After Ben Affleck’s canceled Batman film, another project comes to light that failed to sell. An unfortunate omission, as the feature film was promising on paper.
The DC Universe in the cinema is a bit like a roller coaster ride with ups and downs, successes and failures and projects that haven’t even gotten beyond the idea stage yet. And it affects all superheroes, even the most iconic ones like Batman. Before Zack Snyder treated the character in his own way, before Nolan and even before Schumacher, Tim Burton should have continued the adventure. But the director’s very special vision was ultimately shattered and viewers undoubtedly missed out on a gem.
This Tim Burton Batman film will forever remain a dream
After the fantastic Batman: The Challenge, Tim Burton could have returned for a spin-off of Catwoman, one of the stars of the second part. More than 30 years later, a person very close to the cause explained why this project failed. According to Batman Returns screenwriter Daniel Waters, he and Burton were not at all on the same wavelength. In fact, the director of Beetlejuice would have wanted something different, more artistic, without trying to “go bigger” by making a black and white film. A project that would be in the same genre as a very well-known French production.
Il [Tim Burton] Make an $18 million black-and-white film in the tradition of La Féline, in which Selina Kyle would have lived a discreet life in a small town. I personally wanted to make a Batman film that was a metaphor for the character. And for that I wanted her to move into a Los Angeles-inspired version of Gotham City, led by three badass superheroes. It was “The Boys” before “The Boys.” It came from reading my script.
Over IndieWire.
Burton’s project therefore at least had the virtue of thinking outside the box, but we’ll never see what might have resulted. Instead, audiences were rewarded with Schumacher’s Batman films and the Catwoman spin-off starring Halle Berry. Yes, life is ugly sometimes.
Other internal conflicts
During a recent screening of Batman: The Challenge in Hollywood, Daniel Waters also addressed the few criticisms some DC fans have had for the duo’s freedom. “It was strange because at the time I just had to please Tim Burton. Before the internet, there was no need to go to court to explain what you were doing. We knew nothing about Batman’s villains. And we didn’t really understand what comics were. I just learned that DC Comics stands for Detective Comics. Fans attacked us and said, “It’s only the second feature film and he’s already gone?””. Now that there are a lot of Batman movies, I find it pretty interesting..
Although criticized like other great films, Batman: The Challenge remains one of the favorite works of Bat-fans. And that’s partly thanks to Burton’s different approach.
