The Film: Batman Vs Superman Before Christopher Nolan came on board and rescued the Batman franchise from several rounds of development hell, Warner Bros seriously entertained the idea of doing Year One or Batman Vs Superman, which was initially floated as an idea when Christopher Reeve was still in the role. Despite being responsible for lots of Batman & Robins problems, Akiva Goldsman adapted the original treatment into a screenplay in June 2002 for Wolfgang Petersen. It would have continued the Burton/Schumacher universe (apparently without the bad bits), albeit while reviving the Joker from the grave. The plot would have had the Joker kill Bruce Waynes new wife on their honeymoon, and Batman seek bloody revenge, with best man Superman attempting to convince him otherwise. That would have lead to Wayne blaming Kal-El instead for his wifes death and fighting his friend, before they kiss and make up and fight both The Joker and Lux Luthor. Ultimately, the film was canned in favour of Superman: Flyby and Aronofskys also doomed Year One adaptation, though well all finally get to see a version of the story in 2016.
