Trivia / Batman Returns

• Actor-Inspired Element:
  • Christopher Walken came up with the idea of Max Shreck wearing cuff-links made from human molars, having seen it in The Great Gatsby.
  • Danny DeVito stayed in-character on set once his make-up was finished, and part of the Penguin's characterization in the movie was shaped from DeVito's own understanding of the character (as he was a fan). The infamous black drool was something he and the make-up artist came up with while experimenting with his look, a combination of mouthwash and red/green food coloring in his mouth.
• Awesome, Dear Boy:
  • Michelle Pfeiffer - who in 1992 was one of the hottest and most acclaimed actresses working in Hollywood - actively sought out the role of Catwoman the minute she heard about it, having been a longtime fan of the character. She was crushed when Annette Bening was cast ahead of her and couldn't be more delighted when she had to drop out on account of her pregnancy, contacting Tim Burton and making no bones about her availability for the role. She still considers it one of the most challenging roles of her career, and looks back on it very fondly (she posted a clip of her famous "meow" scene when she joined Instagram, for example). The gusto with which she threw herself into the role is apparent onscreen; her portrayal of Catwoman is still regarded by many as definitive.
  • Danny DeVito was a lifelong fan of the Batman comics and was simply delighted to play the Penguin — and his performance shows that he was having a lot of fun with the role.
• The Cast Showoff: The Ice Princess does some modeling poses after she pressed the big button to light up the tree; her actress, Cristi Conaway, briefly worked as a model earlier in her career.
• Celebrity Voice Actor: In the Japanese dub, besides Hiroyuki Watanabe reprising his role from the previous film, Catwoman is voiced by veteran actress Reiko Tajima and Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin is voiced by film and stage actor Ben Hiura.
• Completely Different Title: Known in France as Batman : Le Défi (Batman: The Challenge).
• Costume Backlash: Although she loved playing Catwoman, Michelle Pfeiffer hated the costume. For all that it looked spectacular, it was a nightmare getting into it everyday.
• Creator's Favorite Episode: Tim Burton has mentioned in several interviews that he had a much better time making the sequel, and that he also considers it more enjoyable than the previous film, which he said was good but "boring at times". Michael Keaton also considers it better than the first.
• Creator's Pest: One of the reasons why Robin wasn't included in the film was because writer Daniel Waters felt that he was "the most worthless character in the world, especially with [Batman as] the loner of loners".
  "One of our big bonding issues is me and Tim Burton hate Robin. He's just the most worthless character in the world, especially with Tim's conception of Batman as the loner of loners, to have this gushing boy run around, it made us both kind of sick to our stomachs!" —Daniel Waters
• Dawson Casting: 47-year-old Danny DeVito as 33-year-old Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin. Justified because the Penguin is actually supposed to look older than his age due to his deformities and his utterly unhealthy life in the sewers. In fact, the makeup makes the Penguin appear rather older than how DeVito himself was at the time.
• Deleted Scene: There were several scenes written in the early and final screenplays, but were not filmed. They would appear in the novelizations and Denny O'Neil's comic book adaptation, as well as Batman Returns: The Official Movie Book and official merchandise. Such scenes include:
  • In the scene where the Red Triangle Circus Gang launched their first attack on Gotham Plaza, the Ice Princess shoves an elderly woman to the ground during her escape.
  • A conversation between Schreck and his son, Chip, takes place after Shreck pushes Selina out of a window. Chip suggested that Selina was depressed and had PMS.
  • Additional scenes for Commissioner Gordon; he was seen at the Maxquerade Ball having a conversation with Alfred, commenting on Bruce and Selina's dancing, and one at the end of the film, where he was talking with the Mayor at the Batsignal, wondering if Batman will forgive Gotham City for nearly destroying his reputation.
• Dueling Dubs: Two Latin American Spanish dubs were produced. The first was recorded in 1993, with Javier Pontón reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The second was recorded in 1998 and featured René García as Batman. In both dubs, Armando Réndiz played Commissioner Gordon.
• DVD Commentary: Tim Burton provides a somewhat insightful one, laced with a lot of rambling and giggles.
• Focus Group Ending: The final shot of the movie, where Catwoman looks at the Batsignal, was thrown in at the last minute after test audiences reacted positively to Michelle Pfeiffer's performance, and for a potential spinoff movie, which never took place.
• Kids' Meal Toy: McDonald's released a set of four race cars featuring Batman, the Penguin, and Catwoman. This promotion was infamous for being pulled due to Moral Guardians complaining about the movie's kid-unfriendly content.
• Licensed Game: A number of video games all named for the movie were released concurrently across most major systems, many developed by different studios in different genres and styles. A platformer was released on Sega systems, Beat 'em Ups similar to Final Fight and Double Dragon came out on on SNES and NES as well as a third on the Atari Lynx, DOS got an Adventure Game, and a bug-riddled Amiga platformer was available, too.
• Method Acting: Danny DeVito continued to act as the Penguin even when the cameras weren't rolling and caused Michelle Pfeiffer to be quite frightened when she was around him. But then, nothing less could be expected from DeVito, who at that point in his career had a screen persona so macabre that he made Christopher Walken - who, for his part, was almost not cast because Tim Burton himself was creeped out by him - look sunshiney by comparison.
• Missing Trailer Scene: There's a scene of Catwoman laughing while laying on The Penguin's bed, which is shown on the original trailers and TV commercials, but is not shown in the final cut.
• Money, Dear Boy: During his appearance on the WTF Podcast with Marc Maron, Michael Keaton stated that he has never watched the completed film. He went on to explain that he only took the role because he needed money for a real-estate deal. Although as the years have passed, he has considered the film the better of the two Burton directed Batman films.
• Never Work with Children or Animals: While on The Graham Norton Show, Danny DeVito talked about the first take with the monkey handing him the note from Batman. Apparently, the monkey was frightened by the make-up and the colored drool of The Penguin and attacked Danny's family jewels region. Lucky the suit he had to wear was very padded and he was fine. They got the shot after Danny put on a new suit.
• No Stunt Double: Danny DeVito refused a stand-in for the scene where the Penguin gets pelted with rotten food by an angry mob.
• One-Take Wonder: The scene where Catwoman knocks the heads off the dummies with her whip was nailed by Michelle Pfeiffer on the first take, which got a round of applause from the crew and caused her to improvise jumping rope with her whip because she was so proud of herself.
• The Other Darrin: In the Japanese dub, the late Fumihiko Tsuburaya replaces Tamio Ohki as Commisioner Gordon for the home media release.
• Production Posse: Danny Elfman doing the score, Bo Welch for production design, and Denise De Novi assists in production.
• Promoted Fanboy:
  • Danny DeVito was a fan of the comics prior to being cast, and was very excited at the prospect of playing the Penguin.
  • Michelle Pfeiffer said in 2017:
    As a young girl, I was completely obsessed with Catwoman. When I heard that Tim was making the film and Catwoman had already been cast, I was devastated. At the time, it was Annette Bening. Then she became pregnant. The rest is history.
• Rebuilt Set: Averted with the Batcave. A completely new Batcave set design was built for this film rather than rebuilding Anton Furst's cave set from the preceding film.
• Referenced by...:
  • The Simpsons episode "Sideshow Bob Roberts" has a plot that (unintentionally) closely parallels this movie's, with a seemingly reformed criminal (also backed by a political machine headed by an industrialist) running for mayor and a visit to a Hall of Records (albeit by a sympathetic character ^note  Lisa rather than a villain).
  • Sideshow Bob again in "Day of the Jackanapes", where he uses a spiraling design (in this case an archery target) to hypnotize and brainwash Bart.
  • In her music video for "Since U Been Gone", Kelly Clarkson systematically destroys some of the clothes in her closet while sporting a Slasher Smile. Sound familiar?
  • Tiny Toon Adventures: In "The Return of Batduck", the pilot and only original episode of the short-lived The Plucky Duck Show spin-off, Plucky abandons his own television show to star in Batman Returns, only to be cast as Michael Keaton's stunt double. Many in-jokes to the film's production are present, including Dustin Hoffman arguing with Danny DeVito over who is shorter^note a reference to how Hoffman was Warner Bros' first casting choice for The Penguin before DeVito was settled on, and Sean Young begging Tim Burton to be cast as Catwoman after the role was given to Michelle Pfeiffer^note A reference to how Young had her sights set on the role of Catwoman and confronted Burton and Keaton after Pfeiffer was hired.
  • Console Wars: In one episode, Greg and Dan see whether the SNES or the Genesis had the better licensed game based on the titular film.
  • The Penguin's "Batarang-ploy" is referenced in the video game Batman: Vengeance—Harley Quinn hurls a Batarang at Commissioner Gordon, and Batman is immediately suspected of throwing it.
  • The Angry Video Game Nerd:
    • In Part 1 of his review of Batman games, the Nerd reviewed various licensed games based on Batman Returns for the SNES, Sega CD, and Atari Lynx.
    • In his review of Tiger Electronic Handheld Games, among the games the Nerd plays are the Handheld and Wrist Game versions of Batman Returns.
  • Animaniacs (1993): In "Taming of the Screwy", among the guests present at the studio party are Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, and Michelle Pfeiffer, who are respectively dressed as Batman, The Penguin, and Catwoman.
• Role Reprise:
  • In the Japanese dub, Hiroyuki Watanabe and Fumio Matsuoka reprised their respective roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Alfred Pennyworth from the home media releases.
  • In the first Latin American Spanish dub, Javier Pontón reprised his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman from the previous film.
  • In the second Latin American Spanish dub, Federico Romano returned to play Alfred Pennyworth from the dubs of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
• Screwed by the Merchandise: This film was a famous case study. It was Darker and Edgier than than previous entries in the Batman Film Series, which caused an an outcry from parents who found it unsuitable for an McDonald's line of Happy Meal toys. The action figures didn't sell. So Warner Bros. replaced Tim Burton with Joel Schumacher and shifted the tone of the next film in the series, Batman Forever, to be Lighter and Softer with more colorful characters and vehicles so they could broaden their appeal and sell more action figures, which largely succeeded. However, there's a good argument that the emphasis on toys was part of why the next film Batman & Robin bombed at the box office.
• Show Accuracy/Toy Accuracy: Kenner's tie-in toy line did have a number of odd gimmick figures and vehicles that weren't in the movie, which is par for many tie-in toy cash-ins. That's not the example here, however. No, when Kenner made their line, for some reason instead of making a new Penguin figure that looked like the character in the film, they simply used the old "Super Powers" comic-based Penguin tooling they'd made years before.
• Technology Marches On: A big deal is made about the Batmobile having an on-board CD recorder. At the time this seemed incredibly futuristic, and now, after the rise of flash memory storage for music, it seems more pointless than anything else. Imagine the kind of Bat-Suspension the laser would need.
• Throw It In!: Catwoman using her whip as a skipping rope when breaking into the department store was improvised by Michelle Pfeiffer because she was so proud of herself for nailing the whipping of the mannequins on the first take.
• Wag the Director: According to writer Daniel Waters in an article on The Hollywood Reporter celebrating the film's 25th anniversary, Michael Keaton asked to reduce more than half of his lines in the film, preferring to let the Batsuit "do most of the talking".
  "My version of the script had more a lot more Batman and Bruce Wayne speeches. Michael Keaton would go through the script and say, 'Hey, that's a great line, but you gotta cut it. This is a good speech, but you gotta take it out.' He wanted to have very minimal dialogue, especially in the Batsuit. When I saw the final film, I realized he was exactly right." — Daniel Waters
• What Could Have Been:
  • Dustin Hoffman, Christopher Lloyd, Christopher Lee, John Goodman, Alan Rickman, Bob Hoskins, John Candy and Joe Pesci were considered for the part of the Penguin before Danny DeVito was cast.
  • Sigourney Weaver, Brooke Shields, Geena Davis, Demi Moore, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Susan Sarandon were considered for the part of Catwoman before the casting of Michelle Pfeiffer. Kidman would eventually go on to portray Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, while Sarandon would play Victoria Kord in Blue Beetle.
  • David Bowie was the initial candidate for the role of Max Shreck before Christopher Walken was cast, but turned it down to star in Twin Peaks. Bowie was previously considered for the Joker in Batman.
  • Burgess Meredith was meant to have a cameo as the Penguin's father, but had to bow out due to illness.
  • The character Max Shreck was originally written for Harvey Dent (Billy Dee Williams), thus explaining the character's political ambitions. The film would have ended on a cliffhanger, with the explosion at the end only scarring half of his face.
  • There were brief discussions of having Jack Nicholson return as the Joker, despite his fate at the end of the previous film (though it's not exactly unheard of for the Joker to come Back from the Dead in the comics). All of this was thrown out once Tim Burton agreed to return as director because he didn't want to make a direct sequel for whatever reason (it helped that he wasn't too thrilled about the first film, plus he dislikes sequels in general), though the film did still reference the previous film's events by mentioning Vicki Vale.
  • Penguin was originally going to be slim, tall and handsome in an earlier script for this movie. That idea would later be used for Gotham and Batman: The Telltale Series.
  • The original script had many, many more members of the Red Triangle Gang. Notable members of the circus in the original script included a ringmaster with poison-tipped gauntlets, a duo with razor sharp metal blades encrusted into their heads like mohawks, a teenage clown with a neon medallion that read "CIRKUS" who was the original stun gun clown, and a group of clowns dressed like firefighters who operate a fire-engine that happed to shoot napalm (in a possible dark twist on the clown scene from Dumbo).
  • Sam Hamm's original script for Batman 2 included a few Continuity Nods to the first film, such as Bruce proposing to Vicki Vale, a souvenir store selling scraps of the wrecked Batplane and more insights to the deceased Joker. Catwoman and the non-deformed Penguin were featured, but neither had an origin story, and the Penguin was given the alias "Mr. Boniface" in a Mythology Gag (his original alias in the comics; "Oswald Cobblepot" is nowhere to be found). The Penguin enters the film when he is released from prison for previous offenses, Catwoman comes in when he hires her for her burglary skills, and both go off searching for buried treasure (which would have been revealed to be hidden in the Batcave). Also, in this script, Selina has already taken on her Catwoman persona before the film's events, and is an out-and-out villain, mutilating street thugs and murdering police officers and millionaires in cold blood. Also, Dick Grayson in this iteration of the script is noticeably darker than most of his other portrayals, chastising Batman for not killing criminals.
  • Daniel Waters' script treatment for the second film had a number of radically-different elements concerning the characters, most notably having a larger reliance on gags (to such an extent that Keaton allegedly put his foot down and had the humor reined in to make the script more grounded):
    • Max Shreck was originally intended to be Penguin's older brother, the "golden boy" of the Cobblepot family, whereas the Penguin was the deformed outsider. He was supposedly ashamed of his father, after he threw his baby brother into the sewer, and he emancipated himself from the Cobblepot family as soon as he became of age. Meanwhile, Penguin genuinely had lived his entire life in the sewer and didn't know his real identity: later rewrites by Wesley Strick added in Batman discovering Penguin's history as a sideshow freak in a circus with the Red Triangle Gang, as well as the entire subplot about Penguin's plan to kill all the firstborn sons of Gotham (in Waters' script, he escalates straight from his failed mayoral campaign to sending out the exploding penguins).
    • The initial attack on Gotham Plaza is a lot more elaborate, with the thugs invading before the tree-lighting ceremony begins and infiltrating Max Shreck's penthouse office, taking Max, Chip, the Mayor, and Selina hostage. Batman has to fight his way up to the penthouse level to save them, in the process leaving the Batmobile behind in an alley - but forgetting to put the shields up on the car. Even more of the Penguin's thugs then approach the exposed automobile and take photographs of it (thus providing an explanation as to how The Penguin got the blueprints to the Batmobile). The novelization indicates the Penguin got the plans from a disgruntled engineer who helped design it.
    • The process of how Selina "resurrects" and assumes the Catwoman identity is drastically different from the finished product (and explains the death of a key character in the process). After Max pushes her out the window, the barely-conscious Selina (now lying in the alleyway) hears the Batmobile driving past and tries to signal to Batman, but is unable to get his attention (leading to her hatred of him in the draft). After she's resurrected by the cats, she goes out "prowling" in a painted football jersey — essentially a proto-costume, and at which time she gets the idea to craft a more fully-realized costume. After Max and Chip discover Selina somehow survived the fall, the former sends the latter to spy on her, and either blackmail her into staying quiet or killing her. Chip ends up spying on her at her apartment (which is wrecked from her rampage — an element that is retained in the finished film) and sees her finishing her new cat costume (complete with Selina sitting in lingerie while sewing). Chip breaks into her apartment and finds her sitting in a scarf covering her (and nothing else), and is perturbed when she tries to flirt with him. It's revealed that she set up a trap for him — a carpet of pink quicksand that sucks him in and eventually kills him. From there, Selina officially dons the Catwoman mask (on-screen) and goes out prowling again, confronting the mugger and female victim (as seen in the final product).
• Working Title: Shot under the codename Dictel. Was originally titled Batman II.
• You Sound Familiar: In the second Latin American Spanish dub:
  • Bruce Wayne/Batman is voiced by René García, who previously dubbed Dick Grayson/Robin in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
  • Dulce Guerrero previously voiced Chase Meridian in Batman Forever. Here, she voices Selina Kyle/Catwoman.

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