Sam Hamm's first draft vs. Final Cut
The following article is a comparison of the first draft of Tim Burton's Batman to what was eventually filmed. Sam Hamm wrote the first draft and his script went through several rewrites. What's interesting is to see how much material was removed. Material that would have actually benefited the film. At the same time, there are one or two scenes that were best left on the cutting room floor. This article will follow the same format of the script comparison of Batman Begins with a list of removed, altered and added scenes with in some cases an explanation of what was in the Final Cut. Another note is that dialogue changes will not be covered in this article.
Removed Scenes
#1: Bruce and Vicki have a date aboard a Yacht. Vicki talks about doing work for Newsweek and her stint in Corto Maltese
#2: Bruce and Vicki take in an Opera
#3: Alexander Knox, jealous at Vicki and Bruce's relationship tries to dig up dirt on him. He finds a couple of pictures when Bruce is hiding his face and wonders why he won't show his face in pictures.
#4 After the meeting where Joker kills Rotelli, his goons go out and kill two other mobsters who were present at the meeting. The first is executed at a poker game and the other is fried by a flame thrower wielding clown.
#5: Bruce and Vicki have another lunch date in a plaza where another mobster is lunching at. Moments later the Mobster is gunned down by two mimes. Bruce tries to intervene but finds that there is no where he can change into Batman. Vicki is disturbed by the look on Bruce's face. Another Interesting note is that Bruce is with Officer James Gordon in the picture.
#6: Alexander Knox meets Vicki and shows her his research. His Conclusion: Bruce Wayne is Batman. Vicki looks at a picture of Bruce taken the day his parents were killed and notices it is very similar to Bruce's behaviour when the mobster was killed in the plaza
#7: Vicki heads to a photo studio where she witnesses two
supermodels die from Joker's lethal makeup.
(Note: The deaths of these two are mentioned in the news scene in the Final Cut)
#8: Following the scene of the anchorwoman's death and Joker's TV ad. There are small shots of people reacting to the news. In one case a woman finds her husband dead after using Joker shampoo.
#9: Vicki has a dream where
she sees Bruce's parents being murdered and herself photographing him
afterwards.
(Note: The death of the Wayne's reappears in the Final Cut as a flashback)
#10: Vicki meets Knox and confirms his suspicions
#11: Bruce is at the Wayne Foundation building. He goes to a bathroom and makes a call to Vicki pretending to be Batman. Another employee walks in on him and cuts the conversation short. Also The Joker's tainting of cosmetic products causes a huge shock in the stock market leaving many people, including Bruce's employee's shaken up.
#12: Harvey Dent decides to cut a deal with the Joker and Gordon approves. The Mayor offers amnesty and a hundred million dollars. Joker refuses (He wanted 100 million and one) and wants to be treated as an artist and calls off the deal.
#13: Small scene of work crews preparing a statue for Gotham's celebration.
#14: Knox confronts Bruce and threatens to expose him unless he quits and stays away from Vicki. Bruce refuses and asks why he won't go ahead and print the story. Knox says that she'll hate him for it. He adds that she's better off without Bruce in her life.
#15: Bruce pursues the Joker through the streets of Gotham. The chases leads to a park where the Graysons are performing out doors on trapezes attached to Helicopters. The Joker sees a truck filled with fireworks and throws a flare into it causing to explode. The debris hits the helicopters killing Dick Grayson's parents. Batman learns who Joker really is (Jack Napier) and takes Dick to the cave afterwards. (NOTE: This scene is after Altered scene # 6)
#16: A news report reveals that Alicia was killed by the Joker along with five police officers trying to save her. Bruce watches from the cave and feels guilty that he may have had a hand in Joker's existence.
#17: Dick attempts to leave but Bruce prevents him. They spar and in the end Dick learns that Bruce is Batman.
#18: Bruce meets Harvey to drop his deal with the Joker but Harvey refuses
#19: Joker kills the remaining crime lords by having them all tied, gagged and gassed.
#20: Bruce is filled with guilt and believes that he has done more harm than good. In a conversation with Alfred, he hints that he won't be coming back.
#21: Some of Joker's men attempt to poison Gotham's water supply but their trucks are destroyed by Batman in his Batwing. The drivers escape unharmed.
#22: After shooting Batman down, Joker runs after seeing Dick in his Robin suit. Robin pursues.
#23: Vicki Vale visits the grave of Alexander Knox and lays Flowers on it saying she loved him too.
#24: Batman is rehabilitating his body with Vicki watching. Meanwhile Dick Grayson trains in the cave.
Altered scenes
#1: One of Jack Napier's men holds Gordon
hostage. Batman frees Gordon by throwing a
Shuriken at the hood which causes his gun to drop and discharge hitting Jack
Napier in the face
Additional Note: Batman fights Napier's men with a bo staff here.
Final Cut: Bob holds Gordon Hostage and Jack is hit by a
bullet that ricochets of Batman
#2: After being shot, Napier brandishes his gun in a hampered state and his shot
by a young agitated cop. This causes Napier to plunge into a vat of liquid.
Final Cut: Napier tumbles over the catwalk. Batman attempts to pull him up but fails.
#3: Vicki Catches Bruce singing in the shower. She tries to sing with him but he stops as he is surprised by her presence. When he finishes showering, Vicki notices the bruises and welts on him and thinks they are from horse riding
Final Cut: Vicki wakes up to find Bruce hanging upside down.
#4: Joker wants Vicki to throw a cup of water in his face.
Vicki stays but flees when Joker shows her what he did to Alicia
Final Cut: The scene is rearranged. Joker shows Alicia which causes Vicki to
freak and toss the water at the Joker revealing his true face. Another note is
that Joker isn't smitten with Vicki in the first draft. He is interested by her
work and wants her to photograph his "transformation of Gotham"
(Batman can be seen tossing a smoke pellet in the film.)
#5: After he is knocked unconscious in the alley, The Goons remove Batman's mask. Vicki Distracts them and Bruce recovers and fights the goons without his mask. Vicki photographs Bruce using a telephoto lens and another roll. When Bruce takes her to the cave, he doesn't take the film from the telephoto lens, but Vicki ends up burning it the next day. She has already made the connection that Bruce is Batman.
Final Cut: The mask stays on. Batman takes her to the cave and takes the film from her.
#6: Bruce is at Vicki's apartment. she tries to make him quit his role as Batman but he refuses. Moments later she gets a package from the Joker containing wax ears. Alicia calls sometime later warning Vicki that Joker is coming for her.
Final Cut: Bruce arrives at Vicki's apartment to express his apologies for standing her up. Joker arrives moments later with a package. Bruce and Joker have a confrontation and Bruce is shot but saved by a metal tray.
#7: The Batmobile self destructs in Axis Chemicals leaving it
to rubble. Joker's escape and survival is not shown here.
Final Cut: The Batmobile on auto pilot drops explosives around the factory and
destroys it. However Joker escapes
#8: On Andrew's Island, The Governor kicks off Gotham's 300th
birthday by unveiling a statue of Lady Gotham. To everyone's shock and horror,
the statue has a Joker grin on it. Moments later, All of Gotham is immersed in
darkness and anarchy ensues. Meanwhile the Joker has a parade
Final Cut: Joker holds a parade and throws out money then proceeds to gas the
revelers
#9: The Joker releases his deadly gas. Knox and Vicki see
Batman flying overhead and attempt to find a way to let him know about the
poisonous balloons. Knox sees a Batman costume, takes its cape and places it over a spot
light aimed at the Joker's float. Batman sees it.
Final Cut: Batman is already aware of the situation
#10: Batman destroys the float with the gas emitting clown.
The balloon floats upward and explodes harmlessly. Batman severs the other
balloons afterwards
Final Cut: Batman seizes the balloons with the Batwing and sets them afloat.
#11: Joker discovers Vicki and Knox's sign and opens fire on them. Knox is
fatally wounded and dies
Final Cut: Knox takes a gas mask and bat and uses them to get everyone away
from the floats.
#12: Joker opens fire on the Batwing with a submachine gun
Final Cut: Joker pulls out a long barreled gun and shoots the Batwing down
#13: Batman attempts to eject but his cape gets caught and he
goes down with his plane
NOTE: Sam Hamm thought the idea of Batman having a cape was stupid (his words)
and tried many times to show it including this one. Tim Burton ditched all
scenes showing this.
Final Cut: Batman doesn't make any attempt to eject.
#14: Dick tackles the Joker and is about to strike when he
sees Batman crash. He runs to the wreckage and pulls a badly injured Batman out.
Leaving Batman, Dick sees a gun and pursues the Joker.
Final Cut: No Robin but Vicki arrives to check on Batman. Joker captures her
and heads for Gotham Cathedral.
#15: Dick attempts to shoot the Joker but misses. Batman also
pursues but due to his injured state passes out. His is found by the Joker who
unmasks him. Joker attempts to kill Batman but Bruce grabs him and pulls out a
timer to blow them both up
Final Cut: An injured Batman battles three of Joker's goons before making it to
the top to confront Joker.
#16: Joker frees himself from Batman's grasp and attempts to
board the helicopter. However a swarm of Bats are wakened and swarm the Joker
causing to lose his grip and fall. Batman takes his belt off (which has the bomb
and throws it away but it snags on to the helicopter and blows it up
Final Cut: After knocking Joker over the edge of the Cathedral, Joker pulls
both Batman and Vicki over and attempts to escape but Batman snares him to a
gargoyle with a bola. The weight of the Gargoyle pulls Joker to his death.
#17: Batman and Robin stand on a rooftop and see a Bat signal
in the sky
Final Cut: Batman is alone on a rooftop watching the signal.
Added Scenes
-Bob isn't in the first draft and it appears that he was added in later.
Joker's "romance" with Vicki is also added.
#1:A scene with Bruce and Vicki dining replaced the other date scenes early in the film. Also the scene of Alfred talking about Bruce riding the horse was added afterwards.
#2: Vicki follows Bruce to crime alley and sees him laying the flowers.
#3: The scene where Joker
stabs the mobster with the quilt pen and the carnage that follows afterwards.
#4: Joker appears as Jack Napier on TV and says how he'll be at the parade to
give out money. Challenges Batman to show his real face. Bruce has a flash back
and realises that he is indeed the man who killed his parents. Moments later
Vicki shows up
(Note: Sam Hamm has recently admitted that making Joker the killer of the
Wayne's wasn't his idea. In fact it was the late Warren Skaaron who added this
as he wanted to link Batman and Joker)
#5:Harvey Dent shows off the Bat signal that Batman gave them to call him whenever trouble appears. Aflred takes Vicki home