Spread this news everywhere to show WB there is indeed support to release the original cut of Batman Forever.

Now there's finally talk about officially releasing the longer version:
https://variety.com/2020/film/news/b...er-1234697441/
This has made it to a number of sites and there's a twitter movement starting but of course without any of the Snyder cut fanfare. According to the sources the cut actually exists in the vaults at 170 min and WB doesn't know if there's demand to release it.
There has been since they teased it back in 2005 darn it.

My petition is now a year old and has almost 400 signatures.
https://www.change.org/p/warner-brot...batman-forever

Personally I would think that it would have been released as intended at 2 hr 15 up to 2 hr 30 depending on the shooting script and final cut before Warner had their way with it cutting down to 122 min and restructuring the opening. But at least there's something to work with and it could easily be a Warner Archive release if they don't do a Donner Cut style standalone. All it needs is a new scan, color timing, sound polish and you could even integrate the footage into the 4K theatrical master since that's already done.


Me babbling tech talk about the audio mix of the theatrical cut and how weirdly the 2.0 mix is better than the 5.1:
When I first started digging into the tech aspects of the film and realized that the old 2.0 matrix mix was better done than the 5.1 this is one of the many things that suddenly jumped out at me. (Widescreen Review said the same in their old LD and DVD reviews) I think if some old reports I've read are to be believed that many of the actors had to re-record dialogue elsewhere during post due to busy schedules which might account to the slightly canned sound to the dialogue-but yes it's ADR everywhere so much so that the discrete 5.1 mix accentuates the hiss and artifice of the rerecorded audio so one you notice it you can't quite unnotice it.

The 2.0 mix like a lot of mid 90's WB tracks weirdly has better mixed presence in the surround despite it being mono and a better low end. While the clarity takes a hit this does negate a lot of the audible noise in the ADR and makes it much less obvious.

I've always had a soft spot for Batman Forever and would love to see an extended cut.

You're right, something like 90% of the dialogue in that movie is ADR; Nicole Kidman even did her lines over the phone.

If you google Batman Forever Virtual Workprint there is a great fanedit that takes all the deleted scenes and stuff from the trailers
Stuff from the trailers includes:

- An extra bit of dialogue from Edward Nygma's first meeting with Bruce Wayne ("Bruce Wayne... in the flesh!" followed by a shot of bruce looking slightly weirded out)

- Very brief extra shot of lights flying by in the tunnel as Bruce makes his descent from Wayne Enterprises to the Batcave. I tried to incorporate the extra line ("I've left Wayne Enterprises en route to the batcave") but it wasn't possible because I couldn't get the dialogue cleanly enough.

- An extra shot of Two-Face while his thugs unload their ammo into the elevator at the bank (actually from one of the music videos)

- Alternate angles of Batman as he swings down from the roof of the elevator, knocking down Two-Face's thugs

- Alternate shot of Batman discovering the guard in the bank vault

- Brief alternate angle of Batman as he fires a grappling hook into the bank wall

- The "If the bat wants to play, we'll play!" line from Two-Face in the chopper is included

- Alternate angle of the chopper crashing through the neon sign

- An extra shot of the Batmobile speeding down the street is added to the "Beauty and the Batman" scene from the DVD

- Two alternate angles of the Riddler during the destruction of the batcave sequence

- An alternate angle with Robin after he gives Two-Face a beating on Claw island

They also restore the original scene order and its a much better cut of the film

One thing I understood after the Snyder Cut got released is that no amount of extra frames from trailers and deletes episode is not as good as a true Director's cut. I mean before the Snyder Cut I think most of fans made a fan edits of Snyder cut from all available footage on line but none delivered even close what we got from Snyder Cut.
So yeah there might be a very good fan edit but I bet the Schumacher's Cut would be much, much more Epic.

(2021-04-19, 05:54 PM)interaser Wrote: One thing I understood after the Snyder Cut got released is that no amount of extra frames from trailers and deletes episode is not as good as a true Director's cut. I mean before the Snyder Cut I think most of fans made a fan edits of Snyder cut from all available footage on line but none delivered even close what we got from Snyder Cut.
So yeah there might be a very good fan edit but I bet the Schumacher's Cut would be much, much more Epic.

It certainly would! But, if the Schumacher cut doesn't see the light of day, this version is my go too.

Too bad he isn't here anymore to supervise it. Maybe if they have an initial cut, they can conform to it like they did with Alien 3.

(2021-04-19, 05:07 PM)eledoremassis02 Wrote: - The "If the bat wants to play, we'll play!" line from Two-Face in the chopper is included

Haven't thought about it for the longest time until I read this! But now you have reminded me back around the original release I recall watching the trailer over and over before seeing it at the theatre and disappointed this line was missing. Also the shot where Batman drops in on the Nygmatech party where in the trailer its from above, while in the theatrical cut it is from below.

(2020-08-04, 07:47 PM)captainsolo Wrote: Spread this news everywhere to show WB there is indeed support to release the original cut of Batman Forever.

Now there's finally talk about officially releasing the longer version:
https://variety.com/2020/film/news/b...er-1234697441/
This has made it to a number of sites and there's a twitter movement starting but of course without any of the Snyder cut fanfare. According to the sources the cut actually exists in the vaults at 170 min and WB doesn't know if there's demand to release it.
There has been since they teased it back in 2005 darn it.

My petition is now a year old and has almost 400 signatures.
https://www.change.org/p/warner-brot...batman-forever

Personally I would think that it would have been released as intended at 2 hr 15 up to 2 hr 30 depending on the shooting script and final cut before Warner had their way with it cutting down to 122 min and restructuring the opening. But at least there's something to work with and it could easily be a Warner Archive release if they don't do a Donner Cut style standalone. All it needs is a new scan, color timing, sound polish and you could even integrate the footage into the 4K theatrical master since that's already done.


Me babbling tech talk about the audio mix of the theatrical cut and how weirdly the 2.0 mix is better than the 5.1:
When I first started digging into the tech aspects of the film and realized that the old 2.0 matrix mix was better done than the 5.1 this is one of the many things that suddenly jumped out at me. (Widescreen Review said the same in their old LD and DVD reviews) I think if some old reports I've read are to be believed that many of the actors had to re-record dialogue elsewhere during post due to busy schedules which might account to the slightly canned sound to the dialogue-but yes it's ADR everywhere so much so that the discrete 5.1 mix accentuates the hiss and artifice of the rerecorded audio so one you notice it you can't quite unnotice it.

The 2.0 mix like a lot of mid 90's WB tracks weirdly has better mixed presence in the surround despite it being mono and a better low end. While the clarity takes a hit this does negate a lot of the audible noise in the ADR and makes it much less obvious.

i hope if they were to release it, it would be the full 4:3 frame if possible like with ZSJL. this movie has always had a soft spot in my heart and i would love to see it get redeemed.

Akiva Goldsman who was the second screenwriter mentioned somewhere recently he's gone back to WB and seen what's in the vaults and he hopes it gets released. There's still no indication as to how finished it is or what stage they got to.
The new 4K master picture wise is a massive upgrade over the old smeary looking BD but they did mess with the audio. If necessary they could just splice in the extra materials and conform the 4K master to the original version-or just do a straight transfer a'la Superman I TV cut and do it via WAC.

I hope the 2.0 surround gets released again someday. It's better mixed than the 5.1 and tames the heavy ADR usage a bit.