Jack Nicholson
Jack Napier/The Joker
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Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Directed by Tim Burton, it is the first installment of Warner Bros. ' initial Batman film series. The film was produced by Jon Peters and Peter Guber and stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat ...
- Batman Returns
Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film directed by...
- Joker
Jack Napier, also known as the Joker, is a fictional...
- Comic Book
Batman '89 is a superhero comic book limited series...
- Bruce Wayne
During Gotham's Christmas celebrations, Batman discovers the...
- Risus Sardonicus
Main page; Contents; Current events; Random article; About...
- Hugo Blick
1989: Batman – Young Jack Napier; 1989: Blackadder Goes...
- The Dark Knight Returns
The Dark Knight Returns (alternatively titled Batman: The...
- William Hootkins
William Michael "Hoot" Hootkins (July 5, 1948 – October 23,...
- Warren Skaaren
Skaaren later wrote Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Beetlejuice...
- Hollywood Accounting
Hollywood accounting (also known as Hollywood bookkeeping)...
- Batman Returns
- Plot
- Cast
- Crew
- Production
- Promotion
- Reception
- Deleted Scenes
- Home Video
- External Links
The Rise of the Joker
Approaching its 200th Anniversary, Gotham City's leaders fear that the high level of criminal activity will deter citizens from attending the celebrations. Gotham's Mayor Borg orders District Attorney Harvey Dent to make the city safe again, in hopes of revitalizing local business. Dent, in turn, targets mob boss Carl Grissom, who sponsors much of the criminal activity within Gotham and has paid off a significant segment of the police force. Meanwhile, a dark vigilante dressed as a bat has at...
Lines Drawn
Batman, as we discover, is actually billionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne, an orphan who lives alone in the large mansion Wayne Manor, with only his butler Alfred in attendance. At a fund-raising party, Bruce meets and falls for famous photojournalist Vicki Vale, recently arrived in town to cover the "Bat-Man phenomenon." Napier, in the meantime, is not dead but horribly disfigured, with chalk white skin, emerald green hair, and a permanent ruby red grin (after a botched reconstructive surger...
Realization
Vicki's apartment is then the scene of a confrontation between the Joker, who has come to woo her after his former mistress Alicia committed suicide, and Bruce, who has come to try and confess about his double-life but not getting very far. After Bruce challenges the Joker to a fight, the Joker pulls a gun and asks him: "Tell me something, friend. Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight? I always ask that of all my prey. I just like the sound of it". He then shoots Bruce. Th...
Michael Keaton as Batman/Bruce WayneJack Nicholson as The Joker/Jack NapierKim Basinger as Vicki ValeRobert Wuhl as Alexander KnoxSam Hamm (pre-production script) Warren Skaaren (shooting script), Charles McKeown (uncredited rewrites), and Jonathan Gems(uncredited rewrites) - WritersJon Peters and Peter Guber- ProducersBenjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan- Executive Producers (film rights holders)Development
Originally this project was being written by Tom Mankiewicz(the on-set writer of the Superman movies) in the early 80's.
Pre-Production
When the film was greenlit for production, there was still considerable fan concern that it would emulate the farcical parodying tone of the television series. All of the designs were based on the original Hamm script before significant rewrites when filming began. Many elaborate action scenes were altered or removed completely. As result many Batman gadget props were made that ended up merely decoration in the batcave vault.
Casting
Burton chose Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman because he thought he could play a dark, tortured Batman and a serious Bruce Wayne. Some people thought that Keaton wasn't built enough for the role of Batman and that he couldn't play a serious role because of his comedic roles in the past. However, before shooting Batman, Keaton worked out for two months and spent some time kickboxing with the help of his stunt double. In spite of Keaton being cast, other actors such as Mel Gibson, Kevin Cos...
Posters
The design of the posters and logo were handled by the B.D. Fox ad agency. Renowned poster illustrator John Alvin created a multitude of designs using character images, all unused. Ultimately only Bill Garland's golden Bat-insigniateaser logo was used on the final release poster. Unlike the future sequels no other poster variants were used other than in some foreign markets.
Trailer
The teaser trailer became so popular that many purchased movie tickets simply to see the trailer. The positive reaction to the trailer inspired a buzz that entered the general popular culture as t-shirts with the Batman symbol sold in large numbers in the weeks before the movie's premiere.
Prince Album and Videos
Main article: Batman (album) There were two major LPs released in the summer of 1989. The first was the Original Motion Picture Score in May, featuring major cues by composer Danny Elfman. The second was an album by Prince in June, featuring songs from the film (including Partyman, Trust and Scandalous) and others inspired by it like Batdance, the album's leading single. The Prince album has always been released separately from Elfman's Score.
Box Office Performance
Batmanopened in 2,194 cinemas in North America, on June 23rd, 1989. In its opening weekend, it grossed $40,489,746, which, at the time of its release, was a record. The film ended its theatrical run with $251,188,924, and was not only the biggest moneymaker of the year, but was also the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. The film's total worldwide box office gross is $411,348,924,which is about $680 million in 2006 dollars. Batman was the first UK film to be given a '12' certificate but...
Critical Analysis
Despite the early worries, the film became the second most successful of 1989 and received praise from many Batman readers, especially those who had read the Frank Miller stories that inspired it. Furthermore, Keaton changed many doubters' minds about his casting to become hailed as one of the best actors to play the title role. Critical reaction was mostly positive, with many praising the film for its set design and production value, while others panned it as being too much of an intellectua...
Awards and Nominations
Batman won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (awarded to Anton Furst and Peter Young), making it the first Batman film to win an Oscar until The Dark Knight. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe, two Grammys and several BAFTAs.
Michael Keaton has mentioned an extended take of Bruce Wayne in the Batcave. When Bruce removes his glasses and sits back in his chair, going into a trance-like state in order to transition into hi...In an alternate scene, Batman was held at gunpoint by the police at Axis Chemicals. He raises his hands as if to surrender, but then throws two smoke capsules against the cops to be able to "fly" a...Footage was filmed of Joker pulling Carl Grissom's body from his chair.After Joker asked "Where does he get those wonderful toys?", he looked at his Goons and commanded "Don't just stand there, go and ask him!"The film was first released on VHS, Betamax, and Laserdisc in 1989. The film's first release on DVD was in late 1997, shortly after the format debuted; it was a single disc release featuring the ability to watch the film either in widescreen or in full-screen but not featuring any bonus materials, save for sparse production notes and cast info. On ...
Toward the end of the 1980s, the Warner Bros. studio began producing a series of feature films starring Batman, beginning with the 1989 film Batman, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton. Burton and Keaton returned for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, and in 1995, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever with Val Kilmer as Batman.
- Comics published by DC Comics
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Jun 23, 1989 · Batman: Directed by Tim Burton. With Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl. The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.
- Tim Burton
- 2 min
Ray Lovejoy. Distributors. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Running Time. 126 min. Rating. PG-13. Budget. $48 million. Release Date. June 23, 1989. Batman is a 1989 movie by Tim Burton starring Michael Keaton in the title role. Critically acclaimed and stylistically groundbreaking, it was the first movie of the Batman Anthology . Contents.
Directed by Tim Burton, it is the first installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series. The film was produced by Jon Peters and Peter Guber and stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance.
Batman is a 1989 film that introduces Batman and features the birth of The Joker. A sequel, Batman Returns, was released in 1992. Contents. 1Plot. 1.1The Joker's rise to power. 1.2Enemies drawn. 1.3Realization. 1.4Duel of the freaks. 2Cast. 3References to the broader Burtonverse. 4Taglines. 5Production. 6Gallery. 7Video Gallery. 8External links.
