SDCC 2024 Announcement: Akiva Goldsman Previews Director's Cut of Batman Forever
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The legendary, long-buried "Schumacher Cut" of Batman Forever has been making waves in Hollywood. This version of the film, infamous for its colossal bat, is more than just a rumor–it actually exists.
Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman confirmed at the Producers on Producing Panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 (via Collider), that Warner Bros. still possesses a preview of this cut, dubbed 'Preview One.' Goldsman shared his fantasy of resurrecting the film as a tribute to the late Joel Schumacher.
So, what secrets does the Schumacher cut hold? During an episode of his Fatman Beyond podcast last year, director Kevin Smith spilled some beans about the aforementioned two-and-a-half-hour "Preview One" cut. According to Smith, it's "utterly watchable," albeit with some underwhelming absences.
Missing from the final cut were Bruce Wayne's temporary amnesia, a different red book plot resolution, and a cameo from Jon Favreau as a financial consultant for Wayne Enterprises. More intriguingly, the director's cut featured a grittier Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face, with extended scenes of disfigurement and the character's initial escape from Arkham Asylum.
Goldsman also mentioned that the original cut leaned darker, echoing the sentiments of its character-driven themes and Bruce Wayne’s haunting past guilt. Reminiscent of Schumacher's later film, 8mm, the emotional depth of this interpretation would have resonated strongly with Batman fans.
Yet, the Schumacher Cut's release is not a done deal. Warner Bros. needs to invest approximately a million dollars in its restoration before it's ready for public consumption–a project that was almost completed before the studio changed hands. As Goldsman put it, "once the new DC world is moving forward, I will bat my eyes with everybody again and see if once more we can answer that."
Given the film's vintage, there may even be a way to make the restoration tax deductible, a fact that would surely excite Warner Bros.' deep-pocketed executives. The rewards of revisiting Val Kilmer's In the Mouth of Madness-inspired interplay with a giant, humanoid bat might just be worth it. After all, everyone loves a good comeback story.
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- Intriguingly, the 'Schumacher Cut' of Batman Forever, which is rumored to have more emotional depth and grittier characterizations, remains unreleased, requiring approximately a million dollars for its restoration by Warner Bros.
- The aforementioned cut of Batman Forever, fondly regarded by its screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, includes a more disfigured version of Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face and oddities like Val Kilmer's Batman interacting with a giant, humanoid bat.
- Warner Bros. allegedly possesses a preview of the Schumacher Cut, referred to as 'Preview One,' and is considering revisiting this version of Batman Forever to capitalize on the nostalgia and potential financial rewards it might bring.
- Should the Schumacher Cut be resurrected, it would offer moviegoers an opportunity to witness technological advancements in Hollywood restoration along with a more emotional take on the 1995 blockbuster, resonating with fans of the DC Universe and Hollywood's past.
