10 Promising Films Ruined By Changing The Director
3. Batman Forever
Weve spoken in the past about both Tim Burtons initial plans for his third Batman movie as well as Joel Schumachers intention for Batman Forever to be longer and darker than the version we saw. But regardless of the strangeness of Burtons ideas or the purity of Schumachers intentions, it still doesnt change the fact that Batman Forever is a pretty awful movie. And for that, we can thank the studios change in directors. Batman Returns was far darker than Batman, and it led to parent complaints that it was too frightening and sexual for children. McDonalds pulled its advertising for the movie, and this scared the suits at Warner Bros., because for them, the Batman films were supposed to be two-hour long commercials. The studio asked Burton to restrict himself to the role of producer and then they hired Schumacher. Taking some more inspiration from the lighter comics and the TV series, Schumacher had villains that were more garish than grotesque, and brought back a bit of camp to the films. It paid off for the studio, earning more money than Batman Returns and bringing in a lot of money. Unfortunately though, fans suffered.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com