Here’s a quick update on the somewhat renewed interest surrounding 1995’s “Batman Forever,” which next month, will be celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The Schumacher Cut of “Batman Forever” will be screened at an L.A. movie theater on Thursday May 29th. Maybe there’s finally some movement when it comes to this one.
Now, this screening does not mean that we’re going to be getting a full-fledged release of Schumacher’s Cut, and last I checked, it still needed $5M-$10M worth of post-production work, but given Val Kilmer’s recent death, I don’t think there will ever be a better time to release this one.
Back in 2023, a select group of viewers got the chance to see Schumacher’s original version of “Batman Forever.” The response was positive, which wasn’t too surprising given the long-standing chatter around this elusive cut. Director Kevin Smith also hosted a private screening on July 1st, 2023, at his Smodcastle Cinema in New Jersey.
This version of the film, running around 2 hours and 38 minutes, reportedly had a more deliberate pace, allowing for a deeper exploration of its psychological themes. It was still a rough cut, requiring further work in visual effects and musical scoring, but its tone and depth clearly resonated for those who saw it.
The wave of support for the hashtag campaign, #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut, has had fans hoping to build momentum similar to what happened with Zack Snyder’s “Justice League.” However, the challenge lies in whether there’s a large enough fanbase to push Schumacher’s version into wider public view. Unlike Snyder, Schumacher never had as equally passionate or vocal a following.
Personally, I didn’t care much for “Batman Forever,” likely because I was still very much won over by the gothic, and much darker, world Tim Burton had built in “Batman,” and especially “Batman Returns.” The shift to Schumacher’s flashier, more colorful take—and the replacing of Michael Keaton for Kilmer— felt like a letdown at the time.
“Batman Forever” featured Kilmer as Batman, Chris O’Donnell as Robin, Jim Carrey as The Riddler, and Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face. It leaned heavily into a campy, neon-soaked aesthetic reminiscent of the 1960s TV series, though with a slightly darker edge. This stood in contrast to Burton’s brooding 1989 and 1992 entries, which helped lay the groundwork for Christopher Nolan’s later, more grounded trilogy.
Joel Schumacher passed away in 2020 at age 80, having faced years of criticism—especially for the widely panned “Batman & Robin.” Kilmer passed away just this year. If there ever was a time to release the director’s cut then it would be now. In 2023, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman told The Playlist that the original version of Batman Forever should absolutely be made public.
“I saw [the cut] recently,” Goldsman said. “There’s definitely about 35% more psychological realism —more about guilt and shame. Joel’s first cut had all that, but preview audiences weren’t ready for it. They just wanted the humor and the action, so a lot of it got trimmed down. Still, it was a cool film.”
Goldsman added that releasing the original version would be a fitting tribute to Schumacher: “He passed away quietly… not with a lot of fanfare. Releasing his cut would be a nice way to honor him. I think he would’ve really appreciated that.”