The Crazy Cancelled Bill Murray Batman Movie: The Batman - Canned Goods

In the early 1980s, before the release of Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, there was another Batman movie in development that very well may have cast Bill Murray as Batman and Eddie Murphy as Robin.
On this episode of Canned Goods, we'll cover the development, plot, and cancellation of the crazy Bill Murray Batman Movie: The Batman.
00:00 Intro
00:51 The Batman's Development
04:01 The Batman (1985) Movie Plot Breakdown
14:43 Why Did The Batman (1985) Get Cancelled?
#CancelledMovies #Batman

[@johnenigma8506]

I don't know about you guys, but David Bowie as The Joker has my interest.

[@flannelogue]

He played everyone from the Elephant Man, to Space Aliens, to the Goblin King, to Nicolas Tesla, so yeah, that would have ruled

[@ultimateslinger9857]

@@flannelogue I don’t know man, charisma alone can’t make a great Joker. You’ve got to be SUPER articulate to play this type of character. But, he’s good at what he does

[@brandonspain12345]

Considering Jared Leto had said he based his look of Joker on David Bowie, I think he would've been a disaster.

[@Facade953]

​@@brandonspain12345 David Bowie Joker: It's time to get really...REALLY...CRAZY!!!!😁 Eddie Murphy Robin: Damn! This dude is nuts!😳 Bill Murray Batman: I want Tim Burton as my movie's director!!!😫

[@KarateWrestler205]

Eddie Murphy as Robin would be absolutely hilariously epic

[@darylgreer5184]

🤣🤣😭

[@DaCosmicPrince]

"I'm Robin dammit!" Thumbs up if you get the reference :)

[@forrestmalcom8351]

😂😂😂

[@OvertheHedge06]

Bill Murray as Batman, Bowie as Joker, and Michael J. Fox as Robin sounds like the most 80s movie the 80s have ever 80s.

[@logantocker4610]

Michael J Fox as Robin, because he would've been more believable because he looks younger than eddie murphy

[@alexmacleod3728]

Charlie Sheen would've been Cool as Robin

[@Hammer0117]

Bill hated the proton packs in ghostbusters. Batman never would have worked for Bill.

[@andrewquick4176]

Shows that he doesn’t know anything about genre based films/franchises

[@Jared_Wignall]

@@andrewquick4176 Bill Murray is known to be hard to work with in general by many of the directors and actors/actresses he’s worked with. Him not being fond of proton packs would guarantee he’d dislike being in the bat suit.

[@Sammo212]

@@andrewquick4176 -_- has nothing to do with it. The proton packs weighed 30-50 pounds depending on if they were the stunt props or hero packs. Murray isn't lazy when he makes films.

[@mobiusbelts3607]

Yeah, I don’t think anyone enjoys wearing 60lbs on their back.

[@MetroXLR99]

Bill Murray portraying Batman sounds about as plausible as Nicolas Cage playing Superman. (although, I would LOVE to watch that cut of Batman v Superman.)

[@lenadams854]

e????

[@Thespeedrap]

Bill Murray would had been great Batman Nicholas Cage Superman I'm not sure😕🤔🤨🧐

[@darkmyro]

@@Thespeedrap I see a nick cage super-man kinda acting like the character in con air. like kinda soft spoken and kinda sneaky and smart, but with super powers. though he does voice superman in teen Titians go to the movies

[@arturocastroverde3349]

@@Thespeedrap nicolas cage as bizarro

[@Thespeedrap]

@@arturocastroverde3349 😄😄maybe

[@carlosr1176]

We need a tv that can get reception from the multiverse.

[@The_Infamous_Boogyman]

Rick sanchez

[@flipadavis]

The corny ending in the script was no doubt a Jon Peters special. As producer I'm sure he had thought of this as an ending for the script before there was even a script and demanded that it be fit into the story. For example, he demanded that whoever at the time was directing the Nicolas Cage Superman movie that they put in a giant spider for Superman to fight because it was just something he wanted. The movie was never made but Peters made sure that the giant spider ended up in one of his following films as producer, Wild, Wild, West.

[@JeffDoyen]

Kevin Smith was asked to write that in to the Superman script. Then Tim Burton came in, and everything changed.

[@rakino4418]

Not sure if you guys remember but Superman DOES end up fighting a giant (robotic) spider at the climax of Man of Steel

[@flipadavis]

@@rakino4418 Haha, true. Guy has a spider fetish.

[@cameronscott7304]

I say WB should make this (and Nic Cage's Superman Lives) into an animated movie with Bill Murray

[@HemmasStudios_]

I’d LOVE to see pretty much any of DC’s unmade movies reborn as animated movies. Their cancelled movies are always so interesting.

[@georgefilmanimation]

@@HemmasStudios_ Especially Justice League: Mortal and Batman Triumphant

[@TheMenInTightsPodcast]

They could be HBO Max exclusives, that would definitely help pump up subscription numbers

[@georgefilmanimation]

@@TheMenInTightsPodcast Yup!

[@antenna_prolly]

animated Batman hates Mondays

[@ender7278]

Props to the writers for giving Thorne a death that's simultaneously incredibly gruesome and completely hilarious.

[@HemmasStudios_]

I’ve done a ton of videos since then, but there have been few things I’ve read in a script since then that have surprised me as much as how Thorne dies.

[@skippermatt7939]

This would be one long-ass movie.

[@jamiebraswell5520]

For some reason, this script kept on reminding me of Batman Forever. It would not have been dark, per se, because it is laced with a great deal of campy elements just like Batman Forever was. It also commits the sin of shoehorning too many villains into the mix. Joker and Thorne was enough. We didn't need Penguin in the story, nor did Robin need to be introduced in the first story. Also, get rid of the museum with oversized props. If you seek to reimagine Batman as a serious character, you can't include stuff like this from the 1950s. This movie probably wouldn't have been a hit. It just wasn't the right time to reintroduce Batman to audiences, and this story didn't quite grasp how to disassociate itself from the campy 1960s series which at the time defined the character.

[@srstriker6420]

Yeah because I felt that Batman and Penguin should be like Eliot Ness and Al Capone from the Untouchables

[@Joecbg100]

The death of Thorne sounds outta a completely different film. Holy fuck! Still be interested to see in another universe

[@weirdkitty07]

1980s Bowie as Joker would have been the stuff.

[@StreetHierarchy]

Kyle McLaughlin as Bruce Wayne Alec Baldwin as Harvey Dent Crispin Glover as Joker Director: Ridley Scott

[@ronniejdio9411]

Swatch baldwin and Kyle and its gold

[@benlimones3925]

Alce baldwin as the batman

[@ronniejdio9411]

@@BaranoffIsaac studio wanted baldwin for burton's movie. Shoyld have been him.

[@swingthatthing]

M knight Shyamalan

[@haileyshannon7548]

David Lynch!

[@soundlemonade]

I really want to see this movie with this cast. And let Eddie and Michael both play Robin.

[@forrestmalcom8351]

Imagine Eddie Murphy as Batman ? I am Batman dammit !!! 😂

[@harleyjackson3708]

14:48 I love how some drawings and depictions of Batman give him both regular ears AND the bat ears. It looks so ridiculous but I love it 🤣

[@cganimefan1267]

I think Bill Murray could of worked as Batman. Before Michael Keaton was Batman, Michael Keaton was known for being a comedic actor in films like Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice. Bill Murray's an actor with a lot of range, and I could see him expanding his horizons and being a good Batman.

[@godphoenix66x]

What's with these actors with receding hairlines being considered to portray Bruce Wayne? Murry and Keaton LOL.

[@mikeydeloa7348]

I heard they had wanted David Bowie to be The Joker, But think Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo, Would have been Great for the role.

[@hyliannerd4541]

My casting: Pierce Brosnan as Batman Michael J. Fox or Ralph Macchio as Robin David Niven as Alfred William Holden as Commissioner Gordon David Bowie as the Joker Jack Palance as Rupert Thorne Peter O'Toole as the Penguin Meg Ryan or Melanie Griffith as Silver St. Cloud

[@HemmasStudios_]

Ralph Macchio and Peter O'Toole are tremendous pulls.

[@hyliannerd4541]

@@HemmasStudios_ plus Peter O'Toole's Penguin was considered

[@SmithMrCorona]

Ralph Macchio? I recently watched the first two KK movies... the dude had twigs for arms!

[@OscarHernandez-yk5lw]

Michael J. Fox will be a perfect robin

[@pbcoop62]

I think Holden died around 81 or 82, and I think Niven also died in the early 80's.

[@ThePoisonFurry]

I think they were trying to go for a tone similar to the Adam West Batman, since they cast Bill Murray as Batman and Eddie Murphy as Robin. That would have been funny and great

[@Neyebureturns]

At first I thought that the similarity between Annie and Batman was that both we’re orphans

[@chefjames3361]

You hearing this multi verse? I'd even pay extra.

[@jaeblack4752]

I would have been fine with Marlon Wayans in Tim Burtons unmade Batman Returns sequel but EDDIE MURPHY AS ROBIN? What!?

[@MrBlueSkyof1607]

Thorne’s death has to be one of the most HILARIOUS ways to go out for a villain.

[@HemmasStudios_]

When I first read the script, the mental image of Batman with a giant thumbtack made me legitimately laugh out loud

[@MrBlueSkyof1607]

@@HemmasStudios_ I’ll say.

[@MrBlueSkyof1607]

And yes, you hilarious death loving people, i AM including the following Heil Hitler: 90s Captain America Basketball Head Coach: Deadly Friend (1986) Car hood jump performed by Hailee Steinfeld's uncle in a cheap slasher movie: Home Sweet Home (1981)

[@andrewcee1399]

Lol i can see Bill Murray as a good Bruce Wayne

[@Spthomas47]

The cowl could never hide enough of his face lol I agree though

[@harleyjackson3708]

Why is Penguin Mr. Freeze instead? "He's a rail-thin criminal who loves to live in the freezing cold climate with his significant other, a statue-esque woman called The Empress." That's beat by beat Mr. Freeze's basic outline.

[@justin555666]

Damn your channel is underrated

[@HemmasStudios_]

Thank you so much! I’m happy you think so highly of it!

[@ursineharbinger3059]

The one part I definitely wish stayed in was the joker not being chill and killing him pulling the strings behind the scenes in the beginning

[@DarthAzabrush]

This is EXACTLY how I envision Batman written by the guy who wrote Superman 1978. Also all that's missing from Thorne's death is a post credit scene where his essence gets merged into a giant pencil creating Batman's next movie foe THE ERASER!

[@vincelfk]

Omg this movie would have become a classic!

[@deadschooled]

No

[@maxordman4100]

The script does indeed have quite a few flaws but the story itself has potential. Great job on this video! It’s always interesting to hear about movies that were never made! Your videos are truly fantastic!

[@HemmasStudios_]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@BoyNamedSue4]

I would like to thank KZbin for recommending this channel to me.

[@HemmasStudios_]

And I would like to thank you for enjoying the videos!

[@pulgoso_97]

If the Joker isn't the main antagonist, he shouldn't be there. Instead, I'd put the pre-joker man, like Jack Napier, a regular goon who develops psychotic and scary traits while he gets more and more obsessed with Batman. Then, the climax would take place in a chemical factory, where Thorne dies but our little man escapes transformed into the Joker and ready for a new fight and taking Thorne's place as new crimelord of Gotham. Take in mind that the Joker origin was already stablished in "The Mystery of Red Hood."

[@Thespeedrap]

BATMAN rocks that's all I got to say.

[@manofbeard]

Bill Murray as Batman!?!? WTAF 🤣

[@logantocker4610]

I would've done live and let die for most of this film's soundtrack, the sad parts for when batman and robin's parents and silver st cloud die, the action parts for the fight scenes, and the happy part for the montage of batman saving babies and getting the key to the city.

[@kurtbertumen1900]

I wish a Batman movie could have been look like if it was released before Superman Quest for Peace & not after Superman Quest for Peace.

[@kurtbertumen1900]

The reason why Batman will never work for the mid 80s its because of the Adam West one.

[@weirdkitty07]

giant thumbtack into a pencil sharpener, so there's a silly ending for a bad guy

[@overlord6993]

This is a very well done video and pretty greatly edited. I would like to see videos on other canceled comic book movies

[@HemmasStudios_]

Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed! If you’re looking for more videos comic book movies, stay tuned. Something is coming your way next month that I think you’ll enjoy. :)

[@mholbrook4738]

Penguin was basically an early version of Freeze.

[@elwoodjacobs4353]

Of all the ways to interpret the Penguin, rail-thin should *_NEVER_* be the physical description used for him. I hated it when CW's Gotham did it, I hated it when Telltale did it, & I hate that this first draft did it.

[@TomMcKee33]

I thought you were gonna say Batman was similar to Annie because they’re both orphans

[@HemmasStudios_]

This is one of my favorite comments I've ever received on any video I've ever done.

[@AlvinFlang69420]

This sounds like a perfect mix between the dark grit of Burton and the comedic escapades of Westz

[@brandonspain12345]

Apparently Joe Dante's version would've had John Lithgow as The Joker. And at some point, Steven Spielberg was also in the ring for considered directors and considered Harrison Ford as Batman. (Which honestly is a pretty good choice.)

[@Facade953]

Bill Murray's Batman is standing on the top of a rooftop, mourning for the death of his girlfriend. Next to him is his loyal and trusted sidekick, Eddie Murphy's Robin. At first, there is nothing but silence untill... Robin: So...ehm! Are you in for some pizza? Batman: How are you even thinking about food at a time like this? Robin: Chill out, Bat-bro! The fact that she left for the " great beyond " doesn't mean that we have to join her because of starvation. Besides, i've got the feelin that she would want you to be well fed and smilin! Batman: Sigh...You want pepperoni or bacon on yours? Robin: That's my man! This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! Batman: ( So many personal tragedies in such a short time. This is why Superman works alone. )

[@georgewilliams7]

The plot outline sounds a hell of a lot better than Tim Burton’s version. I cannot take Burton seriously any more after “Dark Shadows” Even Watching th Nightmare Before Christmas can’t bring me out of Buertonophobisa.

[@therealhiesenberg2731]

With the right cast and script this has concept has potential. Modern cast, maybe: Josh Brolin as Batman Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Daniel Day Lewis as Joker Denzel Washington as Commish Gordon Leonardo DiCaprio as Harvey Dent Matt Damon as Dick Grayson Charlize Theron as Silver Al Pacino as Thorn Forest Whitaker as The Penguin Guillermo Del Toro as Director.....I don't know it's tough, that would be one expensive film.

[@mrmadfunny5507]

That song, Beauty and the bat… Brought a true tear to my eye

[@HemmasStudios_]

Hahaha thank you, thank you.

[@michaeljordan5630]

I mean a singing joker would be something

[@michaellucejr.6374]

Honestly parts of this world be awesome for a Batman film and Matt reeves technically could have parts of this for a more serious movie

[@gabriellamarche4818]

The 2nd draft is much better. Alec Baldwin as Batman and Ralph Macchio as Robin. O'Toole as Alfred. Bowie as Joker, Kim Basinger as Silver and Paul Newman as Gordon. Bob Hopkins as Penguin in a cameo. Imo I would have gone with Walter Hill as director. The gritty feel of The Warriors (1979) would have been perfect for that pre-Crisis Gotham mood.

[@abstraction6212]

I wonder how Bill Murray Shrek woulda been like

[@HemmasStudios_]

Oh man that would have been interesting to see!

[@mexicanchickens]

I’ve been watching through your older videos. These are top quality stuff, I hope you start getting the recognition you deserve! Nice work

[@HemmasStudios_]

Thank you so much, that’s a very kind thing to say. I’d keep making these even if 1 other person was watching, but I will say, most of these subs have come in the past 3 months, and I’m happy that all these new people are enjoying!

[@swhorne]

i remember reading somewhere about Bill Murray playing Batman. cool to see this.

[@ryfreedman]

I appreciate your analysis!

[@HemmasStudios_]

Thank you so much!!

[@weirdkitty07]

1980s Murray could have played Riddler or something, but not Batman. The story was interesting though. Kind of similar to the Shadow of the Bat comics from decades later.

[@harleyjackson3708]

Not for nothing, but there's a COUPLE beats here and there that wound up in The Batman (2022). For example, Bruce and Batman, based on appearance and demeanor, including the way he saved the funeral kid, is almost indistinguishable from Vengeance (Batman's original choice of name, according to the movie's dialogue). I'm gonna laugh so hard if one of the future movies involves The Joker with a big typewriter 🤣

[@Cedrclovesutube]

Lol 😂 eddie 🤣 murphy as corney Robin, gee jollibee Batman 💉🤣

[@toesheo]

3:25 dont say it Dont say it They were both orphans

[@amifarmer5984]

Good video...I would love to see a video on the canned 1980/1 Captain America movie with Jeff Bridges.

[@HemmasStudios_]

Thank you so much! I’m glad you liked it! Also, I’ve never heard of a Jeff Bridges Cap movie- I definitely need to look into this.

[@Jackskellington1993]

My generation is Will Arnetts LEGO Batman

[@markkenny2001]

David Bowie is my favourite singer and actor.

[@justlikebck5162]

Let me be on the remix on that track bro the streets need dat

[@connorbeith3232]

“It’s true…this boy has no dick.” -Batman talking about Robin

[@kurtbertumen1900]

You know which Studio who could produce an early 80's Batman film? It was Cannon Films (the studio behind the Superman films of Chris Reeve's) instead of WB to produce it.

[@deadschooled]

Every single Batman movie is the dark knight returns. Jeezus Christ.

[@Thespeedrap]

There's alot of Batman stories Hollywood should look into besides Frank Miller's overrated tales of the Caped Crusader.

[@haileyshannon7548]

It should be noted, that Casablanca had also teamed up with Marvel around this time and created Dazzler who was billed as the first disco superhero being 1980 that didn't last very long!

[@Wooshey_Wooj]

Bill Murray as Batman reminds me of the canceled Jack Black Green Lantern movie. I love em both and bless their hearts but really though?

[@mrwinter6671]

Ha, can you imagine those executives after seeing the success of the Batman movies

[@selfelected3832]

🤔I think the sergeant that shows up and disappears was the Imposter🦇 Batman🦇

[@jon4715]

jon peters, oh no lol

[@ryanspengler4877]

@2:47 on the far right. Had that hat...I'm not proud...

[@kurtbertumen1900]

I want the Cannon Film Corporation (the studio who made more Superman movies) to produce a Batman movie for a 1985 release other than WB to produce it.

[@brandonspain12345]

Wait, the studio that only did Superman 4? The worst Superman movie that killed the studio for it's low budget, terrible writing and laughable effects. Okay dude. I geuss internally bad movies is your taste.

[@innamispirit6471]

Make a batman arkham movie

[@HemmasStudios_]

Apparently, the Ben Affleck Batman movie was supposed to be an Arkham Asylum movie

[@innamispirit6471]

@@HemmasStudios_ I just honestly man there is no Batman actor that I never disliked Michael Keaton was the Batman for his time Val Kilmer was the Batman for his time Christian Bale was the only Batman that ever had a trilogy I enjoyed Ben Affleck Batman explain yourself because it's more Arkham based if you can agree or not I just want to see Batman at his full like the Arkham games portrayed him oh I forgot to also mention George Clooney was the Batman for his time all of them were interesting I mean I guess you could say George Clooney and volcanoes Batman are supposed to be the same

[@paulgreen6925]

to me the story is all over the place with enough story lines for three didn`t movie really wish someone make a good Green Hornet movie

[@markuspaceuis3200]

Can you please talk about the cancelled 90s Catwoman movie please?

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

Michael Uslan was NOT a fan of the TV show. Source: Michael Uslan

[@AvengerII]

Michael Uslan doesn't know everything and his tastes aren't always the best. Remember, this is one of the guys who produced Frank Miller's Spirit movie! Uslan's supposed to be a "comic book expert" but hired a guy who basically directed "Sin City featuring The Spirit" instead of a proper Spirit movie. The Batman live-action series of the 1960s probably saved the character's titles. Had that show not worked and turned Batman's sales around, DC might have canceled both Batman and Detective Comics and Batman would be a supporting character in Justice League and showing up only in team books like so many other characters. The Batman comic sales were not good in the first half of the 1960s. DC's two big characters of that time frame were Superman and Green Lantern/Hal Jordan. Batman solidified his position as DC's top character in the 1970s and that's when Superman declined in popularity and sales.

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

@@AvengerII 1) The show’s impact on the comic and pop culture in general have naught to do with Michael’s personal opinion of it. 2) I agree he doesn’t know much about comics. I mean he only started and taught the first accredited college course on the subject which was publicly endorsed by Stan Lee. Pretty unimpressive. Oh, and he was savvy enough to buy the film rights to Batman and helped produce a movie that made a bazillion dollars and shaped the entire future of comics on film. And he has a piece of every single Batman project, animated or live-action, from here to eternity. But what the fuck does he know about anything? I wish I could fail that hard.

[@AvengerII]

@@PatTheBatmanFan He had NOTHING to do with the success of the better Batman projects like Batman: TAS. For every show like that, there's been a Gotham TV series. He's a money man -- he doesn't write the stories and direct the actors. There are other people who do the nitty gritty work behind the scenes. Producers raise money and select the creatives. Who they select and trust to make these films and TV shows makes a huge difference. For every good Batman film we get, there's a rotten one like Batman Forever or Batman&Robin. At best, his success ratio is half and half. And Frank Miller's Spirit sucks hard. Hollywood will NOT take a chance on The Spirit for at least another 30 years. The fact that Uslan would hire an inexperienced director to make that film speaks volumes about his care. He got paid his money -- he really didn't give a shit about the final product or he would chosen someone with more experience and a better track record at adaptations than Frank Miller. Miller's own record in comics is very mixed but hey, if you wanna be a fanboy and believe everything CBR, Newsarama, or ComicBook tell you, that's on you!

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

@@AvengerII All due respect, you are WILDLY misinformed here and making some bad assumptions as well. Firstly I don’t read any of the websites you mention. Strike one. Secondly I have read Michael’s book which quite clearly describes his lifelong love of comics, particularly Batman. It also details his personal and passionate decade long journey to get the first “Batman” film made. Yeah, he rakes it in now with no involvement cause he made a smart deal up front. But he helped start the fire from which all subsequent Batman projects sprang. Did he personally have any involvement with TAS? Forever? Begins? Probably not much. Did the success of the Burton films help grease the wheels for all of those things happening? Absolutely. Is every Batman film a masterpiece? Obviously not. The way Hollywood works it’s a miracle anything of quality ever gets made. But without “Batman” you don’t get “Batman and Robin” without which you don’t get “Begins” and “The Dark Knight”. Follow? To go back even further, without Frank Miller, it might have been even harder for Uslan to sell “Batman”. It’s all a rich tapestry. But without someone’s personal passion and vision, like say _Michael Uslan_ for example, you get nothing. The guy is one of the biggest Batman fans to ever live. I have had several lengthy conversations with Michael _in person_ on the subject. Clearly you have not. You are painting him in an ill-informed and highly inaccurate light and I won’t have it. As for “The Spirit”, which you really seem to be agitated over, perhaps you should point the finger at someone more directly responsible for the way it turned out, Frank Miller. Good with the comic writing stuff, not so great with the film directing thing. Which only goes to show that like Batman movies, or this argument, you win some and you lose some.

[@michaelmcfarland1716]

How about a video on the captain america musical from the early 80s? Never made, but heavily advertised in comics

[@darylgreer5184]

3:28, wut🤣🤣

[@georgefilmanimation]

Tale as old as time...😂

[@logantocker4610]

I would've made hugo strange the imposter batman

[@michaelmcfarland1716]

Bill Murray's batman, nick cages superman, jack blacks green lantern, all in one justice league movie. Addrienne palickys wonder woman as well (cant remember how to spell her name). Any other almost casts i forgot?

[@andrewfisher8309]

that was an interesting story..

[@brodycrybaby]

This would have been a good story for a Batman movie

[@mholbrook4738]

Same name as the Pattinson Reeves one.

[@UnKirx]

thank god that this movie didn't happen

[@josephprashanth2888]

Bill Murray! God That would have been the most ugliest Batman ever

[@markuspaceuis3200]

Can you please talk about the original plan of Batman Returns please?

[@HemmasStudios_]

I can definitely look into it!

[@simonpierre8283]

@@HemmasStudios_ or tim burton batman forever

[@capnuge7488]

Too many montages, and it seems like they couldn’t figure out how to make it good without cramming a billion Batman plot points into it. As hypocritical as it sounds I think Robin needed montage since they just popped him in at the end of the movie saving the day.

[@sumarianprince]

Worst Batman casting ever

[@weirdkitty07]

This story might made a great animated cartoon Batman flick. Get on this WB animation.

[@donngu]

Justice league with Murray as batman and nick cage as Superman? Where do I sign up?

[@kidzoki]

I read the first two Mankiewicz drafts. Both were terrible. Lazy, unsatisfying and not the least bit compelling. Don't blame the studios for passing and actually glad they did. I recall a an early '80s "Starlog" magazine interview in which Mankiewicz bragged on all the copious research required to write The Batman script. Yeah, so much research. The script read like Mankiewicz paged through an issue of the Steve Englehart & Marshall Rogers run on "Detective Comics." Mankiewicz even incorrectly wrote Gordon's first name as "Dave," which must've been due to all that tedious research. Pretty certain Mankiewicz mentioned writing the Penguin with Peter O'Toole in mind (which made no sense) but also mentioned he wrote the Joker with Jack Nicholson in mind. Anyway, Mankiewicz was definitely not the guy for the job of writing a Batman film adaptation. Two more terrible things in the scripts include Silver deducing Batman's identity due to a facial tick she noticed Bruce shared with Batman (so lazy) and a subplot of Bruce building something throughout the film that's ultimately revealed as a flying Batmobile at the end. Oh man, so glad this didn't get made.

[@murciadoxial8056]

... I wonder if nolan was aware of this first draft...

[@peterwatchesthewatchmen]

Forgive my ignorance, but what song is Beauty and the Bat a parody of?

[@HemmasStudios_]

Beauty and the Beast!

[@Jacksabbath44]

As much as i adore Batman89, Everything makes sense in the time it was conceived, it ties up beautifully with Donner and Reeve's Superman (it also has elements of other successful iconic movies that were hot back then, like Rocky and Roger Moore's version of Bond), it probably feels without character development, but that's why the cast is so important, a lot of these movies were developed like some kind of vehicles, and leads to a sequel with a bit more of insight, in production most of the more cartoony scenes would've changed because they wouldn't be able to make them even with a huge budget, Jetpacks probably would've been changed to skateboards (rising in popularity at the time) and the giant office supples probably would've been work out a bit different, of course most of the movie sounds laughable today and specially after Batman 89 just a decade later, but if this would've happened, it probably would''ve lead to a golden agesque Justice League with potentially Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, and maybe Flash and Green Lantern, Bill Murray sounds great as Bruce Wayne, maybe not Michael J Fox or Eddie Murphy but Ralph Macchio as Robin, and Molly Ringwald as Batgirl

[@Kilroy_5150]

Billy Murray is a tremendous actor....but he's would not/can not/will never become the Batman....it's just not in his wheel-house. I agree with others that this is about as wrong as trying to get Nick Cage to be Superman, it just doesn't fit. There are Batmans and then there are "Batmans" and many actors didn't pull off the role. I, personally, see Affleck as a better batman for a couple of reasons: 1 - He got into tremendous shape. Those "plastic" Batmen just made me cringe. 2 - He probably had some influence from Kevin Smith and had alread been on the scene as another superhero. He could be 'dark' and, when the moment called for it, could lighten up without breaking the character (as Bruce Wayne) too much. 3 - He was part of the Snyderverse that, to me, came closer to "real" Justice League than any other version (MINUS Ezra Miller)....God help us, Snyder messed up on that one BIGTIME. The Keaton Batman sits where it belongs, in another universe. While it had it's charms, it was never a "real" Batman to me. Christian Bale did a pretty good job but that guy has too many internal issues to have kept going. Adam West remains safely as a "70sverse" Batman. And no, i don't even consider Pattinson because he was too much somebody's "idea" of Batman beating the hell out of everyone he could get his hands on and, while Batman gets angry, that was a "rage" Batman that was more pointed toward the Gotham TV show. nuff said?

[@sametozkan9175]

Harold Ramis would have played as The Riddler.

[@Smee319]

It didn't so much get canceled as it developed into Batman '89.