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With the 1989 superhero film, Tim Burton introduced the Hollywood star Michael Keaton as Batman. The movie was a box office hit and even won an Oscar for Best Art Direction. Burton would go on to work on a sequel before Joel Schumacher took over the franchise withBatman ForeverandBatman & Robin.
However, the writer of the 1992 sequelBatman Returnshas shared that there were plans to continue the series with a potential spin-off following Michelle Pfeiffer’sCatwoman. But these plans never materialized.
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The Lost Catwoman Spin-off in Tim Burton’s Batman Universe
Following the release ofBatman Returns,Tim Burtonand Daniel Waters were reportedly being considered to work on aCatwomanmovie, potentially withMichelle Pfeiffer, who played the character in the 1992 film. However, both of them had two very different visions.
The writer of Batman Returns,Daniel Waters‘ idea for the movie was notably ahead of its time. Speaking at a December 2023 Los Angeles screening ofBatman Returnsat the Egyptian Theater, hesaid,“I wanted to make a ‘Batman’ movie where the metaphor was about Batman.”
Hesharedthat following the events ofBatman Returns, an amnesiac Selina would move to a Los Angeles version of Gotham City ruled by three“as*hole”superheroes. Upon learning of their truth, She would have to“go back to that whole Catwoman thing.”
He further explained that the movie presented a critical perspective on apparently virtuous male superheroes with concealed corruption, a concept later explored in the Amazon Prime seriesThe Boys.“It was The Boys before The Boys,”Waters shared. However, Tim Burton felt “exhausted” reading Waters’ script, and the film never saw the light of the day.
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What Happened to the PotentialCatwomanSpin-off?
Both Tim Burton and Daniel Waters had their respective visions for the movie.Michelle Pfeifferalso expressed her eagerness to reprise her role, stating,“Are you kidding me? In a heartbeat. I loved that part,”in an interview withThe New York Times.
Despite the collective interest, the movie never materialized. The reason behind this is believed to be the divergent tones ofBatman ReturnsandBatman Forever.While the 1992 film did pretty well, it fell short of replicating the success of its predecessor and faced criticism for its dark tone.
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However, Joel Schumacher’s 1995 filmBatman Forever,starring Val Kilmer was a box office hit. Waters reportedly presented his script for theCatwomanspin-off on the same day thatBatman Foreverwas released.
But with the film’s success, the studio allegedly lost interest in producing another project like Batman Returns. Halle Berry would later go on to star in the 2004 filmCatwoman, which was critically panned and has since been considered one of the worst movies of all time.
Batman ReturnsandBatman Foreverare available to stream on Max.
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3448
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
