Schumacher's Scarecrow

[DocLathropBrown]

I thought Uma was perfectly fine in the role. Had the tone of the film been more serious, I don't think she would have hammed it up anywhere near as badly.

When in Rome, as they say.

[johnnygobbs]

I have to agree with thecolorsblend.  Whilst I don't especially rate Ahnuld as a great actor I still believe that he was a better choice for Mr Freeze than Uma Thurman was for Poison Ivy.  I can buy the interpretation of Mr Freeze as a being both a top scientist and former Olympian with a beautiful wife; basically the man who has everything until his wife succumbs to a degenerative illness.  As it was, Arnie was as 'good' as the script would allow him to be.
Uma on the other hand, as fine an actress as she can be, decided to overplay the role in a rather offputting Mae West style that had no place in a 90s comic-book movie, even one as wretched as B & R turned out to be.  Like Clooney, who can also be a good actor when he wants to be, Thurman should have quit the project if she wasn't going to take the role seriously, or had any inkling that the film was going to be so bad.

[Gotham Knight]

I thought Uma was perfectly fine in the role. Had the tone of the film been more serious, I don't think she would have hammed it up anywhere near as badly.

When in Rome, as they say.

My thoughts exactly.

[Batman]

Actually, I think I'm responsible for Christopher Lloyd and Bruce Spence making the list, as I suggested them in a Batman V thread. I'm not sure they were actually rumored choices to play the character.

[phantom stranger]

Well, I can't give credit to Arnie for the subplot about his dying wife.

He didn't write the script. And the guy who did write the script simply adapted an idea that Paul Dini of BTAS came up with. There's nothing wrong with that--Harley Quinn originated in the cartoon as well--but let's give credit where credit is due.

[johnnygobbs]

I wasn't giving Arnie the credit for Mr Freeze's origins which as you say arose from BTAS, although I was giving a tiny slither of whatever possible praise can be directed to a film like B&R, for the casting of Arnie in the role.  I don't believe that the original Mr Freeze was a Teutonic Olympian, but I do think that interpretation worked in this film - or at least it worked better than the same film's interpretation of Batgirl, Bane or Poison Ivy.
As you say though, Paul Dini deserves high praise for his conception of Batman, particularly the addition of Harley Quinn and the reinterpretation of many of the villians' backgrounds - which have almost become canon.  I need no convincing as to the brilliance of BTAS.

[Sandman]

Actually, I think I'm responsible for Christopher Lloyd and Bruce Spence making the list, as I suggested them in a Batman V thread. I'm not sure they were actually rumored choices to play the character.

Yup as i said at the start i got some of the name's that had been suggested by fans.... that and i like Bruce Spence. Christopher Lloyd on the other hand actually was one of the Scarecrow choices.

[gordonblu]

Inserts two pennies.
Early in Batman & Robin, Uma Thurman came across like Jim Carrey in drag, which come to think of it Carrey's Riddler came across like Jim Carrey in Drag, but I thought she got better as the movie went along. At least she got as good as the film would allow.

As for Scarecrow, as soon as they unloaded Steve Buscemi from the truck in Con-Air, I was like, PERFECT SCARECROW!


I really like Cillian Murphy in the part though.

[The Joker]

From a studio's perspective, Jeff Goldblum probably would have been the preferred choice for Schumacher to go with.

We all know how WB had a thing for big name celeb's playing the roles of the villains during this era, and considering that Jeff was coming off of "The Lost World", I'm sure WB saw him as the ideal choice.

I remember reading Shumacher stating that he had no intention on offering Howard Stern the role. And for the most part, I believe him. Though one has to wonder if "Private Parts" was more of a box office success, instead of a modest one, how much of that would have played into him being considered for the role. From what I gather, Stern was definately interested.

[DarkVengeance]

Crispin Glover would make an excellent Scarecrow.

I never liked the Scarecrow they're using in the current series. That role belongs to actors who are great at being odd, weird and creepy. Not pretty boys.

I've read that while Murphy was in a Batman audition for Begins, Chris Nolan looked at his eyes & thought that he'd be perfect for Scarecrow.

Thats 100% true, Murphy was at WB auditioning for the role of Bats and they chose him for Scarecrow instead, which I think was a perfect choice, though I wish we got to see him do more in the Nolan films.