'''''Batman Begins''''' is a 2005 Academy Award-nominated superhero film based on the Batman character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. Although it is the 5th live-action ''Batman'' movie since 1989, the movie is neither a prequel nor a sequel to either the previous Tim Burton or Joel Schumacher movies, but rather a reboot into its own movie franchise. The film was both a critical and financial success.
Cancelled Batman Projects
Batman Triumphant
A fifth Batman feature had been in development for several years prior to ''Begins'' being approved for production. A plan had originally been set to create another addition to the original franchise to take place after the events of ''Batman and Robin'' called ''Batman Triumphant'', with Joel Schumacher attached to direct. George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell were reportedly set to reprise their roles as Batman and Robin, while Alicia Silverstone would return as Batgirl. An un-named actor was considered to appear as The Scarecrow; Steve Buscemi, Jeremy Irons, Howard Stern and Jeff Goldblum were rumored to be in consideration for the part. The film was planned for release in 1999 to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Batman's first appearance in Detective Comics.
There has been no official script review, but it has been confirmed that ''Triumphant'' would be a lot darker than the past Burton / Schumacher incarnations. Robin and Batgirl were rumored to be sent off to college where they would eventually be killed somehow, returning Batman to his solo roots as a vigilante.
However, owing to ''Batman and Robin's'' poor response both from fans and critics, Warner Bros. quickly dropped their plans for the sequel, deciding instead that while the franchise still remained promising, it would be in their better interest to take another approach.
Batman: Year One?
Wanting to remain involved with the project, Schumacher returned to Warner Bros. a year later, this time with a pitch to remove Robin from the equation and film a Batman prequel based on Frank Miller's ''Batman: Year One'' graphic novel. It was to be a more serious tone on the story, and it would be more faithful to the source material. Warner bit on the concept, but seemed to have no interest in keeping Schumacher on as director, instead hiring Darren Aronofsky to direct the feature and Frank Miller to help co-write a new version of the script. However, the end result of the draft was not met with enthusiasm by the board members. In this version, Bruce Wayne was a homeless man living and working at a mechanic's garage in the Downtown of Gotham City. Alfred was now
