Kilmer was expected to begin filming The Saint for director Phillip Noyce at Paramount on March 22, 1996. Schumacher wanted him available to begin pre- production on the Batman film in August for a September 1 start date.33 Rick Nicita, the co-chairman of the Creative Artists Agency, handled Kilmer’s negotiations, and got Paramount to agree to a $6 million dollar salary for the actor, three times what he had been paid for Batman Forever and $2 million more than he had been promised for Batman & Robin.
Kilmer was in negotiations for The Saint in mid-November, but by early December talks had broken down. Kilmer was said to be off the project, yet he and director Philip Noyce continued to meet, and it was understood that Kilmer would in fact do the film, once his divorce from Joanne Whalley-Kilmer was completed.34 It was speculated that Kilmer dropped out of The Saint until his divorce was finalized, so his $6 million payday wouldn’t be included in the financial settlement.35The Saint’s director, Philip Noyce, told Daily Variety’s Anita M. Busch that when it came to Kilmer cutting off negotiations to star in the film, “There were a number of factors involved: fatigue, his divorce and Batman.” According to Noyce, Kilmer had called him in December, saying he was too exhausted to work on the film. Noyce began doing damage control, booking a flight to South Africa, where Kilmer was already working on The Ghost and the Darkness. “If I thought he was going to do it, I wouldn’t have flown to Johannesburg,” said Noyce. “I went down three times to lay out the production schedule and the workload for Val.”36 Noyce’s talks with the actor would continue into the new year.
Meanwhile, in January, Goldsman completed his Batman & Robin script, and by the middle of the month Daily Variety was reporting that Alicia Silverstone would play Batgirl alongside Kilmer and O’Donnell’s Batman and Robin.37Daily Variety reported her signing on February 1, 1996.38 “Alicia Silverstone is an extraordinary young woman, and of course, beautiful and talented,” said Schumacher. “She’s very popular with young audiences, and I thought it would be nice to give them a young heroine who was as intelligent, strong-willed and dedicated to justice as the men.”39 The 19-year-old Silverstone, daughter of a San Francisco real estate investor and a flight attendant, had been acting in TV commercials since the age of six. She landed a TV role in 1992 on The Wonder Years, and then segued into films, playing a young woman obsessed with an older man in The Crush (1993). That led to her being cast in several music videos for the band Aerosmith, but it was her starring role in director Amy Heckerling’s Clueless (1995)—a charming update of Jane Austen’s Emma— that catapulted her into the cultural zeitgeist. “I was in Japan on a press tour for Clueless when Joel called me from Mississippi, where he was filming A Time to Kill,” recalled Silverstone. “I could barely hear him, but I was thrilled.”40 The young actress admitted to being a fan of the Batman TV series, saying, “I watched them when I was a little girl and loved the characters, especially Catwoman and the Joker.”41
By the end of January, another name had joined Julia Roberts and Demi Moore in the Poison Ivy sweepstakes: Uma Thurman.42 Born in Boston in 1970, Thurman was the daughter of Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman and model Nena Thurman; she grew up in a household where the Dalai Lama was sometimes a houseguest. At age 15, she went to New York to attend high school and pursue modeling, eventually being featured in magazines such as Glamour. She made her first film appearance in 1987’s Kiss Daddy Goodnight, but it was the powerful one-two combination of Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons, both released in 1988, that turned her into a sought-after sex symbol. In 1990, she married actor Gary Oldman, but the union lasted less than two years. After a string of mediocre films, she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1995 for her co-starring role opposite John Travolta in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Thurman met director Joel Schumacher at a New York restaurant to discuss the role, and by the time they’d finished dessert she was at the top of the list.43 She was signed soon after.44 “I’ve always wanted to work with Uma Thurman,” said Schumacher. “The first time I saw her in a film was in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as Venus. When that shell opened revealing her in imitation of Botticelli’s painting, I said, ‘Who is this gorgeous girl?’ I think to find someone that beautiful who’s also such a wonderful actress is very rare.”45
Meanwhile, Val Kilmer, having met with The Saint’s director Philip Noyce in London in January, recommitted to star in Noyce’s spy film. However, no one at the Creative Artist Agency bothered to inform Paramount that Kilmer was contractually obligated for first position on Batman & Robin, which had a pre-production start date of August 1, until early February. By the time Paramount was made aware of Kilmer’s situation, they were already six weeks into pre-production of The Saint and had spent about $10 million. The Saint was set to begin principal photography on March 27 for a two to three month shoot. When Paramount executives were told by CAA co-chairman Rick Nicita that Kilmer had to get clearance for his schedule from Warner Bros., they were stunned; they thought they had an unencumbered deal with Kilmer, especially since the actor had been meeting with Noyce about the script, and rewrites had been made to suit the actor.46
Nicita then reportedly went to Warner Bros. chairman Bob Daly and told him that Kilmer didn’t want to do Batman & Robin because of a problem with Joel Schumacher. Daly was furious, reminding Nicita that Kilmer was contractually bound to do the Batman film. Under its option agreement, Warner Bros.—which had yet to release Kilmer from his contract—could insist that Kilmer report for the September 1 principal photography start date of Batman & Robin. Neither Warner Bros. nor Paramount were happy with the situation, and both threatened to sue CAA.47
The fall-out over how negotiations with Kilmer were handled had other repercussions. After ten years as a client, Joel Schumacher—upset over how Rick Nicita had handled Val Kilmer’s negotiations for The Saint and Batman & Robin—left the Creative Artists Agency, and for a time was represented by Jake Bloom, his attorney.48 Schumacher, who was represented by Nicita’s friend Jack Rapke, another co-chairman of CAA, told Daily Variety that Schumacher left the agency just because he wanted to “hang loose for awhile.” But sources told the trade paper that the director became unhappy when Nicita negotiated a $6 million deal for Kilmer to star in The Saint.49
Warner Bros. and Paramount decided to work the problem out between themselves. Paramount agreed to a stop date for The Saint at the end of July, and also agreed not to release their film near the June 5, 1997 scheduled release date of Batman & Robin. But once Schumacher became aware of the situation with Kilmer, he decided to institute a Plan B, and opened up discussions with George Clooney.50
Clooney was famous as pediatrician Dr. Doug Ross on the TV series ER, a role he began playing when the series debuted in 1994. After the TV show made him a household name, he starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in One Fine Day (1996) and Salma Hayek in Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). “I saw George in From Dusk Till Dawn and recognized immediately that he not only had looks and talent, but real charisma,” said Joel Schumacher. “When I actually drew Batman’s cowl onto George’s face in a newspaper ad for the film, he looked perfect.”51
The affable actor, born May 6, 1961 in Lexington, Kentucky, was the son of Cincinnati TV newscaster and talk show host Nick Clooney, and the nephew of singer Rosemary Clooney. After studying at Northern Kentucky University, he first sought a career as a baseball player, trying out for a position with the Cincinnati Reds. When that didn’t pan out, his cousin, actor Miguel Ferrer, helped him land a small role in a feature film. In 1982, Clooney moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, making his TV debut in an episode of the TV series Riptide in 1984. More TV appearances followed, including recurring roles in the series The Facts of Life, Roseanne, Bodies of Evidence and Sisters. He’d also made forays into films, beginning with such forgettable fare as Return to Horror High (1987) and Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988), but his career seemed to be going nowhere until he land
ed the featured role on ER.
Clooney had been sought for a leading role in a superhero adventure before. In October of 1995, he was reportedly close to signing a $3 million deal with Universal Pictures to play the Green Hornet, a character originally created for radio by the same team responsible for the Lone Ranger. The character had appeared in two serials in the 1940s as well as the 1966-67 TV series produced by Batman’s William Dozier and starring Van Williams as the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as his sidekick, Kato. Jason Scott Lee, who had just starred as Bruce Lee in Dragon for Universal Pictures, was reportedly going to be Kato to Clooney’s Green Hornet. It was thought that Clooney would begin filming the movie in March or April of 1996 during a hiatus from ER, but once Clooney was in consideration for Batman, the Green Hornet project evaporated.52
Warner Bros., meanwhile, sought to protect their number one franchise by arguing that Kilmer had an ironclad contract to reprise his role as Batman, and notified Paramount that Kilmer was contractually obligated to show up for work on August 1. Daily Variety reported that Kilmer didn’t like the title of the new Batfilm, because he didn’t want to share the spotlight with Chris O’Donnell. With The Saint, he would be earning three times his Batman Forever salary, and wouldn’t have to share the screen with a sidekick or scene-stealing villains. He also reportedly wanted his good friend Robert Towne, the screenwriter of Chinatown, to take a crack at the script.53
Finally, Joel Schumacher had enough, saying in interviews that Kilmer was “the most psychologically troubled human being I’ve ever worked with.” Kilmer was surprised and hurt by Schumacher’s reaction, telling Los Angeles Times reporter Steve Hochman, “The thing that Joel Schumacher said was so extreme. He’s accusing me of being a disturbed person. So why did he offer me the lead role in A Time to Kill? Why was he so upset? He can’t deny that he wanted me to do that job. So this is a guy that I had a very pleasant time working with’s form of grief about me not working with him any more.”54
As the tension between the director and the star rose, industry insiders felt Warner Bros. would eventually drop the irritable Kilmer in favor of Clooney, who had the reputation of being an easy-going actor.55 And indeed, on Valentine’s Day, Daily Variety announced that Kilmer would not be returning as Batman.56 A week later, on February 21, while noting that Kilmer was “willing” to return for Batman, the trade paper reported that the actor was scheduled to leave for Moscow to begin filming The Saint in the first week in March.57 Two days later, they reported that Clooney had signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros. said to be worth between $26 million and $28 million. Batman & Robin was expected to be his first project under the deal.
THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN SHOW BUSINESS
Now officially out of the Batman film, Kilmer explained that one of the reasons he left is that the role no longer held any challenges for him. “With Batman, the reason it’s so popular has nothing to do with me,” he told Steve Hochman of The Los Angeles Times. “One of the reasons it wasn’t such a lure to go back to do Batman is that they were so happy with the product. There was nothing stimulating to me in that in a personal way. There’s nothing wrong with success, and it’s hard to conceive that it wouldn’t be again. It’s just not stimulating.”58
When asked by Daily Variety’s Michael Mallory if he could confirm or deny rumors that Val Kilmer had been difficult during filming of Batman Forever, Schumacher gave a diplomatic answer, saying, “A lot of film time these days is unfortunately spent just waiting for stars. I have no patience with overpaid, over- privileged people who cannot have the dignity and courtesy to be professional. I don’t tolerate that kind of behavior.”59
Warner Bros. immediately began discussions with Clooney’s William Morris agents and with Dreamworks, trying to work out scheduling conflicts between the Batman film and his commitment to do Dreamworks’ action thriller The Peacemaker.60The Peacemaker was scheduled to finish filming in August, with Clooney due to begin Batman & Robin in September. In the event Clooney wasn’t able to begin the Batman film on time, Val Kilmer—still contractually bound to the role—would be waiting in the wings.61 Part of Clooney’s contract was an option to do another Batman film, though he wasn’t guaranteed a return engagement.62
Batman & Robin was due to begin shooting at the same time as a new season of ER. Since Warner Bros. owned the show and wanted to assure its continued success, they began working out a schedule that would allow Clooney to do both ER and Batman & Robin simultaneously. Luckily, the Batman film would be shooting on the same Warners backlot where ER also had its sets, so Clooney could easily move from one set to the next. The problem was that ER shot five days a week, from Monday through Friday, which only left two days a week for Clooney to be Batman.63 For his part, Clooney was eager to take on the role; Variety quoted sources saying that he “desperately wants Batman.”64 On March 4, Daily Variety’s Peter Bart reported that Clooney would get $10 million for playing the Caped Crusader.65
Warner Bros. was not only courting George Clooney, they were also in talks with Arnold Schwarzenegger to take on the role of the villain, Mr. Freeze.66 It appears that Sylvester Stallone might also have been considered for the Mr. Freeze role, but ultimately no offer was made to his representatives.67 Stallone who, like Schwarzenegger, was represented by International Creative Management, reportedly left the agency partly because he was upset that Schwarzenegger, and not he, received the offer to play Mr. Freeze.68 However, when asked about playing the role, Stallone would later tell Daily Variety’s Greg Evans, “I had no intentions of doing that film. They’re doing what they want to do, and I’m where I want to be.”69
At the National Association of Theater Owners/ShoWest convention in March, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he was still trying to work out his schedule so that he could play Mr. Freeze. But, since he had already committed to appear in Paramount Pictures’ Wings of Eagles, he wasn’t sure that he’d be available. In the event that he wasn’t, Daily Variety reported that Bruce Willis was waiting to step into the villain’s cryo-suit.70
By March 12, 1996, all the stars had aligned. On that day, Warner Bros. announced Val Kilmer had been released from his contract options, and that George Clooney would be Batman and Arnold Schwarzenegger would be Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin, both having worked out their schedules.71 “It sounded great, and I really wanted to work with Joel,” said Clooney. “I had also been over at Warner Bros. for a long time on ER, and there’s really a nice sense of family that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Hollywood. The idea of being able to work on the biggest franchise of all time thrilled me, and we made the deal.”72 Clooney admitted that he hadn’t been a big comic book fan as a kid, but that he was familiar with Batman. “Where we grew up, television was everything, and Batman was our favorite show. My cousin Miguel Ferrer used to make plaster statues of Batman and give them to everybody as gifts.”73
Schumacher acknowledged that the tone of Batman & Robin would be lighter than the previous film, and attributed that partly to the hiring of Clooney. “Bringing George on has changed the tone in that he is a more humane Batman and less of the dark, brooding, damaged Batman...This Batman is older and wiser. He’s a man who has left most of his childhood traumas behind and is much more concerned with his life today. He has a fiancée, conflicts with Robin, a stranger in the house with Batgirl and a drama being played out with Alfred. He’s giving away money all day and running around in a rubber suit at night. This Batman is obviously way too busy to still be tormented by the death of his parents.”74
Clooney agreed with Schumacher’s assessment, saying, “We have now seen three Batman films in which he talks about how his parents were murdered when he was a little boy, and the truth is that people now want this man to stop talking about it already. It’s time for Batman to enjoy being Batman, and deal with the problems at hand rather than the problems of his past. But that doesn’t mean that he’s not frustrated by the criminals who roam around Gotham, or that he doesn’t still have some issues
of his own to deal with.”75
Clooney accepted the role knowing that it was fraught with potential pitfalls. “First and foremost, I don’t want to screw up what has already worked so well,” he said. “It’s the most successful movie franchise ever, so I’m not trying to make this thing ‘right.’ You try and do it differently, but you don’t want to be different just to be different. There are certain things that you have to uphold when playing a character like Batman. The secret to Batman is that he’s kind of the Johnny Carson of superheroes. The reason Carson was such a great host was not only that he was funny and warm and we really liked him, but he also always made sure that the guest was the star. The truth of the matter is that the star of this movie is not Batman. The criminals are always the star, because they’re so much bigger than life. Batman is the constant, the steady in this. So my job is to be the foundation to hold all this together, because in a way the audience watches the movie through Batman’s eyes. Hopefully, the stars are the wild characters, the sets, the costumes, the wonderful camerawork. It’s an epic! My task is not to try and grab the attention all the time.”76
Billion Dollar Batman Page 50
