Bat-Trance Scene

[StarFleet]

I found an old interview with Michael Keaton in the Comics Alliance:

https://comicsalliance.com/michael-keaton-looks-back-on-batman-talks-cut-scenes/


And I was surprised that he spoke of a scene that did not reach the final cutwhere Batman went into a trance:

I went to Tim and said that we should see if we could do a scene that showed the transition and Tim was really great about these things so we tried. I wanted to see and to show that transition when he goes from Bruce Wayne to Batman, the time when he's about to don the suit and go out and wreak some havoc. That's not a casual thing, obviously, it's not putting on a jacket to go out for the evening. So what is that transition like? So there was a thing we did early on that showed him going into a sort of trance and it justified this shift in him. So we did that scene and it never made it into the film but I think helped me in a way. It was part of the way he became this other thing and even if you didn't see it, it was part of the character and the way we created him.

I had never heard anything about this deleted scene. Do any of you know anything?

[Kamdan]

When I first read this interview, I thought, "That scene IS in the movie!"

[thecolorsblend]

I found an old interview with Michael Keaton in the Comics Alliance:

https://comicsalliance.com/michael-keaton-looks-back-on-batman-talks-cut-scenes/


And I was surprised that he spoke of a scene that did not reach the final cutwhere Batman went into a trance:

I went to Tim and said that we should see if we could do a scene that showed the transition and Tim was really great about these things so we tried. I wanted to see and to show that transition when he goes from Bruce Wayne to Batman, the time when he's about to don the suit and go out and wreak some havoc. That's not a casual thing, obviously, it's not putting on a jacket to go out for the evening. So what is that transition like? So there was a thing we did early on that showed him going into a sort of trance and it justified this shift in him. So we did that scene and it never made it into the film but I think helped me in a way. It was part of the way he became this other thing and even if you didn't see it, it was part of the character and the way we created him.

I had never heard anything about this deleted scene. Do any of you know anything?

That sounds like a really interesting scene. And I agree with Keaton, Bruce's transformation into Batman is something a lot more psychologically complex than just changing shirts. I love the movie just as it is but I'd be very interested to see that scene. Or any deleted scenes from B89, really.

[Travesty]

It kinda sounds like what they did with Batman Returns when he suits up for the first time. It may not be exact, but that seems to be the direction they went with in the beginning of that movie.

I need to rewatch BR. It's bee a solid 2-3 years since I've watched it.

[The Dark Knight]

I see Batman as the real personality and Bruce Wayne as the mask, so I don't think he needs much persuading to put on the suit. The switch into that mindset is pretty much automatic, case in point the Batman Returns sequence Travesty posted above. Brooding is more or less what he's doing whenever he's home. It's his default mindset to dwell on trauma and ponder future possibilities. Keaton's Bruce especially would need more time mentally preparing for social interaction.

[Kamdan]

This is an excerpt from Hamm's first draft that maybe the scene Keaton was referring to.

     INT. BRUCE'S BEDROOM - EVENING

     BRUCE draws the curtains, sets an alarm clock. The current
     time is 7:09 PM.

     He sits cross-legged on the floor, slumps forward slightly,
     and closes his eyes. He inhales, exhales, taking deep,
     regular breaths. His muscles relax. Ten seconds later,
     BRUCE has plunged into DEEP SLEEP.

     Time passes. The clock shows 7:19, 7:32.

     At 7:44 we TRACK IN on BRUCE's unconscious face, drawing
     closer and closer until HIS EYELIDS FILL THE FRAME,
     twitching with the irregular movement characteristic of
     R.E.M. sleep. Without warning his EYES SNAP OPEN.

     HOLD ON BRUCE'S GAZE -- grim, alert, determined -- as the
     clock hits 7:45. An ALARM SOUNDS, BREAKING THE SILENCE
     with its grating electronic WHINE.

[Slash Man]

I would have thought it was an ad-libbed scene from that interview, but that segment from Sam Hamm's script really does sound like it lines up with what Keaton was talking about. Perhaps it was cut from the shooting script, but Keaton still opted to have it shot?

[The Dark Knight]

I would have thought it was an ad-libbed scene from that interview, but that segment from Sam Hamm's script really does sound like it lines up with what Keaton was talking about. Perhaps it was cut from the shooting script, but Keaton still opted to have it shot?

I gave B89 another look soon after the Flashpoint rumor. Keaton does sit in contemplative thought for quite some time after viewing the "anonymous tip, Napier's cleaning out Axis Chemicals" recording. I think that sequence more or less qualifies with what was described. He's moments away from suiting up and going into combat, and is getting into 'the zone'. I can't imagine he'd stay seated like that for much longer, given the urgency of his duties.