Scripts from Burton's films

[batass4880]

Has anyone read the Tom Mankiewicz script for 89? If so how was it? Was it dark? Was it any good? Never read it myself.

[BatmAngelus]

Mankiewicz's script pretty much follows the Superman: The Movie origin story template and tries to cover everything, starting with Bruce's family life as a child to Dick Grayson joining him as Robin.  If they made this into a film, the Batman film series would have been quite different.  Burton scrapped the script because he didn't want to follow this template.

I think it's worth reading to see a glimpse at "what if" as well as how Mankiewicz's ideas eerily foreshadowed the actual movies.
Examples: Joker is behind the deaths of the Waynes (though not the actual shooter in this version)
Dick Grayson partially blames Batman for the deaths of his parents (more justified in this script than in Batman Forever since Joker has a Batman impersonator show up at the circus)
Bruce becomes Batman after going into the cave, where the bats swarm around him (it's almost exactly like the Begins scene, except Mankiewicz had Bruce let out a loud primal scream).
The Batmobile jumps across rooftops.

Was it dark?  It had dark moments, but it still had some influence from the 1960s show and lighter comics, particularly in the finale.

The second draft is much better, but not available online.  I don't own it myself, but I did save some notes on the differences.

[batass4880]

Was it a coincidence that Sam Hamm's story was similar to the Steve Englehart script or did Hamm consciously follow some of his story? I keep hearing that Englehart wrote a treatment for the Mankiewicz script but Tim Burton and Sam Hamm basically said they wanted to do their own thing.

[BatmAngelus]

I think Hamm may have read Englehart's comics and was influenced by them.  I know for sure that Michael Uslan was a fan of them.

As for the treatments, I don't know much about them other than what is here:
http://www.steveenglehart.com/Film/Batman%20movie.html

The text is hard to read.  One of them features the death of the Graysons from the Joker's poison.  The other begins with the death of the Waynes and features a younger Jim Gordon at the Waynes' funeral.  I'd definitely say that the treatments were closer to what happened in Mankiewicz's script (Joker playing a role in the death of the Graysons, Robin's origin featured, showing Bruce's parents killed and their funeral in the beginning of the movie).

[batass4880]

Cool, thanks BatmAngelus!

One more question: Do you know where I can find the 30-page treatment of the Mankiewicz script that Tim Burton and his girlfriend wrote? If not, do you know what it was like?

[BatmAngelus]

My only source about that treatment is an old post on another forum from a poster named Michael24:
http://forums.toonzone.net/archive/index.php/t-143396.html

Anyway, this was an article that appeared in Wizard Magazine #11 back in the early-90s. The article was talking about the soon-to-be-released BATMAN RETURNS, but featured a summary of the original Tim Burton/Julie Hickson treatment, and I thought you all would be interesting in seeing what they originally had planned . . . and just what a disaster of a movie it could have been.

By Andy Mangels - Wizard #11, July 1992
Now, to the real subject of the column. The BATMAN that almost was and may yet be . . . Tim Burton's original idea for his BATMAN film. Burton was unhappy with Sam Hamm's script for BATMAN II, and brought in Dan Waters and Wesley Strick to start anew. But, as you'll see, the tone and style of BATMAN RETURNS may have some resemblances to the following . . . written seven years ago by the Burton meister himself! Written by TIM BURTON and JULIE HICKSON?October 21, 1985.

Although this is only 43 pages long, it seemed much longer. With three acts, all overly full of batdoings, this plot by BATMAN director Tim Burton with co-scribe Julie Hickson could well have been several movies . . . if it wasn't so stupid, contrived, and, well, comic-booky in the worst sense of the phrase.

Bat-historians will note that this Treatment/Outline was turned in in 1985, quite a bit after the Tom Mankiewicz script, but well before Sam Hamm's script. This outline is an odd mixture of scene descriptions, dialogue, camera angles, and plot synopsis. Reading it, one feels very much as if it were written by four different people, in four different styles.

Act One, entitled "Loss," begins with a full-screen shot of the Joker laughing, before fading to Gotham City: "a little New York, a little Max Fleisher, a lot of Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS." With aerial tramways and blimps, it sounds more like WATCHMEN combined with METROPOLIS than anything else. As we switch to Gotham Municipal Courthouse, Thomas Wayne, counsel for the Subcommittee on Investigation into Racketeering, rails on against mob boss Rupert Thorne. We cut to the Waynes at home that evening, preparing for a costume party after an evening trip to the Gotham Opera's DER FLEDERMAUS ("The Bat-Man"). Thomas, of course, wears a "majestic bat costume," while Martha is a "delicately shimmering fairy queen" and young Bruce is a "small whirling harlequin."

Walking home from the party, while "our hearts are melting for the uniquely harmonious family, the unthinkable happens." A Mr. Softee ice cream truck glides around the corner, and to the "insipid tinkling style music," the Waynes are gunned down. As Bruce lets loose with an "eerie, guttural, animal-like screaming of a boy in unthinkable pain," he manages to see the murderer in the truck: a 17-year-old boy with green hair, white skin, and a red-lipped smile!

As the police show up, Alfred Pennyworth vows to Bruce that "as long as I live, you will never be alone." Days later at the funeral, Bruce makes a solemn vow to avenge his parents' death and declare war on crime.

Act Two is called "Preparation-Transformation," and in it, Bruce trains to become Batman. He continues collecting information about Rupert Thorne, who he is sure ordered his parents' death, and grows ever closer to Commissioner Gordon. Years later, a newspaper headline screams out "Joker Escapes Prison! Vows Revenge Against Mayor Rupert Thorne." That day, the Joker begins a "carefully masterminded reign of terror in Gotham City," which includes releasing animals from the zoo, preempting TV broadcasts, painting all the windows of Gotham's skyscrapers black, and making the subways run backwards! When the Joker pre-empts himself into the LOVE BOAT (with guest stars Tom Bosley, Cloris Leachman, and Andy Warhol), Bruce begins to take notice. Bruce goes to his room, dons his Batman suit for the first time, and slips out a window. "The Princess of Darkness is Born!"

In Gotham Square, the Joker is busy launching the city's Christmas tree into space, Batman shows up and they start to duel on the ice-skating rink?"punctuated by all the requisite silliness of pratfalls." The Joker gets away now, able to carry out more pranks against Gotham, including painting the entire city candy-striped colors, coercing union leaders to call strikes throughout the city, and setting of bombs. Bruce cannot track the maniac down until Joker sets off fireworks at a performance of the MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. There, Bruce saves the life of singer Silver St. John, who is portraying Titania, the Fairy Queen.

While Bruce is spending the night with Silver, as the Joker plans to mock-elect himself Mayor and throw a parade at which several balloons will carry his special "Grimacing Gas." After the Joker uses the gas on performers at a comedy club, Commissioner Gordon establishes the Bat-Signal to contact Batman, who he's now asked to help out on the case. The Joker strikes next at a charity circus where Bruce and Silver are in attendance. There, in disguises are the Penguin as the ringmaster, the Riddler as a clown, and the Catwoman as a trapeze artist. When Catwoman pours acid on the trapeze of the Flying Graysons ("the main attractions"), John and Mary fall to their deaths, while young Dick miraculously survives.

Running to the sobbing Grayson's side, Bruce scoops him up and carries him to his car, promising him that "As long as I live, you will never be alone." Sound familiar?

Finally, in Act Three's "Retribution?Family," Bruce adopts Dick, the Joker dresses as the Mad Hatter and is "interviewed" by Barbara Walters (whom he's holding at gunpoint.) The Joker kills Rupert Thorne in a "mayoral" debate, then throws a parade on Christmas Eve, where "the Jokerian humor, election eve has been designed to coincide with . . ." When Bruce looks closer at the parade, he realizes that Joker's hoods are wearing gas masks underneath their Mardi Gras masks. Bruce also realizes that the huge parade balloons are filled with the "deadly Grimacing Gas." A confrontation soon ensues, where the Joker and Batman are both carried aloft by the helium balloons.

When they both crash through the skylight of the Gotham City Natural History Museum, it's up to the new hero, Robin, to save Batman's life. When Batman throttles the Joker and puts a gun to his head, Commissioner Gordon arrives and puts an end to the potentially ugly scene.

The movie ends as Bruce, Silver, Dick, and Alfred open presents on Christmas Day. Reaching for the last present under the tree, Bruce is shocked to see that it is wrapped in purple and green, with a clownish Jack-in-the-box face on it. As the screen fades to black, the laughing face of the Joker appears again.

...

The article continues for another page, basically just dissecting the treatment and talking about how awful and convoluted it was, and some of the similarities to what we saw in the finished film. To me, it sounds like an extended episode of the Adam West series.

[batass4880]

WOW! All I can say is, thank god Hamm had a contract with WB. It's pretty interesting if you think about it: Hamm saved 89 from Burton and Burton saved Returns from Hamm, IMO. Thanks again BatmAngelus!

[BatmAngelus]

No problem.

For those wanting to read what's in Englehart's treatment, I did my best to transcribe from the small font on his website:

THE
BATMAN
Movie
Treatment 1/March 21 1986
Steve Englehart
OPEN PANNING through the garish make-believe and drama of a large circus playing at the Gotham (read Madison Square) Garden.  Beginning backstage in the shadows, we move out a tunnel to the three-ring centerpiece, light and crowd-noise growing.  There THE RINGMASTER announces the Flying Graysons, handsome family of trapeze-artist stars, FATHER, MOTHER, and 12-year-old DICK GRAYSON (who wears an all-red costume, including what will be Robin?s red vest) begins their daring act, working without a net.  Dick is shown to be a plucky kid, extending himself to make a catch and return in the standing bar, then smiling with secret pride as he gives his equally alive mother an ?Aw Mom.?  She swings out to meet her husband for their next feat.  She lets go of the bar and somersaults into his arms.  They grin at each other.  She comes back to her bar.  He somersaults to a farther bar- and begins to laugh.  Just a little at first, then growing.  Mom looks curious, Dick cocks his head, dad is laughing harder as he swings around his bar, jerking him a little - then swings back toward wife.  He comes rushing toward us, arms outstretched- and his face is revealed as a horrible stretched grin.  He grabs his shocked wife, laughing uproariously, and spastically jerks her from her bar.  They fall a long way.  Dick is pole-axed.

He leaps to a guy wire and slides to earth.  Rushes toward bodies, but ringmaster holds him back.  Dick wrestles his way free ? and then a black finned glove drops on his shoulder.  Stopped, he turns ? and looks up at ? THE BATMAN.

The Batman speaks with the calm voice of authority, ?There is no more horrible sight in the world, Dick Grayson.?  ?I-I have to sir.  I have to.?  The Batman looks at the people crowded around *some word I couldn't read* performers and officials, including SILVER ST. CLOUD, manager of Gotham garden) and says, ?Then ? let him through.?  Crowd looks at the Batman with some wonder, some fear, Silver looks with interest.  They-

THE
BATMAN
Movie
Treatment 2/May 22, 1986
Steve Englehart
OPEN PANNING forward along a garishly-lit but still majestic Gotham version of Broadway above Times Square, mid-evening, 1974.  Three blocks we roll, past all the different denizens of Gotham going about their different businesses in the bright electric yellow night.  Midway through the third block, three of them happen to be THOMAS, MARTHA, and 12-year-old BRUCE WAYNE, just stepping from a grand movie palace.  Happy family; just saw any Warners movie from the period that evokes high (preferably swashbuckling) adventure.  Bruce, a normally built kid, has just had a reward for straight A?s in school.  He?s smart but well-rounded ? not a budding Batman.  Byplay establishes family is wealthy but prefers walking with people to riding a limo.  Crazy street bum comes up; Thomas deals with him firmly but humanely.  Now the family turns into a darker side-street, as Martha remarks on rising level of crime ? and they?re confronted by a THUG in the shadows with a gun.  He demands Thomas?s wallet.  Thomas stays calm, digs it out ? and flips it into the thug?s face.  Grabs the guy, struggling for the gun ? and then is lifted from the force of a .357 Magnum in the gullet.  Martha begins to screm, the thug shoots her, too.  He then turns the gun on Bruce ? to be confronted by the most intense gaze of hatred ever recorded.  The thug hesitates, then makes his escape without shooting Bruce.  Bruce turns to look at his parents? sprawled bodies, tearing beginning to spill from his wide eyes ? but his face frozen.

DISSOLVE to funeral limos pulling up at Wayne Manor before an overcast sunset.  From the lead one step ALFRED, the 40-year-old Wayne butler, and Bruce, stoic and straight, both are dressed in black.  CHIEF INSPECTOR GORDON (50 years old) approaches from a police car.  He tells them soberly that he hates street crime more than any other kind; the Waynes were good people and a boy this young shouldn?t have to bear such a burden.  Although his men haven?t found the gunman so far, Gordon will keep after it.  Bruce merely looks at him, emotionless.  Alfred shrugs at Gordon, and the chief leaves with the other mourners.  The man and the boy enter the house together, Alfred appears as a king and concerned guardian as-

For anyone interested in reading the Mankiewicz first draft, here it is:
http://www.scifiscripts.com/scripts/batmanscript1.txt

If anyone is interested in what was changed for the second draft, I can post my notes.  I don't own a copy, but I read one and I think it is the better version of the Mankiewicz story.

[Paul (ral)]

BatmAngelus I emailed Andy Mangels about the validity of the Hickson treatment article after some folks on BoF dissmissed it as BS

He had this to say

As one of the top comic book journalists at the time, there were multiple ways I got scripts and treatments back then, and I don't remember which way I got the Batman treatment.

* There was one high-ranking top tier producer who I held a meeting with in 1990, who had a whole shelf full of scripts, including many of interest to me. I asked if there was any way I could see them. He responded by having his assistant copy 15-20 of them during our meeting and give me a box of them.

* There were multiple people who worked in powerful positions at movie companies that used to send me copies of whatever they got in that might be of interest. Another employee once showed me the copy machine in his office, as well as boxes of materials and said "have at it."

* There were also people who WROTE movies or starred in them or directed them that I interviewed, who would send me their scripts, or others they felt would interest me. For instance, Sam Hamm himself sent me his Watchmen script, as well as the Terry Gilliam one.

Any of the above may have been the ones who sent me the Treatment or gave it to me. In that arena, I was king of that heap at the time; Comics Scene may have been a color magazine, but Amazing Heroes -- and my style in my columns -- was more popular.

It's not a dissimilar place to where Harry Knowles has found himself. He gets a LOT of materials given or sent to him. It's amazing how many people in Hollywood want to "share" their stories or their projects, or who don't care about leaking materials. It's only in the internet age, where such information could be disseminated instantly, with little control, that studios started instituting such severe lockdowns.

Finally, I'll note that Warner didn't always like what I wrote about the Batman projects (or The Flash) -- and I got growled at several times by them -- but they valued the publicity I gave them. And I was always truthful and fair. If I had written about a treatment that didn't exist, THAT would have been the story.

And a side note on ?I have trouble believing Burton had a written treatment for the film done BEFORE he became director?. This is clearly someone who doesn't know how Hollywood works. How many times do writers and directors say in interviews "I had writen the script years ago," or "I had written the treatment years ago and then it went to somebody else," or "I optioned this but then got on another project and came back to this"? It's a ubiquitous story, especially among nerdgasm movies or "passion projects."  Besides which, Burton has himself talked about doing the treatment in interviews!

I'll refer you to the Cinefantastique interview (Nov 89) on your own site:
http://www.batmanmovieonline.com/articles.php?showarticle=2

[Burton developed the BATMAN script with Sam Hamm at Warners after being assigned to the project when his PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE turned out to be a surprise hit for the studio. Before Hamm, Julie Hickson, who produced Burton's Disney shorts, HANSEL AND GRETEL and FRANKENWEENIE, had written a 30 page treatment.
"I wasn't working on it fulltime," said Burton. "I'd just meet Sam on weekends to discuss the early writing stages. We knocked it into good shape while I directed BEETLE-JUICE, but as a 'go' project it was only greenlighted by Warners when the opening figures for BEETLEJUICE surprised everybody - including myself!"]

I'll give you some dates:
August 9, 1985     Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is released
October 21, 1985     Treatment written by TIM BURTON and JULIE HICKSON
October 20, 1986     Sam Hamm's first draft of Batman is turned in
March 29, 1988     Beetlejuice is released
October 10, 1988     Day One in the filming of Batman
Note that as said in CFQ, Burton was assigned to work with Hickson AFTER PWBA (August 85) and then they turned in the treatment (Oct 85). One year later, Hamm's version is written. It all fits perfectly.

Anyone who wants to believe this treatment didn't exist -- despite evidence to the contrary -- is welcome to. I'd suggest they next visit this website, where they might find other theories that are as emminently plausible as their own:
http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/FlatHome.htm

[BatmAngelus]

Awesome, ral.  Thanks for doing that and sharing.