Can we finally get the Schumacher Cut of Batman Forever?

It’s been 30 years since Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever was released. But even before that anniversary, there were calls to ensure Bat-fans everywhere could see what had been dubbed “the Schumacher Cut”, which we didn’t truly know existed until the past couple of years. So what reignited interest in the Schumacher Cut? Unfortunately, it was the death of director Joel Schumacher. Now that the world has lost star Val Kilmer, new calls are being made to see that the Bat-Signal shines directly on the extended cut of Batman Forever.

Batman Forever went through numerous cuts to appease audiences (or try to…), so it’s almost expected that there would be a full-blown director’s cut. Thankfully, Kevin Smith did his part in seeing that people could finally see the Schumacher Cut, hosting a private screening in 2023 where viewers didn’t even know they were about to witness comic book movie history.

So what’s different about the Schumacher Cut of Batman Forever? Considering it’s not that far off of being an hour longer, quite a bit, including a new opening which finds Tommy Lee Jones’ Two-Face in Arkham Asylum and a more detailed mental breakdown of Jim Carrey’s the Riddler.

But outside of the rogues gallery of Batman videos, the Schumacher Cut also features a rather infamous scene where Val Kilmer’s Bruce Wayne has a moment with an enormous bat, the leaked images of which were a major catalyst for people demanding that Warner Bros. and DC make it available to the public. Considering how ridiculous Batman Forever is (fan or not, there is a great divide between Tim Burton fans and Joel Schumacher defenders), it’s surprising that the script (by Akiva Goldsman) would have attempted to delve into Bruce Wayne’s psyche.

What we currently have of Batman Forever no doubt has its defenders, but it’s high time that Warner Bros. and DC do their part in releasing the Schumacher Cut. You can’t convince any Batman fans that it’s not worth their money, and it, too, would server as a wonderful tribute to star Val Kilmer and director Joel Schumacher. But objectively, it seems too unlikely, if not just because the studios still consider Batman Forever a black mark on the franchise. So consider this a call from JoBlo.com for it to be freed from the shadows of not just Gotham but the vaults.

Do you think we will ever get a wide release of the Schumacher Cut of Batman Forever? 

The post Can we finally get the Schumacher Cut of Batman Forever? appeared first on JoBlo.