What Was The Initial Revised Ending To Batman Returns?

[Kamdan]

The DVD extras shows a different ending of featuring an animatronic Catwoman and a different background. Any idea on what was the context of the initial revised ending to the film?

[Paul (ral)]

I think that was the test version that Craig Barron did for Tim Burton.

Craig Barron says, "We started the visualization process by doing a smaller version on video with the different planes cut out of foamcore."

[Kamdan]

On the DVD, they said that Tim gave them a sketch of the shot he needed for the new ending. After it was finished with the anamatronic, it was then decided to it cut out and have it replaced with a double for Michelle in the Catwoman suit being matted into the exisiting ending shot, which is in the final film. They also stated that the new ending cost them a large figure and it doesn't seem that a simple matte of someone into a shot isn't as expensive as they stated.

[Paul (ral)]

I don't recall hearing a large figure being the cost of the new final shot. The new ending was the addition of Catwoman staring at the signal - the cost of making the animatronic, running the test and using the body double were probably large.

The original ending was just the crane up shot to the Batsiginal.From Cinefex #51
The crane-up was originally slated as the final shot of the film, until preview audiences who saw an early cut expressed concerns about the fate of the Catwoman.

Although a suggestive shot of the Catwoman?s shadow catching Batman?s attention as he drives away from Gotham had been included, the original ending had left it ambiguous as to whether Selina Kyle had survived the electrical explosion in the Penguin?s lair.

In the last week of May, the production decided to devise a new closing shot with the Catwoman gazing up at the batsignal.

?I thought the shadow of the Catwoman that Bruce sees as they?re driving past the alley was fine,? noted Mike Fink, ?and so did everybody who made the movie ? including Tim, but they kept getting cards back from the test screenings asking about whether Catwoman had survived or not.  Apparently the shadow wasn?t clear enough. Well, it was May 22. We had finished the show, and I got a call from Larry Franco, the producer, telling me not to pack up. Tim, Larry and I spent Memorial Day weekend tying to nail down what we were going to do.?

?We ended up shooting a double of Catwoman in front of a bluescreen. Then we composited that bluescreen element into the foreground of the original Matte World crane-up shot.?

[Kamdan]

The clip Craig Barron created based off of Tim's drawing perfectly replicated it as drawn, It differed largely from the one in the final film. It used a different shot of the Batsignal with another building in the background and the anamatronic Catwoman in the foreground. Barron states specifically that this version was cut from the film and "it is here for you on this special edition DVD." It doesn?t sound like it was a ?test shot.? The figure for the revised ending was reported at about $25,000. For that price, I believe that there was probably going to more to the revised ending, but it couldn?t get done on time, so an easier matte with a body double substituting was made. They also brought up that there is no point for her to stand on in the final ending. Makes me wonder if the ending they had one planned had a more actuate depiction of her standing on a nearby structure, but they just couldn?t get it done on time.

[Paul (ral)]

It used a different shot of the Batsignal with another building in the background and the anamatronic Catwoman in the foreground. Barron states specifically that this version was cut from the film and "it is here for you on this special edition DVD." It doesn?t sound like it was a ?test shot.?

Concerning that shot he also said "So we went ahead and did this shot very quickly, all at the last minute."

I think that although he says it was cut out of the movie, it's not a cut scene per-say.

Although watching the comments on the DVD does make it all seem a little ambigious - there is no evidence for anything other than what was shown.

[Kamdan]

It just doesn't make sense that the filmmakers would blow a good hunk of cash on for a test shot and building an anamatronic like that without it having a bigger cause.

[Catwoman]

hmmmmm. you know, i think it might have been a little kewler if they DIDNT show her when i think about it. lot better than the first ending where she used all 9 up and she's screaming like a cat and penguin says "death is like this" and then that is that. that would've been traumatic. lol.

[Kamdan]

I believe Tim wanted that final shot because it was to mirror the ending of Batman '89 looking at the signal.

[Paul (ral)]

I believe Tim wanted that final shot because it was to mirror the ending of Batman '89 looking at the signal.

Most likely, but it wasn't his intention from the start.

from above
"I thought the shadow of the Catwoman that Bruce sees as they?re driving past the alley was fine," noted Mike Fink, "and so did everybody who made the movie ? including Tim, but they kept getting cards back from the test screenings asking about whether Catwoman had survived or not.  Apparently the shadow wasn?t clear enough."