The Ken Levine podcast with Michael Uslan
Uslan doesn't exactly blame Joel Schumacher for all of the problems with Batman & Robin, and maybe Batman Forever. He says that studio executives by this time, became very enamored with toys, games, Happy Meals. So they therefore, dictated to Schumacher (or any other filmmaker for that matter) that a film must be light, bright and kiddie-friendly in order to accommodate the licensees. Ultimately, it's a case of the "tail wagging the dog" as the movies become little more than informercials for toys.
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