If you were pissed that we never got to see Billy Dee Williams become Two-Face or Marlon Wayans crack wise as Robin, then Batman ‘89 would’ve made you very happy. Too bad it’s not happening.
Spotted by comic-book rumor site Bleeding Cool, Batman ‘89 was a pitch by writer Kate Leth and artist Joe Quinones that would have resurrected the version of Batman played by Michael Keaton.
Quinones’ concept drawings show that the proposal aimed to extend the Burton Bat-verse with alternate takes on Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Batgirl, all of whom look radically different than the ones who showed up after Burton left the film franchise.
Batman ‘89 isn’t a totally-out-of-left-field idea. DC Comics just ended a well-regarded Batman ‘66 series, which extrapolated the universe of the camp classic TV show in much the same way. Ditto for the just-finished Wonder Woman ‘77. It’s a shame that readers won’t get to see what a late-1980s Hollywood version of Barbara Gordon would’ve been like. I bet she listens to a lot of Morrissey.
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