No, Julia Roberts Wasn’t Meant To Be Batman & Robin’s Poison Ivy

It would be hard to imagine someone other than Thurman as the sultry Poison Ivy in Batman and Robin. There was a rumor though that suggested Julia Roberts was in talks for the part.

In an in-depth interview with THR, Batman and Robin director Joel Schumacher put those rumors to rest saying “Julia and I did two movies together back to back. We’re friends. She would have picked up the phone and called me.”

Schumacher did reveal that there were other actresses who inquired about the role through their agents, but he didn’t reveal any names.

While the film certainly has its flaws, Thurman’s performance was fun in all the right ways, and it would be hard to see someone else as Ms. Isley.

The film would open to $42 million in box office and would end up $100 million short of Batman Forever.

“It was such a scandal! It was like I had murdered babies or something, and in hindsight, I’d say wasn’t it an innocent world where a Batman movie, which was from comic books could be —,” Schumacher says, before changing course, remembering one of the film’s most controversial additions to the Batman mythos. “The nipples! That was the greatest! That was the absolute greatest. That two rubber things, the size of pencil erasers would be a big f—ing deal.”

The DCEU has changed a great deal in the years since, and the current Batman is a far cry from Batman and Robin’s. He’ll be appearing again in the upcoming Justice League, while the upcoming Gotham City Sirens will likely get its very own interpretation of Poison Ivy.

Justice League currently has a 4.16 out of 5 on ComicBook.com’s anticipation rankings, and the official description can be found below.

In Justice League, fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

Justice League is directed by Zack Snyder, from a screenplay by Chris Terrio, and features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck (Batman), Henry Cavill(Superman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), Ciarán Hinds (Steppenwolf), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Jeremy Irons (Alfred Pennyworth), J.K. Simmons (Commissioner Gordon), Amber Heard (Mera), Kiersey Clemons (Iris West) and Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor).

Wonder Woman is in theaters now, followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020. The Flash, The Batman, Dark Universe and Man of Steel 2 are currently without a release dates.

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