10 Ways Batman & Robin Changed Batman Movie History

6. It Led To Years Of Creative Turbulence

Even after Batman Unchained was deemed dead in the water, Warner Bros had no plans to put Batman on ice. They ultimately decided to consider both Batman Beyond and an adaptation of Year One. Unfortunately - and somewhat bafflingly - neither ever really got beyond scripting, and it took until 2003 to get anything concrete into production when Chris Nolan was hired.

Reflecting the period of years before Batman 1989 came out - in which it looked like Batman would never get to the big screen due to general studio apathy - the years between Batman & Robin and Batman Begins were studded with multiple near misses. We almost got a couple of Year One adaptations, a Justice League from George Miller, Batman v Superman, Schumacher's DarKnight and a new origin from Joss Wehdon to name but a few.

Looking back now, it's stunning to think that Warner Bros would have struggled to make a Batman film in the wake of Batman & Robin. Its overseas performance suggested there was still an audience for the character, and given the greater commitment these days to continue with DCEU movies even despite critical performance, it's odd on reflection to think of Batman as so precarious a brand.