Batman early draft

Here’s an early version of the Batman 89 movie script. Sam Hamm wrote this first draft in 86. A lot of this script was pretty much left unchanged from what was shown on the screen. But, there was a huge sub-plot dealing with Knox and Wayne that’s been thrown out.

http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/batman_early.html

There are some other differences

~The confrontation between Jack (pre-joker) and Eckhardt (cop) in the alleyway is completely different. Jack makes a few more remarks about the crooked cop. Jack even hits the cop.

~There’s some extra bits between Vicki and Knox at Wayne’s party, plus Alfred gets in on the action. Good deletion here. The writing in that scene was bad.

~The ‘grant’ joke between Wayne and Knox is never paid off in this version. (In the film, Knox jokes around by asking for a grant, and Wayne really gives him one!)

~Jack doesn’t say, “Eckhardt, think about the future.” Before he blows away the cop.

~Knox in this version is a little more aggressive toward getting into Vicki Vale’s pants. He even has a lady who once dated Wayne try to talk Vale out of the date.

~This one is a little shocking, Knox puts two and two together and deduces that Wayne and Batman are the same.

KNOX

He walks out on his own party. Half an hour later, the Caped Crusader turns up in full bat-drag.

Sees an execution, freaks out in an alleyway. No place to change.

Yeah, Vicki, he's "married" all right.

Knox nearly comes off as a complete jerk in this version, where in the movie he’s more likable.

~Vicki Vale actually witnesses the first victims of Joker’s Smilex; the two supermodels that the newscasters mention in their reports. The scene is too ‘cute’, because the camera guy continues to take photos of the now Smilex-dead Supermodels, before realizing that they were poised.

~Interesting Note: Remember when the Joker secretly sets up a date with Vicki Vale at the restaurant/art show? He releases gas into the building, killing everyone, (though it is never stated in the movie outright), except Vale. In this version, the people are only knocked unconscious from the gas.

~When the thugs corner Batman in the alley, they do in fact take Batman down with a pipe. They even take his mask off, seeing his bloody face. Vicki doesn’t see his face because she was on the roof.

~The time between the alley fight and taking Vicki to the Batcave has a little too much playful banter between Batman and Vicki. Batman smiles on a few occasions! In the movie, Batman keeps his distance from her, even going as far as shining a light in her face when she starts to stare at him while he drives. (The entire drive to Batcave scene was cool, and a nice touch with the full choir singing too).

~You want corny? Vicki finally agrees with Knox and believes Wayne is Batman. Wayne actually calls Vicki and puts on his Batman voice! And, she flat out tells him that he’s Wayne/Batman over the phone! (Yeah, Batman calls the people he helps over the phone to check up on them…)

More soon…