Movies - TV
Joel Schumacher Taking On Batman Was A Huge Relief To Tim Burton
By DEVIN MEENAN
While fans hold the two Tim Burton-directed “Batman” movies in higher regard than Joel Schumacher’s films, Burton has a lesser appreciation of the character than his successor and disregarded the comic’s lore. When Schumacher was approached to direct the follow-up to “Batman Returns,” the director shared that Burton was all too ready to leave the franchise behind.
Schumacher, a Batman fan from childhood, was highly interested in directing the sequel but wouldn’t do it without Burton’s approval, explaining, “I said, ‘Well Tim Burton is a friend of mine, so I have to go and ask Tim first.’ Because if he doesn’t want me to do it I’m not going to do it, because this is his franchise. I had lunch with Tim and he said, ‘Oh take it, take it please!’”
Unfortunately, Schumacher’s lighthearted approach to the hero was less appealing to fans who had grown used to the darker takes on Batman from the comics and the Burton adaptations. Despite the films’ backlash, it isn’t difficult to see which of the directors was a true fan, as Schumacher’s “Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin” deeply explored the characters behind the masks.