Joel Schumacher‘s cut of Batman Forever adds approximately 37 minutes of new footage to the original film.
According to World of Reel, the Schumacher cut of Batman Forever has a runtime of approximately two hours and 38 minutes. The original version of Batman Forever, which stars Val Kilmer, came in with a runtime of two hours and one minute.
Schumacher, who passed away in 2020, directed Batman Forever in 1995. The film received mixed reviews at the time, as it was noticeably different in tone compared to the previous two live-action Batman films, 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, both of which were directed by Tim Burton. Batman Forever has since gained a larger fanbase, with many pointing out its similarities to Golden Age Caped Crusader comics and the 1960s television series starring Adam West.
Schumacher followed up Batman Forever with 1997’s Batman & Robin, which saw George Clooney take over as the Dark Knight. The film debuted to largely negative reviews and low box office returns, thus causing a planned fifth film in the franchise, Batman Unchained, to be canceled.
Will DC Fans Ever Get to See the Batman Forever Schumacher Cut?
As of this time, Warner Bros. has not announced any plans to formally release the Schumacher cut of Batman Forever to the general public. The film, however, was recently screened to select fans at a private screening hosted by Kevin Smith in New Jersey on July 1.
Akiva Goldsman, who worked on the screenplay for both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, told The Playlist he’d like to see this version of the film get a proper release at some point in the future. “I’m certainly an advocate for it being in the world — just for Joel, you know? Because he died and he died quietly…You know, there wasn’t a lot of honoring him and it would be a nice way to honor him, I think,” he said. “And I think he’d get a kick out of it.”
The original cut of Batman Forever is currently available to stream on Max.
