After three decades since the theatrical release of Batman Forever, fans almost finally had the chance to watch Joel Schumacher‘s Director’s Cut of the 1995 superhero movie. However, five days before the L.A. screening of Batman Forever: The Schumacher Cut, the event was officially canceled.
“In the film, Batman faces off against two foes: the schizophrenic, horribly scarred former District Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, and the Riddler , a disgruntled ex-Wayne Enterprises inventor seeking revenge against his former employer by unleashing his brain-sucking weapon on Gotham City’s residents,” reads the official synopsis. “As the caped crusader also deals with tortured memories of his parents’ murder, he has a new romance, with psychologist Chase Meridian.”
WB shuts down the Batman Forever screening
According to one of the disappointed attendees, the event was canceled after Warner Bros. had supposedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to the organizer Cinefile Video. Despite doing everything they can to continue the screening, they had no choice but to comply with the studio’s demand.
“Some unfortunate news came today as the Schumacher cut screening in L.A. was canceled,” (via 1995 Batman YouTube Channel) The local theatre, cinefile video, received a cease and desist from Warner Bros after circulation of the screening made national headlines. The management did the best they could but they had no way to fight it and had to cancel the screening. The theatre weren’t making money off showing the workprint but it’s clear that Warner saw things a bit different. I’m gutted.”
Batman Forever was directed by Schumacher from a screenplay written by Akiva Goldsman, Lee Batchler, and Janet Scott Batchler. The movie was led by Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O’Donnell, Drew Barrymore, Ed Begley Jr., and more. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the movie was still a box office success with a worldwide gross of over $336 million against a reported budget of around $100 million
