Batman and Robin (Movie)

Summary
Title: Batman and Robin Year: 1997

Credits
Director: Joel Schumacher Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Uma Thurman, Chris O'Donnell, Alicia Silverstone.

Synopsis
Cast of Characters: Bruce Wayne/BatMan, Dick Grayson/Robin, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Bane, Batgirl (alternate version), Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner James Gordon. First Appearances: No first appearances Final Appearances: No final appearances Synopsis:

Trivia

 * This was the final entry in the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher movie series. The movie actually did have a good first week at the box office, but word of mouth spread fast and the movie went straight down the chart. Unlike the first movie which was a huge multimedia success accross the board, this movie is still known as one of the single biggest disasters in entertainment history and marked the temporary decline in the popularity of comic franchises in the movies and telelvision.


 * The Batgirl in this story is different from the Batgirl from the comics. This Batgirl is Alfred's neice and instead of Commissioner Gordon's daughter.


 * In 1996, Schumacher and the Producers failed to bring Val Kilmer back to play Batman again. But, they did George Clooney, who was then known for his part on the medical drama E.R.. Clooney actually surprised his E.R. castmates by showing up to the set one day in his Batsuit.


 * Robin's suit closly reselmbles the suit of Nightwing, a persona he adopts in the comics after he splits from Batman. This suit, however, is black and red instead of black and blue.


 * Had Arnold Schwarzenegger not accepted the part of Mr. Freeze, the part would have been offered to fellow action star Sylvester Stallone, Patrick Stewart or professional wrestler Hulk Hogan. It would have been easiest to hire Hogan, because he was working for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), a Time-Warner subsidiary at that time.


 * The character of Bane was not utilized the way he was in the comics. There, Bane was known for breaking Bruce Wayne's back and was truly a monster. Here, he is nothing more than Poison Ivy's big enforcer and was almost comical. Bane was played by a lesser-known professional wrestler named Jeep Swenson, who passed away due to a massive heart attack just weeks after the movie was released.


 * Also, Arnold Schwarzenegger was having his own heart problems and had heart valve surgery in the weeks before this movie was released.

Schumacher said he didn't have it in him to do another Batman movie.
 * There were plans for the fifth and final Batman movie to be produced, entitled "Batman Triumphant" which was intended to have both Clooney and O'Donnell return as Batman and Robin, to debut Scarecrow and Harley Quinn and to mark the return of Jack Nicholson as The Joker. Harley would have been portrayed as the Joker's daughter rather than his girlfriend as originally planned and the Joker himself would have been just an illusion created by Scarecrow.


 * Joel Schumacher was told by Warner Bros. to make the movie "Toyetic". Meaning, to make everything look like something the kids to want to but at a toy store and to include elements that are marketable. This is painfully obvious during the final fifteen minutes of the movie where (for no apparent reason) the heroes start wearing silver plated suits and drive very gimmicky vehicles on their way to the final battle. In fact, when the time came for the heroes to don their new black and silver suits, Chris O'Donnell said he felt like he was selling action figures.

That movie would later become Superman Returns.
 * This movie was such a failure, that it worsened the development of a fifth Superman movie that was to be made by none other than Tim Burton.