1 Tim Burton Storyline That Could Have Solved Batman Forever

Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever has a very different tone than Burton's Batman movies, but using this storyline from Burton might have helped the movie.

Batman Forever has a major two-faced problem, which can be solved by using Tim Burton's storyline. Despite the film's negativity today, "Batman Forever" received mixed reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing film in the United States since 1995. Joel Schumacher took the Batman franchise in a different direction, rejecting the darker tones of Burton's films in favor of a campier version inspired by the 1960s Batman TV series. This change affects everything from the color palette to the villains. Schumacher's choice of Tommy Lee Jones as the clumsy performance of "Two-Face" was widely regarded as a major blunder.

Batman Forever could have avoided this by casting Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face. In Tim Burton's Batman, Williams played an early version of Harvey Dent, Gotham City's new district attorney, and Burton originally planned for Williams to be Two-Face in future entries. . Williams as Two-Face could have been a more compelling villain, partly because audiences had already seen his straight side, and partly because he could have played a more down-to-earth character. Batman Forever wouldn't be instantly canon with this improvement, but his transformation into Two-Face There will be more emotional weight, and his storyline will provide the anchor for the previous films.

Why Billy Dee Williams Didn't Play Two-Face In Batman Forever

Although Burton wanted to use Williams in future films, he only signed on for 1989's Batman. Originally Williams was supposed to reprise his role in Batman Returns, which included his transformation into Two-Face. However, that idea was scrapped, and his supposed role in the story was filled by a new character, corrupt businessman Max Schleck (Christopher Walken).

After complaining that Batman Returns was too dark for children, Warner Bros. asked Burton to step down in favor of another director. Burton approved Joel Schumacher's option to continue the series. Schumacher cast Jones as Two-Face after working with him on The Client. Williams was disappointed with the recast, as he was only reprising Dent's role to play Two-Face in future films.

Billy Dee Williams Did (Eventually) Play Two-Face

Jones may be remembered as two-faced, but Williams' legacy has not been forgotten. As a nod to his Batman role as Harvey Dent Burton, Williams voiced Two-Face in The Lego Batman Movie. Although his role was small, it finally gave Williams the chance to play a role he'd dreamed of for nearly 30 years. There Also a six-issue comic book series called Batman '89, due out in 2021, follows Batman Returns and ignores Schumacher's film. The series is based on Williams' portrayal, and this time, he's turned Two-Face. How Williams' Two-Face would stand out in Batman Forever will remain a mystery, but he might make Two-Face an even scarier villain.