Batman Forever

> I'm both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Not because I have to be. Now... because I choose to be.
>
> Batman

***Batman Forever*** is a 1995 film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Tim Burton and Peter MacGregor-Scott, and written by Akiva Goldsman from a story by Lee Batchler and Janet Scott Batchler, based on the DC Comics character Batman. It is the third installment in what would later be referred to as the *Motion Picture Anthology*.

In the film, Bruce Wayne struggles to balances his life as being Batman and Bruce Wayne at the same time while falling in love with a girl named Dr. Chase Meridian and adopts Dick Grayson, while confronting The Riddler and Two-Face.

## Cast

* Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman
	+ Ramsey Ellis as Young Bruce Wayne
* Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/Two-Face
* Jim Carrey as Edward Nygma/The Riddler
* Nicole Kidman as Doctor Chase Meridian
* Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson/Robin
* Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
* Pat Hingle as Commissioner James Gordon
* George Wallace as the Mayor
* Drew Barrymore as Sugar
* Debi Mazar as Spice
* Elizabeth Sanders as Gossip Gerty
* René Auberjonois as Doctor Burton
* Joe Grifasi as Bank Guard
* Philip Moon as Male Newscaster
* Jessica Tuck as Female Newscaster
* Dennis Paladino as Crime Boss Moroni
* Kimberly Scott as Margaret
* Michael Paul Chan as Executive
* Jon Favreau as Assistant
* Greg Lauren as Aide
* Michael Scranton as Thomas Wayne
* Eileen Seeley as Martha Wayne
* David U. Hodges as Jack Napier
* Jack Betts as Fisherman
* Tim Jackson as Municipal Police Guard
* Daniel Reichert as Ringmaster
* Glory Fioramonti as Mary Grayson
* Larry A. Lee as John Grayson
* Bruce Roberts as Handsome Reporter
* George Wallace as Mayor Burian-Mohr
* Bob Zmuda as Electronic Store Owner
* Rebecca Budig as Teenage Girl
* Don "The Dragon" Wilson as Gang Leader
* Sydney D. Minckler as Teen Gang Member
* Maxine Jones as Girl on Corner #1
* Terry Ellis as Girl on Corner #2
* Cindy Herron as Girl on Corner #3
* Dawn Robinson as Girl on Corner #4
* Gary Kasper as Pilot
* Amanda Trees as Papparazzi Reporter
* Andrea Fletcher as Reporter
* Ria Coyne as Socialite
* Jed Curtis as Chubby Businessman
* William Mesnik as Bald Guy
* Marga Gómez as Journalist
* Kelly Vaughn as Showgirl
* John Fink as Deputy
* Noby Arden, Marlene Bologna, Danny Castle, and Troy S. Wolfe as Trapeze Acts
* Christopher Caso, Christopher Caso, Gary Clayton, Oscar Dillon, Keith Graham, Kevin Grevioux, Mark A. Hicks, Corey Jordan, Randy Lamb, Maurice Lamont, Sidney S. Liufau, Brad Martin, Deron McBee, Mario Mugavero, Joey Nelson, Jim Palmer, Robert Powell, Peewee Piemonte, Peter Radon, François Rodrigue, Joe Sabatino, Mike Sabatino, Ofer Samra, Matt Sigloch, and Mike Smith as Harvey's Thugs
* Ed Begley Jr. as Fred Stickley (uncredited)

## Schumacher Cut

> By the way, Batman Forever still has a renaissance coming. I really am interested to see whether the original cut of Batman Forever comes out because I got to see it, recently, the very very first one, which was Preview Cut: One. It was really dark, it was a pretty psychological exploration of guilt and shame.
>
> Akiva Goldsman, 2021

*Batman Forever* went through major changes during the course of its production, from deleted scenes, to script rewrites, to significant tonal changes. Joel Schumacher, who signed on as director following the departures of Tim Burton and Michael Keaton, originally wanted the film to be darker toned like its predecessors *Batman* and *Batman Returns*, but Warner Bros. deemed his vision for the film was too "adult," and insisted on their own vision that aligned with their view of the *Batman* franchise as kid-friendly and a lucrative source of income via merchandise sales. The cut was originally 2 hours and 40 minutes long, 40 minutes longer than the theatrical release.

After Joel Schumacher's death on June 22, 2020, media outlets starting reporting the possible existence of a "**Schumacher Cut**." This version was believed to be darker and contain less camp than the theatrical cut. Some of the differences include Bruce Wayne facing off against a human-sized bat, the darker and more serious tone, less of an emphasis on Dick Grayson, and an increased focus on Bruce's psychological issues with Chase. Fans began demanding on social media that Warner Bros. release the cut of the film with the #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut hashtag, mirroring the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut and later the #RestoreTheSnyderVerse campaigns by DC Extended Universe fans.

In May 2021, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman stated that he has already seen the cut titled "**Preview Cut: One**" and claimed it is only a matter of time before Warner Bros. releases the cut.

## References

1. ↑ "Could Joel Schumacher’s Darker, Longer ‘Batman Forever’ Cut Ever Get Released?" - Variety
2. ↑ "Batman Forever Writer Has Seen #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut, Says a Renaissance Is Coming" - Movieweb

## External links

* Batman Forever on Wikipedia
* Batman Forever on IMDb