Batman (film)

*For the 1966 film also originally released under the title "Batman," see Batman: The Movie.*

## *Batman*

### Produced by

Jon Peters,
Peter Guber

### Written by

Sam Hamm,
Warren Skaaren

### Box office

$411.6 million

***Batman*** is a 1989 action superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton and written by Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren. The film stars Michael Keaton as the titular hero and Jack Nicholson as the villainous Joker, along with Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale and Robert Wuhl as Alexander Knox. The film chronicles Batman's war on crime in Gotham City as he contends with his arch-enemy, the Joker.

*Batman* was produced by Jon Peters and Peter Guber under their production company and distributed by Warner Bros. It is the second live action theatrical feature film adaptation of the Batman character, following 1966's *Batman: The Movie*, and the first entry in Warner Bros.' long-running *Batman* film franchise. It premiered in Westwood, California on June 19, 1989, and was released to American theaters on June 23.

Tim Burton was hired to direct the film in 1986, with the film officially being greenlit after the success of Burton's *Beetlejuice* in 1988. Michael Keaton, who starred as the titular character in *Beetlejuice*, was cast as Batman after many other A-list actors were considered for the role, and his casting was controversial at the time due to his perceived typecasting as a comedic actor. Jack Nicholson accepted the role of the film's villain, the Joker, under several conditions which included top billing over Keaton. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios in England from October 1988 to January 1989.

*Batman* was a considerable critical and financial success, and was the fifth-highest grossing film of all time at the time of its release. It was widely praised for its tone and style, as well as for Keaton and Nicholson's performances. It was nominated for several Saturn Awards and a Golden Globe Award, and won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction. The film proved highly influential for the future of both the Batman character and the superhero genre of films. A sequel titled *Batman Returns* was released on June 19, 1992.

## Plot

One night in Gotham City, a family is mugged in an alleyway by two criminals. The crooks knock out the father and steal the mother's purse before escaping to a rooftop. There, one criminal discusses the recent death of another criminal named Johnny Gobbs, saying he heard "the Bat" killed him. The other criminal dismisses the notion of "the Bat" and tells his accomplice to shut up, just before Batman appears on the rooftop and confronts both criminals. The men are shocked by the vigilante's appearance, but draw their guns on him and shoot him repeatedly. However, Batman simply gets back to his feet and beats both criminals into submission. He grabs one and holds him over the ledge, as the latter begs him not to kill him. Batman says he won't kill him, but wants him to tell all of his friends about him. When the criminal asks who he is, he simply replies "I'm Batman" before throwing him aside.

In the meantime, Gotham Mayor Borg holds a press conference where he introduces the city's new district attorney Harvey Dent alongside Police Commissioner James Gordon. The two are tasked with keeping the city safe by combating crime as Gotham approaches its bicentennial celebration, and vow to bring down crime boss Carl Grissom. Newspaper reporter Alexander Knox arrives as the two criminals Batman defeated earlier are taken into custody and questions corrupt police Lieutenant Max Eckhardt about Batman's involvement, though he denies the Batman even exists. Eckhardt slips away from the scene and is paid off by Grissom's psychopathic second-in-command Jack Napier. Napier is secretly sleeping with Grissom's mistress Alicia Hunt, and believes Grissom is unaware of their affair. Grissom holds a meeting with his men and discusses what would happen if Harvey Dent tied them in with their front, Axis Chemicals. When he is informed they would be "dead and buried" if the connection was made, Napier suggests they clean out the records and trash the place and frame it as industrial espionage. Grissom compliments the idea and says he wants Napier to oversee the job personally. Napier is hesitant and asks if Grissom can get someone else to handle it, but Grissom assures Napier that he is his "number one guy." As Napier leaves, Grissom calls Eckhardt to set Napier up as revenge for sleeping with Alicia.

Knox meets photojournalist Vicki Vale, who is interested in his investigation into Batman. Vale acquires invitations to Bruce Wayne's charity fundraiser to save the Gotham bicentennial festival, where Knox will be able to question Gordon and Dent about Batman. While at the event, Knox tries to interview Gordon, who tells him that they would have arrested Batman if he existed. Dent also dismisses the existence of Batman. Knox and Vale tour Wayne Manor and meet Bruce, who is informed by his butler Alfred that Gordon was compelled to leave unexpectedly. Bruce excuses himself and heads to the Batcave, where he watches a security recording that shows Gordon being informed that Napier is cleaning out Axis Chemicals and leaving once he learns Eckhardt is leading the police response.

Napier and his men break into Axis and ransack the office to recover incriminating documents, only to find they are already gone. Realizing they have been set up, Napier tells his men to be careful. Suddenly, they are attacked by police and engage in a shootout. Eckhardt tells his men to kill Napier, but Gordon arrives and informs them he is in charge and wants Napier alive. Fleeing the police, Napier traverses a catwalk high above the chemical vats where he is confronted by Batman. Napier's henchman Bob holds Gordon at gunpoint and forces Batman to release Napier, who tries to turn his gun on Batman only to find he has disappeared. As his men flee the building, Napier shoots and kills Eckhardt. Batman reappears and Napier shoots him, only for the bullet to ricochet off of his gauntlet and strike Napier in the face, causing him to fall over the catwalk. Batman catches him but cannot hold on, sending Napier plummeting into a vat of chemicals below. Gordon orders Batman to surrender, but the vigilante drops a smoke bomb as police surround him and escapes to the ceiling above.

Bruce invites Vicki over to Wayne Manor for dinner, and the two quickly begin forming a romantic bond. Meanwhile, a seedy underworld surgeon finishes working on Napier, who managed to survive his fall into the chemicals. Napier furiously removes his bandages and demands a mirror. Upon observing his face, Napier begins to weep softly, but this gradually turns into maniacal laughter as he smashes the mirror on the table beside him. Napier exits the surgeon's office, laughing insanely the entire time. Napier arrives at Grissom's penthouse, much to Grissom's shock. Grissom tries to reach for a gun, but Napier tells him not to bother. Grissom angrily tells Napier his life "won't be worth spit" if he kills him, but Napier responds that he has been dead and it is very "liberating." When Grissom pleads with Jack to cut a deal, he informs him that "Jack" is dead and that he now goes by "Joker." As the Joker steps into the light, Grissom is horrified to see that he has chalk white skin and a permanent smile on his face, just before the Joker shoots him to death. The Joker sits at Grissom's desk and picks up a bloodstained newspaper with the headline "Winged Freak Terrorizes Gotham's Gangland." The Joker seethes at the headline, and declares "Wait 'til they get a load of me" before bursting into laughter.

The next morning, Vicki suggests that she and Bruce have lunch, but Bruce informs her that he has to go out of town for a while. As Vicki leaves, she bids farewell to Alfred and says she will see him when they get back, but Alfred informs her they have no intention of leaving anytime soon. The Joker holds a meeting of the Gotham's crime bosses, and states that starting with the city's bicentennial, they will run the city into the ground. One of the bosses asks why they don't hear this from Grissom. Another boss, Antoine Rotelli, asks what happens if they say no. The Joker simply replies that they'll shake hands and "that'll be it," and reaches to shake Rotelli's hand. As he does, a joybuzzer hidden on his glove activates and burns Rotelli alive. As Rotelli's charred corpse drops into a chair, Joker's goons burst into the room and hold everyone at gunpoint. The Joker continues to laugh and demands everyone leave. Before Bob leaves, the Joker orders him to find out everything he can about Batman by tailing the journalists reporting on him. He grabs Bob by the shoulders and eerily reiterates Grissom's earlier statement, saying Bob is his "number one guy." Bob responds affirmatively and leaves, leaving the Joker to speak to Rotelli's corpse. Pretending the corpse is speaking back to him, the Joker acts shocked that Rotelli has suggested he kill the other bosses now. The Joker says Rotelli is a "vicious bastard" and says he's glad he's dead, then bursts into laughter.

Vicki decides to follow Bruce, and tracks him to downtown Gotham, where she photographs him laying flowers down in an alleyway. Unbeknownst to her, she is being photographed by Bob. At City Hall, one of the crime bosses exits the building and is surrounded by reporters, including Knox. Bruce stands near the building and watches, and notices several mimes congregating in the area. The boss says he has been asked to take over Grissom's businesses until he returns. When the reporters are skeptical, one of the boss' men insists the signature is perfectly legitimate. Suddenly, the Joker responds that it is legitimate and approaches the boss. He says he saw Grissom reach up with his dead hand and sign with his own blood. He then says "Hello Vinny. It's your Uncle Bingo. Time to pay the check" before throwing a quill directly into the boss' throat. The Joker then declares to the crowd that "The pen is truly mightier than the sword" before his men open fire on the crowd as he descends the stairs. Bruce is grazed by a bullet, but does not notice it as he is astounded to see Napier alive. He walks to the car the Joker is escaping in, and the madman merely gives him a wave before driving off.

The Joker begins planning his next move as Bob presents him with photographs of Knox and Vicki. The Joker is immediately smitten with Vicki and decides that she will be his new girlfriend. He asks Bob for the phone book as he cuts Vicki's picture out of the photo. A news show reports on the recent deaths of two models who were found with pale white skin and smiles on their faces. The male anchor reports that two mysterious deaths were reported at a beauty parlor while his female co-anchor suddenly begins laughing hysterically and collapses. The broadcast is hijacked by a sinister commercial featuring the Joker. The Joker announces the arrival of "new and improved" products with a new secret ingredient, Smylex. He reveals that Smylex is the culprit in the recent deaths, as it leaves its victims with the Joker's characteristic smile and white skin. The Joker then rhetorically asks where one can get these "fine new items" and reponds that the "gag" is that they've probably bought them already.

Bruce researches the Joker's poisoning of Gotham's beauty products in the Batcave, and is informed by Alfred that Vicki said she will be late in meeting him at the museum. Bruce then responds he isn't meeting her tonight. At the Flugelheim Museum, Vicki sits at a table waiting for Bruce. The waiter arrives at her table and gives her a package he says just arrived for her. Inside the package is a gas mask, with a warning to put it on written crudely in crayon. Poisonous gas begins seeping through the air vents, killing everyone inside. Vicky hurriedly puts on the mask and watches in horror as everyone around her drops dead. After a few moments, the Joker and his goons enter the museum and begin vandalizing the artwork. The Joker approaches Vicki's table and tells her she can take the mask off now. He asks to see her portfolio, which she had brought to show Bruce, and dismisses all of her work as "crap" before coming upon pictures of the aftermath of the war in Corto Maltese. The Joker declares that "that's good work" and compliments how Vicki captures the skulls and bodies. He explains to her that he considers himself the world's "first fully-functioning homicidial artist," and wants Vicki to capture his work. He brings Alicia to the table and asks her to remove her mask, revealing horrific burns and scarring on her face. Vicki is horrified and steps back, but the Joker asks if she likes his work. The Joker presses her further, asking for information on Batman. As the Joker continues to terrify Vicki, Batman suddenly drops through the skylight and grabs her, then escapes on a grappling hook. Batman takes Vicki into the Batmobile and drives away, pursued by the Joker's goons. The Batmobile is cornered, and Batman exits it with Vicki and runs into an alley. He sends Vicki to the roof with the grappling hook and confronts the Joker's goons in the alley, defeating them all except for Bob. When Batman beckons to Bob to fight him, Bob simply drops his knife and runs away. Batman recovers Vicki and returns to the Batmobile, then drives her to the Batcave. There, he presents Vicki with documents cracking the code the Joker has used to poison Gotham's beauty products, and tells her to give them to her editor.

Vicki awakens the next morning at her apartment, and quickly calls Knox to tell him to prepare to print her story. With the Joker's method of poisoning Gotham exposed, the Joker angrily declares to Bob that he has given a name to his pain, and it is Batman. Bruce visits Vicki at her apartment, trying to reveal to her that he is Batman. However, the Joker and his men arrive as well and interrupt their meeting. Bruce confronts the Joker, saying he knows who he is. He then grabs a poker from the fireplace and threatens the Joker. The Joker calmly pulls out a gun and asks Bruce if he's "ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight." He says he asks this of all of his prey, as he just likes the way it sounds. He then shoots Bruce in the chest and threatens Vicki before leaving. Vicki looks for Bruce's body but finds only a metal tray with a bullet stuck in it.

As Mayor Borg holds a press conference officially canceling the bicentennial festival over safety concerns, the Joker hijacks the airwaves and insists that he is not a killer, but rather Batman is the man who has brought true terror to Gotham. He says he is going to drop 20 million dollars in cash onto the crowd at a parade, and that the main event will be a battle between himself and Batman. At the Batcave, Bruce reviews the file on his parents' murder and remembers that the mugger who killed them had asked him the same question the Joker did. Bruce then realizes that Jack Napier was the mugger who killed his parents. Alfred lets Vicki into the Batcave, and she questions him about their relationship. Bruce says he'd like to be with Vicki, but right now he has to stop the Joker.

Batman raids Axis Chemicals in the Batmobile and destroys it with a bomb. However, the Joker escapes in a helicopter and taunts Batman. At the parade, the Joker dumps cash onto the crowd before noticing the Batwing flying overhead. He orders his men to put on their gas masks and tells the citizens that this is the part where he relieves them of their "failed and useless lives." He presses a button that causes the parade balloons to begin releasing Smylex gas. Vicki and Knox, who are covering the parade, notice this and try to drive to safety. Batman uses the Batwing to grab the balloons and carry them high into the sky before releasing them at a safe distance. The Joker is furious that Batman "stole" his balloons, and shoots Bob in frustration. The Batwing swoops down and opens fire on the Joker and his men, with the Joker taunting Batman and begging him to shoot him. When all of the Batwing's weapons miss, the Joker produces a comically long handgun and fires it at the Batwing, knocking it out of the sky. He then holds Vicki at gunpoint and takes her into the old Gotham Cathedral, ordering his men to pick him up from the roof in ten minutes. Batman emerges from the wreckage of the Batwing and pursues the Joker and Vicki to the roof. Once he is there, he is attacked by several of the Joker's goons, all while the Joker dances with Vicki while waiting for the helicopter. Batman manages to defeat the goons, and when Vicki sees him approaching she distracts the Joker by finally returning his romantic advances. Just then, Batman appears behind the Joker and asks him if he's ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight before punching him in the face. Batman declares he is going to kill the Joker, but he responds that Batman made him by dropping him into that vat of chemicals. Batman continues to pummel the Joker, who tries to punch him back but breaks his hand on Batman's body armor. Batman informs the Joker that he made him first by killing his parents. The Joker finds himself cornered and tries to talk his way out of it before Batman punches him off of the roof. As Batman and Vicki look over the roof, the Joker pulls them over from a balcony below. As Batman and Vicki hold onto a ledge for dear life, the Joker taunts them and begins loosening the bricks. The Joker's helicopter flies overhead, and he informs Batman "it's time to retire." He grabs a ladder and begins climbing up to the chopper, but Batman uses his grappling hook to tie the Joker's leg to a gargoyle. Unable to stand the immense weight, the Joker lets go of the ladder and falls to his death. The ledge Batman and Vicki are holding onto breaks and they begin to fall as well, but Batman uses his grappling hook to save them.

Gordon and Dent hold a press conference announcing that they have rounded up all of the Joker's men and that the crime wave is over. Dent reads a letter from Batman saying that if the forces of evil should ever threaten Gotham again, to call him. Knox asks how they call him, and Gordon unveils the Bat-Signal. Alfred picks Vicki up to take her to Wayne Manor, saying that Bruce will be a little late. Vicki says she is not at all surprised as Batman stands on a rooftop standing watch over the city, with the Bat-Signal shining in the night sky above him.

## Cast

* Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman, the billionaire CEO of Wayne Enterprises who battles the criminal element of Gotham as a masked vigilante.
* Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier / The Joker, a psychopathic criminal who murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne. After falling into a vat of chemicals which disfigures him, he takes on the identity of the Joker, setting out to kill as many citizens of Gotham as he can in the most theatrical ways possible.
* Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale, a photojournalist who becomes Bruce Wayne's love interest.
* Robert Wuhl as Alexander Knox, a reporter for the *Gotham Globe* trying to prove Batman exists.
* Pat Hingle as James Gordon, the commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department.
* Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent, Gotham's new district attorney.
* Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's loyal butler and closest ally.
* Jack Palance as Carl Grissom, a powerful Gotham crime boss and Jack Napier's superior.
* Jerry Hall as Alicia Hunt, Grissom's mistress with whom Napier is having an affair.
* Tracey Walter as Bob, the Joker's chief goon.
* Lee Wallace as Mayor Borg, the mayor of Gotham City who is dedicated to combating the city's organized crime and ensuring the celebration of its bicentennial.
* William Hootkins as Max Eckhardt, a corrupt police lieutenant on Grissom's payroll.
* Hugo E. Blick as Young Jack Napier
* Charles Roskilly as Young Bruce Wayne
* David Baxt as Thomas Wayne, a wealthy doctor and Bruce Wayne's father who was murdered when Bruce was just a child.
* Sharon Holm as Martha Wayne, Bruce's mother who was murdered when he was just a child.
* Garrick Hagon as Harold, a tourist father who is mugged in an alley.
* Liza Ross as Tourist Mom
* Adrian Meyers as Tourist Son

## Production

### Development

Producers Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan purchased the film rights to Batman from DC Comics on October 3, 1979. Uslan said he wanted "to make the definitive, dark, serious version of Batman, the way Bob Kane and Bill Finger had envisioned him in 1939. A creature of the night; stalking criminals in the shadows." The duo approached Richard Maibaum to write and Guy Hamilton to direct a *Batman* film, but both turned it down. Uslan pitched the project to various studios, but they refused to follow his vision for a dark and serious film and wanted something akin to the campy 1960s television series starring Adam West. With no studio willing to back the project, Uslan wrote a script entitled *Return of the Batman* in order to flesh out his vision for the film for the film industry. Uslan later compared the script and its dark tone to Frank Miller's *The Dark Knight Returns* four-part comic, which his script pre-dated by six years. Jon Peters and Peter Guber joined the project as producers in November 1979, with Melniker and Uslan becoming executive producers. The four decided to pattern the film's development after 1978's successful *Superman: The Movie*. The producers pitched the project to Universal Pictures, who turned it down. The four formally announced production of *Batman* with a $15 million budget at the Comic Art Convention in New York in July 1980, even though no studio was attached. Warner Bros., who had produced *Superman: The Movie*, ultimately picked up the film.

Tom Mankiewicz wrote a script titled *The Batman* in June 1983, which focused on the origins of Batman and Robin and featured the Joker and Rupert Thorne as the villains, with Silver St. Cloud as Bruce Wayne's love interest. Mankiewicz's script took inspiration from the limited comic series *Batman: Strange Apparitions*, written by Steve Englehart. Marshall Rogers, who worked as an artist on *Strange Apparations*, was hired to complete concept art. *The Batman* was announced with a budget of $20 million in 1983, scheduled for a 1985 release. Mankiewicz wanted an unknown actor to play Batman, and wanted William Holden as James Gordon, David Niven as Alfred Pennyworth, and Peter O'Toole as the Penguin. Both Holden and Niven passed away before *The Batman* got off the ground, however. Ivan Reitman and Joe Dante were both among several filmmakers attached to the project. Reitman wanted to cast Bill Murray as Batman and Eddie Murphy as Robin. Nine different writers performed a rewrite each, most of them still based on *Strange Apparitions*. Melniker and Uslan considered Wes Craven as a potential director, due to having worked with him on *Swamp Thing*.

Following the success of *Pee-wee's Big Adventure*, Warner Bros. hired Tim Burton as the film's director. Feeling Mankiewicz's story was too campy, Burton had his then-girlfriend Julie Hickson write a new 30-page treatment for the film. Warner Bros.'s interest in the film was strengthened by the success of *The Dark Knight Returns* and the graphic novel *Batman: The Killing Joke*. Burton, who was not himself a comic fan, read both comics and was impressed by their dark tone. Steve Englehart was hired to write a new treatment for the film in March 1986, which was based again on *Strange Apparitions* and featured Silver St. Cloud, Dick Grayson, the Joker, and Rupert Thorne, with the Penguin making a cameo appearance. While Warner Bros. liked the script, Englehart trimmed down the concept for his second treatment by May 1986, removing Grayson and the Penguin.

Burton approached screenwriter Sam Hamm, a comic book fan, to write the screenplay. Hamm chose not to write the film as an origin story, but rather to have flashbacks to the muder of Bruce Wayne's parents. Silver St. Cloud was replaced in Hamm's screenplay by Vicki Vale, while Thorne was rewritten into an original character, Carl Grissom. Dick Grayson also became nothing more than a cameo appearance. Hamm's script was completed in October 1986. This script included a scene where a young James Gordon is the officer on duty the night Bruce's parents are murdered, but this was cut in rewrites and reduced to a photo seen in the *Gotham Globe* in the film.

While Warner Bros. was enthusiastic about Hamm's script, with even Bob Kane giving it his approval, the studio was hesitant to move forward with production. Finally, following the success of Burton's *Beetlejuice*, the film was officially greenlit by Warner Bros. The announcement was met with controversy by many comic fans, who objected to Burton as the director and Michael Keaton as the star. Hamm noted that fans associated Burton and Keaton with films such as *Pee-wee's Big Adventure* and various comedies starring Keaton, even though the film was aiming to be a far cry from the campy tone of the 1966 television series and *Batman: The Movie*. Bob Kane was hired as a creative consultant in order to try and calm fans' concerns.

### Casting

Many A-list Hollywood actors were in consideration for the role of Batman, including Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, Harrison Ford, and many others. While Warner Bros. pressured Burton to cast a known action star as Batman, Burton was interested in casting an unknown actor for the role. Jon Peters suggested Michael Keaton and Burton agreed, having directed him in *Beetlejuice*. The casting was highly controversial at the time, and was even questioned by Kane, Hamm, and Uslan, due to Keaton typically starring in comedies. Keaton studied *The Dark Knight Returns* for inspiration for the role.

Tim Curry, David Bowie, John Lithgow, Ray Liotta, and James Woods were all considered for the role of the Joker, though Jack Nicholson was Warner Bros.'s top choice as early as 1980. Peters approached Nicholson in 1986, and the actor eventually agreed under several conditions which included a cut of the film's earnings and top billing. Unlike Keaton, Nicholson was a popular choice for the role. Tim Curry was later considered to voice the Joker in *Batman: The Animated Series*, but lost out to Mark Hamill.

Sean Young was cast as Vicki Vale, but she was injured in a horse-riding accident prior to filming. Peters suggested Kim Basinger as a replacement, as she was able to join the production immediately. As a horror film fan, Burton had seen Michael Gough in various Hammer Films productions and decided to cast him as Alfred. Robert Wuhl was cast as Alexander Knox. His character was originally supposed to die from the Joker's Smylex gas near the end of the film, but the filmmakers reportedly liked the character so much that he was kept alive. Burton chose Billy Dee Williams for the role of Harvey Dent, intending on having him become the villain Two-Face in a later film and wanting an African-American for the role to allow for a black-and-white concept. Nicholson convinced the filmmakers to cast his close friend Tracey Walters as the Joker's chief goon, Bob. Ricky Addison Reed was cast as Dick Grayson, but was removed from the revised shooting script by Warren Skarren. Pat Hingle, Jerry Hall, Lee Wallace, William Hootkins, and Jack Palance rounded out the rest of the cast.

### Filming

*Batman* was filmed at Pinewood Studios in England from October 10, 1988 to February 14, 1989, with 80 days of main shooting and 86 days of second unit shooting. The original production budget of $30 million ballooned to $48 million. Burton called filming "Torture. The worst period of my life!"

Because of the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike, Hamm was unable to perform rewrites to the script. Warren Skaaren, who also wrote for *Beetlejuice*, performed rewrites instead. During filming, the script was also rewritten by Jonathan Gems and Charles McKeown, though only Hamm and Skarren received credit for the screenplay. Hamm was unhappy with the rewrites and blamed Warner Bros. for them. Dick Grayson was in the film's shooting script but was removed during filming, as he was said to be irrelevant to the plot. Bob Kane supported Grayson's removal.

Keaton made use of his experience acting in comedies to add humor to some scenes, such as Bruce and Vicki's dinner at Wayne Manor. In order to make it seem harder for Batman's secret identity to be discovered, Keaton chose to speak in a deeper voice as Batman than as Bruce Wayne, a trait that would become associated with the character in films.

The film originally ended with the Joker killing Vicki, sending Batman into a blind rage. Jon Peters altered the film's climax without telling Burton, commissioning production designer Anton Furst to build a 38-foot model of Gotham Cathedral which cost $100 thousand.

### Design

Burton had wanted to work with production designer Anton Furst after seeing his work on *The Company of Wolves*, and finally got the chance with *Batman*. "I don't think I've ever felt so naturally in tune with a director," Furst said. "Conceptually, spiritually, visually, or artistically. There was never any problem because we never fought over anything. Texture, attitude and feelings are what Burton is a master at."

Furst and the film's art department mixed various architectural styles in order to make Gotham City appear as ugly and bleak as possible. Both Burton and Furst studied Terry Gilliam's *Brazil* as an influence on the film's production design. Furst's draftsman Nigel Phelps created charcoal drawings of the film's key locations and sets, while Derek Meddings supervised the film's visual effects. Julian Caldow designed the various bat-vehicles and gadgets, which were constructed by John Evans. The final Batmobile was sculpted by Keith Short, who added two Browning machine guns. It was built upon a Chevrolet Impala.

Bob Ringwood was in charge of designing the film's costumes, including the Batsuit. He explained the challenge of designing the suit, saying Batman was huge and imposing in the comics while Keaton had an average build. It was Burton's idea to give Batman an all-black suit, without any tights, spandex, or underpants as in the comic. 28 sculpted latex designs for the Batsuit were created, along with 25 different cape designs and 6 different cowls, which cost a total of $250 thousand. Nick Dudman, who was hand-picked by Nicholson, used acrylic-based makeup paint called PAX for the Joker's face.

## Music

Main articles: Batman (album) and Batman: Original Motion Picture Score
Burton hired frequent collaborator Danny Elfman to compose the score for *Batman*. Elfman was provided with *The Dark Knight Returns* for inspiration. Elfman was initially worried about composing the film's score, as he had never worked on a project of its magnitude before. Jon Peters was initially skeptical about hiring Elfman until he heard the film's opening piece. Peters and Guber wanted Prince to compose music for the Joker and Michael Jackson to sign the romance songs. Prince was eventually contracted to write and perform the original songs featured in the film.

Burton was against the idea, saying "my movies aren't commercial like *Top Gun*." Elfman enlisted the help of Steve Bartek and Shirley Walker to arrange his compositions. Elfman criticized the audio mixing for his score. Two separate soundtracks were released for *Batman*: one containing Prince's songs and the other Elfman's score. Both proved successful, with Elfman's main theme for the film becoming iconic and associated with the character to the point of appearing in other media such as *Batman: The Animated Series*, the score of which was composed by Walker.

## Marketing

While the B.D. Fox ad agency created hundreds of unused logos and posters for the film, Burton and the producers chose to use a simple gold and black airbrush logo created by Bill Garland to promote the film. After learning many comic fans were unhappy with Keaton's casting, Peters rushed the film's first trailer into cinemas by Christmas of 1988. While the trailer had no music, it created a great deal of anticipation for the film.

In the months before the theatrical release of *Batman*, the film inspired a pop culture phenomenon known as "Batmania." Over $750 million in merchandise for the film was sold. A novelization was written by Craig Shaw Gardner and published by Hachette Book Group USA, which remained on the *New York Times* Best Seller list throughout June 1989.

## Release

*Batman* was released to theaters on June 23, 1989 after premiering in Westwood, California on June 19.

### Home media

*Batman* has been released to home video on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-ray. It was made available to buy on VHS in November of 1989, only six months after its theatrical release, for a retail price of $24.95. A 2005 DVD release entitled *Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology* included the film along with its sequel and the two Joel Schumacher-directed films. This set was released to Blu-ray in 2009. The film was released as a standalone Blu-ray, as well as as a 30th Anniversary Digibook with a 50-page booklet and as a SteelBook, with these releases including a digital copy. The film was released to Ultra HD Blu-ray on June 4, 2019.

## Reception

*Batman* received positive reviews from critics. On the movie review aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 76 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.58 out of 10. According to the site's critical consensus, "An eerie, haunting spectacle, Batman succeeds as dark entertainment, even if Jack Nicholson's Joker too often overshadows the title character." Metacritic gives the film an aggregated score of 69 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.

### Box office

*Batman* grossed $40.49 million in its opening weekend, breaking the opening weekend records held by *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade* and *Ghostbusters II*. It also set a record for second weekend gross with $30 million earned and became the fastest film ever to gross $100 million, doing so in only 11 days. The film finished with a gross of $251.2 million in North America and $160.15 million internationally, for a total of $411.35 million. It was the highest-grossing film based on a DC Comics property until *The Dark Knight* almost 20 years later. *Batman* earned a further $150 million in home video sales.

### Accolades

Anton Furst and Peter Young won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for their work on *Batman*, while Jack Nicholson was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy). *Batman* was nominated for six awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, but did not win any. The film also received several nominations at the Saturn Awards and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.

## Sequel

Tim Burton initially did not want to return for a sequel to *Batman*, but was convinced after being granted greater creative control. The film's sequel, *Batman Returns*, was released to theaters in 1992 and featured Michael Keaton returning as Batman and Michael Gough and Pat Hingle reprising their roles as Alfred and Commissioner Gordon. *Batman Returns* was positively received by critics, though it was somewhat controversial for its dark and disturbing tone for a PG-13 movie. Two more films followed: *Batman Forever* and *Batman & Robin*, both directed by Joel Schumacher. Though both were intended as sequels to Burton's films, they were retroactively declared as being set in a separate universe. The narrative of Burton's films was finally continued in comic book form beginning in 2021 with the limited DC Comics series *Batman '89*, which picks up after the events of *Returns* and chronicles the transformation of Billy Dee Williams' Harvey Dent into Two-Face. Michael Keaton will be returning as the version of Batman from the Burton films in the 2022 film *The Flash*.

## Trivia

* Adam West was considered to appear in the film as Thomas Wayne before David Baxt was cast.
* This film establishes that the Joker was the mugger who killed Bruce Wayne's parents, while in the comics it is Joe Chill who is responsible for the murder. However, Chill does appear in this film as Jack Napier's accomplice in the flashback.
* Unlike in the mainstream comics, Batman is willing to kill criminals he fights in this film and its sequel.
* The Batsuit and Batmobile from this film appear in the 2015 video game *Batman: Arkham Knight* as optional skins for Batman and the Batmobile. The game also features two vehicle tracks, "Joker Parade" and "Cobblepot's Causeway," inspired by this film and its sequel. Danny Elfman's main theme for *Batman* plays over these two tracks.

## Videos

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