George Clooney’s Batsuit, seen in the late Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin, receives a sleek new fan-edit. 1997’s Batman & Robin was considered to be the fourth film in the series started by Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989, though whether Schumacher and Burton’s films are considered canon with each other has been brought into question in subsequent years. The film was critically panned on release by critics and fans alike and for years was considered to have killed the franchise on film, until Christopher Nolan revived it with his more grounded Batman Begins in 2005.
As time has passed, however, Schumacher’s vision has received a certain amount of reappraisal in the fandom. Considering audiences have received three subsequent reiterations of Batman in the 21st century, there has been more of a willingness to respect both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin for their uniqueness. The films have been praised as blockbuster-level celebrations of the camp quality that is practically second-hand to superhero comics, and as love letters to the 1960s TV series starring Adam West.
Now, Twitter user @itsRyanUnicomb posts a redesigned publicity still of Clooney’s Batsuit that is both more subdued and emblematic of a Dark Knight. The blue rubber of the original has been replaced with the black that has been standard in live-action Batman costumes since Burton’s first film. The singular color of the original design has also been broken up by including the traditional yellow in the oval behind the bat symbol on the chest, which has also had the molded nipples removed. Perhaps most striking is the inclusion of comic book-accurate white eyes and shorter ears to create a suit that is altogether more serious in tone. Check out the original post below:
The piece is an impressive edit, though fans may be divided as to which is more fitting for the film it originated from. The original suit was very much in keeping with director Joel Schumacher’s vision for Batman & Robin as a celebration of camp, with Clooney’s molded physique and color scheme fitting perfectly amongst a neon Gotham City. However, the edit does appear to be more aesthetically pleasing, with the subdued but well chosen coloring being much more fitting of a winged avenger of the night. Indeed, the suit looks like a natural evolution of Keaton’s Batsuit from Burton’s movies, had the director been allowed to continue his vision past the controversial Batman Returns. The eyes, while comic accurate, are the main factor that would be hard to imagine being pulled off in the 1990s, especially considering that, in the more than 20 years hence, Deadpool is the only character that has made white eyes work on film.
The suit does bring together an image of an altogether different take on Batman with Clooney still in the role. The actor seemingly can’t apologize enough for his role in Batman & Robin, given the belief that it temporarily put the series on ice. Most fans would agree that, as a casting choice, Clooney made perfect sense as billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne, and it’s easy to imagine the actor could have done fine work with a more straight-faced script, as opposed to giving straight deliveries of ice-themed puns. However, with a return of Clooney to the character being unlikely, this is simply a fun exercise in what could have been.
Source: @itsRyanUnicomb