Synopsis:

Hello – and thank you for joining me to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the smash hit superhero movie Batman Forever – which exploded into movie theatres in 1995!

Intentions:

My goal with this fanedit was to present a cut of Forever that aligns more with director Joel Schumacher’s intended vision. By reinserting deleted scenes and alternate takes – as well as drastically restructuring the film to more accurately follow the shooting script by Akiva Goldsman – I believe that Forever can shine as a thoughtful, serious and darkly fascinating character study of the Caped Crusader – while still retaining the larger-than-life, ‘comic-book’ fun and twisted Saturday morning cartoon vibe throughout, of course! This fanedit uses the earlier 2010 Blu-ray transfer as – despite the bump in fidelity – the newer 2019 transfer that came bundled with the 4K release features some strange colour timing/grading changes that I strongy dislike. The deleted scenes/workprint footage were sourced from the same release, while alternate/additional takes were primarily sourced from trailers & bonus material/featurettes. The score uses excerpts from Elliot Goldenthal’s work on Alien³, Interview with the Vampire & Demolition Man, alongside the rare recording sessions for both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. As well as Goldenthal’s score, an iconic theme from Danny Elfman’s work on Batman (1989) also makes an appearance. For a more detailed breakdown of what’s new and different in this edit, please check out the changelog! Batman Forever: 30th Anniversary Edition was cut, edited and assembled in Adobe Premiere Pro, before being colour graded & visually overhauled with Dehancer in DaVinci Resolve Studio to give the edit a more cinematic aesthetic and feel. Topaz Video AI has been used to upscale the workprint/deleted scenes and additional footage, while Eleven Labs voice AI cloning was used – on top of my own human voice acting – to fill in for missing dialogue takes from the script, deleted scenes and pre-ADR’d lines. I am not the first to put together a Batman Forever fanedit – and I certainly won’t be the last. So with that said, I must pay respect to the works that came before mine: • Batman Forever: Red Book Edition by Scaperat • Batman Forever: The Virtual Workprint by Josh Jensen (& rework by Bobson Dugnutt) • Batman Forever: Restored by Lucas Valcanti (luc4valcanti) I would like to thank the following: Lucas (luc4valcanti) for sourcing the recording sessions for Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, as well as giving me feedback as a fellow Batman Forever faneditor. Without his contributions, this fanedit would simply not be possible. Onyx (Onyx_Tw), Mindd Kidzag (MinddKidzag), Neil Rickatson of 1995batman.com (NeilRickatson), Spencer Draper, a.k.a. Damn Fool Idealistic Crusader (DamnFoolCrusade) and Matthew Ballard (moviemattb) for their tireless research, documentation and contributions to the fanedit. Thank you for preserving the legacy of Batman Forever. RTSchumacherCut (CutSchumacher), Christos (ChrisArfanis), Epic Film Guys (EpicFilmGuys), Kevin Smith (ThatKevinSmith), SCM (SchumacherCutMN), McFarlane Toys (mcfarlanetoys) and everyone who has contributed to #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut for keeping hope alive. Akiva Goldsman (AkivaGoldsman) and Michael Uslan (MichaelUslan) for making Batman Forever possible. Val Kilmer and Joel Schumacher… forever. Until the fabled ‘Schumacher Cut’ is in our hands, I hope that this fanedit will bring joy to Batman fans around the world. #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut! Courage now… truth always… BATMAN FOREVER! Yours, Jordan (jordanjabroni)

Change List:

• Opening titles sourced from the Batman Forever remastered transfer (for the black background as opposed to the older blue look). Warner Bros. Pictures shield now changes to green instead of grey/blue. • Batman logo now green instead of blue. This was done to give the fanedit a unique look, as well as to tie into the promotional logos used throughout Batman Forever’s marketing campaign which was split green/blue. With the theatrical cut(s) and this fanedit combined, both colours are referenced. • Restored opening combining theatrical cut footage of Arkham Asylum establishing shots with the deleted scene footage of Dr. Burton checking on Harvey Dent’s cell and discovering his escape – with new sound effects throughout. • Brief snippet of Demolition Man score (‘Dies Irae’) bridges the opening titles Batman march with an alternate version of the ‘Arkham Asylum’ theme, sourced from the Batman Forever recording sessions. • Alien³ score used when Dr. Burton approaches the incapacitated guard (‘Clemens Dies’), crossfading into Forever score (‘Have a Safe Flight’). • Restructured scene bringing Bruce Wayne and Edward Nygma’s first encounter forward, in order to match the originally intended narrative structure. • Alternate version of ‘Through the Eye of a Bat Storm’ used for Gotham City flyby to Wayne Enterprises. • Newly recorded newscaster dialogue – based on November 1994 workprint screened by Kevin Smith – to establish the new context of the scene/structure (referring to Two-Face’s escape from Arkham instead of the bank heist, which has yet to happen). • Trailer footage expanding Edward shaking Bruce’s hand (reaction shot of Bruce, Nygma saying ‘in the flesh’). • Fixed colour grading inconsistencies between Nygma shots (‘Why be brutalised by an uncaring world?’ and ‘Well… yes’). • Trailer footage of the Bat Capsule leaving Wayne Enterprises (brief shot of lights whizzing by). • ‘Capsule’ score replaced by Batman & Robin track (itself based on ‘Capsule’ – ‘A Chilling Chase’ a.k.a. ‘Batflight & Robin’s Theme’, taken from both the cancelled Batman & Robin OST album as well as an alternate, unused version of the track (‘6m49r tk 5’) sourced from the Batman & Robin recording sessions which plays until we see Two-Face’s coin being flipped. • Restructured scene now blends Bruce’s ride in the Capsule with him suiting up to take on Two-Face, as originally intended. • ‘I’ll get drive-thru’ exchange with Alfred trimmed/restructured to flow more naturally and preserve the more action-driven pacing of the new edit. • Trailer footage of Batman after knocking down Two-Face’s thugs (‘Going down?). • Fixed colour grading inconsistency when Batman fires electric goo-gun at thug. • Removed goofy shot of Batman’s horrified reaction to blade-wielding thug charging him. • Trailer footage of two alternate/unused shots (Batman saving thug from falling down elevator shaft). • Trailer footage of alternate/unused reaction shot of Batman spotting the guard/hostage, for visual continuity/consistency with the very next shot of Batman in the theatrical footage. • Shot of guard on floor of vault yelling ‘Oh no!’ and looking around removed. • Shots of guard (and obvious stunt double) yelling ‘Oh! Oh no! It’s boiling acid!’ removed. Two-Face explains that the liquid is acid in the very next shot! • Shot of guard saying ‘Yes!’ after Batman tells him to hold on trimmed. • Shot of guard (again – obvious stunt double) yelling ‘Don’t let go!’ removed. • Guard dialogue (‘That’s my hearing aid!’) removed. • Guard dialogue (‘My shoes are melting!’) removed. Sound effect of shoes slipping against the side of the vault added. • Guard dialogue (‘No more!’) removed. • Trailer footage of alternate/unused shot of Batman firing his grapple – as well as an alternate/unused shot of the grapple firing. • Trailer footage of Two-Face saying ‘If the Bat wants to play, we’ll play!’ inserted in place of theatrical footage of Two-Face punching the inside of the helicopter. This new shot also has better visual consistency with previous shot of Two-Face looking down at the spotlights. • Trailer footage of helicopter blasting through the back of the ‘Tired Eyes’ sign inserted. • Removed Two-Face dialogue (giggling, ‘Let’s see!’). • Trailer footage of Batman punching Two-Face through the helicopter window used. • Restored, extended helicopter scene using theatrical cut footage, deleted scene footage and trailer footage. This scene is integral in establishing Bruce’s subconscious guilt over his parent’s death – as well as firmly establishing that the dark, murderous path Batman took in the Tim Burton movies drives his determination to ensure that Robin never follows in his footsteps. This scene introduces a recurring motif (‘You’re a killer too!’) which fuels the ‘Red Book’ subplot for Bruce Wayne, as well as fuelling Bruce’s drive to steer Dick/Robin away from the path of revenge. New sound effects throughout. • Trailer footage of Batman falling out of the helicopter after Two-Face kicks him. • Newly recorded dialogue for Batman to cover the on-set audio of Kilmer’s stunt double in the deleted scene footage. • Deleted scene footage used for Two-Face fixing the lock on the helicopter’s steering wheel. • Deleted scene audio of Two-Face saying ‘This time… have the good taste to die!’ used in place of the theatrical cut audio. • Fixed colour grading inconsistency when Batman climbs out of the helicopter window. • Restored Batman flashbacks to match those described in the shooting script, as well as the November 1994 workprint. Due to lack of available footage, the flashbacks now occur while Batman is in the water, as opposed to while he is mid-fall. ‘Flashback’/’The Bat’ score used from Batman Forever recording sessions. Two-Face dialogue (‘You’re a killer too!’) repeats in Batman’s mind, as described in the shooting script and as heard in the November 1994 workprint. Screeches added to the Nightmare Bat. • Unused score (‘Nygma After Hours’) from the Batman Forever recording sessions restored to the beginning of Nygma and Stickley’s encounter, as well as after Nygma switches his experiment off and wheels Stickley away. Score volume boosted during Nygma’s experiment. • Security camera footage coloured blue for visual consistency with the CCTV playback on the monitors that Bruce and Commissioner Gordon watch later. • Alternate take of ‘Dream Doll’ score taken from Batman Forever recording sessions layered over Bruce and Chase’s first meeting. • Two-Face dialogue repeats in Bruce’s mind when looking at the dream doll (‘You’re a killer too!’). • Restored scene where Two-Face shoots and kills a clown at the circus (achieved via sound effects editing) – based upon unused footage seen only in special features/B-roll footage of Two-Face walking up to – and executing – a clown. This addition adds context to – and explains – why Two-Face spins around, causes the crowd to flinch, then flashes his pistol as a clown is lay dead on the ground. • Alternate dialogue take of Two-Face saying ‘Brusied, broken, bleeding, in a word – DEAD!’ used, sourced from special features/B-roll. • Restructured Bruce and Chase reactions to Two-Face’s threat for better continuity and a more logically sound choice of characters to match Two-Face’s dialogue. Now, when Two-Face says ‘Hell, odds are one of you pasty-faced twits IS Batman!’, we are looking at Bruce instead of Chase. This also creates continuity with next shot of Bruce looking around. • Removed shot of Bruce standing up and yelling ‘Harvey! I’m Batman!’, as well as lingering shot of him looking around and heading out of frame. Now, Bruce disappears from Chase’s sight and heads straight into action, which is far more in-line with the character. • Removed strange impact sound effect when Bruce grabs Two-Face thug from behind, which implied that he snapped the thug’s neck. As evident from the actual physical action – as well as the shooting script by Akiva Goldsman – Bruce is merely knocking the thug out. This sound effect actually caused this shot to be removed in the UK, and has convinced censorship historians that Bruce is committing murder for years. • Removed Two-Face’s odd noise before he escapes to preserve the severity of the scene. • Removed reaction shot of Chase as the Graysons fall to their death – to both fix Bruce’s delayed reaction of looking down and to make the moment more personal and emotionally impactful to Bruce. Sound effect added to emphasise impact. • Fixed colour grading inconsistencies which begin when Dick talks about social services and runs until we cut to Dick on his bike outside. • Removed Bruce and Dick’s exchange about the ‘nice bike’ and biker bars. For me, this makes the revelation of Bruce’s bike collection more of a surprise – while also presenting Bruce as sharper and more cunning, as opposed to his awkward pause in the theatrical cut. Plus, Dick’s attitude is a little more reigned-in and tolerable. • Added Two-Face ‘You’re a killer too!’ voiceover to Bruce’s flashback, as well as ‘You ever dance with the Devil by the pale moonlight?’ and ‘See you round, kid’ from young Jack Napier in Batman ’89. • Fixed colour grading inconsistencies on shots of young Bruce touching and handling the Red Book. • Fixed colour grading inconsistency/heavy magenta push on Bruce and Alfred’s interaction by the fire (‘No, you said I… I killed them’). • Restructured scene placement pushes Chase calling Batman to the rooftop of G.C.P.D. back where it belongs in the script, comic-book and novelisation. • Score replacement as Batman arrives on the roof, using ‘Obligatory Car Chase’ from the Batman Forever recording sessions. • Fixed ADR error where Batman visibly says ‘Commissioner Gordon?’, but the dialogue plays almost a whole second later. Could not neatly fix Chase’s line (‘He’s at home’) – which has the opposite issue (dialogue is audible, but her mouth is delayed in saying it), however the darker grading helps to mask this. • Newly recorded dialogue for Chase – replacing ‘at the bank’ with ‘at the circus’ to match not only the restored narrative structure, but also Nicole Kidman’s actual on-set dialogue (which is visible to a keen eye!). • Removed Chase’s erotic gasp when she touches Batman’s chest. • Shot of Batmobile driving through the streets changed from green/turquoise to blue to better match the environment/context. Ideally, I would have removed this shot altogether as it fits better in a newly restored deleted scene later, however – we need something to bridge the shots of the Batmobile’s jet firing up and the interior shot of Batman at the wheel. We also need this shot to cover for Goldenthal’s Batman march here. The tunnel Batman lands in after jumping off the G.C.P.D. roof is clearly the same one he is in when Two-Face attacks (as in this restored structure, Two-Face has followed the Batsignal to find Batman) but cutting this establishing shot of the Batmobile out proved to cause more issues for the edit as a result. • Removed Two-Face’s comedic reaction to blowing up his thugs. • Removed Two-Face’s ‘Ha-ha!’ ADR-d laughing. • Removed Two-Face’s ADR-d yelping as the cars pile up and explode. • Heavily trimmed audio Two-Face yelling up at Batman as the Batmobile races up the building. • Alternate dialogue of Two-Face saying ‘Who the hell are you?’ used, sourced from special features. • Fixed colour grading inconsistencies on shots of Riddler hitting Two-Face and himself with ‘The Box’ receiver (optical effect issue?). • Some film damage correction on black/white specs during Riddler’s ‘I will help you solve the greatest riddle of all’ speech. • Removed ‘karate laundry’ scene, restored deleted/extended heist scene with Batman being redirected by the villains – explaining why there was ‘no sign of Batman’. • In place of Dick fighting his wet clothes, we get a flipped and repeated establishing shot of the Batmobile from earlier cut to match trailer footage of the Batmobile charging past a statue. Score from Batman & Robin recording sessions (‘1m3 pt. 2 tk 3’) plays until Batman busts open the salon door. • Deleted scene footage of Batman being misled by The Riddler – with new sound effects throughout. ‘Crime In Progress’ map screen edited into preceding shot of the Batmobile cockpit/computer. Newly recorded dialogue of Two-Face (‘Where are you sending him?’) and Riddler (‘I think the Bat needs a new ‘do!’), as per the shooting script. Riddler ‘glitch' effect edited over map with accompanying sound effect to imply Riddler hacking the Batcomputer. • Score added (end of ‘Obligatory Car Chase’) from Batman Forever recording sessions as salon staff and customers laugh at Batman. • Restored deleted scene of Bruce checking in on Dick in the gym with new sound effects throughout. Pushed Alfred and Bruce attempting to solve riddles – as well as Dick trying to get into the silver closet - to later in the movie in order to fit the restructured narrative flow. • Score added (‘Big Top Bomb pt2 INS’) from Batman Forever recording sessions as Bruce enters the gym, which plays until Bruce says ‘Hey, I got the Black Knight started’. • Alien³ score (‘In the Basement’) plays while Dick and Bruce converse, gradually building in volume up until Bruce kicks the Wing Chun dummy in half. • Fixed colour grading inconsistency with establishing show of Nygma’s press conference to match the next shot. Unable to fix bad ADR dialogue timing. • Restructured scenes now play out as follows – Dick trying to enter the silver closet, Alfred joining Bruce to solve riddles, Alfred exiting the silver closet to check on Dick. This flow makes far more sense now for a few reasons. Firstly, it gives Dick more incentive to be suspicious due to the time Alfred and/or Bruce are spending behind that door. Secondly, it gives context to why Alfred was approaching the silver closet in the first place. Thirdly, it gives Bruce and Alfred a moment together before Bruce heads to Chase’s apartment. My logic here is that Alfred and Bruce have parted ways, and Alfred is heading back into the Batcave to continue working on those riddles – once he is satisfied that Dick is out of reach. • Trailer footage showing an alternate angle of Dick joyriding the Batmobile inserted. • Slight pitch-up of gang leader asking Dick ‘Who the hell are you?’ to reduce the obvious tampering. • Heavily reduced the volume of party guest/member of the press yelling ‘Batman!’. • Trailer footage/alternate takes of Batman flipping off of the fountain and fighting the thugs – as well as Nygma chastising a dissatisfied Two-Face – used. Replaced low-angle shot of Batman punching thug (and clearly missing him by a mile) with trailer footage of the same action from a better angle. • Trailer footage (extended shot from the theatrical cut) of Two-Face sipping his drinks while Nygma says ‘The difference? Showmanship’) used. Now, Two-Face smacks his lips and makes a satisfied ‘ahh’ noise after drinking. • Trailer footage/alternate take of Batman scrambling the balcony to escape the Ritz used. • Unused Two-Face dialogue (‘Alright boys! Welcome our guest…’ – sourced from special features) replaces Two-Face laughter when Batman falls into the subway trap. • Fixes to the fireball which engulfs Batman, concerning both the intensity and colour of the flames. Fire changes from white hot to yellow between shots in the theatrical cut. Now, it appears consistently white hot between shots. • Reduced volume on Robin’s grunting noises as he rescues Batman. • Restored deleted scene in the Batcave where Bruce sits down, watches Batman critic Kenneth Frequency on television, and has a deep discussion with Alfred about retiring – with new sound effects throughout. • Scores from Batman & Robin recording sessions used. When Bruce switches on the TV, we hear ‘5m36 (PU at 29)’. While Bruce is speaking to Alfred, we hear ‘4m30 tk 3’. When Alfred says ‘Go to her - tell her how you feel’, we hear ‘4m28 tk 4’. • Theatrical cut footage layered over deleted scene audio for a handful of shots – Bruce saying ‘Even Chase said being Batman is a curse’, Alfred saying ‘Go to her – tell her how you feel’ and Bruce replying ‘She wants Batman, not Bruce Wayne’. • Slight camera zoom added to static shot of Bruce Wayne’s bat-filled brain scan on Riddler’s screen. • MISSED: Colour grading error/sudden change when Chase exits the taxi at Wayne Manor. The shot changes from reddish to green/teal as the door shuts. I don’t know how I didn’t catch this one, but I’ll be fixing it in the future. Although harder to see in the cooler, more blue-tinted 4K remastered transfer, the visual error does still occur in that version of the film also. • Removed scene where Riddler and Two-Face arrive at Wayne Manor as the trick-or-treaters are leaving. Let me make clear that I love this scene in isolation, however I feel that it a) takes us out of a crucial character moment for Bruce Wayne and interrupts a serious development in his story arc, and b) that the arrival of the villains works far better as a surprise. Now, by having them appear at the door with no pre-amble – and also staying with Bruce in that flashback moment – that this whole section of the movie flows better. • Once again fixed colour grading inconsistency with the shots of adult Bruce’s hands touching the Red Book. • New dialogue of Thomas Wayne saying ‘Bruce insists on seeing a movie tonight…’ – setting up the reveal that comes later and also clearly explaining to the audience where the source of Bruce’s repressed guilt is coming from. • Screeching of the Nightmare Bat added. • Removed Riddler’s giddy noises after he drops the bag of bombs into the Batmobile and heads up the stairs. • Restored deleted scene where Bruce, suffering from memory loss induced by shock, follows Alfred into the Batcave in order to rediscover what made him become Batman in the first place. New sound effects throughout. Score from Batman Forever recording sessions added (‘The Romantic Entrance’). • Restored deleted scene where Bruce explores the depths of the cave, finds the Red Book, realises that he isn’t to blame for his parents’ death and comes face-to-face with the Nightmare Bat before embracing his fears – with new sound effects throughout. • Combination of scores from the Interview with the Vampire recording sessions (‘Scent of Death’, ‘The Vampire Banquet’) as Bruce explores the cave and finds the book. • When Bruce looks up at the hole he fell through as a child, the camera focuses in on the leaves surrounding the hole. This isn’t covered in the shooting script or any additional production notes/material I can find, but my assumption here is that the leaves are supposed to resemble dozens – if not hundreds – of sleeping bats. For this, I added a subtle layer of additional bat sound effects, to play with the idea that the environment is playing with Bruce’s fears. • The score that plays as Bruce reads the book (‘Martha and I have our hearts set on Zorro’) is ‘Night Visitor’ from the Interview with the Vampire recording sessions, chosen for its similarity to the Batman Forever score. • Score from the Batman Forever recording sessions (‘The Bat tk5 v2 - D.N.U.’) used when the Nightmare Bat appears – crossfading into ‘Batmobile Pt. 1’ from the same recording sessions as Bruce embraces the Bat. • Flourishes from the end of ‘1m3 pt 1 alt tk 9’ – from the Batman & Robin recording sessions – play as the Nightmare Bat embrace ends and Bruce leaves the cave to meet Alfred. • Removed shot of Batman’s butt as he puts the Sonar Suit on. • In the shot of the Batwing’s reveal, the colouring looks off which draws attention to the composition of the effect (Batwing and surrounding area is more purple than blue/teal). Used colour grading to match the Batwing and the surrounding area to the rest of the cave, hiding the seams of the effects shot. • Replaced exterior shot of Wayne Manor as the Batwing passes the moon with the exterior shot from when Ny

Additional Notes:

Video – Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Topaz Video AI (& Dehancer) Audio – Audacity, ElevenLabs, BandLab

Other Sources:

Additional scores by Elliot Goldenthal (Batman Forever recording sessions, Batman & Robin recording sessions, Batman Forever: Original Motion Picture Score Album by La-La Land Records, Batman & Robin cancelled soundtrack, ‘Themes from Batman Forever’ B-Side, Demolition Man, Alien³, Interview with the Vampire) and Danny Elfman (‘The Finale’ from Batman: Original Motion Picture Score). Deleted scenes from Batman Forever, sourced from the 2010 Blu-ray. Scenes from various theatrical trailers for Batman Forever. New additional dialogue recordings using the shooting script, deleted scenes and original takes as reference, processed via ElevenLabs (voice acting with added voice cloning). Exterior shot of Arkham Asylum from Batman & Robin (1997). Additional scores by Elliot Goldenthal (Batman Forever recording sessions, Batman & Robin recording sessions, Batman Forever: Original Motion Picture Score Album by La-La Land Records, Batman & Robin cancelled soundtrack, ‘Themes from Batman Forever’ B-Side, Demolition Man, Alien³, Interview with the Vampire) and Danny Elfman (‘The Finale’ from Batman: Original Motion Picture Score). Deleted scenes from Batman Forever, sourced from the 2010 Blu-ray. Scenes from various theatrical trailers for Batman Forever. New additional dialogue recordings using the shooting script, deleted scenes and original takes as reference, processed via ElevenLabs (voice acting with added voice cloning). Exterior shot of Arkham Asylum from Batman & Robin (1997).

Special Thanks:

(Twitter/X usernames in brackets) Lucas (luc4valcanti) for sourcing the recording sessions for Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, as well as giving me feedback as a fellow Batman Forever faneditor. Without his contributions, this fanedit would simply not be possible. Onyx (Onyx_Tw), Mindd Kidzag (MinddKidzag), Neil Rickatson of 1995batman.com (NeilRickatson), Damn Fool Idealistic Crusader (DamnFoolCrusade) and Matthew Ballard (moviemattb) for their tireless research, documentation and contributions to the fanedit. Thank you for preserving the legacy of Batman Forever. RTSchumacherCut (CutSchumacher), Christos (ChrisArfanis), Epic Film Guys (EpicFilmGuys), Kevin Smith (ThatKevinSmith), SCM (SchumacherCutMN), McFarlane Toys (mcfarlanetoys) and everyone who has contributed to #ReleaseTheSchumacherCut for keeping hope alive. Akiva Goldsman (AkivaGoldsman) and Michael Uslan (MichaelUslan) for making Batman Forever possible. Val Kilmer (valkilmer, KampKilmer) for the incredible work he put into the dual role of Bruce Wayne and Batman. With this edit, I hope that fans will see the depth and richness of your performance. Joel Schumacher… forever.