We are finally getting a whole new take on the character of Batman with The Batman. Matt Reeves is going to bring an interpretation that is going to be a lot more grounded than what we might have seen before. It has actually been 5 years since we got to see the character appear on the big screen. The character has appeared in a total of 13 live-action films. Each of these interpretations has some of the most exciting stories from what happened during their making. Let’s take a look at some of the most exciting behind the scenes Batman stories from the Batman projects we have seen over the years.
Catwoman (Batman Returns)
While talking about the Catwoman suit, actress Michelle Pfeiffer complained,
It was the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever been in, they had to powder me down, help me inside and then vacuum-pack the suit. They’d paint it with a silicon-based finish to give it its trademark shine.
Annette Bening (Batman Returns)
Fans are well aware of the brilliant portrayal that Michelle Pfeiffer did with the now-iconic take on Catwoman. But this actress was actually the second choice of director Tim Burton. His first choice was Annette Bening and she was actually cast in the role for the film. The actress even attended numerous costume tests and fittings during the pre-production for the film. But she would end up losing the role because of a mistimed pregnancy.
The Penguin (Batman Returns)
According to actor Danny DeVito who played Penguin in the movie:
It was four-and-a-half hours of makeup and getting into the costume. We got it down to three hours by the end of the shoot. I had pounds and pounds of face prosthetics and body padding, and the prosthetic hands, which were hard to use.
Mr. Freeze (Batman & Robin)
Arnold Schwarzenegger had a very elaborate suit for Mr. Freeze. There were 7 costumes made for him with 500 hand-hammered aircraft aluminum parts. Each suit had10,000 blue LED lights.
Gotham City (Batman & Robin)
The city that appears in the movie is actually a full-scale set and there was no CGI involved in it. Later we would see the same set being covered in ice as the narrative progressed.
Burt Ward (Batman 1966)
The Batman series from 1966 is known for the awesome stunt sequences involving the characters of Batman and Robin. Burt Ward who played Robin was assigned a stuntman but the actor was made to his stunts by the assistant director. This was because the stuntman didn’t look enough like him. But the actor would actually end up in the emergency room four of the first five days of shooting.
Batmobile (Batman 1966)
The Batmobile used in the 1966 installment of the film was sold for $4.2 million to an Arizonian resident in 2013.
Casting Batman (Batman 1989)
Casting for the role of the caped crusader has been something of a controversy over the years. People haven’t always been supportive of the casting for the character and the same thing happened for Michael Keaton. Keaton’s casting caused angry fans to write angry letters to Warner Bros. Later the actor would define Batman for a whole new generation.
Michael Keaton (Batman 1989)
The costume ends up helping a lot with the character. Michael Keaton has stated that he was practically deaf inside the suit. He has described his time donning the costume as ridiculous. This isolation actually ended up helping him develop the character for the movie.
Jack Nicholson (Batman 1989)
Jack Nicholson’s take on the role of Joker is considered amongst the best of the portrayals of the clown prince. The Academy Award-winning actor raked in a whopping sum of $90 million for his take on the role. He was clearly the top pick for playing the supervillain and according to sources his fee actually started at $10 million. Later he would sign a deal with the studio which allowed him to earn $6 million for every percentage of the profits for the movie.
MCU & DCEU (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
As a complete surprise, this movie was released around the same time as Captain America: Civil War. Both the movie saw two major heroes from the two franchises going against each other. There are a surprising number of common elements between the two movies.
Batman’s Voice (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
Batman’s voice is something that is considered quite important for the character. Over the years, we have seen different actors use different voices for the role. It was Kevin Smith who had suggested that a voice modulator should be used for Ben Affleck’s take on the role. According to him, this would help mask the higher voice that Ben Affleck has.
Joker Scars (The Dark Knight)
Heath Ledger is well remembered for his absolutely haunting and brilliant take on the role of Joker. The actor was able to bring certain elements to the character and add a whole new layer to him. One of these elements is the character used to continuously lick his lips in order to keep the prosthetic scar from falling off. This habit would end up being one of the most awesome elements of the character.
Joker Masks (The Dark Knight)
The opening sequence would see a heist with everyone wearing Joker masks. This was actually supposed to be a callback. The mask that Joker was wearing was a reference to the one worn by Joker in the intro for the 1966 Batman TV show.
Harley Quinn (Batman: The Animated Series)
Fans of the character might not know that her origin is actually from the animated series. Long before she would make her comic book debut, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm would introduce her as a minor character in the animated series.
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