Joel Schumacher: "Val Kilmer Was The Best 'Batman'"

Both of Christopher Nolan's Batman films are two of the most successful superhero movies ever produced by Warner Brothers, period. In fact, if we're looking at box office figures, Nolan's 'Batman Begins' did fairly well, and its sequel, 'The Dark Knight' holds the number three spot as one of the all time highest grossing films in the U.S. Yet for some people, this success does not mean Christian Bale is the "best" Batman. According to them, he is not the most accurate or interesting portrayal of the character, and that's fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion. If you agree with that statement, then you have something in common with 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman and Robin' director Joel Schumacher. You know him, he's the guy that put nipples on the Bat suit. How can we forget?

In a recent interview Schumacher stated that, according to him, the best portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne by far was actor Val Kilmer in 'Batman Forever.'

"For me, Val Kilmer was the best Batman. I thought he looked great in the costume, and I thought he brought a depth to the role. I thought the relationship between Val and Nicole Kidman was very sexy. Jim Carrey, of course, was the perfect Riddler. And then I had the great Tommy Lee Jones and a lot of other great people are in that movie."

In Schumacher's eyes, not only was Kilmer the best portrayal of Batman, but Jim Carrey was the best Riddler! Yet, when Schumacher was directing Batman at the time, he absolutely could not bear working with Kilmer, which is why the actor never returned to shoot the film's sequel. In fact, following the film's shooting, Schumacher claimed that Kilmer was childish and should seek psychological help. Yet, perhaps Schumacher is able to overlook the difficulty of the creative process after the fact to see Kilmer for what he was in the film -- Batman.

The director also stated that the film he really wanted to do following 'Batman Forever' was 'The Dark Knight,' and that he did not have that opportunity because Warner Brothers insisted he do 'Batman and Robin,' instead.

"I think I'm the most envious of Chris Nolan because he got to do The Dark Knight—and that's the one I begged to do as my second Batman film," he said. "I wanted to do a whole other thing, because we had kind of re-invented franchise with Val as Batman and it was a very young, sexy, and much less expensive movie. We brought in Robin and I wanted to make The Dark Knight desperately, but the studio didn't want that and it's their money and they're my bosses."

Considering that 'Batman and Robin' made the least amount of money at the box office and Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' is the third highest grossing film in American cinema, I'd be a little bit jealous of Nolan too.

Everyone's forgetting about Michael Keaton, though. He was a pretty good Batman, right? Which Batman is your favorite? Do you agree with Schumacher?

Source: IFC