Joel Schumakers "BATMAN TRIUMPHANT" and other close calls

[Johnny Drama]

Batman:Triumphant, Batman: DarKnight, and Batman Beyond movies ALMOST happened. Thank god we got Batman Begins.
Let's discuss how the franchise MIGHT have turned out had Chris Nolan not saved Batman from obscurity.


Batman Triumphant from an online source

Warner Bros. hired Mark Protosevich to write a script for the fifth Batman film, titled Batman Triumphant, even before the theatrical release of Batman & Robin. Joel Schumacher, George Clooney, and Chris O’Donnell were still contracted for another film. The Scarecrow was to be the main villain and through the use of his fear gas, Scarecrow would cause Batman to confront his worst fear: the return of The Joker. Harley Quinn was in the script and shown as the daughter of Jack Napier. [8]
As of yet, the script hasn’t been leaked online and it is unknown whether or not Jack Nicholson would reprise his role as the Joker. Due to poor results from Batman & Robin, Triumphant was cancelled and Warner Bros. commissioned more scripts

 

[Johnny Drama]

Batman: DarKnight

In 1998, Lee Shapiro and Stephen Wise pitched the idea for a fifth Batman movie to Warner Bros. Vice President Tom Lassally. It was to be called Batman: DarKnight (not to be confused with The Dark Knight) and included the Scarecrow and Man-Bat as the new villains, with the studio being most impressed with the characterization of Man-Bat. Fear was to be the initial theme (much like the main one for Batman Begins) and according to Shapiro, with Scarecrow being true to the source material. Within three months, Lee Shapiro and Stephen Wise sent their first draft to Warner Bros. Joel Schumacher was still signed to direct but dropped out only weeks after the first draft was completed. The story went as:

Bruce Wayne is in self-imposed seclusion from life, because he feels he has lost his greatest weapons in the fight against crime: his mystique and his enemies' fear. Dick Grayson attends Gotham University, trying to discover who he is apart from his guardian and unwilling to return as Robin without him. Meanwhile, Dr. Jonathan Crane uses his position as professor of psychology at Gotham University and as resident psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum to conduct his experiments in fear. During a vengeful confrontation with a colleague, Dr. Kirk Langstrom, Crane unknowingly initiates Kirk's transformation into the creature known as Man-Bat. The unsuspecting denizens of Gotham scream for Batman's head, believing the Man-Bat's nightly hunts to be the Dark Knight's bloodthirsty return to action. Bruce dons cape and cowl once more to clear his name and solve the mystery behind these attacks. Eventually, Dick ends up in Arkham Asylum under Crane's unsympathetic watch, and Kirk struggles with his "man vs. monster" syndrome as he longs to both reunite with his wife and get revenge on Crane. The script for Batman: DarKnight sat at Warner Bros. and languished in development hell up until late 2000. Shapiro stated that DarKnight was in the running the longest as the next Batman movie compared to the other Batman projects in development.
​

Batman Beyond

In October 1999, the website Ain't It Cool News reported that Warner Bros. was seriously considering a live action Batman Beyond movie, based on the animated series. In January 2000, Ain't It Cool News reported that Paul Dini and Alan Burnett would be writing the script, both of whom are well known for their work on The DC Animated Universe. In August 2000, it was confirmed that Dini, Burnett, Neal Stephenson, and Boaz Yakin were to all write the script, with Yakin to direct. A script was written and turned into Warner Bros., though the project was canceled in favor of the Batman: Year One project.

Batman vs Superman

In August 2001, Andrew Kevin Walker pitched Warner Bros. an idea titled Batman vs Superman, attaching Peterson as director. Abrams' script was put on hold, and for reasons unknown, Akiva Goldsman was hired to rewrite Walker's draft which was codenamed "Asylum".Goldsman's draft (dated June 21, 2002), had the premise of Bruce Wayne trying to shake all of the demons in his life after his five year retirement of crime fighting. Meanwhile, Clark Kent is down on his luck and in despair. Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner Gordon are all dead, as Clark just recently had a divorce with Lois Lane. Clark serves as Bruce's best man at his wedding to the beautiful and lovely Elizabeth Miller. After Elizabeth is killed by the Joker at the honeymoon, Bruce is forced to don the Batsuit once more, tangling a plot which involves Lex Luthor, while Clark sways a romance with Lana Lang in Smallville.
Filming was to start in early 2003, with plans for a five to six month shoot. The release date was set for the summer of 2004.Batman vs Superman was to relaunch both the Batman and Superman franchises respectively, with both sequels being reboots. Within a month of the studio green lighting the project, Petersen left in favor of Troy (2004).Warner Bros. could have easily assigned a new director, but chose to cancel Batman vs Superman in favor of a recent script submitted by Abrams for Superman: Flyby.

Batman: Year One

Batman: Year One is a canceled film based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller. It was to be directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by both Aronofsky and Miller. The project never received the greenlight by Warner Brothers because they found it to be too violent. Ultimately the project was something of a precursor to Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins.
After the death of his parents young Bruce Wayne remains lost on the street and is taken in by Big Al, owner of an auto repair shop with his son Little Al. We are then introduced to detective James Gordon as he struggles with the corruption he finds endemic among Gotham City police officers of all ranks.
Bruce's first act as a vigilante is to confront a dirty cop named Campbell, but Campbell ends up dead and Bruce narrowly escapes being blamed. Realizing that he needs to operate with more methodology, he evolves his costume concept, acquires a variety of makeshift gadgets and weapons, and re-configures a black Lincoln Continental into a makeshift "bat-mobile." As "The Bat-Man," Bruce Wayne wages war on criminals from street level to the highest echelons, working his way up to Police Commissioner Loeb and Mayor Noone, even as the executors of the Wayne estate search for their missing heir. In the end, Bruce accepts his dual destiny as heir to the Wayne fortune and the city's savior, and Gordon comes to accept that, while he may not agree with "the Bat-Man"'s methods, he can't argue with the results.
No casting ever took place, though Val Kilmer (who had previously played Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever from 1995), Ben Affleck, Keanu Reeves,and Christian Bale all expressed interest for the role of Batman. Bale would end up being cast for the lead role in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins

 

[Johnny Drama]

Batman: DarKnight

In 1998, Lee Shapiro and Stephen Wise pitched the idea for a fifth Batman movie to Warner Bros. Vice President Tom Lassally. It was to be called Batman: DarKnight (not to be confused with The Dark Knight) and included the Scarecrow and Man-Bat as the new villains, with the studio being most impressed with the characterization of Man-Bat. Fear was to be the initial theme (much like the main one for Batman Begins) and according to Shapiro, with Scarecrow being true to the source material. Within three months, Lee Shapiro and Stephen Wise sent their first draft to Warner Bros. Joel Schumacher was still signed to direct but dropped out only weeks after the first draft was completed. The story went as:

Bruce Wayne is in self-imposed seclusion from life, because he feels he has lost his greatest weapons in the fight against crime: his mystique and his enemies' fear. Dick Grayson attends Gotham University, trying to discover who he is apart from his guardian and unwilling to return as Robin without him. Meanwhile, Dr. Jonathan Crane uses his position as professor of psychology at Gotham University and as resident psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum to conduct his experiments in fear. During a vengeful confrontation with a colleague, Dr. Kirk Langstrom, Crane unknowingly initiates Kirk's transformation into the creature known as Man-Bat. The unsuspecting denizens of Gotham scream for Batman's head, believing the Man-Bat's nightly hunts to be the Dark Knight's bloodthirsty return to action. Bruce dons cape and cowl once more to clear his name and solve the mystery behind these attacks. Eventually, Dick ends up in Arkham Asylum under Crane's unsympathetic watch, and Kirk struggles with his "man vs. monster" syndrome as he longs to both reunite with his wife and get revenge on Crane. The script for Batman: DarKnight sat at Warner Bros. and languished in development hell up until late 2000. Shapiro stated that DarKnight was in the running the longest as the next Batman movie compared to the other Batman projects in development.
​

Batman Beyond

In October 1999, the website Ain't It Cool News reported that Warner Bros. was seriously considering a live action Batman Beyond movie, based on the animated series. In January 2000, Ain't It Cool News reported that Paul Dini and Alan Burnett would be writing the script, both of whom are well known for their work on The DC Animated Universe. In August 2000, it was confirmed that Dini, Burnett, Neal Stephenson, and Boaz Yakin were to all write the script, with Yakin to direct. A script was written and turned into Warner Bros., though the project was canceled in favor of the Batman: Year One project.

Batman vs Superman

In August 2001, Andrew Kevin Walker pitched Warner Bros. an idea titled Batman vs Superman, attaching Peterson as director. Abrams' script was put on hold, and for reasons unknown, Akiva Goldsman was hired to rewrite Walker's draft which was codenamed "Asylum".Goldsman's draft (dated June 21, 2002), had the premise of Bruce Wayne trying to shake all of the demons in his life after his five year retirement of crime fighting. Meanwhile, Clark Kent is down on his luck and in despair. Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner Gordon are all dead, as Clark just recently had a divorce with Lois Lane. Clark serves as Bruce's best man at his wedding to the beautiful and lovely Elizabeth Miller. After Elizabeth is killed by the Joker at the honeymoon, Bruce is forced to don the Batsuit once more, tangling a plot which involves Lex Luthor, while Clark sways a romance with Lana Lang in Smallville.
Filming was to start in early 2003, with plans for a five to six month shoot. The release date was set for the summer of 2004.Batman vs Superman was to relaunch both the Batman and Superman franchises respectively, with both sequels being reboots. Within a month of the studio green lighting the project, Petersen left in favor of Troy (2004).Warner Bros. could have easily assigned a new director, but chose to cancel Batman vs Superman in favor of a recent script submitted by Abrams for Superman: Flyby.

Batman: Year One

Batman: Year One is a canceled film based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller. It was to be directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by both Aronofsky and Miller. The project never received the greenlight by Warner Brothers because they found it to be too violent. Ultimately the project was something of a precursor to Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins.
After the death of his parents young Bruce Wayne remains lost on the street and is taken in by Big Al, owner of an auto repair shop with his son Little Al. We are then introduced to detective James Gordon as he struggles with the corruption he finds endemic among Gotham City police officers of all ranks.
Bruce's first act as a vigilante is to confront a dirty cop named Campbell, but Campbell ends up dead and Bruce narrowly escapes being blamed. Realizing that he needs to operate with more methodology, he evolves his costume concept, acquires a variety of makeshift gadgets and weapons, and re-configures a black Lincoln Continental into a makeshift "bat-mobile." As "The Bat-Man," Bruce Wayne wages war on criminals from street level to the highest echelons, working his way up to Police Commissioner Loeb and Mayor Noone, even as the executors of the Wayne estate search for their missing heir. In the end, Bruce accepts his dual destiny as heir to the Wayne fortune and the city's savior, and Gordon comes to accept that, while he may not agree with "the Bat-Man"'s methods, he can't argue with the results.
No casting ever took place, though Val Kilmer (who had previously played Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever from 1995), Ben Affleck, Keanu Reeves,and Christian Bale all expressed interest for the role of Batman. Bale would end up being cast for the lead role in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I would love to have seen any of those movies.

 

[why_so_serious?]

I always wanted to see batman: triumphant.

 

[CFE]

As a student working on my bachelor's in digital film production, I can promise that if someone doesn't do a "Batman Beyond" film before me, I'll make it my goal to attempt to see that one gets made and I'll make it.

I've always wanted to do a "Batman" film officially for Warners and 'Beyond' would be perfect...

So as long as there's a breath in me, that one's getting made whether I do it or someone does before me.

CFE

 

[Johnny Drama]

I like your ambition!

 

[Johnny Drama]

As a student working on my bachelor's in digital film production, I can promise that if someone doesn't do a "Batman Beyond" film before me, I'll make it my goal to attempt to see that one gets made and I'll make it.

I've always wanted to do a "Batman" film officially for Warners and 'Beyond' would be perfect...

So as long as there's a breath in me, that one's getting made whether I do it or someone does before me.

CFE

I want in as writer or co-writer!

 

[Kevin Roegele]

On a similar note, I'd love to see Sony turn Spider-Man 4 into Spider-Man 2099

 

[Gotham22]

All of them had great stories and could have happen.

 

[Johnny Drama]

Yeah, but Schumaker? Clooney?
Harley Quinn as Jokers daughter?

 

[mongoose-mania]

The stories do sound really interesting, but I doubt anyone would see them if Schumacher was in control. I mean, after Batman & Robin...

 

[Kevin Roegele]

The stories do sound really interesting, but I doubt anyone would see them if Schumacher was in control. I mean, after Batman & Robin...

I think Warner Bros. was wise to simply not make any Batman movie for eight years. The impact of B&R would still linger in the public's mind regardless of what direction a new movie took. I give Warner's a lot of credit for giving the franchise to Nolan and making it a proper film series again.

However, the Catwoman movie is even more insane in this regard. Warner Bros knew what happened with B&R, in 2004 they were on their way to correcting that mistake with Batman Begins.....and yet a year before they release Catwoman, which is B&R2 in terms of style and tone.

I'll never understand that.

 

[mongoose-mania]

You and me both, Kevin. You and me both.

 

[Johnny Drama]

I have never seen Catwoman. I have avoided it at all costs

 

[TheDarkKnight08]

I would've liked to have seen Batman: DarKnight. It sounds interesting.

 

[Skullen]

I wouldv'e watched them, but I am glad Nolan took over and made the masterpieces known as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

 

[TheDarkKnight08]

I wouldv'e watched them, but I am glad Nolan took over and made the masterpieces known as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

True, true.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I have never seen Catwoman. I have avoided it at all costs

You know what? It's not depressingly awful in the way B&R is. For the simple reason that no-one expected it to be good anyway, it wasn't messing up a great franchise. It wasn't abusing numerous great comicbook characters (Batman, Robin, Freeze, Ivy, Bane, Gordon....), just one really, and she wasn't even the real Catwoman anyway.

No, Catwoman is bad in a, "Why on earth did they do this?" manner. It just defies logic that anyone would do it. Catwoman is like if someone pushed their perfectly good car off a cliff. B&R is like someone pushed your car off.

 

[Ceb-Man]

Batman: Darknight would have been awesome. Scarecrow and Man-Bat.... yeah!

 

[Carusos Shades]

Didn't Joss whedon pitch a batman movie around the same time as Nolan? Wonder what it was like?

 

[Johnny Drama]

I have never ever heard of that.

 

[Carusos Shades]

Mentions a bit here...http://www.cinematical.com/2007/04/...-men-4-wonder-woman-woes-and-batman-heartach/ Just wonder where he would have gone with it.

 

[Cain]

^ I followed "Batman 5" for almost a decade and even I have never heard of such a thing till today.

I think Warner Bros. was wise to simply not make any Batman movie for eight years. The impact of B&R would still linger in the public's mind regardless of what direction a new movie took. I give Warner's a lot of credit for giving the franchise to Nolan and making it a proper film series again.

Yep.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

Im truly happy we got what we got with BB, all of these seem to have elements I truly would have been dissapointed with, in alot of big ways.