1992’s Batman Returns remains, to this day, one of the best films on the Dark Knight created to date. Tamed by Tim Burton, it starred Michael Keaton in the lead as the iconic DC superhero and served as the more critically acclaimed sequel to his original titular 1989 film on the vigilante. But as much as the film was liked by fans and critics, it wasn’t always supposed to be this way.
As it turns out, the original screenwriter’s ideas for this sequel were more along the lines of ridiculous misadventures rather than superhero crusades of saving people against evil. If anything, the plotline decided was so campy that a different writer had to be brought on board for filmmaker Burton to finally agree to the script and sign on to direct the masterpiece!
Batman Returns Originally Aimed for a More Ridiculous Storyline
In the early 1990s, following the success of Batman, the sequel went into development, with its script originally being helmed by the screenwriter for the 1989 film, Sam Hamm. However, this time, Hamm had a more campy plotline in his mind for how the series of events could turn out for Michael Keaton‘s Caped Crusader.
According to the details mentioned by Gorgeous Pfeiffer, the first draft would have shown The Penguin and Catwoman on a rather silly and misfit adventure: Going after hidden treasure. Yes, you read it, right because treasure hunting and similar stuff was exactly what Samm had in mind for the good and bad guys in the sequel.
Needless to say, this was one of the most campy and ridiculous ideas ever established, especially for a superhero movie. This was because, honestly, as many fans would agree, the biggest question a script like this raises is: Would a vigilante as terrifying as the Dark Knight look good chasing after two people looking for a hidden treasure?
Of course, this didn’t sit well with filmmaker Tim Burton either. Plus, the reason why he hadn’t signed onto the sequel in advance was because he wanted to get a script he was ready with first. This was, inevitably, a tough task to fulfill because the director’s review of the 1989 film was quite literally something like this (as he shared in an interview with Gorgeous Pfeiffer):
There’s parts I liked, but it was a little boring at times. Oftentimes with sequels, they’re like the same movie except everything gets jacked up a little. I didn’t feel I could do that; I wanted to treat this like it was another Batman movie altogether.
That said, Samm was eventually shown the door as the studios caved in to Burton’s wishes. In his stead was brought Daniel Waters, who changed the course of the movie into the masterpiece that it ended up becoming.
How Daniel Waters Eventually Saved the Day (and Batman Returns too!)
Joining the crew, Waters gave Burton the very thing he was seemingly looking forward to. As Gorgeous Pfeiffer describes it, Waters’ draft was “a social satire that had an evil mogul backing a bid for the Mayor’s office by The Penguin.” Apparently, the writer wanted to establish a different take on villains through this storyline, as he confessed:
I wanted to show that the true villains of our world don’t necessarily wear costumes.
Not only that but, with Burton’s help and guidance, Waters also ended up delivering a more profound understanding of Catwoman as a 90s feminist with “deep psycho-sexual overtones.” This ended up to their advantage, as the character as well as Michelle Pfeiffer‘s star-studded performance brought it greater acclaim for the storyline.
All in all, Waters’ draft encouraged Burton to sign in as well, and the rest was history as the 1992 film was created to forever leave an indelible mark on people’s hearts.
You can watch Batman Returns on Prime Video.
