He then starts terrorizing Gotham by lacing hygiene products with "Smylex" – a deadly chemical that causes victims to die laughing. Driven insane by his new appearance, Napier, now calling himself "the Joker", kills Grissom, massacres Grissom's associates, and takes over his operations. He undergoes surgery to repair the damage, but ends up with a rictus grin. Although presumed dead, Napier survives with various disfigurements including chalk white skin and emerald green hair and nails. During a scuffle with Batman, Napier topples off a catwalk and falls into a vat of chemicals. Batman also appears, while Napier kills Eckhardt as revenge for the double-crossing. However, Commissioner James Gordon arrives, takes command, and orders the officers to capture Napier alive. Corrupt lieutenant Max Eckhardt arranges the hit on Napier by conducting an unauthorized police operation. However, this is secretly a ploy to have Napier murdered for sleeping with Grissom's mistress Alicia Hunt. Meanwhile, mob boss Carl Grissom sends his sociopathic second-in-command Jack Napier to raid Axis Chemicals and retrieve incriminating evidence. During the event, Wayne becomes infatuated with Vale. Both attend a fundraiser hosted by billionaire Bruce Wayne, who is secretly Batman, having chosen this path after witnessing a mugger murder his parents when he was a child. Reporter Alexander Knox and photojournalist Vicki Vale investigate sightings of the " Batman", a masked vigilante targeting Gotham City's criminals. The film was followed by three sequels: Batman Returns (1992), with both Burton and Keaton returning Batman Forever (1995), which featured Val Kilmer in the lead role and Batman & Robin (1997), which featured George Clooney in the role. It also led to the development of the equally successful Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), which in turn began the DC Animated Universe of spin-off media, and has influenced Hollywood's modern marketing and development techniques of the superhero film genre. The film received several Saturn Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination for Nicholson's performance, and won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction. It was the fifth-highest-grossing film in history at the time of its release. Critics and audiences particularly praised Nicholson and Keaton's performances, Burton's direction, the production design, and Elfman's score. Warren Skaaren did rewrites, with additional uncredited drafts done by Charles McKeown and Jonathan Gems.īatman was both critically and financially successful, earning over $400 million in box office totals. The budget escalated from $30 million to $48 million, while the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike forced Hamm to drop out. Nicholson accepted the role of the Joker under strict conditions that dictated top billing, a portion of the film's earnings (including associated merchandise), and his own shooting schedule.įilming took place at Pinewood Studios from October 1988 to January 1989. Keaton's casting was controversial since, by 1988, he had become typecast as a comedic actor and many observers doubted he could portray a serious role. Numerous leading men were considered for the role of Batman before Keaton was cast. Additionally, Batman co-creator Bob Kane worked as a consultant for the film. The film primarily adapts and then diverges from the " Red Hood" origin story for the Joker, having Batman inadvertently cause gangster Jack Napier to fall into Axis Chemical acid, triggering his transformation into the psychotic Joker. The tone and themes of the film were partly influenced by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Batman was not greenlit until after the success of Burton's Beetlejuice (1988). The film takes place early in the title character's war on crime and depicts his conflict with his archenemy The Joker.Īfter Burton was hired as director in 1986, Steve Englehart and Julie Hickson wrote film treatments before Sam Hamm wrote the first screenplay. 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. Directed by Tim Burton, it is the first installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series. Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.
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