Keaton was let go when Burton was fired cause 2 was too dark.
Then Schumacher took over and damn near killed the series.
Hmm... it was always my understanding that Returns was a success. Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is iconic to this day. I had never heard Keaton was fired so I looked it up.
Apparently there was a lot of negative feedback from some Christian groups that thought it was too violent and Batman should be for small children (despite a PG13 rating). They turned their ire to McDonalds Happy Meals for being misleading. McDonalds in turn expressed those concerns to WB who tucked tail and bowed to the almighty advertising dollar. Thus started the chain of events that brought us Batman Forever. (Also worth noting, after this fiasco McDonalds started lobbying Spielberg to tone down the following summer’s Jurassic Park to coincide with THAT Happy Meal promotion. Not sure if they got their way or not.)
Seems Burton wasn’t so much fired as “encouraged” to take a break and do a “small quirky film”. He took the hint and walked away before the production really got started.
Keaton was still on board at first and by all accounts WB still wanted him to continue the role. The studio claims he wanted more money and merchandising rights. He claims he wanted more input in the script, requesting that it focus more on Batman/Bruce Wayne’s character and less on the villains, and was disappointed he was never consulted When scripting began. Clearly there was “creative differences” that resulted in a somewhat messy breakup.
Ultimately WB got what they wished for. A watered down merchandising opportunity. Of course it would go on to nearly kill the franchise.
Another interesting note, Marlon Wayans was cast by Burton for Robin in Returns but was ultimately cut as the film was already crowded with 2 villains. Schumacher went with Chris O’Donnell instead. However, Wayans had signed a 2 picture deal and still gets residuals from Returns and Forever to this day. Despite not appearing in either film.