Ben Wan
- Apr 25, 2022
- 3 min read

EXCLUSIVE: The 1996 Batman & Robin First Draft (Was It Worse??)

We have an EXCLUSIVE dive into the FIRST DRAFT of Batman & Robin from February 1996, featuring the more Shakespearian sounding Mr. Freeze (that may or may not have been written for Patrick Stewart?), deleted references to the previous movies, Batman 66, & even Clark Kent, less of the film’s notorious gags & one liners, and a DARKER ending.

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CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

Big thanks to our fan "Derek O." for passing along this draft!

We previously covered Batman & Robin in the following episodes:

We did a dive into a LATER draft of the script, which kept some of the similar beats as this one:

You can check out that draft at this link: https://sfy.ru/?script=batman_and_robin

And here is the concept art episode we did the previous week:

2:49 The Original Opening: "Batman & Nightwing??"

5:00 Mr. Freeze- Was It Really Written for Patrick Stewart?

The Hollywood Reporter article that we referenced is from here:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/batman-robin-at-20-joel-schumacher-more-reveal-what-happened-1014972/

One of the most enduring myths about Batman & Robin is that Patrick Stewart was up for Mr. Freeze. Not so, says Schumacher.

“It’s a wonderful idea. But no one ever suggested him,” he says. “I had met with Arnold several times, because he was always interested in working together.”

(Here’s something extra for all of you Batman & Robin conspiracy theorists out there. Storyboard artist Tim Burgard remembers working from an earlier script in which Mr. Freeze’s lines were written for someone more like Stewart than Schwarzenegger: “All the dialogue was for Mr. Freeze, you could tell it was meant for somebody who would deliver it in a Shakespearean fashion. It was hysterical; in my head, I was reading Freeze’s dialogue as Schwarzenegger.” As Burgard recounts it, subsequent versions of the script swapped out Freeze’s original lines for the puns that made it into the film.)

11:47 The Deleted Jason Woodrue-Pamela Isley Introduction

13:27 Deleted Batcave, Alfred, & Mr. Freeze Moments

17:39 The British Barbara Wilson, Her Original Origin, & Clooney's Deleted Batman Training Backstory

25:28 Poison Ivy's Original Gotham City Arrival & Bruce Wayne Meeting

26:48 The Gala & Mr. Freeze Arrest: A Batman Returns Reference, Poison Ivy's Original Entrance, & The Deleted Echoes of Batman 66

38:11 Deleted Character Moments of Barbara, Mr. Freeze, and Dick Grayson

44:36 "Not All Heroes Wear Masks" & What Bruce Can't Bring Himself to Say To Alfred

47:32 Mr. Freeze's Lair & Poison Ivy Committing Murder

55:16 BREAK

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1:00:28 The Deleted Action Sequence: Mission Impossible-Style Freeze & The Original Batman-Robin Fight

1:13:55 Freeze & Ivy (On a Gondola??) and The REAL Reason Why Batman & Robin Are "Perfect Targets" for Poison Ivy

1:21:40 The Other Gala Scene: Bruce Falls For Pamela Isley?

1:22:55 The Deleted Barbara-Dick Heart-To-Heart

1:24:22 The Deleted Introduction to AI Alfred in The Batcomputer (& The Clark Kent Reference)

1:30:56 Bruce's Fear of Losing Robin & The GRANDFATHER CLOCK Batcave Entrance

1:33:07 The Original Mission Impossible Style Trap for Poison Ivy

1:39:22 The Original Bat Hammer Assault on the Observatory

1:46:28 The Deleted Batman-Bane Fight (& KNIGHTFALL Moment!)

1:48:57 The Original Final Fight & Resolution of Mr. Freeze & Ivy

1:53:29 The Darker Ending in Arkham Asylum

1:57:22 Closing Thoughts

2:04:02 Fan Comments

2:09:52 Closing: Fan Shoutouts and Social Media Promotion

Big thanks to our research assistant Dan Yamat for providing the visuals for this YouTube experience, along with the thumbnail, QC, and chapter time codes. Check out our link for Barkbox here. Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code JOHNSONSBALLSACK at MANSCAPED.com! #ad#manscapedpod

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