10 Film Sequels That Went In Wildly Different Directions

3. Batman Returns

Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.

The first chunk of Bat action constrained Burton somewhat, with the picture a mixture of his sensibilities, Anton Furst's art deco production design and, perhaps unwisely, Prince's electro-funk soundtrack. For Batman Returns he had no such restrictions, and took the gravelly vigilante from Pinewood Studios to Hollywood for a German Expressionist take on the Dark Knight.

Abandoned orphan Oswald Cobblepot terrorized Gotham City from the sewers. Assistant secretary Selina Kyle was brought back from the brink of death by a scrum of street moggies after murky industrialist Max Schreck shoved her out a window for discovering his dirty deals. Safe to say this wasn't your typical follow up.

Shot entirely on soundstages with a deliberately theatrical vibe, the script also dodged the studio cookie cutter thanks to Heathers scribe Daniel Waters. Danny DeVito's Penguin was a vindictive pervert and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman a schizoid sadist. It was an end product Warner Bros were scared of marketing by the time Burton finished in the editing suite.

Contributor
Contributor

I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.