Batman Unchained: The Full Story Of Joel Schumacher's Shelved Third Batman Film
https://www.looper.com/1274245/batman-unchained-joel-schumachers-third-batman-film/
BY SERGIO PEREIRA/MAY 6, 2023 8:15 PM ESTshare
The year 1997 was an eventful one for humanity. Skynet showed how it was preparing to take over the world as IBM's computer beat chess champion Garry Kasparov. Sugar Ray released the funkier-than-blue suede shoes single "Fly." And Warner Bros. nearly killed the entire "Batman" film franchise with the release of the Joel Schumacher-directed "Batman & Robin."
The latter became one of the most talked-about events in the fandom and film industry, as it took eight years before the Dark Knight returned to the big screen in Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins." Actor George Clooney went on a decades-long apology tour for his part in this frosty sequel, while everyone involved in the production looks at it as the cinematic equivalent of a bad gas station hot dog. Yet here's the shocker: Despite all signs pointing toward it not being very good during production, Warner Bros. had already greenlit another Schumacher-helmed sequel. Amazingly, considering the toy manufacturer's heavy involvement in the franchise at that point, it wasn't called "Planes, Trains, and Batmobiles." Instead, it had the working title of "Batman Unchained."
Even more surprising, Schumacher's third film about the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder actually sounded like an intriguing project that would have wrapped up the entire franchise — including Tim Burton's earlier movies. With that said, let's take a look back at what could have been and the history behind the unmade "Batman Unchained."