FILMFACTS
TRIVIA
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The Bat.. Is back!
Kim Basinger stars as Vicky Vale
Totally Trivia
Film facts for the 1989 Action / Adventure movie starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Billy Dee Williams
Jerry Hall, Pat Hingle, Michael Gough, Robert Wuhl, Jack Palance, Tracey Walter, Lee Wallace, William Hootkins, Richard Strange, Carl Chase, Mac McDonald, George Lane Cooper, Terence Plummer, Philip Tan, John Sterland, Edwin Craig Update Cast
We believe the following trivia is all legit. If it's bogus or you have additional info, please update us.
Thanks to Christian
Batman giving up guns in the early days of the strip was not entirely because of "political correctness". At that time there were still "The Lone Ranger", "Billy The Kid", "Roy Rogers" and other comic strips of similar content that were still very popular. Why should the Bat be like them? Through the inspiration behind Bruce Wayne becoming the Batman the story was written that he would NEVER intentionally kill. Quite simply, he didn't want to be the same kind of person that took his parents from him, even if that meant saving a bad guy. This silent oath of never intentionally killing was completely ignored in the Tim Burton Batman movies and wasn't given much more attention in the sequels that have followed. Is this true of the new Christian Bale version of the Dark Knight??Rewind Archive
Burton has said in interviews that he simply did not want to use Robin at all and only agreed to consider using the Boy Wonder out of deference to Warner Brothers. Robin was also considered to be used in Batman Returns but again, his role was excised out. Robin made his premiere in Batman Forever.Rewind Archive
Interestingly, 1986's The Dark Knight Returns first notes that Batman's parents were killed by an unnamed, never found assailant. Shortly thereafter, Batman comics' continuity was amended by DC Comics -- Batman's parents hadn't been killed by Joe Chill OR by Jack Napier, but by an unnamed, never found assailant. The feeling was that, if Batman solved the crime of who killed his parents, there goes his motivation to be Batman.Rewind Archive
Denny O'Neil, editor of Batman in 1989, liked Sam Hamm's original script well enough to invite Hamm to write a storyline for Detective Comics. Hamm's story appears in Detective Comics #s 598-600.Rewind Archive
In the very early days of the Bob Kane comic, Batman was illustrated not with gloves on but rather with gauntlets that stopped at the wrists. His hands were actually bare in a number of the strips.Rewind Archive
Annette Bening was originally cast as Catwoman for "Batman Returns" but had to bow out when she became pregnant.Thanks to Steven Murray
Kelly LeBrock of "Weird Science" fame was originally cast as Vicki Vale but turned down the role to do another project. In an interview she stated that giving up the part "Made Kim Basinger a star" - she looked bitter.Thanks to Steven Murray
Before 'Batman' started filming, and during, Michelle Pfeiffer called and asked to do a small cameo of Catwoman, but Burton didn't have the film space. Michelle later got her wish, when she was cast as Selina Kyle (Catwoman) in 'Batman Returns' as the best Catwoman to ever grace the silver screen.Rewind Archive
In the original screenplay, Bruce Wayne is described as a man with muscles on top of muscles, and scarred from nightly combat. Michael Keaton was quite obviously NOT envisioned.Thanks to annericelover
In the original screenplay, Dick Grayson and his parents, the Flying Graysons (John and Mary), are introduced during the parade scene. They are entertainment in the parade and the Joker shoots the trapeze artists, sending the Graysons plummeting to their deaths. Dick eventually becomes Robin by script's end.The storyboards for this scene were used in an animation style on the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, with Kevin Conroy voicing Batman, Mark Hamill voicing The Joker (they provided the voices of those respective characters in the Bruce Timm Animated Universe The DCAU)
Thanks to Barry Freiman
In 1984, Tom Mankiewicz, who had co-written SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE and some of the James Bond films, had written a screenplay. Despite attracting some attention, it never got filmed. The Mankiewicz screenplay was deemed too similar to the Superman film, even including scenes of young Bruce Wayne training to become Batman and detailing the origin much more. The script also actually had two villains -- the Joker and the Penguin (who, unlike his comic version, is described as a tall, proper looking, thin man).Thanks to James Kennedy
Willem DaFoe was also considered as an option for the Joker. DaFoe went on to play the Green Goblin, the main villain in Spider Man.Thanks to Brent Emmingham
The card trick that the pre-Joker Jack Nicholson does during the meeting with Grissom (wrapping the card around the deck with one hand) is the same trick that Jack Nicholson performs in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"Rewind Archive
Characters in the Batman movie that were based on DC Comics characters: Batman, Alfred, Joker, Commissioner Gordon, Vickie Vale, Harvey Dent, Thomas & Martha Wayne. All other characters were additions created for the film, including Wohl's Alexander Knox who was originally supposed to die in the parade scene.Thanks to Barry Freiman
In the comics, Vicki Vale (a redhead) always suspected Bruce Wayne was Batman and competed for Batman's affections throughout the 50s and 60s with Batwoman (a female Batman and predecessor to Batgirl). The movie "Vickie Vale" was actually based more on 1970's Bruce Wayne girlfriend, Silver St. Cloud, a name deemed too silly for a movie character. When Batman debuted in 1939, Bruce Wayne was engaged to movie actress Julie Madison (the character eventually appeared in the final film of the series).Thanks to Ashley Williams
Tim Burton makes a cameo as one of the Joker's thugs in the Museum scene.Thanks to Simon Webb
Mac McDonald, one of the Joker's goons (the one painting the marble statue head in the museum/gallery scene) plays Captain Frank Hollister in the TV series 'Red Dwarf.'Thanks to Frankie
Until shortly before filming, Batman's sidekick Robin was going to appear at the end. Burton never liked the character and it was also around this time that the second Robin (a character named Jason Todd, not the original Dick Grayson, who had become Nightwing) was killed by the Joker in the comics.Thanks to Scot
Jack Nicholson held the place of highest paid actor in the Guinness Book of World Records.Thanks to Jovana
Kim Basinger and Prince, who wrote music for Batman, met on the set and dated for a while.Thanks to Chas Garfield
Batman boasted two characters from the Star Wars trilogy. Billy Dee Williams, who played D.A. Harvey Dent, starred in Star Wars as Lando Calrissian, while Corrupt cop Lt. Max Eckhardt was played by William Hootkins, who was the fabled X-Wing pilot Jek Porkins in Star WarsThanks to Frankie
In the comics, the man who murdered Batman's parents was named Joe Chill. Chill was never even hinted at as a secret identity for the Joker before or since the film. Likewise, in BATMAN FOREVER, Two Face was "blamed" for killing Robin's parents, even though in the comics, it was someone named Tony Zucco.Rewind Archive
The Batman film, along with its sequel, Batman Returns, feature an extremely bleak, and terror-filled Gotham City. This feel for Gotham was originally seen in "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns", a 1986 graphic novel by comic book legend Frank Miller.Rewind Archive
In 1984, Kenner produced a line of DC Comics based figures. In 1989, Toy Biz had acquired the rights and put out a line of DC characters. Batman, Joker, Bob the Goon, the Batmobile, the Batcycle, the Batwing, and the Batcave were packaged differently then the other D.C. characters (including Robin). The following year, Kenner put out the Dark Knight Collection line, which featured a bunch of different "Batmen" with different gadgets as well as a number of vehicles. Toy Biz had further success with Marvel Comics based figures, and Kenner (apperantly bought by Hazbro sometime recently) continued making toys based on Batman, Superman and other D.C. characters.Thanks to Frankie
The following year, Roger Ebert dubbed the film TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES "a low rent version of BATMAN." Neither film, however, garnered a thumbs up.Thanks to Frankie
The spear gun, ubiquitous in the film, was never seen before in the Batman comics. Batman frequently used a device that launched a grappling hook in the animated series that aired in the 1990's. As for conventional guns, Batman used one briefly from 1939- circa 1941, but eventually adopted a worried-parent-addled code against them.Thanks to David
The original 1989 movie Batmobile was purchased by magician David Copperfield for $1 million.Rewind Archive
Corto Maltese (where Vicki had been taking pictures) is the name of a popular European comic character, starring in the adventure comic books of Italian Hugo Pratt. Corto Maltese is also an island in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight, one of Burtons inspirations for Batman.Thanks to Karl Williams
Actor, Chris Fairbank, who played Moxey in the popular UK comedy/drama 'Auf Wiedersehen Pet', played Mugger 2 (Nic) in the opening segment.Thanks to Jeffrey
The Joker has continued to be the most evil villain in Batman's world. He proved this by killing Jason Todd (the second Robin) by using a bomb. The "Harlequin of Hate" also placed Barbara Gordon (Commissioner Gordon's daughter and Batgirl) into a wheelchair after he severed her spinal cord. A recurring theme in the comic books is also the Joker's ability to almost always escape from Arkham Asylum.Rewind Archive
Billy Dee Williams took the role of Harvey Dent because of the character later becoming Two Face. Reportedly he had a clause put in his contract to ensure he would get the role of Two Face if the character was used in any sequels. Unfortunately Warner Bros bought it out so they could cast Tommy Lee Jones instead.Thanks to Joe
David Baxt, who plays Bruce Wayne's father, Thomas, also appeared in the other DC Comics-inspired movie Superman in 1978. In it, he played the thief climbing up the side of a building and caught by the Man of Steel.Rewind Archive
In the comic books, the Joker's true name was never revealed. Before he was the Joker, he was never known as anything but "The Red Hood".Bogus Trivia
There's often fake stuff floating round, y'know? -Like the 'ghost boy' that can allegedly be seen in "Three Men And A Baby".
But, nothing bogus that we know yet for "Batman".
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1989 Warner Bros.
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