Batman has been one of the most popular superheroes and has had several on-screen appearances throughout the years. Actor Val Kilmer also had the opportunity to portray the iconic character in the 1995 movie Batman Forever alongside Nicole Kidman, Jim Carrey, Chris O’Donnell, and Tommy Lee Jones. While the movie received mixed reviews at the time of its release, it still made $336 million at the box office.
Over the years, Joel Schumacher’s Batman movie has gained a cult following, and many fans have praised the director’s vision for the film. The Val Kilmer and Nicole Kidman starrer also played an important role in the massive success of the British singer Seal’s song, ‘Kiss From a Rose.’ And the four-time Grammy winner recalled how things changed for the better for him after Batman Forever.
Batman Forever Featured an Initially Failed Song
Joel Schumacher’s 1995 film Batman Forever featured the Grammy-winning singer Seal’s iconic song Kiss From a Rose. However, the song was initially considered a flop when it was released in 1994 and despite that, the filmmaker decided to keep it in the movie’s soundtrack.
Seal talked about the song in an Instagram video, he shared as a tribute to the late filmmaker. He shared that Kiss From a Rose was the fourth song from his second album and was a failure when it was first released. The singer shared that the song went into the charts at No. 60 and saw a massive drop the next week.
However, it all changed after the Tigerland director, who was also a fan of Seal’s music, asked him to use his song in Batman Forever. “I received a phone call from one Mr. Joel Schuamcher,” he recalled in his Instagram video before adding, “He said ‘Seal I’m a huge fan of yours, I’ve just finished making this movie called Batman Forever.”
Schumacher told him that he needed a song for the love scene between Val Kilmer and Nicole Kidman. However, the song they selected for the movie did not set well with the specific scene the filmmaker wanted it to be. But he was not ready to let go of the iconic song.
Read More: After Clint Eastwood, Even 2 Time Oscar Winner Tom Hanks Lost a DC Superhero Role
Joel Schumacher Had Faith in Seal’s Failed Song
Seal’s Kiss From a Rose is considered to have a major part in the film’s success. However, after the singer suggested the song to Joel Schumacher, it did not work the way he wanted it to in the movie. While he wanted the song for the love scene between its leading stars, it did not fit into that scenario.
View this post on Instagram
However, the filmmaker was so impressed with it that he decided to keep it in the movie’s end credits. Seal recalled in his Instagram video,
“He called back the next day and said ‘I temped it into the love story it doesn’t work. But I loved the song so much I’m just going to stick it on the end-credits.”
The song would go on to gain popularity and success alongside the film as it topped the US Charts, and the singer won his first three Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Seal said that the filmmaker had faith in his song, which would redefine his career. Schumacher even helped him to make a music video for the song, and it also features several scenes from the movie.
Batman Forever is available on Max.
Source: Seal via Instagram
