21 Batman Movies That Almost Happened
12. Joel Schumacher's Batman Unchained
Easily the most famous and hilarious of all potential Batman films up to the point that Adam West's lunacy came to light, Unchained (previously thought to be called Batman Triumphant) was set to be Schumacher's third Batman film, which was actually greenlit after Warner Bros saw the dailies of Batman & Robin. Whoever the person was at the studio who made that decision is probably not in a job now - or let's hope not at least.
That moment of over-excitement almost gave the world another lunatic Schumacher effort, toyified per Warners' demands, and starring Nic Cage as Scarecrow - a casting decision that still hasn't had definitive analysis as either ultimately stupid or supremely genius. As with all Cage performances, it probably would have been something of both.
Stars George Clooney, Chris ODonnell and Alicia Silverstone would have been attached, and Madonna could have come in as Harley Quinn, seeking vengeance for the death of her father - The Joker - in a script written by future I Am Legend writer Mark Potosevich. Rumour has it Schumacher had tried to go darker - which the Scarecrow role would have guaranteed to some degree - but Warners were again leaning on him to be more family friendly, despite that having ruined Batman & Robin entirely.