of the name's originally attached to the character for Triumphant I think? I remember thought it was Burton who liked him, so maybe the character was in earlier versions of Forever?

Thanks--I tried to ground the pitch with a bit of actual history/reality, with Rene Russo & Leo DiCaprio included--both confirmed to have been considered (or hired, in Rene's case) for the actual Batman Forever.

 

That sounds awesome; I wonder if Kidder would have returned as well?

 

Following the smash success of Batman Forever, Warner Bros is quick to re-sign Richard Donner for a fourth installment with Michael Keaton and Leonardo DiCaprio returning as the dynamic duo.

In an exciting bit of Hollywood news, international superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger signs on as the villainous Bane, setting the stage for the ultimate showdown of the 90s: Batman vs The Terminator!

BATMAN TRIUMPHANT
directed by Richard Donner
Summer 1997



Bruce Wayne / Batman: Michael Keaton
Dick Grayson / Robin: Leonardo DiCaprio
Alfred Pennyworth: Michael Gough

Barbara Gordon / Batgirl: Claire Danes

villains
Bane: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy: Julianne Moore
Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow: Alfred Molina

secondary villains
Bird: John Leguizamo
Trogg: Nick Chunlund
Zombie: Lance Reddick

gcpd.
Commissioner James Gordon: Pat Hingle
Capt. Ellen Yindel: Sean Young
Det. Harvey Bullock: Treat Williams
Det. Renée Montoya: Jennifer Lopez

supporting.
Alexander Knox: Robert Wuhl
Julie Madison: Elle Macpherson


The film is loosely based on the recent Knightfall storyline from the comics with the villainous BANE escaping from the hellish prison island of Santa Prisca to Gotham City with the intent of 'breaking' Batman--literally.

Bane allies with Dr. JONATHAN CRANE, a radical professor at Gotham University. As the SCARECROW, Crane uses his chemical toxins to spread fear throughout the streets of Gotham and inspire violence & crime that keep BATMAN and ROBIN busy.

DR. PAMELA ISLEY—who the media’s affectionately dubbed “POISON IVY”— is protesting Wayne Enterprises' latest venture when a freak accident exposes her to experimental chemicals. Thinking herself Earth's savior, she attacks Bruce Wayne with her newfound powers but is quickly taken into police custody.

COMMISSIONER GORDON is planning his retirement, with the Mayor appointing ELLEN YINDEL to take the job. To help her grandfather during this transition, BARBARA GORDON has come to town--and caught the attention of Dick Grayson in the halls of Gotham University!

In a dramatic confrontation, Bane surprises Batman with a gas of fear toxin and proceeds in beating him near-death; then BREAKS HIS BACK. With Gotham City's hero crippled and no one to stand in his way, Bane breaks both Scarecrow and Poison Ivy out of Arkham Asylum to further wreak havoc and destroy the city.

During his recuperation, Bruce must learn to again conquer his fear and take back his city as Batman with the help of Robin and the new BATGIRL against the combined might of Bane, Scarecrow, & Poison Ivy.

 

This is great too! I go back and forth between who I wanted more for Superman—Keanu Reeves or Nicolas Cage.

I actually think a pre-Matrix Superman with the Wachowskis would be wild to have seen.

 

Maybe Johnny Depp?

And there’s nothing wrong with Cage as Superman & Bullock as Lois! But maybe someone more fun as Luthor. I’ve been mulling Ed Norton, but I’m still crafting what a 90s Superman should have looked like

 

Batman Triumphant is a commercial success, but director Richard Donner steps away from the franchise, exhausted from the film's production.

Warner Bros manages to persuade Michael Keaton to return for 1 final film in the title role, snagging Wolfgang Peterson for the director’s chair after his 1997 hit Air Force One.

BATMAN LEGACY
directed by Wolfgang Peterson
1999



Bruce Wayne / Batman: Michael Keaton
Dick Grayson / Nightwing: Leonardo DiCaprio
Barbara Gordon / Batgirl: Claire Danes

Alfred Pennyworth: Michael Gough
Tim Drake / Robin: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Talia al Ghul: Demi Moore

villains
Ra’s al Ghul: Sir Sean Connery
Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze: Laurence Fishburne
Harley Quinn: Reese Witherspoon
Ubu: Arnold Vosloo

gotham central
Commissioner Ellen Yindel: Sean Young
Det. Harvey Bullock: Treat Williams
Det. Renée Montoya: Jennifer Lopez

additional
Jack Drake: Tim Blake Nelson
Nora: Gina Torres
Henri Ducard: Tchéky Karyo
Dr. Bartholomew Wolper: Tony Shalhoub

cameo
Selina Kyle: Michelle Pfieffer


The LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS have come to Gotham City!

Years ago before donning the cowl of BATMAN, BRUCE WAYNE trained under the tutelage of RA'S AL GHUL but rejected his teacher after learning his true goal-- to cleanse the earth in his image, by any means necessary.

In his plot to destroy Gotham, Ra’s manipulates MR. FREEZE, the tragic scientist who will go to any ends to cure his ailing wife, and the psychotic self-professed daughter of the Joker, HARLEY QUINN. And further complicating matters is TALIA AL GHUL, a former flame who just happens to be the daughter of the Demon’s Head!

TIM DRAKE is called to action as the next ROBIN when his father’s criminal actions catch up with him. DICK GRAYSON, the original Robin, faces his own identity crisis. With BATGIRL by his side, he adopts a new persona: NIGHTWING.

In his quest to defeat Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins, Batman journeys beyond Gotham City to the deserts of the Middle East where the two clash swords in the epic finale to Michael Keaton's 10 year saga as the Batman.

As the franchise comes to its close, we end with Bruce Wayne living his happily-ever-after with SELINA KYLE, and the Bat Family standing ever-vigilant against the Gotham City skyline:

Nightwing. Robin. Batgirl.

The BAT-SIGNAL lights up the sky.

FIN

 

Robin Williams really would have been a great pick, but I think he was sour on the Bat franchise after the Joker casting situation with Nicholason in ‘89. I think a mid-90s Hoffman could make a great Riddler. Certainly less zany than Carrey’s interpretation, with maybe a bit of Hopper’s character from Speed just to really amp up the 90s of it all.

That being said—I think Williams would be great as Brainiac from Kevin Smith’s Superman Lives script.

 

That's awesome; I hadn't heard Hoffman was considered for Penguin in Returns. That was just a happy coincidence.

And agreed about Williams--he was a great performer and loved his movies, but I doubt he would have really varied from the over-the-top Jim Carrey (and, to be fair, Carrey nailed that aspect of his performance, so I don't see a need for improvement if that's the interpretation you're going for).

 

To see a fifth Reeve Superman film in 1993 based off Alan Moore’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow (which had only just debuted a few years prior) would have been something to behold. It makes the fumbling of the Superman franchise, and of course the tragedy of Christopher Reeve’s accident, all the more sad to remember.