Say what you will about Batman Forever but it isn't as bad as some fans claim it to be and while it's nowhere near the caliber of Batman 89 or even Batman Returns, it's still a pretty good watch every now and then and I can even go as far as saying that still holds up quite well. However, it can't be denied that the film's overall tone which had a little silliness served as a haunting foreshadowing of what's to come with its follow-up Batman & Robin going full-on camp and ditching all the darkness and grittiness that made the first two films so iconic.
For years now, it's been rumored that the film directed by the late Joel Schumacher actually had a darker cut that didn't make it to theaters. Dubbed as the "Schumacher Cut", the film gained widespread attention last year following the success of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement for Zack Snyder's Justice League.
In fact, a #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut campaign also became a thing last year following the passing of the director in June. Now, one of Batman Forever's producers is claiming that the cut does in fact exist and he's hopeful that it will eventually see the light of day. In an interview during the Austin Film Festival, Akiva Goldsman shares that the film a lot of Batman fans saw was nowhere near the actual cut that was supposed to get released.
Teasing the possibility of the film getting released in the future, Goldsman said: "And by the way, Batman Forever still has a renaissance coming, I really am interested to see whether the original cut of Batman Forever comes out. Because I got to see it recently, the very first one, which was referred to as Preview Cut One. And it was really dark, it was a pretty psychological exploration of guilt and shame."
Having seen all the deleted scenes from the film myself, I totally believe Akiva's claims and I'm actually convinced that Warner Bros. has it in their vault. But if you'd ask me though, now's not the right time for it to get released. If anything, should Warner Bros. actually pull the trigger, the famed "Schumacher Cut" of Batman Forever should drop in 2025, the year which marks the film's 30th anniversary. That would be awesome.
Speaking of the caped crusader, Matt Reeves' The Batman will hit cinemas in 2022.
Also Read:Black Adam Star Dwayne Johnson Reportedly Banned from Voicing Support for SnyderVerse
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