After complaints that Batman Returns had been too traumatizing for younger viewers, Warner Bros. set a clear mandate for the next film in their flagship franchise: lighter, brighter, and more fun. Desperate to move away from the gloomier aesthetic of Tim Burton’s first two entries, the studio turned to Joel Schumacher - a director whose pop sensibilities were more in line with pushing happy meals and action figures. Batman Forever was an absolutely massive hit at the box office in the summer of 1995, but it remains a divisive installment amongst fans. Join us as unpack its complicated legacy and also clear up some misconceptions about its development and production. Topics include: whether or not there was ever actually any version of “Tim Burton’s Batman 3", how late into pre-production Michael Keaton dropped out and what that meant for the film, the much different story Schumacher initially pitched, some insane stories of the tension behind the scenes, the mishandling of Harvey Dent/Two-Face, the challenge of bringing Robin into live-action, alternate casting choices, how we felt about this new approach to the series as kids, where it ranks for us now, and much more!

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