The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, gives audiences a new live-action take on the character. While the upcoming Robert Pattinson-starring film is the 13th live-action Batman overall, there have been plenty of potential Batman movies that have been considered and scrapped over the years.
Among this list is a series of intriguing possibilities that make Batman fans wonder what could have been had Warner Bros. moved forward on any of these ideas. From more of Tim Burton's take of the character to a potential Justice League-based movie, these Batman projects could have been interesting, if they ever existed.
Tim Burton's Batman 3
Tim Burton had a critical success on his hands with his 1992 film Batman Returns, but because the film didn't make as much money at the box office as its predecessor, the studio attributed this failure to the film's darkness. This dark nature had also caused companies, especially McDonald's, to pull out of tie-in merchandising for the film. The resulting follow-up was Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever.
According to reports, Burton's third film would have seen the return of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, the introduction of Robin – to be played by actor Marlon Wayans – and Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face (ScreenRant). Although it was never to be, Michael Keaton's return in The Flash movie will probably act as a kind of Batman 3 follow-up for the character.
Catwoman Starring Michelle Pfeiffer
Once Warner Bros. had decided to go in a more family-friendly direction with the Batman franchise, it meant that Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman would not have a film to feature in, which led to the development of a spinoff with the character (Variety).
Pfeiffer's version of Catwoman had some great quotes and was an icon on the big screen. A successful iteration of her solo film would not only have marked the second female superhero film of all time (after Supergirl) but also could have helped keep Burton's franchise alive in some form after Schumacher departed so far from it. Instead, what eventually resulted was the critically-panned 2004 Catwoman.
Batman Unchained
Anticipating a large success with Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin, Warner Bros. began considerations for a fifth film, Batman Unchained (Variety). It would have featured the villains' Scarecrow and Harley Quinn, the latter of whom would have been the Joker's daughter, seemingly tying the Schumacher films back to the Burton ones (IGN).
Although a Schumacher follow-up to one of the worst superhero films of all time might not sound like the most promising of proposals, Schumacher later claimed that he wanted to go darker in this film (Hollywood Reporter), a sentiment backed up by the plans for the screenplay.
Batman: DarKnight
Another proposed sequel to Batman & Robin that would have acted as a soft reboot to the franchise while building off of what Schumacher had established, Batman: DarKnight would have seen Batman retiring and Dick Grayson off at college until the dual-threat of Scarecrow and Man-Bat force the two back into the crime-fighting world (batman-on-film.com).
The movie was also intended to have a darker tone, as both, the studio and writers recognized that the campy tone of the previous Schumacher films had ultimately been responsible for turning audiences away from the franchise in the first place. However, Warner Bros. would eventually pass on it in favor of truly rebooting the franchise.
Robin Spin-Off
Since debuting in comics, Robin has been the most iconic superhero sidekick of all time. He eventually managed to move beyond Batman, leading the Teen Titans and, for both Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, adopting new superhero identities entirely: Nightwing and Red Hood, respectively.
It isn't surprising, then, that according to Chris O'Donnell, a spin-off film with his character from the Schumacher films was considered by Warner Bros. (accessonline.com). Ultimately, however, the disappointment of Batman & Robin would lead the studio to cancel the franchise, including any spin-off ideas.
Batman Beyond Live-Action
Batman Beyond is an animated sequel TV show to the critically-acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, itself a product of the Burton-era Batman films. Beyond follows a young man taking up the Batman mantle from a retired Bruce Wayne after stumbling upon his secret identity.
On the writing team for the live-action adaptation was Paul Dini, a producer on both Batman Beyond and its predecessor series. Clint Eastwood was even considered for Batman (Comic Book Resources). Warner Bros. ultimately moved on from it due to their pre-Dark Knight unease with dark Batman films.
Batman: Year One By Darren Aranofsky
One of several proposals to reboot the Batman franchise after Batman & Robin flopped critically and financially, Batman: Year One would have adapted the popular Frank Miller-penned comic-book storyline of the same name (Variety), one which would also influence the Dark Knight trilogy.
Darren Aranofsky was most known at the time for mind-bending thriller films, most prominently 2000's Requiem for a Dream. A Batman film in the style of a psychological thriller not only would have been innovative but seems to be exactly where Matt Reeves' version is going to take the character in his upcoming film.
Batman Versus Superman (Not That One)
Another of the several pre-Batman Begins reboot proposals, this script featured an older Batman about to marry the woman of his dreams, while Superman has divorced Lois Lane. Dark forces drive the two heroes to fight but ultimately reunite. The script was submitted in 2002, with plans to feature Joker as the villain (Comic Book Resources).
Although unconnected to Zack Snyder's 2016 film, the co-screenwriter of that film, David S. Goyer, reportedly said in 2002 that a Batman against Superman film was "an admission that [the Batman] franchise is on its last gasp." (BleedingCool) Maybe time truly does change minds?
Justice League: Mortal
Amid Nolan's trilogy, Warner Bros. was developing a completely separate proposal for a Justice League film to be directed by Mad Max creator George Miller. It would have starred Armie Hammer as a young Bruce Wayne, and had Maxwell Lord serving as the villain.
Warner Bros. abandoned the project after the massive success of Nolan's The Dark Knight, placing the focus on finishing up that trilogy. Not only is Justice League: Mortal an intriguing premise for a new Batman, but it also intrigues as a prospective DC Extended Universe which could have begun in 2009, when this film was scheduled to release (Comic Book Resources).
The Dark Knight Sequel With The Riddler
Looking at the success of The Dark Knight and how much attention was placed on Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning portrayal of the Joker, combined with Nolan's very-recent success with Inception, the studio suggested have the Dark Knight sequel feature a Riddler portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio (ScreenRant), a villain fans would've loved to see in the series.
Nolan eschewed this suggestion and of course, instead went with Bane and Talia al Ghul as the film's antagonists, but considering both DiCaprio's acting prowess and the talent behind the camera, this is one instance where fans will be left wondering "what if the studio suggestion had been followed?"
Ben Affleck's The Batman
Affleck's initial casting in the role of Batman drew fan criticism from the start, but his Caped Crusader ended up being one of the most lauded aspects of a critically-divisive movie (ScreenRant). What made Affleck's expected film unique was that he was going to have his hand in everything: directing, writing, and starring. Affleck's version would have been the closest to a truly singular vision of the character in cinematic form.
In the years after his Batman v Superman debut, Affleck slowly withdrew more and more from the project until it became Matt Reeves' version, unconnected to the DCEU. One can only hope that Affleck's version's reported final appearance in The Flash will tie up his character's story well.