1992’s Batman Returns introduced audiences to Michelle Pfeiffer’s version of Catwoman/Selina Kyle, who was both an enemy and love interest to Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight. At one time, both Batman Returns director Tim Burton and screenwriter Daniel Waters planned to continue the story of Pfeiffer’s Catwoman in her own movie. During a recent screening of Batman Returns in Los Angeles (via IndieWire), Waters talked about the ideas for the unmade Catwoman spin-off.
According to Waters, Burton’s vision for the Catwoman movie was very different from what he had done with his two Batman movies. “He wanted to do an $18 million black and white movie, like the original Cat People, of Selina just lowkey living in a small town,” said Waters.
However, Waters had a different take on how he felt Catwoman’s story should continue. “I wanted to make a Batman movie where the metaphor was about Batman,” he said. “So I had her move to a Los Angeles version of Gotham City, and it’s run by three a*****e superheroes.” Waters even compared his vision for the film to a modern superhero TV series. “It was The Boys before The Boys.” However, Waters said that Burton “got exhausted reading my script.”
Although the spin-off movie starring Pfeiffer was never made, Warner Bros. did eventually release a Catwoman movie in 2004 starring Halle Berry. However, instead of Selina Kyle, Berry played a character named Patience Phillips. Pfeiffer’s version of the character was shown in a photograph in the film. Selina Kyle would later return to the big screen in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, played by Anne Hathaway, and in 2022’s The Batman, played by Zoë Kravitz.
When it was released in 1992, Batman Returns was controversial for being so dark. The film also made less money at the box office than Burton’s 1989 Batman movie. For the third movie, Warner Bros. decided to replace Burton with Joel Schumacher. Keaton then left the series and Val Kilmer took over the role in 1995’s Batman Forever. Schumacher later directed 1997’s Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney. Eight years later, the franchise was rebooted in 2005 with Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, which starred Christian Bale.
More than three decades after leaving the franchise, Keaton returned as the Dark Knight in last year’s DC Extended Universe movie The Flash. At one time, Keaton was going to have a larger role in the franchise, with the original ending of The Flash featuring Keaton’s version of Bruce Wayne instead of Clooney’s. Keaton filmed appearances for both the cancelled Batgirl movie and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. He was also expected to appear in a film based on the animated series Batman Beyond. Part of the film would have focused on the relationship between Keaton’s Bruce Wayne and Catwoman.
Recently, fans have been able to revisit Burton’s version of Gotham City in the Batman ’89 comic book series. The series was written by Sam Hamm, who co-wrote the screenplay for Burton’s first Batman movie. Batman ’89 is an alternate continuation of Burton’s films, and follows Keaton’s Dark Knight after the events of Batman Returns. Pfeiffer’s version of Catwoman also appeared in the series. A follow-up series, Batman ’89: Echoes, released its first issue in November.
Both Batman (1989) and Batman Returns are currently available to stream on Max.
