‘Batman Forever’ Screenwriter Says Warner Bros “Stopped Caring” About 160-Minute Director’s Cut

With its 30th anniversary having occurred last month, “Batman Forever” was generating buzz—this time thanks to renewed attention on the elusive “Schumacher Cut.”

The cut still reportedly requires $5–10M in post-production work, but following Val Kilmer’s recent passing, there may never be a more poignant moment to bring it to light.

Akiva Goldsman, who wrote “Batman Forever,” sat down with THR, where the publication asked him if he thinks it will ever see the light of day. He doesn’t sound very optimistic.

After Joel died [in 2020], I reached out to Warners and said, ‘There’s a darker version of this movie.’ We found it. It exists and it’s incomplete, but more complete than you would think. Today there would be giant sections where the VFX wasn’t done. In those days, so much more of it was miniatures and practical effects — they were done. We were trying to dust it off, and then everybody stopped caring.

THR then asks Goldsman what some of the differences in the director’s cut included. He replies, “Bruce having these recurring visions of a red book, which turns out to be his father’s diary. There’s an entry that says, ‘Martha and I want to stay home tonight. Bruce wants to see a movie, so we’re going to take him out.’ So he holds himself responsible [for their deaths].

There’s also a section in the movie where he actually is hit in the head. He doesn’t remember that he’s Batman, and he goes back into the cave where he encounters a Rick Baker-designed bat.

A version of Schumacher’s original vision, running approximately 2 hours and 38 minutes, was shown to a small group in 2023, and the reception was largely positive. That same year, Kevin Smith hosted a private screening at his Smodcastle Cinema in New Jersey. This early cut, while unfinished, was said to feature a slower pace and deeper psychological undertones—exploring themes like guilt and shame, which were largely stripped out of the theatrical release.

Despite its rough state—lacking in completed visual effects and a finalized score—the tone and substance resonated with those who saw it. The #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut campaign has since tried to rally support, aiming for a Snyder Cut-style movement. But unlike Zack Snyder, Schumacher never had a rabid online fanbase behind him, which may be the uphill battle here.

Personally, I never connected with “Batman Forever” when it hit theaters. Coming off the gothic aesthetic of Tim Burton’s “Batman” and “Batman Returns,” the tonal pivot to Schumacher’s flashier, neon-drenched vision—paired with Val Kilmer stepping in for Michael Keaton—felt like a step back. The film, featuring Kilmer as Batman, Chris O’Donnell as Robin, Jim Carrey as The Riddler, and Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, veered into camp, echoing the 1960s TV series but with a slightly darker edge.

Schumacher, who died in 2020 at age 80, spent years defending his approach to the franchise, especially after the widely criticized “Batman & Robin.” With Kilmer’s death earlier this year, there’s a bittersweet urgency to honoring their contributions through this long-buried version.

Should we believe that Schumacher’s cut is good enough to salvage Batman Forever’s reputation? Schumacher was never a subtle filmmaker, but he was rarely boring. At his worst — “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Batman & Robin” — he embodied the worst impulses of studio excess. At his best — “Phone Booth” “Falling Down” — he was a showman with a gift for provocative, pulpy material.