Batman Returns: What Happened To Marlon Wayans Cut Robin – Screen Rant

Why did Marlon Wayans never play Dick Grayson's Robin inBatman Returns, as originally planned? Although the mixture of Tim Burton behind the camera and Michael Keaton in front solicited some skepticism, the 1989Batman movie proved a stone cold classic, kick-starting the superhero genre as fans know it today. Naturally, a sequel was soon underway and many agree thatBatman Returns was even better than its predecessor, with a more gothic visual flavor and 2 iconic villains, Danny DeVito's Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, working in unison against the Caped Crusader.

Keaton's Batman worked alone for his pair of cinematic outings, and it wasn't until Joel Schumacher'sBatman Forever with Val Kilmer that Robin made his first film appearance since Burt Ward slipped on those famous green tights. Played by Chris O'Donnell,Batman Forever charted the origin ofDick Grayson and his becoming an apprentice of Bruce Wayne, with the dynamic duo firmly established by the end of the movie. O'Donnell would return opposite George Clooney forBatman & Robin in 1997, but would strongly wish he hadn't after the fourth movie effectively killed the franchise.

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However, Robin was originally set to make his first appearance one film earlier inBatman Returns, played by Marlon Wayans instead of O'Donnell. Then only beginning his career in movies and television, Wayans would go on to star in theScary Movie series,White Chicks and a number of other parodies. Tim Burton originally cast Wayans as Robin ahead ofBatman Returns, with the budding actor lined up as Keaton's vigilante sidekick. After being both castandpaid, it was the sequel's producers who decided to oust Robin from the script, believing that Cobblepott, Kyle and Shreck (Max, not the ogre) already presented an ampleselection of new characters to introduce.

Despite being benched forBatman Returns, Burton held onto the idea of Marlon Wayans playingRobin and planned to bring the Boy Wonder back forBatman Forever. This time, however, the entire production was upended when Burtonended up replaced by Schumacher, and the direction of the threequel changed entirely. It was during this changover process that Schumacher decided to cast a new Robin, replacing Wayans with O'Donnell. Despite neveractually appearing as Robin, Wayans claims he was still getting paid for the movie years after its release.

Although it's disappointing that Wayans' Robin never made it to the big screen, the argument thatBatman Returns already had too many fresh characters is a sound one. Penguin and Catwoman's backstories are perfectly executed in Burton's sequel, and it's difficult to see how Dick Grayson's story would also fit into that tapestry without causing a negative knock-on effect to the other backstories. Pfeiffer and DeVito may not have shone as brightly as they did with another sub-plot to weave into the run time.

It would've been fascinating to see a young Wayans' interpretation of Robin inBatman Forever but, on the other hand, Chris O'Donnell was not only well-suited to the sidekick role, he also ended up being one of the few watchable elements of the Joel Schumacher era, especially inBatman Forever. With that said, the tattered reputation of late 1990s'Batman movies ensured many years would pass before Robin graced the big screen again, and as of right now, the character has onlymade live-action appearanceson TV. Perhaps with Wayans in the role under Burton's direction inBatman Returns, Robin wouldn't be so synonymous with the SchumacherBatman films today.

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig's interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.Jim Carrey is Craigs top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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Batman Returns: What Happened To Marlon Wayans Cut Robin - Screen Rant