What would you do to fix Batman & Robin?

[CJ]

As we all know, Batman & Robin was a movie so bad it nearly killed the Batman movie franchise. What would you do to fix the movie?

Who would you pick to Direct?

Who would you Cast?

Would you add a villain, or get rid of some?

What would the premise be?

 

[returntovoid]

There would be a lot to fix about it, let me start with what comes to mind.

-No Mr. Freeze, instead Dr. Hugo Strange played by Ben Kingsley
-No Poison Ivy, instead Scarecrow played by Sean Penn
-Get Tim Burton back to direct if not Burton then Alex Proyas
-Get Johnny Depp cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman, no Clooney
-Get Joseph Gordan Levitt cast as Robin, no O'Donell
-Get Rachel Weisz cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, both Depp and Weisz are in their 40's now so they would not have much age-difference in 1997
-No Bane, no Batgirl and no Julie Madison
-Keep Michael Gough as Alfred

 

[Gotham22]

I would revamp the whole movie.

Same title

hire Sam Hamm or the Batchler for the screenplay

Who would you pick to Direct? Joel Shumacher

Who would you Cast? George Clonney or Val Kilmer (Batman), Chris O'Donnell (Robin), Pat Hingle (Commissioner Gordon), Michael Gough (Alfred), Nicole Kidman (Dr. Chase Meridian), Michelle Pfieffer (Catwoman), Jeremy Irons (Scarecrow), Hank Azaria (Hugo Strange),

Would you add a villain, or get rid of some? Catwoman, Scarecrow, Hugo Strange

What would the premise be? Dont know but some kind of true self, slipping from reality story.

 

[El Payaso]

Throw every copy of the film to the fire.

 

[HolyPurpleSocks]

Nothing. It's a great comedy.


Perfect tribute to the 1960's Batman TV series.

 

[El Payaso]

Nothing. It's a great comedy.


Perfect tribute to the 1960's Batman TV series.

Man, it sucks as a comedy. It's not even funny or did any of those 'ice' puns turn into a classic line or something? Or those Batgirl's feminist one-liners? Give me a break.

The only possible fascination about this movie is how shamelessly bad it is. Kinda what the Ed Wood movies are. Except that the Wood's movies were low-budgeted and Wood really believed what he was doing was good, whereas Schumacher was fully aware that he was doing a two-hour toy commercial.

And for all the bizarre greatness of the 1960's series B&R only was a mockery. Worst of homages.

 

[returntovoid]

^There's nothing funny about Batman & Robin, if anything it's an utter shame.

 

[GothamAlleys]

First and foremost, above anything else, George Clooney must go.

Then, well Robin must go. No kindergarten humor, no pink, circus -like city, no batgirl of course, no silly looking gadgets and batmobile, no over the topness like surfing in the air or freezing entire city with giant ray...ah, theres just too much to list

 

[The Joker]

A serious approach to Mr Freeze, the way Dini did it in BTAS. They even took the dying wife element from it. That one scene where he's sadly watching the wedding video was a brief glimpse into the kind of serious Mr Freeze we could have gotten!

No Poison Ivy and no Bane. Ivy and Freeze were the most illogical pairing of villains ever. Ivy served no purpose other than to cause a little conflict between Batman and Robin, and someone for Batgirl to beat up. I won't even get started on Bane being Ivy's slave and lackey.

I liked the Alfred being sick storyline, and how Freeze ultimately gave Batman a cure. I'd keep that.

No Barbara Wilson/Batgirl. Not needed at all.

Since Batman Forever lumbered us with Robin, he has to be there I think for continuity's sake. For that reason I'd want a serious approach to the Batman and Robin working relationship. See some proper character development, and not silly arguments over who gets to screw Ivy.

Obviously lose all the neon, camp, pink, cheesy rubbish the movie was filled with.

Give Jim Gordon a personality.

 

[Jochimus]

First, I'd get rid of Clooney, the anatomic costumes, the fuzzy slippers, and the day-glo production design palette altogether.

Secondly, Batgirl might have still been kin to Alfred, but she'd also still be Gordon's adopted daughter, so he'd have been kin from whatever previous lineage she had. Maybe she figures out she's kin or something and that's what brings her to the doorstep of Wayne Manor.

Freeze would have been treated more seriously (and playing more to Arnold's action-man image), Ivy less over-the-top and more of a '40s film-noir femme-fatale who seriously disrupts Bruce and Dick's friendship, and Bane would be revealed to be a seriously-intelligent criminal posing as a dumb-as-a-post henchman who sets out to destroy Batman and Robin, but also intends to play Freeze and Ivy against each other so as to leave Gotham (and the world) for his own. Bane's role would essentially be the diametric opposite to Batgirl's: Batgirl's purpose would be to bring Batman and Robin back together, whereas Bane's is to divide and conquer.

 

[RustyCage]

A serious approach to Mr Freeze, the way Dini did it in BTAS. They even took the dying wife element from it. That one scene where he's sadly watching the wedding video was a brief glimpse into the kind of serious Mr Freeze we could have gotten!

No Poison Ivy and no Bane. Ivy and Freeze were the most illogical pairing of villains ever. Ivy served no purpose other than to cause a little conflict between Batman and Robin, and someone for Batgirl to beat up. I won't even get started on Bane being Ivy's slave and lackey.

I liked the Alfred being sick storyline, and how Freeze ultimately gave Batman a cure. I'd keep that.

No Barbara Wilson/Batgirl. Not needed at all.

Since Batman Forever lumbered us with Robin, he has to be there I think for continuity's sake. For that reason I'd want a serious approach to the Batman and Robin working relationship. See some proper character development, and not silly arguments over who gets to screw Ivy.

Obviously lose all the neon, camp, pink, cheesy rubbish the movie was filled with.

Give Jim Gordon a personality.

I like all of this.

 

[RustyCage]

I'd just upend the tea table and continue where Returns left off, but vaguely acknowledge Forever and show the passage of time in the film's universe by keeping Robin, though I'd recast him just to avoid being too sticky with continuity.

Hell, I wouldn't even call it Batman & Robin.

Who would you pick to Direct?

Tim Burton. I always imagined a nice, creepy, gothic finale under his vision.

Who would you Cast?

Christopher Lee as Hugo Strange, in a 'secret mastermind' sort of role, eventually he finds himself fascinated with becoming Batman as he gradually slips further into insanity

Johnny Depp as Crane/Scarecrow, operating as Strange's sort of weapon/puppet, he takes over as a bigger threat later after Batman manages to take care of Strange

Michael Keaton as Batman, of course

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, she sort of haunts Bruce, watching him try to uncover the mystery at hand, secretly helping now and then, and he still hopes against chance to see her alive again someday

(I really have no idea - a younger Tom Cruise? ) as Robin, this version of the character has started college, so he only appears now and then as time passes within the world of the film, to help out with bits and pieces of the cases Batman is on - think early BTAS

I'd also recast Gordon, and make him interesting and relevant. But he would likely not be as substantial a role as in Nolan's films if Burton was doing this

Michael Gough as Alfred, of course

I'd also like to see the mob make a showing, and Batman threaten and bully them for info. Maybe the Falcone family?

---

Dunno, just think it would be cool to see Burton do something like this. Maybe have it Halloween centric like Returns was Christmas centric.

I'm sure anyone interested can fill in the blanks about the story with their imagination. I just made it all up spontaneously thus far.

 

[Mister Meddle]

Actually.... you'd have to go back and fix Batman Forever before working on Batman & Robin.

 

[Ponyboy]

You fix B&R by pretending it never existed.

I was so p*ssed off back in 97 when this movie came out. I remember my brother and I going to see it together... we just kept staring over at one another giving each other that "wtf" look.

I can watch it now and enjoy it for what it is... a total laugh, and I do laugh at it now... it's legend. But I don't consider it a Batman film.

 

[Hobgoblin]

There is very little to be saved from Batman and Robin. Freeze as the villain is good, as is Alfred's sickness. Besides that...eh.

 

[Thedoodler]

nothing because im to lazy

 

[Ponyboy]

There is very little to be saved from Batman and Robin. Freeze as the villain is good, as is Alfred's sickness. Besides that...eh.

Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze was all wrong. They should've cast Clancy Brown as Fries, and then kept the portrayal like Freeze in the Batman Animated Series.

 

[Hobgoblin]

Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze was all wrong. They should've cast Clancy Brown as Fries, and then kept the portrayal like Freeze in the Batman Animated Series.

I dont know who Clancy Brown is but he must be better than Arnold.

 

[Ponyboy]

He's probably most well known as Kurgan in Highlander.

 

[Hobgoblin]

He's probably most well known as Kurgan in Highlander.

I never saw Highlander.

 

[Ponyboy]

It's not bad.

 

[Mace Dolex]

Where to begin? first maybe get rid of Freeze's ice puns and one liners, do away with his ice themed henchmen.

-get rid of the Bat-skates
-get rid of Gotham's neon glow and naked statues of men
-bring back Danny Elfman to score the film
-bring back Kim Basinger as Vicki
-bring back Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina only to give Bruce a love triangle
-and of course bring back Michael Keaton for one last outing since he would've been in his late 40's by this point

 

[RustyCage]

-bring back Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina only to give Bruce a love triangle

That's kind of shallow reasoning for the re-inclusion of a character, not the kind of mindset a director/writer should take for a serious film..

 

[Ponyboy]

That's kind of shallow reasoning for the re-inclusion of a character, not the kind of mindset a director/writer should take for a serious film..

ahh yes, but no worse than some of the choices Schumacher made

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

ok, i will keep within the parameters of the original movie, ie no major changes like villan changes, and things that WB could have realistically been thinking after BF:

Keep Val Kilmer as Batman as opposed to Shumacher as director, they didn't get on, and in this 'what if?' scenario, I would have preffered it if WB had stuck with the actor rather than director.

Have Sam Raimi replace Schumacher as director, he was up for BF, and really wanted the gig.

Keep Janet and Lee Hatcher as screenwriters, it appears quite evident to me that they did the good work on BF, while Akiva Goldsman just came in and poilished over it, all he did with the B&R screenplay was do a lesser reproduction of the BF script.

No Schwazenegger as Freeze, in B&R he is just McBain playing MrFreeze, that's all he is, it is funny that exists in the real world, but I think I'd rather have a very good Batman film I could actually watch from beginning to end, yes, in fact I think I am certain of that, lol. Although,I can't help but be somewhat grateful that we can actually watch a MCBain MrFreeze for sheer bizarreness.
I don't care who they get for Freeze, as long as he is a very good actor, Tony Hopkins might have been good, obvious maybe, but he could have pulled off the emotionless villan very well, while breaking out the radiator for the emotional scenes dealing with his wife and his redemption at the end of the movie.

I don't know about keeping Uma as PI, in fact, recast her, she did such a bad job with that Mae West accent. It should be an actress who can flip from the seductive to the downright sinister, I don't see Thurman being truly convincing in sinister mode.
I can't recall her name, but that actress who played Judge Hershey in Judge Dredd might have been good at this moment in time. I recall someone on a message board suggesting her years ago, and i thought she was a good fit, looks the kind of way I have imagined PI looking, and a good actress. There is probably some actress who is a better fit I can't think of right now though.

Batgirl- I actually liiked some of AS's scenes, she was not campy or anything until that terrible 'compost' line which just ruined her BG debut moment, all that build up and badass attitude and then they give her that line to screw it all up, that is some ****ed up genuis of bad artistry right there, it was a terrible fight scene anyway though.
But, keep her as BG, just make sure she has good dialogue and fight scenes.
There has to be a radical re-write of how she gets her costume though, have it that there is a costume making machine hooked up to the computer in the bat-cave, we see Bruce designing the freeze suits earlier in the movie, she hacks into the computer once in the batcave and comes up with her own suit.
In the original movie Alfred is hesitant about Barbara staying at the mansion because 'we do get so busy around here', but has already designed her a Bat-costume?

Design a decent Batmobile that does not look like what it was, a toy car blown up to real proportions.

Better costume designs if they are wearing the Freeze suits, they are honestly the worst looking eyesores of superhero costumes from any major movie.