Batman: DarKnight

1999

Despite the critical failure and box office disappointment of Batman & Robin, plans for a fifth Batman movie were still underway. After rejecting a script from writer Mark Protosevich, deeming it "too expensive", producer Greg Silverman approved a screenplay by Lee Shapiro and Stephen Wise, deciding to take the franchise in a lower budget, psychological almost horror direction. Joel Schumacher would plead for another chance, but it was very clear that he was on the way out. Alex Proyas was chosen after executives were impressed with his work on The Crow and Dark City. While George Clooney initially refused to return, seeing the updated direction and script convinced him to stay on.

Story added by thepinkmenace on October 31, 2026