How Tim Burton Really Feels About Batman & Robin's Most Infamous Costume
Ah, the infamous Bat-nipples. Nearly three decades have gone by since the release of Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin" films but the controversial costume he used in both of them is still being talked about — and roasted — to this very day. Even "Batman & Robin" lead George Clooney has come forward to blast the infamous batsuit he worse during his run as the Caped Crusader (via New York Post).
"There's no way I can explain it to you other than I had no idea that putting nipples on the bat costume were going to [make] international headlines," Schumacher admitted in a "Batman & Robin" behind-the-scenes special. "The bodies for the suits — the inspiration for them are Greek statues that have perfect bodies ..." the director explained, going on to add. "So, it never occurred to me not to put nipples on the men's suits because I didn't know the male nipple was a controversial body part." But controversial it was.
When it comes to Schumacher's batsuit detractors, one opinion that many fans have always cared about is that of "Batman" (1989) and "Batman Returns" director Tim Burton, who opened up about the long-running DC movie franchise in a recent interview with Empire magazine.
Tim Burton has strong feelings about the infamous batsuit
Speaking to Empire, Tim Burton expressed that he viewed Warner Bros' decision to give Joel Schumacher the green light for his Bat-nipples as being a bit hypocritical. After all, the studio apparently told the "Wednesday" director that his vision was too strange for the franchise. And when speaking about the infamous Schumacher batsuit, Burton didn't mince words.
"I was like, 'Wait a minute. Okay. Hold on a second here. You complain about me, I'm too weird, I'm too dark, and then you put nipples on the costume? Go f**k yourself,'" Burton recalled thinking. "So yeah...That's why I didn't end up [making a third Batman film]."
Burton also noted the irony that while his take on Gotham City was considered too dark at the time it was released, future films, including Matt Reeves' 2022 effort "The Batman," have gotten considerably more serious. "It is funny to see this now, because all these memories come back of, 'It's too dark'," Burton opined to Empire. "So, it makes me laugh a little bit."